In the face of the enemy, four exceptional young men made extraordinary sacrifices for those that served alongside them, and their bravery earned them the British Commonwealth’s highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross. Join us as we explore the men behind the medal and help us ensure that the names of Lionel Beaumarice Clark, James Cleland Richardson, Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson, and John Chipman Kerr are not lost to history.

The Allies are growing desperate to break through the German frontlines on the Western Front. To alleviate pressure on the Russians in the east and to turn the tides after the disastrous operations conducted in 1915, a plan for a new offensive is drafted by French Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre. Now fully drawn into the war, the British take the lead in planning the offensive at Somme. Have the British learned from their past mistakes? Or will the stubbornness of its generals push their soldiers right into the fire?

Something many of us never learned in Social Studies was the internment of many nationalized Canadians, Canadian citizens and recent immigrants that were from the enemy nations of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Throughout 1915 and early 1916 the Germans maintained their strongholds on the western front making it extraordinarily difficult for the Allies to launch an offensive attack. To cope with the mundaneness of war, there was little for the soldiers to do but man the lines, smoke a cigarette, and perhaps put on a good drag show!

Despite efforts to ease their stress, many could not escape the impacts of shell shock, especially as offensive campaigns resumed at St. Eloi and Mount Sorrel. Do we finally see the tides turn for the Canadians, or is it another case of “the blind leading the blind”?

After a disastrous offensive at the Battle of Auber’s Ridge, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir. John French ordered General Haig to deploy troops from the First Corp to Festubert and Givenchy in May and June of 1915. The Canadians are called to aid the Allies in their hurried plans to overrun enemy lines, as German soldiers are being actively redeployed to Turkey to join the Gallipoli campaign. Join us as we explore what happened during these lesser-known battles.

Men all across the Western Front were sitting in muddy, cold trenches wishing they could be back home for Christmas. The Canadians spent their first Christmas of WWI in the wet, snowy lines that were drawn across Belgium and France. Despite the no fraternization rule that had been cemented the year before, many still hoped for a holiday truce like there was in 1914. Others hung their cleanest socks on the barbed wire hoping Old St. Nick would stop by.

The Canadians were sent into the fire when they joined the French, British and Algerians at the Ypres salient. The allied forces were being overrun on 3 sides and everything was about to get a exponentially worse. The Germans had a chip on their shoulder because of their losses during the First Battle of Ypres and decided to fight back with chlorine gas.

Overlooking the bloody battlefield at Ypres, John McCrae silently penned “In Flanders Fields,” which became the immortal words of the dead, and inspired one woman to sell silk poppies to raise funds for disabled veterans. The poem may be recited around the world, but how well do we know the man behind the words? More than a poet, learn about the brilliant, patriotic, and lovely man that is John McCrae.

We find out about the boots, guns, mud and bad reputations all before the Canadian boys even got to France.