Telegram | Remembrance Day

Typically, a world event lingers in the forefront of public consciousness until another replaces it. Historical events and wars have been taking place for centuries; in the past 100 years, World War I was followed by the Spanish Flu Pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, and conflicts in Korea, Bosnia, Afghanistan and so on. In 2022 our thoughts were focused on the COVID-19 Pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In October 2023 war was declared between Israel and the Hamas.

People, places and time frames change, but familiar scenes continue to be created. Soldiers and their loved ones saying goodbye, worry and exhaustion etched on their faces, and images of the sick and those suffering through natural disasters are ones we have all seen in the media.

This year, as I pondered a post for Remembrance Day, I reflected on "Rob’s Story | One Veteran’s Military Journey”, which I wrote last fall with a veteran from my hometown. Through his story, I learned a lot about military life, and it made me stop and think about what service is like for the enlisted and their families.

THE TELEGRAPH

Samuel Morse developed the telegraph system starting in 1838. The telegraph was the machine that sent the transmission, and a telegram was the paper message. He also created a code known as Morse Code, a method of dots and dashes corresponding to letters and numbers. A dot was a short sound and a dash was slightly longer. The message to be sent was tapped in code on the telegraph machine, and the receiving office deciphered and delivered it.

The telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. Telegraph cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean in 1866. A printing version was invented that didn't use Morse Code; it could print a readable message onto a strip of paper that was cut and pasted to a telegram page.

Telegraph offices sprang up across the country, and young bicycle runners were hired to deliver the telegrams, also known as wires or cables. A telegram was expensive to send, so messages were brief, with some words shortened and unnecessary words omitted. The cost to send a telegram was determined by the length of the message and its destination. In the 1920s, it cost two cents a word, and in the 1940s, the cost had increased to five cents. The word stop was often used instead of a period at the end of a sentence as punctuation cost extra, but you were allowed to use the word stop for free.

In the field, the military installed underground telegraph cables and, later, telephone lines to facilitate communication. The enemy often damaged the lines, though, so battery-operated radios were also used. Homing pigeons and messenger dogs carried vital messages between the troops and command posts during World War I.

The use of the telegraph peaked at the end of World War II, and its use slowly declined in the ensuing decades as other methods of communication were introduced.

THEY LAY WHERE THEY FELL

In the early years, the military did not have the means to transport casualties home, so they were buried in cemeteries overseas. There weren’t homecoming ceremonies over flag-draped coffins.

There were cemeteries set up in battle zones but in remote locations and dangerous situations, it was impossible to properly bury soldiers and some "lay where they fell” or were buried in shallow graves hastily dug by comrades.

TELEGRAMS

Communication between soldiers and their families was patchy into the 70s, so imagine what it was like during the first and second world wars. Correspondence by letter was the main way personnel kept in touch with their families. How long did a letter take to get from Europe to a farm on the prairies? Depending on the decade, it could take weeks or months. In the time it took a letter to reach its destination, the news was often inaccurate. For security reasons, soldiers were prohibited from disclosing information about their location or upcoming missions in the event that the letter was intercepted and fell into enemy hands.

Personnel did receive telegrams from home if there was an emergency. For example, if they came from a farm and their father died, they might be sent home on a farm furlough to keep the farm running, as agriculture was essential to the war effort.

NOTIFICATIONS

Each soldier completed a casualty notification card listing their next of kin (NOK) before departing on a tour duty.

The number of notifications to be made was often overwhelming. In World War I, 67,000 Canadians died, and 172,000 were wounded. In the Second World War, 45,000 died, and 55,000 were injured, plus those captured and missing in action.

It was customary for the military to notify families of changes to their members' status by telegram which was the quickest and most efficient method of communication available. It was typed or handwritten and contained details such as name, rank, serial number and current status - missing in action, captured, injured or killed in action.

If your relative was in the forces, the anxiety of seeing a neighbour receiving a telegram was intense. The experience of seeing a messenger pulling up to your house was soul-crushing.

Soldiers came from small towns and cities across the country. In rural areas, clergyman were often contacted to deliver notifications to families.

I cannot imagine the utter dread parents or spouses felt when such a telegram was placed in their hands. One flimsy piece of paper could carry such devastating news. They instinctively knew that once they read it, their lives would never be the same. I was browsing through the Canadian Military Archives reading the names and birth dates of the war dead, and it struck me how many were only 19 or 20 when they died.

Telegrams from the Canadian Military Archives

If the individual was high ranking, or if one family suffered multiple losses, the news was delivered in person if possible. These notification teams included military staff and a chaplain. Notifications were done between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., so families didn’t have to fear a knock on their door in the middle of the night.

Today families are notified between 5:00 a.m. and midnight through in-person visits by uniformed personnel and/or telephone communication within eight hours of receipt of the information.

GRIEF CASTS A LONG SHADOW

Families receiving notification that their loved one was missing in action or captured were stunned, terrified and lost; they didn’t know what to do next. What could they do? They were a world away and powerless to help.

The Hub's great-grandfather was listed as missing in action in World War I; and the family never found out what happened to him. Days, months and years passed as his wife, young daughter, and son hoped for his return.

War is not something that only affects those serving; the emotional trauma left in its wake lives on for generations and alters the course of families. Seven years later, she remarried, but losing their father in that way left an indelible mark on his children. Grief casts a long shadow, and they always felt a part of them was missing.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It is interesting that over 100 years later, we use text messaging as a quick and efficient way to send brief messages, often abbreviating or omitting unnecessary words.

It is never too late to learn about history and to help our children and grandchildren understand its importance and impact on society.

I extend my deepest gratitude to those who serve our country.