The Varsity

Although the battlefields were far away, the First World War left deep scars in Canada, and particularly at the University of Toronto. A total of 5,691 students, alumni, faculty and staff are recorded to have enlisted in the armed forces, of whom 608 were killed or died on active service.

Though veterans of the Great War are no longer with us, their legacy lives on 100 years after the armistice through writings, artifacts and influential contributions to their fields of expertise.

Here are the stories behind 12 objects – from heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies – that paint a picture of how the �Թϱ�� community experienced the First World War.

All items are housed on the downtown Toronto campus in the �Թϱ�� archives, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and at Soldiers’ Tower.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields first appeared in Punch magazine in 1915 (photo by Romi Levine)

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae – a �Թϱ�� medical school alumnus and University College student – penned the now-iconic poem In Flanders Fields while treating wounded soldiers as a medical officer in 1915 during the second Battle of Ypres.

The poem was first published in the popular British magazine Punch that same year, printed on a small corner of a page – and without attribution. Though it took up very little real estate in the magazine, it had a lasting impression on those who read it.

“It resonated with the people of the time. It was part lamenting for the losses but at the same time talking about the good cause,” says �Թϱ�� Librarian Graham Bradshaw.

According to Bradshaw, many soldiers serving in the First World War wrote literary accounts of their experiences.

“This is the first war where you really get a lot of people who were serving who ended up writing about it,” he says. “You see this huge outpouring of letters and memoirs and poetry and fiction.”

In Flanders Fields gained fame during the First World War and has since become an important part of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country along with the poppies depicted in the poem in the field among soldiers’ graves.

McCrae didn’t make it out of the war – he died of pneumonia in 1918.

�Թϱ�� holds many reproductions of In Flanders Fields – including one of 265 copies of an intricately illustrated book of poetry by American printer W.E. Rudge (pictured above left) and an engraving created by a �Թϱ�� engineering instructor that can now be seen at Soldiers’ Tower (pictured below).

Scars of shrapnel

A letter by Frederick Banting to his mother written with his non-dominant hand due to injury (courtesy of �Թϱ�� Archives)

Of those who survived the war, a number of veterans went on to accomplish incredible things. Frederick Banting was one of them. Banting joined the army in 1916 after being denied twice due to bad eyesight. He was finally admitted because of a desperate need for doctors overseas and his graduation was fast-tracked.

During the Battle of the Canal Du Nord in 1918, Banting was injured in his right arm by a piece of shrapnel.

“It severed an artery but he continued to be a part of the battle… and actually helped take care of other wounded men,” says Loryl MacDonald, acting associate librarian, rare books and special collections and director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. Banting was awarded a Military Cross in 1919 for this heroic act.

The day after he was injured, Banting wrote to his mother, telling her what happened and urging her not to worry. “Everyone is as kind as can be,” Banting wrote. He even drew a diagram of the shrapnel.

Because his dominant arm was injured, he had to write the letter with his left hand – so his handwriting appears shaky and uneven.

After the war, Banting and researcher Charles Best discovered insulin at a �Թϱ�� lab – earning them a Nobel Prize in Medicine and changing the course of history for those living with diabetes.

Shrapnel ripped through this book while in the pocket of Harold Innis (photo by Romi Levine)

Another notable veteran is Harold Innis – who graduated from McMaster University before the war, and went on to become a �Թϱ�� professor and famed media and communications theorist.

Innis served in the Canadian army as a signaller – watching and reporting back where artillery shells landed. While doing reconnaissance during Canadian preparations for the assault on Vimy Ridge in 1917, he was hit in the thigh with shrapnel. The wound was bad, but could have been worse, save for the Field Message Book he kept in his pocket.

Farmerettes

Hundreds of women from �Թϱ�� spent their summer in Ontario farms helping the war effort. “Farmerettes” planted, weeded, and harvested vegetables and fruits to feed troops at home and abroad.

Farm Service Corps Badges (pictured left) were given to these agricultural volunteers. This one in particular was awarded to Marie Peterkin Williamson, a University College student who spent her summer away from �Թϱ�� picking fruit in the Niagara region.

Special edition

Two volumes of the Varsity Magazine Supplement (courtesy of �Թϱ�� Archives)

The Students’ Administrative Council, wanting to do its part for troops fighting abroad, published the Varsity Magazine Supplement – special editions of the Varsity that included photographs of enlisted men, poetry, and accounts of wartime activity.

“The students wanted to have a means of recognizing and documenting the students' war efforts,” says MacDonald.

The supplements were sold separately as a means of raising funds, with proceeds donated to Canadian hospitals participating in the war effort.

Wartime memento

One of two German machine guns captured by Thain MacDowell (photo by Romi Levine)

A German machine gun stands in the Memorial Room in Soldiers’ Tower. It was captured during an act of bravery – and luck – by Major Thain MacDowell, �Թϱ��’s sole recipient during the First World War of the Victoria Cross, a prestigious award for bravery given out to British Armed Forces and members of Commonwealth countries.

MacDowell, a Victoria College alumnus, earned his cross at Vimy Ridge in 1917.

Approaching an enemy dugout, MacDowell confronted the German troops inside, convincing them there were substantial numbers of Canadian troops waiting above, when in fact, he was there with only two soldiers.

Two German officers and 75 soldiers surrendered and were taken behind Canadian lines – an impressive act that earned MacDowell Britain’s highest military honour. Replicas of his medal and others he received can be found at Soldiers’ Tower.

�Թϱ�� on the front lines

A battle map of Passchendaele (photo by Romi Levine)

For some veterans, the First World War created bonds that lasted long after the war ended.

The 67^th Battery Canadian Field Artillery of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was a military unit formed in 1916, made up of mostly �Թϱ�� students and graduates. After the war, the group formed an association, reuniting regularly for social events and keeping in touch with a newsletter called Battery Banter.

A final letter

“All well with me.” The letter was short and sweet – written by Harold Wrong, a University College student who graduated from �Թϱ�� in 1913.

Wrong was the son of prominent �Թϱ�� history Professor George Wrong and the grandson of Edward Blake, the second premier of Ontario and a �Թϱ�� chancellor.

The letter he wrote on June 30, 1916 was addressed to his brother Edward and included a pressed flower. At the time, Harold Wrong was serving as an officer at the Somme in Thiepval, France.

The following day was the first of the British offensive along the Somme and it was deadly.

“Harold was last seen going over and he had a wound in his arm and he wasn't seen again,” says MacDonald.

Wrong is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The Varsity unpacks �Թϱ��'s underrated services

noreen.rasbach — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 04:00:00 +0000

The Varsity unpacks �Թϱ��'s underrated services

noreen.rasbach Tue, 03/27/2018 - 00:00

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Students can test out VR equipment at �Թϱ��'s MADLab at the Gerstein Science Information Centre (photo by Romi Levine)

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The Tri-Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, which is available on all three campuses.

The tax clinic run by the University of Toronto Students’ Union.

Rapid Access to Collections by Electronic Requesting, or RACER, an inter-library loan service that lets students and staff at universities request materials from other universities.

These are the top three of University of Toronto’s underrated services – “hidden gems” picked by The Varsity, �Թϱ��’s student-run newspaper.

Rounding out the list are personal virtual reality (VR) systems available at the Gerstein Science Information Centre; the university’s many writing centres; and Criterion-on-Demand, a movie streaming website that �Թϱ�� students can access.

Read why these six services are “hidden gems” in The Varsity

Did you know you can read campus paper The Varsity in Chinese?

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:34:30 +0000

Did you know you can read campus paper The Varsity in Chinese?

geoff.vendeville Fri, 03/23/2018 - 15:34

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Our Community

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The Varsity

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University Affairs writes about The Varsity's Chinese-language edition

Following in the footsteps of major papers like the New York Times and Vancouver Sun, the University of Toronto's student-run campus newspaper, The Varsity, launched a Chinese-language website.

With just two web developers and $200, students at the paper and a �Թϱ�� club started the Chinese-language site last fall, which features articles written in English and translated by student volunteers.

The Varsity is trying to reach a large Chinese readership on campus, including international students from China who number over 10,000, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Lorinc told University Affairs.

The initiative was the idea of Celine Liu, the founder of Listeners, a peer support group for Chinese international students at �Թϱ��. She told Lorinc that The Varsity would be more accessible to Chinese international students like herself if its content were translated into simplified Chinese.

The project's managing editor and a third-year student, Charlotte Shen, told University Affairs that the site is attracting a sizeable audience.

“We just hit 7,200 views – that’s more than half of the Chinese international population at �Թϱ��.”

Read the University Affairs article

See more in The Varsity

#UofTGrad16: Rhodes Scholar James Flynn

lavende4 — Mon, 09 May 2016 15:33:30 +0000

#UofTGrad16: Rhodes Scholar James Flynn lavende4 Mon, 05/09/2016 - 11:33

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James Flynn’s advice to new �Թϱ�� students: Plan for the big picture but don’t put off the small stuff (Diana Tyszko photo)

Arthur Kaptainis

Author legacy

Arthur Kaptainis

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“There are so many places I want to see”

Newfoundland and Oxford might seem far removed in some respects, but the hop from St. John’s International Airport to Heathrow in London is only five hours.

Nevertheless, James Flynn, 22, who is one of three 2016 Rhodes Scholars from the University of Toronto, expects to be travelling more often to European destinations than to his home province when he has a few days off.

“There are so many places I want to see,” the Trinity College double major in economics and political science said recently in the Arbor Room.

Flynn will graduate with a BA in June and spend two years at the University of Oxford. He is just one of 13,500 �Թϱ�� students expected to cross the stage at Convocation Hall to receive their degrees during ceremonies that run from May 31 until June 16. Some are already working; some, like Flynn and fellow �Թϱ�� Rhodes Scholars Kaleem Hawa and Jessica Phillips, will be pursuing further studies. Over the next few weeks, �Թϱ�� will be telling their stories.

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Flynn plans to study philosophy, politics and economics at Pembroke, an Oxford college founded in 1624 by James I and associated with Samuel Johnson and J.R.R. Tolkien (among writers) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (among active political figures).

“It’s Oxford’s classic degree,” Flynn says of the Oxford BA, which, according to the dictates of a centuries-old tradition, transforms into a MA (Oxon.) after seven years.

“It offers the tutorial experience that Oxford is well known for. And it gives you time to explore a lot of topics. Master’s degrees are more focused.”

Variety comes naturally to Flynn. “James is extremely insightful and a very interdisciplinary scholar,” says Shari Eli, an assistant professor of economics. “It is clear that he has a very bright academic future.”

Lynette Ong, an associate professor of political science who is cross-appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs, admires his determination to make a contribution to the real world: “Once he had found a social issue he's passionate about, he's amazingly devoted, driven and resourceful.”

The plan after Oxford is law school – back at his alma mater. Flynn has deferred an offer of admission by �Թϱ�� Law.

Writing submissions should not be a problem. Flynn served as news editor and managing online editor of The Varsity, an experience that enhanced his writing skills even if it lent a journalistic tone to some of his academic essays.

Flynn is proud of having taught himself to prefer the active to the passive voice: “That is something that I never would have thought of before I worked at The Varsity.”

He is also capable of teaching others, according to former Varsity editor-in-chief Danielle Klein: “James was a generous mentor who helped his writers develop their talents, and a skilled editor who curated his section with great care.”

The Varsity also provided a community outside the classroom. Finding a club or activity is one of Flynn's prime recommendations for a successful undergraduate career.

“�Թϱ�� is obviously a big school,” he said. “It can be hard to find your place. On the flip side, there are so many opportunities, so many clubs and groups. There is something for everyone.

“Make sure you get involved. Yes, you are spending time on things that are not academic. But somehow it helps you manage your academic time.”

Another aid is a wall-size calendar that lets you put the near and distant future in perspective.

“They sell them at the book store,” Flynn says of these calendars. “Write out every day in the semester that you have a task, that you have an essay due.

“That way you can visualize when you are going to be busy and know when to start. Big-picture planning is probably the biggest thing that helped me.”

More advice: Don’t put off the small stuff. “Do things as you get them. Especially the small tasks: grocery shopping, laundry. I find that making sure I do the small tasks as soon as possible really helps.”

Finally, take advantage of courses with a high cool factor that are not necessarily related to your major. In his final year Flynn took a course with no obvious connection to political science or economics: The Beatles.

“It was a great course,” he said of MUS 321 with Professor James Kippen. “One of the best I’ve had.”

Flynn mentions Eli, Ong, Donald Kingsbury and Kanta Murali among professors who helped him succeed. Two other people who need to be mentioned are Wanda Parsons and James Flynn, his mother and father, both physicians.

“I am incredibly grateful to my mom and dad for their guidance and support over the years,” Flynn said. “They have worked so hard to give me opportunities to succeed.”

Flynn will spend part of his summer at home in Newfoundland as a volunteer at SHAD, a program that helps high school students find their focus. He is an alumnus of this program himself.

“A combination of camp councillor and mentor” is how he describes his role.

Then Flynn returns to Toronto to join his fellow Rhodes Scholars on their way to Oxford.

“All the Canadian scholars fly as a group,” he explained. No short cut available.

The Varsity

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of �Թϱ�� during the Great War

In Flanders Fields

Scars of shrapnel

Farmerettes

Special edition

Wartime memento

Read more about Thain MacDowell and Harold Innis in University of Toronto Magazine

�Թϱ�� on the front lines

Read more about the 67^th Battery

A final letter

The Varsity unpacks �Թϱ��'s underrated services

Read why these six services are “hidden gems” in The Varsity

Did you know you can read campus paper The Varsity in Chinese?

Read the University Affairs article

Read more in J-Source

See more in The Varsity

#UofTGrad16: Rhodes Scholar James Flynn

The Varsity

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of �Թϱ��� during the Great War

In Flanders Fields

Scars of shrapnel

Farmerettes

Special edition

Wartime memento

Read more about Thain MacDowell and Harold Innis in University of Toronto Magazine

�Թϱ��� on the front lines

Read more about the 67th Battery

A final letter

The Varsity unpacks �Թϱ���'s underrated services

Read why these six services are “hidden gems” in The Varsity

Did you know you can read campus paper The Varsity in Chinese?

Read the University Affairs article

Read more in J-Source

See more in The Varsity

#UofTGrad16: Rhodes Scholar James Flynn

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of �Թϱ�� during the Great War

�Թϱ�� on the front lines

Read more about the 67^th Battery

The Varsity unpacks �Թϱ��'s underrated services