Poem ~ German-Canadian Brigade - Thursday, 27 January 1916

Impression sketch of bust shown being fished out of Victoria Park pond - by Jamie.  To read more information on Berlin Ontario and to see an original image see article “We Germans…are British Subjects” The First World War and The Curious Case of Berlin, Ontario, Canada by William J. Campbell: <http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1654&context=cmh> Accessed: 27 January 2016].

11 January 1916, noted a surprise

Announcement from the New York

Evening Journal, with Canadian

Recruitment of a Germen brigade.

The Ottawa Despatch informed

How German-Canadians would

Fight for the allies - all prompted

By officers with German descent.

The Dominion Minister of Mailitia,

General Sir Sam Hughes, let it be

Known how these officers who had

German origins, wanted to fight.

The idea of a specialist brigade

Was given by General's consent -

With his chief intelligence officer

Captain Hahn, being German born.

Having Canada become his home,

Hahn would fight for that country,

Although back in native Germany,

He had family in the German army.

It was known how many Germans

Of Canada were loyal to Canadian

Territory, came from Berlin, Ontario -

Where the Germans supported allies.

Seen as a majority with German

Connections, these peoples patriotic

Meetings, worked collectively with

The Berliners, giving to war funds.

Living within Canada's German

Capital, these people's confidence

Had in 1914, given celebration

To their Kaiser Wilhelm’s Birthday.

Their pride, as British subjects,

Steadfast by that summer date

Of August 1914,  saw the Kaiser's

Bust thrown into Victoria park lake.

A guilty trio of three youths,

Led to bust's watery recovery -

To be returned to it's pedestal,

Facing a precarious existence.

Bubbling below these events,

Grew a disassociation in their

City's name Berlin - to desire

Something less controversial.

With many people of this Berlin,

Holding beliefs of Anabaptists -

Their faith held them as pacifists,

Leading to loyalty suspicions.

Amid pacifists and many German

Descendants grew a growing strain

Within Berlin, Ontario - their heritage

Formed enmity in Waterloo county.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. German Canadians - To Fight For Allies. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 27 January 1916. P.10. Col.6. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12120440/Daily-Telegraph-January-27-1916.html [Accessed: 27 January 2016].

Source: Campbell, W., 1916. File: “We Germans…are British Subjects” The First World War and The Curious Case of Berlin, Ontario, Canada. Available at: <http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1654&context=cmh> Accessed: 27 January 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 January 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12120440/Daily-Telegraph-January-27-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Recruitment Fraud - Monday, 11 January 1915

Welshman John Jones, also known

As William, Thomas or Daniel -

Had been a young miner from Cardiff,

Traveling to London to join the army.

In making recruitment of soldiers,

The practice involved handing out -

On receipt of a man's signature -

An amount of money, which would

Act as a seal on the deal - this fact

Prompted some to seek illegal gains.

On Friday morning, 8 January,

Mr Jones arrived and stepped

Into the Whitehall Recruiting

Headquarters - here he enlisted

Into the Royal Engineers -

On signing the Testimony form,

He was given payment of 1s 6d.

On Friday afternoon Mr Jones

Walked into the Marylebone

Depot - wanting to sign again,

Once again for Royal Engineers.

Suspicions were quickly raised,

By eagle eyed recruiting Officer,

A Major Henry Mansford.

Being searched, forms were found

In his possession,being received

Earlier at Whitehall - Mansford

Realised that this Mr Jones had

Already signed up previously,

On varied visits about the country.

Detective Frost indicated how,

The arrested also had on him,

Papers from Durham - where

On 5 January, he had enlisted

In the Royal Garrison Artillery -

To gain 3s 6d – this miner,

Being unemployed, was found

To have 15s 6d - probably gained

From travels about the country.

At the Marylebone Police Court on

Saturday, Mr Jones was charged,

With making fraud - under sentence,

Mr Paul Taylor said, such conduct

Was disreputable and unpatriotic.

Using Mr Jones as example to any

Thinking of committing such fraud,

Was given six months hard labour.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Bogus Recruits – Frauds on the War Office. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 11 Jan. P.3. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11336243/Daily-Telegraph-January-11-1915.html [Accessed: 11 January 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 11 January 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11336243/Daily-Telegraph-January-11-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ English or German? - Wednesday, 9 September 1914

A young cigarette manufacturer,

Maxilmilian (Walter Curtis) Duntz

Aged 31, a fellow, having failed

To register himself as alien,

Stood before Mr Hopkins,

At Bow Street Police-court.

He had explained himself,

At the visit of a police officer,

As being a Walter Curtis –

Considering himself as Norwegian

Of birth - but later admittance came

That his birthplace had been Berlin,

But that he did not recognise

Germany as his country.

Stating his father as being Norwegian,

Inquiries showed in fact that his father,

Was actually German and registered.

It was also confirmed the detainee

Was sworn to giving service,

In the role as a special constable.

The magistrate declared,

That this fact made the case serious.

The counsel for defence,

Said that, while the prisoner

Had effectively been born in Berlin,

At the age of 15, his father

Brought him over to Britain,

With German authority to exempt

‘Mr Curtis’ of German military service.

Since that time he had worked

As a medical electrician,

And a cigarette manufacturer,

Under the name of ‘Walter Curtis.’

Upon learning of the enforcement

Of the Alien restriction order,

‘Mr Curtis’ spoke of this with a friend,

From the London City Council.

Whose advice was to register.

So the friend took him to a station.

Upon talking with the duty officer,

Told him there was no need to register.

His consul added the prisoner

Was married to an English lady,

And how his sympathies are British.

In wanting to serve the country

He enrolled as a special constable.

The magistrate was quoted

As saying that for such a post

A man needs to be British-born.

‘Mr Curtis’ again declared,

His release from any allegiance

To the existing German empire.

By the supplied documentation,

Provided for him at 15 years,

Still in possession of his father,

Who was at present in Brussels.

Having no nationality ‘Mr Curtis’

Considered himself quite British.

Britain may be an ‘open house’

But it had not yet come to that,

Being the magistrate's reply.

Furthermore came the question

Over his given name of Duntz.

Having been chaffed about,

Duntz sounding like dunce,

Led the detainee to use Curtis.

Witnesses also gave assurances

Of the prisoner's high character.

The Magistrate, Mr Hopkins,

Said declarations of good character

And intentions, was to no avail.

As this man was quite German,

Masquerading as an Englishman.

Assigned a six months imprisonment,

'Mr Curtis’ was recommended

For deportation, with probable result

Of being detained until war was finished.

by Jamie Mann

Anon., 1914. Spy Peril - German Special Constable - masquerading as Englishman. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 9 Sept. p.5. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11077809/Daily-Telegraph-September-9-1914.html [Accessed: 9th September 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 9 September 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11077809/Daily-Telegraph-September-9-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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