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.
Historian
and author of several books, Alexander Reford is the director of Les Jardins de
Métis / Reford Gardens, the producer of War Flowers / Fleurs D’ARMES.
