Wendy Thienes
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Shaunavon Standard
Shaunavon’s First World War in 12 Objects
The Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre (GCHCC) will showcase a unique exhibit of World War I items made available to them through Western University in London, Ontario.
Every year the University utilizes the Ley and Lois Smith Collection in the History Department at the University to undertake a project to raise awareness of Remembrance Day by sharing some of its treasures with people across Canada.
Professor of History Jonathan Vance approached the Grand Coteau about the project, inviting the Centre to display “Shaunavon’s First World War in 12 Objects” to supplement their own plans to mark Remembrance Day. Twelve selected items from the Smith Collection that connect to Shaunavon’s experience in the First World War include postcards and photos, carefully curated to give a sense of the war’s impact on Shaunavon and surrounding area.
Vance explains the project includes displays for 50 or 60 communities across Canada.
“Our plan with this project was to connect with local museums and libraries that might not have much in the way of archival material in their collections, or might not have the staff resources to put something together. Essentially, we wanted to do some of the work for them. We would provide a number of objects from our own collection, along with the explanatory texts and the basic structure of an exhibit. The institutions could either use that material as-is, or just pop in things from their own collection to build an even larger display.”
GCHCC’s Collections Manager Kelly Attrell says, “Shaunavon-related archival material can be found in museums and archives across Canada, but unless you know where to look and what you’re looking for, it can be hard for researchers to locate. We’re very happy that Professor Vance reached out to us and is allowing us to share this presentation.” Attrell explains that the images will be printed for viewing and a slide show of the images is being created that can be viewed at the Centre and online via their webpage on the Town of Shaunavon’s website.
Text accompanying the postcard images from Western University explains, “Soldiers overseas relied on mail to maintain connections with home, and the military in turn devoted significant resources to ensuring that postcards and letters travelled safely. Each piece of mail was censored at least three times before entering the civilian postal system: once by an officer in the soldier’s unit (the signature in the upper left-hand corner); then by a field censor just behind the front lines (the black circle under the stamp); and finally by a military censor closer to England (the red hexagon in the upper left-hand corner).” A form style postcard, the Field Service Postcard, was eventually introduced. Also known as the Whizz-Bang, it was created to reduce the burden imposed by the need to censor all mail leaving the war zone and therefore reached home more quickly than a normal letter.
Archival material indicates that more than 110 men enlisted in Shaunavon for the 209th Battalion in 1916, although local newspaper archives indicate that ‘200 soldiers from Shaunavon were on their way to summer camp…’. Some of these men were from the surrounding region, not only Shaunavon. One photo in the collection is of a soldier from the 209th Battalion but his identity is not known. Some names mentioned within the archival material include people that long-time Shaunavon residents may have heard of, even though the First World War ended 107 years ago.
One postcard recipient was Frank Bransted of Shaunavon who would eventually be a dedicated volunteer of the Grand Coteau Museum circa 1931. Minnesota native Martin Irgens wrote to Bransted. Irgens was a farm labourer in Frontier, Saskatchewan, when he was conscripted in January 1918. Three months later, he was in England, and three months after that, he was on the fighting lines in France. According to this postcard sent to Bransted in Shaunavon, he was not happy about the speed with which he was shipped out of Canada.
En route Feb 13 – 1918
Friend Frank:
Am in route overseas they wouldn’t give us a leave to go home. It was a pretty rotten deal they give us. If you can make anything on those books, just help yourself. Sorry I couldn’t get home. I would have sure sent you the money. My best regards to all in Shaunavon.
Martin Irgens “Fat”
Shaunavon ex-soldiers Joseph Hossie, a lawyer who had served in the artillery, and accountant Thomas Stothers, a veteran of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps, are featured as contributors known as The ‘Wheeze Bangs’, in a veterans magazine, The Rum Jar. The nickname is an obvious play on words of the aforementioned Whizz Bang postcard. Hossie also has ties to the Grand Coteau Museum, serving as its Vice President in 1931. Other Shaunavon and area surnames mentioned that may be gone but not forgotten include Roy (Louis Roy of Dollard) and Ellis (Gordon) of Shaunavon.
Professor Vance explains the goals of creating an exhibition of this nature.
“On one level, I want people to know that each community’s experience with the First World War was unique and important – we can only really understand the war on a national level if we know how it was experienced locally. Second, I want people to know that there are historians out here in Ontario who are interested in Shaunavon’s First World War experience – and the war experience of countless other small communities! Finally, I’d like people to think about their community now and how it connects to that war. Do they recognize some of the names in the material? Are there Great War veterans in their own family that they could learn more about? Do they have letters, photos, or artifacts from their family that might go to a museum or archive, where they could be safeguarded and used to understand the history?”
Attrell says the archival items will also be printed off for closer viewing and World War I artifacts from the Centre’s own collection will be on display to augment the exhibition. Attrell invites visitors to stop by to view the exhibition or to visit the Centre’s webpage on the Town of Shaunavon website to view the YouTube video. The Centre is open Tuesday-Friday from 9 am – 5 pm. They are closed on November 11, but visitors can see this display until November 14.
All images are Courtesy of the Ley and Lois Smith Collection, History Department, Western University, London, Ontario.
