Bieler Philippe E. - Onward, dear boys: a family memoir of the Great War

McGill-Queens University Press 2014

ISBN 978-0-7735-4468-0 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-7735-9670-2 (ePDF)

ISBN 978-0-7735-9671-9 (ePUB)

Legal deposit fourth quarter 2014

Bibliothque nationale du Qubec

Printed in Canada on acid-free paper that is 100% ancient forest free

(100% post-consumer recycled), processed chlorine free

McGill-Queens University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Onward, dear boys : a family memoir of the Great War / [edited by] Philippe E. Bieler.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-7735-4468-0 (bound).ISBN 978-0-7735-9670-2 (ePDF).

ISBN 978-0-7735-9671-9 (ePUB)

1. Bieler, Philippe E., 1933 Family. 2. Buhl family. 3. World War, 19141918 Personal narratives, Canadian. 4. World War, 19141918 Qubec (Province) Montral. 5. Soldiers Qubec (Province) Montral Biography. 6. Brothers Qubec (Province) Montral Biography. 7. Swiss Canadians Qubec (Province) Montral Biography. 8. Protestants Qubec (Province) Montral Biography. 9. Immigrants Qubec (Province) Montral Biography. I. Bieler, Philippe E., 1933, editor

Set in 10.5/13 Sina Nova and Bulmer MT with Avenir Next

Book design & typesetting by Garet Markvoort, zijn digital

Dedicated to my grandmother Blanche

who is at the heart of this book

The Bieler Family, Geneva, June 1908

In 1908, my Swiss-born paternal grandparents, Pastor Charles Bieler and his wife, Blanche Merle dAubign Bieler, sailed to Montreal with their family. At the time, their five sons ranged in age from sixteen to seven. A mere seven years later, three of their sons, Jean, Etienne, and Andr, volunteered for duty in World War I. The fourth son, Philippe, enlisted in 1916 as he turned eighteen. The youngest, Jacques, remained at home with his parents throughout the war.

This book is about the experience of building a new life in Canada in the pre-War years, of war, as recorded through the voice of a mother who penned a manuscript entitled Nos Origines, of a father who supplemented his wifes writings in her text and in letters, and of sons who sent letters to their parents from various corners of the European theatre of battle. I occasionally insert my own voice, as editor, in order to tie the various narratives together and to offer context concerning places and events at home and at war.

In her manuscript, Blanche, my grandmother, mentions with pride and fondness her crown of sons. The photograph on the facing page visually captures this sentiment. As a result of war she lost one of those sons, and a decade later a second. And yet she and my grandfather soldiered on, participating in the intellectual life of McGill University, enjoying the successes of their three remaining sons, welcoming grandchildren into the world, and becoming part of the fabric of Quebec and Canada. They lived on the sidelines of a second war, but not without worry. Their eldest son, Jean, and his family, who were residing in Geneva, had to find a way to escape Europe in 1941.

My grandparents and their five sons were newcomers to Canada. But their decision to emigrate, to move onward to a different continent and new horizons, was itself rooted in family tradition. The families of both my grandparents were a European blend of Swiss, French, Polish, and Irish blood, bound together historically in the French language and in Protestant faith.

In the years before their departure for Canada, my grandparents themselves had moved from Switzerland to Paris, where my grandmothers brother Oncle Charles and her sister Tante Julia had settled. Little did they know that four of their sons would make that trip back across the Atlantic to participate in what was supposed to be the war to end all wars.

Family Reunion at La Clairire in 1935.
Top, left to right: Andr, Jacques, and Jean; middle: Blanche, Jeanette with Nathalie, Charles, and Raymonde; bottom: friend, Philippe (author of this book), and friend