The boys of the new brigade

There was intense pressure on the home front for eligible males to take an active role in the so-called “Great War.” Recruiting in Canada slowed after mid-1916, and by the following spring was running at around 4000 people per month, a number far below replacement needs. Many men opted for any corps but infantry, making the actual number lower in terms of front-line fighting ability. 

This decline was undoubtedly a reaction to the high rate of casualties reported in the daily newspapers, the accompanying graphic descriptions and personal accounts of battles, and the dwindling number of able-bodied British born or British-background men that comprised the vast majority of the initial Canadian ranks.