Canadian War Posters

As the war continued the number of volunteers willing to serve overseas started to dwindle and, as casualties increased, recruitment became more and more urgent. In 1915, the Borden government bowed to pressure from patriotic groups and allowed any civilian or community organisation, even individuals who could bear the expense, to raise their own infantry battalion for overseas duty. By the end of 1915, over 300,000 men had volunteered for the armed forces.

Posters appealed to various ethnic and religious groups and encouraged men of Irish and Scottish descent to join battalions made up of others from the same background such as the Scottish 236th Kilties Battalion or the Sportsman’s Company of the Irish Canadian Rangers.

Poster appeals were also made to French Canadians in an attempt to encourage their participation but recruitment in Quebec met with less success compared to the rest of the country. During the War, 257 infantry battalions were raised throughout Canada.