Sam Hughes
Summary : Sir Samuel Hughes was the Minister of Militia and Defence and he did a real poor job during the war.
The Minister of Militia and Defence (1911 - 1916 )
- Sam Hughes
- Born January 8, 1853 in Canada West. Studied at the University of Toront.
- A teacher before he became a politician.
- He was in charge of weapons and training the soldiers.
- Born January 8, 1853 in Canada West. Studied at the University of Toront.
- A teacher before he became a politician.
- He was in charge of weapons and training the soldiers.
National Identity
- Hughes, in charge of training and supplying Canadian troops.
- set up a training centre in Valcartier, Quebec.
- After 3 weeks of basic training, troops were sent to England.
- Training gathered diverse Canadians into a group and they began to develop a national identity.
- The formed army with the Canadian volunteers were called Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
-British at first made fun of these useless soldiers. They wanted to spread the Canadians and put them in British armies. Hughes strongly disagreed and kept its indepndence and fought. - another example of growing national identity.
“We were in Witley Camp [in England] and right
alongside us was a battalion from French Canada.
We didn’t speak much French and they didn’t speak
much English, but they were the finest sports you
ever saw…. You met people from Nova Scotia, or
from Prince Edward Island, clean through to British
Columbia. Very often you didn’t take any notice of
the fact unless they happened to mention it.”
– Ben Wagner, quoted in B. Greenhous and
S.J. Harris, Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge
(Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1992), 35.
- set up a training centre in Valcartier, Quebec.
- After 3 weeks of basic training, troops were sent to England.
- Training gathered diverse Canadians into a group and they began to develop a national identity.
- The formed army with the Canadian volunteers were called Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
-British at first made fun of these useless soldiers. They wanted to spread the Canadians and put them in British armies. Hughes strongly disagreed and kept its indepndence and fought. - another example of growing national identity.
“We were in Witley Camp [in England] and right
alongside us was a battalion from French Canada.
We didn’t speak much French and they didn’t speak
much English, but they were the finest sports you
ever saw…. You met people from Nova Scotia, or
from Prince Edward Island, clean through to British
Columbia. Very often you didn’t take any notice of
the fact unless they happened to mention it.”
– Ben Wagner, quoted in B. Greenhous and
S.J. Harris, Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge
(Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1992), 35.
The Fallen of Hughes' Reputation
-Hughes also in charge of weapons.
-creates the Shell Committee. 1917, one third of shells British used was from Canada.
-Hughes started to lose his reputation with his poor choices.
-he made a contract worth 170 million dollars with a wealthy industrialist but only 5.5 million dollars worth shells were made very poorly.
-Hughes abused his power making a large contract with his friend.
-boot that fell apart, ross rifle(so poor that Canadians picked up British rifle from dead worriers), MacAdam Shiled Shovel(also known as Hughes shovel)
-Hughes was dismissed from Minister in 1916.
-the happy feature among these all misfortune he had, was that he was knighted by King George V before his dismissal.
-creates the Shell Committee. 1917, one third of shells British used was from Canada.
-Hughes started to lose his reputation with his poor choices.
-he made a contract worth 170 million dollars with a wealthy industrialist but only 5.5 million dollars worth shells were made very poorly.
-Hughes abused his power making a large contract with his friend.
-boot that fell apart, ross rifle(so poor that Canadians picked up British rifle from dead worriers), MacAdam Shiled Shovel(also known as Hughes shovel)
-Hughes was dismissed from Minister in 1916.
-the happy feature among these all misfortune he had, was that he was knighted by King George V before his dismissal.