Though some distance separates them geographically, Camp Borden in the Angus area has strong historic links to Innisfil.
In two world wars, numerous Innisfil men were transformed from citizens to soldiers at Camp Borden. While on leave, these soldiers frequented Innisfil’s many dance halls and partied with local girls. And there were several moments of drama when aircraft from the base crash landed in Innisfil or on Lake Simcoe.
With Remembrance Day approaching and with 2024 being the 110th anniversary of the First World War erupting in Europe, it’s a good time to look back on the establishment of Camp Borden.
The so-called Great War broke out in August 1914 and on Oct. 3 the first 33,000 Canadian troops — volunteers all — had sailed for Europe to fight alongside the French, British and Belgian armies against Imperial Germany. After a few months of training, the newly formed Canadian Division, under the command of Major General Alderson, took over trenches on the Western Front.
The harsh realities of war were introduced to these new soldiers, and their families reading newspapers back home, at the second battle of Ypres (April 5 to May 3, 1915) when the Canadian Division suffered 6,036 casualties. Only a few weeks later, further blood to the tune of 3,000 casualties was shed at Festubert and Givenchy.
As a result of these battles, and with the realization that the war would be a long one lasting many years, Canadian military and political leaders recognized that they would need to recruit and trains tens of thousands of new soldiers to replace the fallen. They also now accepted that our national contribution would need to be expanded to a multiple-division effort.
Recruitment didn’t prove to be a problem as support for the war effort remained strong in most of Canada. Where the problem emerged was locating a place where this mass influx of men could be transformed from farmers and labourers into soldiers.
In early 1916, a vast tract of land west of Barrie, comprising a total of 20 square miles, was taken over by the federal government for use as a training ground for the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
In May 1916, the Barrie and Collingwood companies of the 157th Battalion (Simcoe Foresters) began construction of the camp. On July 11, this military base was officially opened by Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence.
It was named Camp Borden after Sir Frederick Borden, Sir Wilfred Laurier’s Minister of Militia from 1896 to 1911.
Camp Borden proved vital in the Canadian war effort by enabling the rapid expansion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force from a single division to a Canadian Corps of four infantry divisions supported by strong artillery, cavalry, engineer and auxiliary forces numbering 80,000 men.
Over the course of the First World War an incredible 619,636 men — representing nearly one tenth of the entire population of Canada — had served in the force, most of them trained at Camp Borden.
This represented an extraordinary contribution to the ultimate Allied victory.
