Niagara Camp (Niagara-on-the-Lake) was the location of a remarkable and cosmopolitan training programme. From September 1917 until March 1919 Polish soldiers, most of whom had been recruited in the United States, were brought here for elementary military instruction, including physical training and drill. The scheme embraced both officers and other ranks. Canadian militia supervised the camp and provided instruction. Both English and French were spoken throughout the course. The Poles were then despatched to France for advanced training and incorporation into a Polish Brigade.
More than 22,300 soldiers passed through Niagara Camp of whom 20,700 embarked for France. A total of forty-one died during training, more than half in the influenza epidemic of 1918-19. To this day a Polish plot in a Niagara cemetery recalls these casualties of the programme. Upon learning that a Polish training scheme was to be initiated, townspeople had voiced fears that the newcomers would be rough and rowdy. The orderly behaviour of the recruits soon allayed all doubts, however, and when the programme concluded the local opinion was that the Poles had been "first and always soldiers and above everything, gentlemen."
In 1917 Sir Edmund Walker, a prominent Canadian banker and patron of the arts, approached Charles William Jefferys (1869-1951) to contribute to the Canadian War Memorials Collection. The artist was already well-known as a book illustrator, having painted for such publications as the Makers of Canada and Chronicles of Canada series. Although a civilian, he was provided with special passes which allowed him to visit Canadian Army and Royal Flying Corps training establishments. After the war Jefferys continued to achieve great success as an artist specializing in historical subjects. This watercolour (31.4 x 44.6 cm) re-creates a winter inspection of the Polish soldiers.
Courtesy: Canadian War Museum, National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada (8227)
