home
Home > Explore History  > First World War (1914-1918)  >  The Home Front
Explore History

First World War (1914-1918)
The Home Front

The war at sea affected Canadians in a variety of ways. While extensive recruiting efforts at home sought men to become sailors in the Canadian and British navies, Canadian shipyards built warships and merchant ships to expand Allied navies and to replace vessels lost to submarine attack.

Starting the Freighter
Starting the Freighter

This oil painting by Albert Robinson captures the industrial environment of the Canadian Vickers shipyard in Montreal.

The freighters' bows dwarf the workers, while cranes hoist steel plates for the ships' hulls into place. During the First World War, Canadian Vickers, one of the largest shipyards in Canada, built both merchant ships like those seen here, and naval vessels like motor launches and submarines.

Starting the Freighter
Painting by Albert Robinson
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19880266-004





Recruiting Poster, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Llewellyn and Joseph Lush, 1914, Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve
Victory Bonds Will Help Stop This
Boy's Civilian Sailor Suit, RMS Missinabie
Ship Building, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Merchant Ships under Construction, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Launching of the SS War Camp, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
SS War Camp at Sea
Shift Change at J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Polsons Iron Work Yard, Ship War Hydra on Stocks
Starting the Freighter
Cargo Ship Half Hull Model, Canadian Vickers
Submarines at Canadian Vickers Shipyard, Montreal
Anchored Naval Mine Model