The Canadian Corps’ stand at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915 was a significant moment in the First World War, in Ypres, Belgium, where Canadian soldiers held the front lines against advancing German troops (Cook, 2022). On April 22, the Germans released chlorine gas along the front lines, forcing French colonial soldiers to abandon their positions. For the Canadians, the city of Ypres was strategically important because it connected the allies to the Channel Ports, which were important for bringing in military equipment (Cook, 2007). Amid the advancing German soldiers and chlorine gas, the Canadians, using urine-soaked rags on April 24 to protect themselves from the effects of the gas, held the front lines in April until British and French reinforcements arrived, relieving the defending Canadians on 25 April (Cook, 2007; Cook, 2022). More than 6,000 Canadians were either captured, killed, or wounded during the battle, but the Canadians were also celebrated throughout the British Empire for their bravery (Cook, 2022).
After the Second Battle of Ypres, the Canadian Corps’ bravery at the battle was represented in a 1915 film produced by the Government of Canada titled Canada’s Fighting Forces (“‘Canada’s Fighting Forces’ at the Walker,” 1916; Travers, 2000). The film was produced in six reels to show Canadian audiences the lives of Canadian personnel serving in all branches of the military (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a; “Official Canadian Government Films,” 1916). The film was shot by Lieutenant D. J. Dwyer of the 30th Battalion, as the film included 500 scenes (“Newspapers Praise Canadian Army Films,” 1916; “Splendid Pictures at the Grand,” 1916). Canada’s Fighting Forces featured the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, and Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a). It also showed British King George V, along with Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War and other British officials, inspecting Canadian personnel at Shorncliffe, a training camp in England. Other scenes included British officials visiting wounded Canadians at the Queen’s Canadian hospital, trench digging, and soldiers throwing grenades. Canada’s Fighting Forces, however, is famous for its depiction of the Second Battle of Ypres and St. Julien, where it portrayed the Canadians, “[w]ho went into the trenches against terrible odds and achieved a fame that will forever last” (“Actual Scenes at Ypres,” 1916, p. 12).
One Canadian who brought national attention to Canada’s Fighting Forces was Sergeant Fred Wells of the 7th Battalion (“‘Canada’s Fighting Forces’ at Orpheum,” 1916). Wells, from British Columbia, was wounded in the left arm at Ypres by five machine gun bullets (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a). He was also stabbed by an enemy soldier on the battlefield, acquired a shrapnel wound in the knee while returning to Canadian lines, captured by the Germans, and had his left arm amputated by a German doctor (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a; “Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916b; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916). He was finally released from captivity through a prisoner exchange after four months (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916b; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; “Orpheum Theatre,” 1916). In civilian pre-war life, Wells was a newspaper reporter for some of Canada’s most prominent newspapers, including the Vancouver Daily Province, and a public speaker before enlisting with the 104th Regiment of New Westminster (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a; “Commit Suicide If You Don’t Like It,” 1916). Due to his overseas experiences, Wells was chosen by the Canadian government to promote Canada’s Fighting Forces on a tour in 1916 (“Commit Suicide If You Don’t Like It,” 1916). During his tour, Wells sought to inform “the Canadian public what the war is really like, and that is his mission now” (“At the Strand,” 1916, p. 28).
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this research is to answer the following research question: How did Canadian newspapers during the Great War utilize the traumatic experiences of disabled veteran Sergeant Fred Wells to garner support for the Canadian war effort?
Literature Overview
Many Canadian historians have written about the Canadian experience at Second Ypres. During the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans unleashed gas against the Canadians, and chemical warfare inflicted severe damage to their lungs, as some suffocated slowly to death (Cook, 2022). Further, some soldiers succumbed to terror during the battle as they feared the gas (Humphries, 2018). Despite encountering overwhelming challenges at Second Ypres, the inexperienced Canadian soldiers held the front lines at Ypres against the German Army and prevented the obliteration of 50,000 allied soldiers in the region (Cassar, 2010). Canadian participation gave enough time for British and French troops to reinforce the Canadians and end the German threat in the Ypres Salient on 25 April 1915 (Nicholson, 1965/2015). It was the training the Canadians received in England and France, which was on par with British military standards in 1915, that saved lives and prevented their destruction at Ypres (Iarocci, 2003). Historians Cook (2008), Dickson (2007), and Humphries (2018) reaffirmed that Second Ypres was Canada’s ‘baptism of fire’ that affected soldiers’ preparedness and caused trauma.
Despite experiencing trauma in German prison war camps, Canadian prisoners of war (POWs) developed resilience to endure their harsh treatment, but their suffering was forgotten at home. Canadian POWs in German prison camps were subjected to inhumane treatment, including slavery, physical abuse, and murder (Greenfield, 2016). Though they received poor treatment from their captors (Greenfield, 2016), The friendships from combat provided Canadian POWs with the endurance to resist the Germans (Peeters-Rosien, 2022). After the war, the experiences of 3,842 Canadian POWs who endured harsh treatment were not recognized for their service at home and eventually forgotten from public memory (Greenfield, 2016; Morton, 1992). The ostracization of Canadian POWs in German camps highlights the ongoing marginalization of some veterans within the Canadian memory of the war.
Canadian media and propaganda shaped public perception on the home front to garner support for the war. On the home front, Canadian propaganda and censorship shielded the Canadian public from the horrors of the war, presenting a romanticized version to maintain its power over public opinion (Cook, 2005; Keshen, 1996; Telch, 2025). For example, Miller’s (2000) case study analyzed newspapers to show how the war shaped public opinion in Toronto, arguing that Torontonians supported the war effort as reported by the press. Canadian wartime propaganda even extended into film; for example, the 1915 Canadian film Canada’s Fighting Forces, which showed audiences the life of “Jack Canuck,” from his recruitment to his journey to the Western Front (Morris, 1978, p. 59; see also Cook, 2005). Furthermore, the 1917 pro-war film The Canadian Army in Action and The Advance of the Tanks was produced to bolster Canadian morale on the home front during a period when Canadians were demoralized by the war (Telch, 2025). Pro-war propaganda and controlling audience viewership were critical for securing victory on the home front.
Canadian propaganda united the country into a war-making society, in which different groups of Canadians, despite their individual motivations, came together in service and sacrifice for victory, shaping national belonging and identity. During the war, the press’s description of the “militaristic Huns” (i.e., anti-German views) shaped local responses to the Germans (Rutherdale, 2004, p. 119). Local communities formed citizen units in which men protected train stations and bridges and connected their home-service duties to military service (Rutherdale, 2004).
Women also took on active roles by writing nationalist essays, organizing fundraisers, and even forming a local ladies’ armed organization in Toronto. Women sought to prove their worth as equals and supported the war effort to protect Belgium’s civilian population from the Germans (Glassford & Shaw, 2012). In addition to promoting King and Country (Cook, 2007; Cook, 2018), Indigenous communities on the home front collected funds or donated everyday essentials, such as food and clothing, for the war effort (Government of Canada, n.d.). Indigenous peoples, whether through enlistment or participation on the home front (Government of Canada, n.d.), sought to bring recognition and change to their communities (Story, 2015).
Similarly, the message of King and Country (Cook, 2007; Cook, 2018) also shaped Black Canadian communities, who, despite encountering racism and initial rejection to enlist, were eager to fight for their country and viewed military service as their duty (Ruck, 2016). Even post-war propaganda through art, newspapers, and memorials celebrated Canadians’ sacrifices alongside the German Army’s defeat and the preservation of civilization and peace in Western Europe (Bowker, 2024; Cook, 2008; Vance, 1997). Despite different ideas of national identity and belonging, propaganda united many Canadians in the name of victory (Cook, 2007; Glassford & Shaw, 2012; Ruck, 2016; Rutherdale, 2004; Story, 2015; Vance, 1997).
After the war, some veterans wrote about their experiences and expressed their resentment and perspectives toward them. American veteran Charles Yale Harrison, who fought with the Canadians, wrote in Generals Die in Bed that the war was a “meat grinder” and upended prewar notions of respect and prestige (Nielsen, 1930/2014, para. 3). Other veterans shared similar perspectives toward the conflict, including veteran Will Bird, who wrote in his narrative that the war caused “[d]eadly waiting, helpless waiting, that was unnerving, for always it seemed as if swopping death were just above us, hovering, or reaching tentacles from dark corners” (Williams,1930/2014, p. xx). Dr. Harold W. McGill wrote about the horrors of medicine, from saving wounded soldiers to the loss of life on the Western Front (Brennan, 2007). These narratives revealed that some veterans became disillusioned with their service in the war (Brennan, 2007; Nielsen, 1930/2014; Williams, 1930/2014; see also Bird, 1930/2014; Harrison, 1930/2014; Norris, 2007).
Disabled Canadian veterans of the Great War adjusted to civilian life after the war by utilizing their disability to gain support and recognition for their service. After the war, shell-shocked veterans addressed their trauma by relying on state and family assistance for support (Ellis, 2025). From a physical perspective, veterans with tuberculosis used such statuses secure relief from the Canadian Government (Story, 2024). Even blind veterans mobilized their disability to advocate for themselves (Durflinger, 2010). They reminded the Canadian Government of their service, as blinded veterans sought a place for themselves in post-war Canada. Promised by the Canadian Government that they would receive their “full re-establishment” for their time in the military, disabled veterans who were denied a pension refused to stay silent and voiced their opposition to pension officials, arguing they deserved a pension for their service (Bogaert, 2020, p. 128).
Veterans criticized the Board of Pension Commissioners (BPC), which issued veterans’ pensions based on disability level, and asserted that BPC’s decisions were capricious and opaque (Bogaert, 2020; Veterans Affairs Canada, 2004). Veterans demanded a “[f]ighting chance to get back to where they were when they went overseas” (Special Committee on Soldiers’ Civil-Re-establishment, 1919, as cited in Bogaert, 2020, p. 140). Indeed, disabled veterans were not passive victims but mobilized their disability to acquire full state benefits and recognition (Bogaert, 2020; Durflinger, 2010; Ellis, 2025; Story, 2024). However, a significant gap was identified in the literature; returned and disabled Canadian veterans from the war who utilized their trauma to promote Canada’s war effort. Wells’s story is an important contribution to the literature because his disability represented the propaganda initiative in which disabled veterans like himself became emblems of service and sacrifice in a costly war in the name of victory.
Guiding Conceptual Framework
This research applied a conceptual framework of Caruth’s (1996) trauma theory, referring to trauma as a “double telling” (p. 7). Caruth asserted that trauma involves the story of both the experience of trauma and the survival from trauma itself. Also, LaCapra (2001/2014), who extended trauma theory, focused on the difficulties of interpreting and “working through” trauma (p.xxiii). Finally, the justification of war is the last major theoretical framework; Mosse (1990) described the justification of war theory as the “myth of the war experience” (p. 7), in which the war was viewed as a purposeful and righteous conflict. The just war experience applied to the war dead, whose death was considered sacrificial (Cook, 2008; Mosse, 1990). These frameworks will provide the lens that will guide the article’s argument by highlighting how Wells’s trauma justified Canada’s participation in the war. Along with mentioning Canada’s Fighting Forces, the representation of Wells’s traumatic experiences at the Second Battle of Ypres and, as a POW in Germany, in Canadian national newspapers justified Canada’s involvement in the war. Newspapers portrayed his trauma as representing a noble sacrifice and courage that he and his fellow Canadians endured on the Western Front for the sake of their country.
Methodology
This study employed a qualitative historical analysis. Historical analysis allows historians to construct a narrative by analyzing past historical evidence (“Historical analysis,” 2008; Martella et al., 2013). This qualitative historical analysis focused on the meaning of Sergeant Wells’s stories by interpreting his life events in 1916, including his language of trauma and his justification of war for audiences. The methodology will also pay close attention to the emotional implications of his language, including his appeal to Canadians that his trauma justified participation in the war.
This study utilized digitized newspapers from 1916 that mentioned Wells and Canada’s Fighting Forces. Major newspapers were chosen as the main primary source for the analysis of Wells, including: The Winnipeg Tribune, Victoria Daily Times, The Calgary Daily Herald, The Hamilton Spectator, The Edmonton Journal, The Daily News Advertiser, The Chilliwack Progress, The Daily Province, The Nanaimo Free Press, and The Saskatoon Daily Star. These sources were chosen because they expressed different national viewpoints on Wells and the film and provided Canadians with the most up-to-date daily coverage of Wells and Canada’s Fighting Forces, which portrayed enough contextual information to highlight significant moments of his life. Fourteen articles were chosen for this study, where themes from each source included the trauma of the war, the heroic deaths of Canadian soldiers, the experience of being a POW, the personal meaning of military service, and the efficiency of Canadian wartime propaganda. Newspapers from Ontario to British Columbia were specifically selected for the analysis of Wells as they highlighted support for the war in English-speaking Canada and for their representation of multiple themes. These newspapers are currently accessible on Newspapers.com. Quebec-based newspapers were excluded due to the author’s language limitations.
Results
The Experiences of Ypres as Told Through Wells
Wells connected Canada’s Fighting Forces’ depiction of the Second Battle of Ypres to his own combat experiences, thereby informing Canadian audiences at home why the battle mattered to Canadians overseas. As the film featured scenes of Canadians defending the frontlines at Ypres, Wells conveyed his experiences at Ypres to his audiences to portray an authentic account of the horrors at Ypres, as observed by one journalist who opined: “Things happened with the awfulness and the rapidity of a nightmare. The Germans outflanked them. Out of the 125 men in the advance salient all were cut down [to] save six. These, even, were all wounded. Only one escaped” (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916, p. 14).
Some journalists conveyed that Wells’s traumatic participation in the battle and his survival showed that he and his fellow Canadians fought with tenacity, paying with their lives, to prevent the collapse at Ypres in support of Canada’s allies (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Cassar, 2010; Cook, 2007; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; Nicholson, 1965/2015). In doing so, Wells and his comrades fought for their “[v]ery lives” (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916, p. 14). Despite fighting for their lives at Ypres, the Canadians held their positions, despite facing overwhelming odds from the German Army (Cook, 2007; Cook, 2022; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; Leeson, 2015; Nicholson, 1965/2015).
During another promotion of Canada’s Fighting Forces, Wells lectured about his dead comrades, connecting their traumatic deaths to a noble and supreme sacrifice on the Western Front, preserving their memories for Canadians back home. He informed an audience at the Grand Theatre in Calgary during the presentation of the film that “[b]ut there are no heroes [who] c[a]me back from the war. They are lying over there in Belgium and France” (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916, p. 6; “The Grand Theatre,” n.d.). As a veteran of Second Ypres, Wells witnessed death, as his company and platoon officers were both killed in combat (“Splendid Pictures at the Grand,” 1916).
Despite the grisly, deathly scene at Second Ypres, Wells’s mention of heroic Canadian deaths served as a reminder to his audience that his comrades did not suffer meaningless deaths on a foreign battlefield like Ypres (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Cook, 2008; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916). His statement of heroic Canadian deaths served as a form of public commemoration and acknowledgement of their service (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Winter, 1995). Wells conveyed the stories of Canada’s fallen to ensure that their sacrifices were not forgotten on the Western Front (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Cook, 2018; Cook, 2007).
At another lecture, Wells informed his audience about the treatment inflicted by his German captors, as he sought to ensure that Canadian POWs were not forgotten. As Canadians were captured at Second Ypres, Wells knew from experience that “[i]t takes a lot of nerve for a man to live through an experience as prisoner of war in a German prison camp” (“Sergt. Fred Wells Tells of German Prisons,” 1916, p. 1). Wells’s experience as a POW in Germany and his survival allowed him to express to his audience that his German captors sought to “[b]reak the spirit of the soldier” (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916, p. 14). Aware of how his fellow POWs were treated, Wells encouraged Canadians to donate goods since they received very little from their captors (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; “Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916).
Wells informed an audience in Calgary, Alberta that Canadians felt honoured to serve, despite enduring trauma overseas (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916). Calling himself “a very good souvenir of the war,” Wells and his fellow Canadians achieved the impossible during those few days at Ypres in the face of overwhelming odds (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916, p. 14; see also Cook, 2007). This mattered, according to one journalist who wrote that Wells’s stories included grateful Belgian nurses, who supported the Canadians in their fight for freedom (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Telch, 2024). Showing their support for them, some journalists explained how the thankful Belgian nursing sisters tended the wounded and prayed for the Canadians while in German captivity (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; “Cruelty Treated at the Hands of Germans,” 1916).
Along with the presentation of Canada’s Fighting Forces, Wells’s stories were immensely popular in Canada, making it a successful example of Canadian wartime propaganda in promoting the war effort. Canadian audiences, including young and old, paid close attention to Wells’s stories, wrote one journalist (“War Pictures Well Received,” 1916). Some Canadian newspapers, including The Hamilton Spectator, encouraged Canadians to attend the film’s screening and listen to Wells’s stories; The Hamilton Spectator believed Canadians were fascinated by Wells’s lectures, especially how he lost his arm (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916b). Such shows were worth attending, as Wells’s stories were so powerfully constructed that audiences were both laughing and crying during the presentation (“Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916) as they cheered for Wells.
Discussion
The evidence from Sergeant Wells’s narrative revealed that he spoke about the significance of the Second Battle of Ypres during the viewing of Canada’s Fighting Forces. His description of the horrors of Second Ypres, as conveyed by journalists, supports Cook’s (2022) and Humphries’s (2018) interpretation that the battle inflicted heavy casualties on the defending Canadians (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916). Wells’s participation itself, in which he and his comrades defended the Ypres Salient, bolstered Cassar’s (2010) and Nicholson’s (1965/2015) argument that the Canadian Corps prevented the devastation of 50,000 allied troops in the area by holding the front lines long enough for allied reinforcements to arrive (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916).
Wells’s survival as a POW in a German prison camp aligns with Greenfield’s (2016) argument that Canadian POWs endured harsh treatment in German camps. His account of his POW experiences challenges Morton’s (1992) viewpoint that Canadian POWs were not marginalized and forgotten after their service. Wells’s retelling of his POW experiences, in fact, brought attention to the plight of Canadian POWs in Germany to ensure that Canadians were made aware of how they were treated (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916). Telling the experiences of his fellow POWs aligns with Peeters-Rosien’s (2022) viewpoint on camaraderie in captivity, as he ensured they were not forgotten on the Canadian home front (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; “Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916).
Wells’s stories, alongside the viewing of Canada’s Fighting Forces, align with Keshen’s (1996) argument that Canadian wartime propaganda promoted the war effort while concealing its horrors from the public. The fact that newspapers capitalized on audience reactions to Wells’s stories demonstrated the power of the press in the public sphere of influence (Keshen, 1996). The press wrote overwhelmingly positive reviews of Wells to maintain public morale and support for the war, especially in 1916, when the Canadian home front was demoralized and stressed (Telch, 2025). The press knew that public opinion could change the mood of war in Canada.
The conceptual framework of this study highlights the significance of Wells’s narrative. Caruth’s (1996) “double telling” involved the story of undergoing trauma and surviving it (p. 7). Wells reflected the notion of “double telling” (Caruth, 1996, p. 7), as journalists reiterated his story of experiencing trauma at Second Ypres and as a POW in Germany and surviving both events. Wells portrayed his survival at Ypres by publicly speaking to audiences who lacked an understanding of war. Wells’s experience at Second Ypres and his wounds embodied the physical sacrifice he underwent to prevent the collapse of Ypres, serving as a reminder to audiences that victory came at a high cost for the allies (Cassar, 2010; Cook, 2007; “Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916). As the press told Wells’s story, Canadians paid with their lives to save tens of thousands of allied soldiers in the region. Wells’s experiences validated his authority as a public speaker, as his trauma and survival justified Canadian participation in the war (Cook, 2008; Telch, 2024).
LaCapra’s (2001/2014) “working through” (p.xxiii) trauma highlighted Wells’s survival as a POW, which became symbolic (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; “Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916). He also reflected on the process of “[w]orking through” trauma by connecting his personal suffering as a POW to a higher purpose and publicly conveying the horrific experiences of his fellow POWs in Germany to ensure they were not forgotten (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; “Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916). By publicly engaging with his trauma, Wells conveyed his personal experiences as a POW to ensure that audiences at home understood that Canadian POWs were treated harshly by the Germans, according to some newspaper reporters (“Cruelty Treated at Hands of Germans,” 1916; Greenfield, 2016; LaCapra 2001/2014; “Ypres Recalled by Wounded Hero,” 1916).
The last major underpinning of this study is Mosse’s (1990) myth of the war experience. Mosse argued that the “myth of the war experience” (p. 7) justified conflict, in which soldiers found their service to be meaningful and righteous. Despite enduring and surviving trauma at Second Ypres and captivity in Germany, Wells’s sense of duty aligns with Mosse’s (1990) argument, since he believed that the Canadians were proud to serve and “[f]ollow in the steps of the British [A]rmy” (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916, p. 6). Mosse’s (1990) interpretation is reflected in Wells’s acceptance that his comrades died also as heroes (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916) in the name of freedom on the Western Front. Wells turned his trauma (“Canada’s Fighting Forces,” 1916a) into a noble cause (Mosse, 1990). His wounds constituted a sacrifice required to liberate the people of Belgium from the Germans, as evidenced by the Belgian nurses’ gratitude toward the wounded Canadians (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916).
Implications
Wells’s story has implications for the study of the First World War and Canada. Unlike some Canadian veterans who became bitter and disillusioned after the war (Brennan, 2007; Nielsen, 1930/2014; Williams, 1930/2014; see also Bird, 1930/2014; Harrison, 1930/2014; Norris, 2007), Wells, found their time in the service to be meaningful (Telch, 2024). Wells’s story also showed that trauma in conflict affects military personnel differently, either positively or negatively (Veterans Affairs Canada, n.d.). His coping mechanism of dealing with trauma by speaking publicly reflected positive changes, where he continued to be an advocate and supporter of Canada’s war effort (“Canada’s Fighting Forces and Stirring Incidents of War,” 1916; Caruth 1996; LaCapra 2001/2014; Mosse, 1990; Telch, 2024; Veterans Affairs Canada, n.d.).
Limitations
Despite the significance of Wells’s narrative, there were some limitations. While the newspapers provided significant context of Wells’s story, they were, in some ways, limiting and should be approached with some caution. Journalists wrote their stories about Wells based on their own interpretations, influencing readership perception. Another limitation that impacted the article is the lack of primary sources, for example, an autobiography, from Wells himself. Without a direct reference from Wells, his story will be limited to its contextual presentation in the newspapers. The last limitation of this study is the lack of direct audience reaction in the newspapers. While audience reaction to Sergeant Wells was recorded by journalists, it does not fully capture the audience experience, as they do not directly share their experiences, nor are they quoted.
Future Research
Future research on Great War disabled veterans should focus on their wartime experiences by incorporating both journalists’ and veterans’ voices. Such a comparison would create a fuller context of the disabled veteran experience. This comparison could also create a unique contrast between those who write about war in the press and those who experience conflict directly. Another avenue for future research is to analyze direct audience reaction. Examining their reaction to public veteran speakers like Wells could capture the audience experience and give researchers insight into how audiences interpret war stories. Finally, while the article focused on Wells from an Anglo-Canadian perspective, future research could also be expanded to include French-Canadian newspapers to see if the French-Canadian press also gave that much publicity to disabled veterans.
Conclusion
Sergeant Fred Wells endured ghastly wounds during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. His wounds demonstrate the horrors of industrialized warfare and the physical carnage it inflicted upon other Canadians at Ypres, causing lifelong debilitating physical or psychological disabilities for many Canadian veterans. Wells’s story of trauma and survival served as a symbolic representation of Canada’s fight in the war, as Canadians fought, bled, and died on foreign soil. His humility and empathy for his fellow Canadians, both living and deceased, resonated with Canadian audiences, as he ensured that his own story of survival did not overlook their service and sacrifice. His appeal to the home front to support Canadian prisoners of war ensured that they would not be forgotten in the public’s memory of the war. By telling the stories of himself and his comrades in arms, Wells ensured that audiences back home were aware of Canadians’ successes and defeats, as well as their heroism and sacrifices at the Second Battle of Ypres, so that their sacrifices would not be forgotten.
AI Disclosure
All writing and ideas belong to the author and are theirs alone. AI was used to identify areas of weakness and to critique the article.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the reviewers and the editorial team at JVS for their support. I would also like to thank everyone who read my article and gave me valuable feedback. You all helped me grow as a historian and writer. I would like to particularly thank Dr. Sebastian H. Lukasik for his invaluable feedback and expertise, which only added more depth to the article.