Here we are again at another Remembrance Day: a time of reflection, commemoration, and solemnity. Each year, we find ourselves with fewer and fewer veterans among us, making it all the more important to consider what this day truly means. When we think about those who have sacrificed for our country in times of war, we account for the millions of men, women, people of colour and immigrants, Indigenous Canadians, and children from all walks of life who for a variety of reasons gave of themselves in the name of their country. In particular regard to the two World Wars, the circumstances surrounding total war and the War Measures Act meant that every Canadian was involved in the campaign for peace. From agricultural production to rationing, from assembling relief packages to serving on the front lines, Canadians answered the call. Let us also reflect on those Canadians who willingly gave of themselves in subsequent conflicts around the world, and who continue to serve in the Canadian Forces today.

Throughout our history, numerous wartime events stand out as contributing to our mythical development as a nation. Historians have highlighted Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach, and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan as being among our most significantly definitive contributions, though of course at great cost to a great many. This week, we commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the end of another such event: the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) during the First World War. Under the highly prepared leadership of Strathroy, Ontario’s own General Sir Arthur Currie, the Canadian Corps drove the German army out of Passchendaele and off of the waterlogged ridge in just fourteen days.

From the smallest towns to our biggest cities, everywhere in Canada has a unique connection to Canada’s military history, and I encourage everyone to look into the stories of their local heroes and wartime circumstances. Since it is impossible to showcase all of the remarkable stories each of us could share, I thought it would be interesting to briefly highlight Canada’s only sitting Member of Parliament to have been killed during the First World War: Lt.-Col. George Harold Baker. Baker was born in 1877 in the town of Sweetsburg in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. His family were United Empire Loyalists and were prominent in the area’s political sphere. At the time of his birth, his father, The Hon. George Barnard Baker, had already served in the Quebec National Assembly and been elected three times as the Member of Parliament for Missisquoi, Quebec. George Sr. was later called to the Senate in 1896 and served as a Senator until his death in 1910.

     The younger Baker, whose friends called him ‘Harry,’ followed in his father’s footsteps in pursuing a career in law, establishing a successful practice with his father first in Sweetsburg then in Montreal. In 1911 he was elected as a Conservative MP for Brome, Quebec. In addition to his interests in law and politics, Harry assumed an active role in various militia regiments in the region, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons in 1913.

Morning Glory

At the time, Harry owned a horse called Morning Glory, which he kept at a farm in Brome and used for practicing charges and shooting from the saddle with his men when they were on maneuvers. When war broke out, Harry volunteered for active service and retained his seat in the House of Commons. Shortly afterwards, he was given the authority to raise the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, a unit comprised of volunteers from the Eastern Townships. When they left for England in 1915, and later that same year to France, Morning Glory was along for the ride. The pair were separated when Harry and his men were reclassified as infantry and sent to the trenches, but Morning Glory was able to escape the fate of so many horses used to drag heavy guns through the mud. She caught the eye of a battalion commander who took her for his personal mount, and Harry even got to see her from time to time. He even mentioned her in a letter home from Belgium in May 1916:
“I saw Morning Glory day before yesterday; she is in the pink of condition. I hope some day to have her back.”

Sadly, this was the last time Harry ever saw Morning Glory. He was killed around 8:30 p.m. on 2 June, 1916 at Maple Copse in Sanctuary Wood during the Battle of Ypres.

At the time, he was planning a leave in London to meet his two sisters who were coming over to visit from Canada. He even had his hotel booked, which he mentioned in letters to the relatives of soldiers who had died under his command while offering to meet with them to offer his condolences.

The Baker Memorial in Center Block

In February 1924, a monument in tribute to Lt.-Col. Baker was unveiled in the Center Block of Parliament by Governor General Lord Byng. The Baker Memorial is dedicated to one man, but it personifies the nation’s loss and the spirit of those who served. As for Morning Glory, she returned to Canada at the end of the war and you can read the rest of her story here. You can also read more about the Baker Memorial here.

Today and every other, let’s continue thinking about what it takes to establish and preserve peace, and what we can do to ensure that Canada remains a peaceful nation. The torch is ours to hold, and raising it high enough can illuminate the rest of the world. Lest We Forget.

DL

Disclaimer: Story of a Tory is in no way affiliated with the Conservative Party of Canada or any other political party, be it federal or provincial. The views of each author are independent of all other authors.