$16.00 CAD
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Fundraising letter by Hamilton branch of the YMCA for 1917 expenses for services being provided to C.E.F. troops.
Hamilton Executive Geo. C Coppley Honorary Chairman…
Young Men’s Christian Association of Canada
MILITARY SERVICE DEPARTMENT
FOR OUR BOY’S SAKE
Every real Canadian thinks of our boys in khaki and wants to do everything possible for their comfort….
In Canadian Camps, on trains and boats, in England, in France- right up to the firing line, the Military Y.M.C.A. is doing just ant you want to do…
The 1914 expenses of Military Y.M.C.A. work for Canadian Troops was $7.000; 1915 $33,000 ; 1916 $389,126 and for 1917 the amount required is not les than $680,000….The Hamilton Committee want to raise not less than $25,000, which is $7,000 more than 1916.
...Collector will call Tuesday or Wednesday
Folds
27 ½ x 21 ½ cm
During the First and Second World Wars, the YMCA operated by its motto “Service to the Troops." Recreational, social and educational services were offered abroad to help Canadian soldiers cope and try to maintain a “Spirit, Mind and Body” balance under the extreme stress of war-time conditions.
Near the trenches, YMCA auxiliary service points were set up to give soldiers access to many necessities. Approximately 50 tea cars would navigate the front lines to distribute tea and biscuits. YMCA canteens were set up in dugouts to provide food, refreshments, stationary, and a peaceful space for soldiers to write letters home while isolated in the trenches. For soldiers who could not write due to injury, YMCA officers were there to scribe and send letters to loved ones on their behalf.
Further away from the trench system, larger YMCA huts served as lecture halls where the troops could learn about history and literature. Along with Canadian universities, the YMCA established Khaki College in London, a school for Canadian troops seeking educational opportunities. All levels of training were offered ranging from lessons in reading and writing to classes in science and law. Khaki College helped over 50,000 Canadians prepare for their transition to civilian life after the war.
www.gv.ymca.ca/blog/ymca-war-services-remembered
