The World War I Timeline is inside, close to the entrance of the Okanagan Military Museum. The timeline consists of five panels with two insets. It covers the history, Canada and the United States involvement in the war, as well as Austria, Russia, Germany, and France.
The Okanagan Military Museum's beginnings
The Okanagan Military Museum was established in 1998 as a result of the inspiration and efforts of a number of veteran's and retired Canadian Forces members working in conjunction with the founding organizations that supported the creation of a military museum in the annex of the Memorial Arena building. The location of the museum in the Memorial Arena is especially significant as this building is Kelowna's "living memorial" dedicated to those who fought in the Second World War.
Source: Okanagan Military Museum
Meet the people from Okanagan Valley who served in the armed forces.
Step inside this museum, and you will feel the passion of the volunteers who founded it. It is packed with uniforms, insignia, badges, and one of the best firearms collections in Canada. Investigate artefacts from the Boer War, World War I and World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and contemporary military operations. The Okanagan Military Museum is devoted to the preservation and greater awareness of Okanagan military heritage, and reveals how locals contributed to events on the world stage.
Join us for the November lecture series, for Remembrance Day, and for school, family, and group programs all year. Researchers will enjoy the Vince Bezeau Military Archives and Library. A visit to the Okanagan Military Museum fosters a greater connection to the Okanagan men and women who served.
Admission is by donation.
Source: Kelowna Museums
The Okanagan Military Museum is staffed by all volunteers. The gentleman who was there when we visited was friendly and very helpful. At the entrance is a very impressive mural on the right wall as you enter the museum.
Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Christmas Holiday Hours
December 20th – January 4th Closed
1914
The Bugle Sounds
June 28, 1914
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, were kill by a Serbian National.
July 26 - August 3, 1914
Austria declared war on, and invaded Serbia.
Russia prepared to enter the war.
Germany declared war on Russia and France.
August 4, 1914
German arms invaded neutral Belgium on its way to attack France. Great Britain declared war on Germany. As a colony of Britain, Canada also went to war. Prime Minister Robert Borden called for support, and Canadians rushed to enlist.
August 6 – 12, 1914
Austria declared war on Russia.
France and Britain declared war on Austria.
October 1, 1914
Canadian troops left for training in Britain.
October - November 1914
First Battle of Ypres
Germany failed to reach the English Channel.
1915
The Glory Passes
February 1915
The first Canadian soldiers landed in France to fight alongside British troops.
April - May 1915
The Second Ratite or Ypres
Germans used poison gas and broke through the line of Allied trenches. Death tolls rose steadily into the millions.
May 1915
Italy declared war on Austria.
August 1915
Italy declared war on Germany.
The Realities of War
When mobile warfare bogged down in 1914, not allowing progress for either side, both Allied and German armies built trenches as a means of defense. In addition to the awful violence soldiers witnessed the condition of life in the trenches affected them enormously.
It was physically challenging – cold, wet and muddy - and if that weren't enough there were ongoing infestations of rats and lice. Constantly wet conditions meant that many soldiers developed trench foot, a fungal infection that could lead to amputation.
Mentally, during long hours of waiting for orders in the trenches, there was the challenge of occupying one's mind while living in a state of constant danger.
1916
The Home Front
July - November 1916
Battle of the Somme
Allied forces moved forward only six miles and suffered 600,000 deaths. Of those, 24,029 were Canadian. 236,000 Germans were killed, and then referred to the battle as Blutbad - the blood bath. In this baffle, Canadians became known as a strong force in the war.
February 1916
Germany began all-out submarine warfare to control the North Atlantic.
Humour as a Coping Mechanism
When exposed to trauma, there are many ways that people cope. First-hand accounts of WWI battles often show soldiers adopting a startlingly matter-of-fact attitude towards the horrors surrounding them.
Using humour to cope with stressful or traumatic situations was as also common. How many times have you heard a store that started with “It wasn't funny at the time, but..." or heard someone laughing at a seemingly inappropriate situation? Making light of a difficult situation can help relieve tension.
Although they did their best to cope, many soldiers returned from the war severely traumatized. Then, it was called "shell shock." Today, it is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
1917
Success in Battle
April 1917
The United States declared war on Germany.
Vimy Ridge
Canadian troops succeeded in taking control of Vimy Ridge, a strong, heavily protected German position in France that no one had been able to take from them in two years. At dawn on Easter Monday, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps moved forward together up the ridge. Canada lost 10,000 soldiers in this battle, and Vimy Ridge was later chosen as the site of Canada's National Memorial. For the first time, Canadians attacked together, and triumphed.
June 1917
American troops began to land in France.
July - November 1917
Third Battle of Ypres
August 1917
Robert Borden was re-elected and conscription took effect in Canada.
December 1917
Americans declared war on Austria.
The Last Hundred Days
August 4 - November 11, 1918
The Allied Forces advanced steadily on the Western Front. This period has come to be known as 'The Last Hundred Days” Canadian troops played an important role.
November 3, 1918
Austria signed an armistice (peace agreement).
November 11, 1918
Germany signed an armistice.
When peace finally came there was an underlying sadness to the celebrations. In the end, Belgium had been freed, but an entire generation of young men had been lost.
Victory and the Greatest Loss of War
June 1919
Canada signed the Treaty of Versailles as an independent country. Four Canadians won the Victoria Cross and Major-General Arthur Currie was knighted on the battlefield by King George V.
The First World War was a catalyst for great change. The map of Europe was redrawn by 1919, as a large empire had dissolved and new nation states were formed. Most of the nations involved had borrowed heavily to finance the war, and this allowed the USA to emerge as the world's new economic power. Soviet Russia was also formed, igniting a fear of communism across many western nations. The Treaty of Versailles also sowed the seeds for the rise of fascism, and for other 20th century conflicts like World War 11 and the Vietnam War. The human toll of the war was the death and wounding of 25 million people.
World War I – 1914 to 1919 Timeline
