Armistice Day in Fenelon Falls, 1918
By early November 1918, it was becoming clear that the German Army was on its last legs and that the Great War might mercifully come to an end. In late September, German General Ludendorff had concluded that the military situation was hopeless. On the night of October 29 to 30, a revolution began, which spread across Germany. Yet, after the war, German military leaders and nationalists would scapegoat the new republic, perpetuating a myth that the army had been stabbed in the back, not defeated.
As had happened in countless other communities caught up in the conflict, many soldiers would never return home, others were wounded, and others would never be the same again. In Fenelon Falls, the Reverend C.S. Lord of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was one of the most active recruiters when the war began. His three sons enlisted and all reached the rank of Lieutenant. Vernon and McLean joined the air force, which was one of most perilous arms of service—new aces had a life expectancy of 11 days. Vernon was captured by the Germans after crash-landing behind enemy lines when his engine gave out, but McLean was killed. The third brother, Arthur served in the army, took shrapnel from a shell in the lungs, and returned to the front before having unsuccessful surgery. He was sent home as an invalid, then died as a result of his injuries.
Similarly in Bobcaygeon, the Boyd families were strong supporters of the British Army, and their sons enlisted in British rather than Canadian units. W.T.C. Boyd lost both sons who enlisted, Thornton and Herbert, while his remaining son accidentally drowned in Pigeon Lake. W.T.C. died in 1919 of a broken heart. It was often said at the time that ‘the cream’ of European society died in the First World War. While today many people will find such class perceptions jarring, it was certainly true that the ‘good’ sons, who dutifully did what they were told to do, were disproportionately likely to die. Nobody suffered worse than the junior officers, whose job it was to lead, instilling confidence as their troops set out across no-man’s-land.
At 4:30 am on November 11, 1918, the news reached Fenelon Falls that the dreadful war was finally going to end that day. Even before dawn, the news spread around town and by 5:30, the street party had begun "the ringing of bells and beating of drums soon awakened those that were still sleeping and the streets were soon crowded with hundreds of loud citizens." By 11 am, programmes for the ceremony that was held that afternoon. "A parade was held in the morning, but the grand parade took place at two o’clock in the afternoon. It was headed by the returned soldiers, four of which were mounted on horseback, after which came the band. Others who took part in the procession were ladies dressed in the costumes to represent the allied countries, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of the boys overseas, the school children in charge of Principal D. Robertson, a couple of fife and drum bands, and a large number of patriotic citizens. It was without a doubt the best parade ever held in the village."
