EPISODE 16November 11, 2021

The Crucified Canadian

In April of 1915, the body of a Canadian soldier was found crucified near the city of Ypres...or so the legend goes. Follow the tale of the Crucified Canadian as it transforms from a rumor of the trenches, to a tool for propaganda, to a national myth and symbol of heroism and sacrifice, and finally to the subject of an international scandal. In this episode, we'll take a close look at a mostly forgotten trench myth of World War I that once made headlines around the world, incited Canadians to war, and inspired a legendary brutality on the battlefield.

Sources

Norris, Nanette. World War I and the Myth of the Crucified Soldier. Conference paper, Royal Military College, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 2013

 

Ponsonby, Arthur. Falsehood in War-Time. Bradford & Dickens, London, 1928.

 

McIntosh, Robert. The Great War, Archives, and Modern Memory. Archivaria 46.

 

Hayward, James. Myths & Legends of the First World War. The Mill, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2010.

 

Evans, Suzanne. Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs: World War I and the Politics of Grief. Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2007.

 

Tippett, Maria. Art at the Service of War. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013.

 

Konody, P. G. Art & War: Canadian War Memorials. London: Canadian War Records Office/Colour Ltd., 1919.

 

Cook, Tim. At the Sharp End. Toronto: Penguin Group, 2007.

 

Bennett, Arnold. Over There: War Scenes on the Western Front. Gutenberg.org, 2004.

 

Todd, Lisa M., Paddock, Troy R. E., editor. “The Hun and the Home.” World War I and Propaganda. Boston: Brill, 2014, p. 146.

 

“Canadians Found Comrade Crucified.” Vancouver Daily World, 5 May 1915, p. 1

 

“Canadian Soldiers are Mad with Rage When They Find a Comrade Crucified.” The Calgary Herald, 5 May 1915, p. 1

 

Corey, Herbert. “Canadians Find Man Crucified by Germans.” The Boston Globe, 10 December 1915, p. 12.

 

“Saw Six Crucified.” The Ottawa Citizen, 13 November, 1915, p. 2.

 

Redmond-Forward, L. G. “How We Found Victims of Callous Outrage.” Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, SK, 9 March 1916, p. 7.

 

“Helped to Bury Crucified Men.” The Gazette, Montreal, QC, 3 July 1916, p. 4.

 

Peat, Harold R. “Why the Canadians Took No Prisoners.” The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, MB, 1 February 1918, p. 6.

 

“Canadians Had Been Nailed Up.” The Province, Vancouver, BC, 15 June 1918, p. 17.

 

“Avenge Them!” The Calgary Herald, Calgary, AB, 2 November 1918, p. 19

 

“Savage Warfare.” The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, ON, 9 May 1918, p. 11

 

“Canadian Crucified. Subject for D. O. Widhopff’s Painting ‘The Martyr.’”The Gazette, Montreal, QC, 9 November 1915, p. 9. 

 

Collins, J. P. “Canada Acquires Fine Collection of War Paintings.” Calgary Herald, Calgary, AB, 7 January 1919, p. 14.

 

“Canada’s Golgotha.” Calgary Herald, Calgary, AB, 14 May 1919, p. 8.