Lecture: Montreal at the Front – Personalities of the Great War

A lecture by Alexander Reford, historian and director of Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens, the producer of “War Flowers – A Touring Art Exhibition”. Alexander Reford turned his attention to Montreal at the front to prepare background material for the exhibition War Flowers / Fleurs D’ARMES. Through the eyes of the ten characters chosen for the exhibition, he will explore the impact of the First World War on Montreal and Montrealers. Montreal was far distant from the battlefields of the Western Front during the First World War. But the war had significant impact on Montreal. It emptied the city of many of its young men for the duration of the war. The port and the city’s factories became part of the effort across the Empire to provide the ships, munitions, food and horses to feed the war effort. The First World War also brought to the boil debates and disputes that had been simmering for decades. Women got the vote and helped elect a Unionist government. But the lasting effects of conscription crippled the Conservative Party for decades. McGill was prominent in the war. Students were among the most enthusiastic supporters of the war effort. Many graduates assumed positions of leadership in the Canadian Contingent. Captain John McRae was one of many McGill surgeons to offer emergency medical services to the wounded; he was one of thousands of Montrealers who did not return.