Canada and the First World War

Dry Canteens - Sir Sam Hughes - We were there

Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, to Colonel W.A. Logie, Commander of Military District No. 2: Letter about Alcohol Consumption, Toronto, Ontario, October 14, 1915
To curb soldiers’ alcohol consumption, Sir Sam Hughes, himself a non-drinker, had decreed that the camps at Niagara, Valcartier, Toronto and Salisbury, England would be "dry," that is alcohol-free. In recognition, the Ontario Young Manhood (Temperance) Association made the Minister its honorary president. The military authorities did not appreciate measures of this kind though, since soldiers would drink in civilian establishments that were outside military control.

Library and Archives Canada
RG24, vol. 4318, file 2D 34-1-81

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