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This photograph shows Canadian servicemen gathered in the great hall of a clearing depot in Québec City in 1919. By this time, the lengthy process of repatriating Canadian soldiers from World War I had begun. Return to everyday life was brutal for many, with some bearing physical and psychological wounds.
1899 - 1919

World War I parade

World War I broke out in 1914. Over 300,000 Canadians, mostly English-speaking, volunteered to fight overseas. The first contingent set sail for England on October 3, 1914. During the conflict, some 630,000 individuals enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. During this time in Quebec, the conscription crisis crystallized in 1917 with a deep rift in public opinion over Canadians’ involvement in the war. In all, over 61,000 soldiers lost their lives on the battlefields of Europe. Come and learn their story!

The hall in a clearing depot in Québec City

Auteur inconnu This photograph shows Canadian servicemen gathered in the great hall of a clearing depot in Québec City in 1919. By this time, the lengthy process of repatriating Canadian soldiers from World War I had begun. Return to everyday life was brutal for many, with some bearing physical and psychological wounds.
Chronoscope Can you identify any of the flags on the wall? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Library and Archives Canada Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Library and Archives Canada