Then…

Now…Photo Credit: Kathleen Moors 2013

My Great Grandfather signed his World War I Attestation papers in Hamilton in November of 1915, with their final approval coming through in December of 1915.  McMaster University Libraries has posted publicly an excellent archive of life and times in Hamilton, Ontario from 1914 to 1918.  John Moors was killed in a German bombing raid in Etaples, France on May 19, 1918.

From the McMaster site, this…”Hamiltonians had played significant roles in military activities dating back to the War of 1812, so it was not surprising that by 4 October 1915 over 10,000 Hamilton men had enlisted, a total of 10% of the population, and a record for enlistment in Canada at that time. The city centralized its recruiting drive at the James Street Armouries (built in 1908) later that year, a model later adopted throughout Canada.”

Throughout my experiences wandering the streets of Hamilton, I had chills as I knew that these were the streets where my relations had walked.  I also had a very powerful feeling come over me as I stood before the Hamilton Armouries, home of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. My Great Grandparents, living on Murray Street, were in close proximity to all of the goings on.  They would have been swooped up into the mindset of the community at the time. The following image was enlarged from the McMaster University Libraries article.

Copyright, public domain: McMaster University and Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library, jointly own the rights to the archival copy of the digital image in TIFF format.  This is Tank Day – Downtown Hamilton – Victory Bonds Rally

Peeking Through Back Gates, Photo Credit: Kathleen Moors