Tough+Times+at+Home

Tough Times at Home The Great War was a difficult time for the wives and families of soldiers. The Canadian government did pay a monthly "separation allowance" of $20 to each family, regardless of the number of children. This amount was later increased to $25. However, the separation allowance was seldom enough to pay for even the essential food, shelter, and clothing.

Soon, community-based charities were formed to help military families who were short of money. These charities included the Canadian Patriotic Fund and, in Newfoundland, the Women's Patriotic Fund. Educated, middle-class women played leading roles in these organizations. They had the time to devote to the cause. They set up local groups and raised millions of dollars. They also visited homes to see that families had enough (and to check whether the money was being used wisely).

 Across Canada, the government allowance was not enough for a military family to live on. Did money from the Patriotic Fund make up the difference? Where in Canada did military families go short of money?

 Average Living Costs per Family Compared to Military Benefits, 1915
 Region of Canada: Atlantic  Monthly Cost of Living (wife and children): $37.59  Government Separation Allowance: $20.00  Canadian Patriotic Fund: $13.34

 Region of Canada: Quebec  Monthly Cost of Living (wife and children): $37.00  Government Separation Allowance: $20.00  Canadian Patriotic Fund: $16.30

 Region of Canada: Ontario  Monthly Cost of Living (wife and children): $37.92  Government Separation Allowance: $20.00 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Canadian Patriotic Fund: $17.22

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Region of Canada: Prairies <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Monthly Cost of Living (wife and children): $47.09 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Government Separation Allowance: $20.00 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Canadian Patriotic Fund: $22.29

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Region of Canada: British Columbia <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Monthly Cost of Living (wife and children): $53.45 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Government Separation Allowance: $20.00 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Canadian Patriotic Fund: $19.79

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Many working-class women, however, still had to rely on relatives for additional help, or they had to find other ways to raise a little extra money. Many military wives resented the "Nosy Parkers" from the Patriotic Fund. One British Columbia woman complained (anonymously) about having to account to them for every penny she spent:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> No decent-minded woman likes to think of having to take charity and that's what we are made to feel it is very often. Our men are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Are we not entitled to a comfortable living when they are doing this? ... And while they are fighting for their own homes, they are also doing it for the other fellow who has not gone. And this includes the committee of the Patriotic Fund. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Desmond Morton, Fight or Pay: Soldiers' Families in the Great War (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2004), pp. 187-188. Original letter in British Columbia Federationist, March 30, 1917, p. 5.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Wartime profiteering was another source of frustration and anger for many Canadians on the home front. Businesspeople like bacon producer Sir Joseph Flavelle made huge profits when prices for basic goods spiralled upward during the war. Today we know that prices for many goods in Canada increased partly because of shortages. But in 1917, many fingers were pointed at "greedy" businessmen.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Questions
<span style="background-color: #c5eaea; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 1. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following? (this means do you agree and explain why)

<span style="background-color: #c5eaea; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> a) the military wife's opinion that her family deserved a comfortable living

<span style="background-color: #c5eaea; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> b) her attitude toward the people from the Canadian Patriotic Fund

<span style="background-color: #c5eaea; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">2. Using this inflation calculator, find out how much it would cost for a wife and children to live per month in today's dollars. Do you think you would be able to survive on this amount? Why or why not?