The following excerpts have been taken from the various Diaries of Sir Robert Borden, eighth Prime Minister of Canada. It should be noted that since the original copy of this journal is held within the Library and Archives Canada and is unavailable for viewing as a historical artifact, this chapter is built using the scanned publicly available copy of this work. Due to this fact and the Sir Borden’s writing style, various errors in the scanning process and corrections to the original text have been made to make the reading experience more enjoyable.
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1914.
Dispatch from High Commissioner that war is imminent and suggesting a pre-offer of one or two million barrels of flour to Britain. Duke of Connaught arrived in the night and sat with us at 11 in Council and again at 4, when he delivered a message just received from the King. Sons and men sent to various points for local defense, Sydney, Canso, Glace Bay, St. John, etc. Minister Hughes energy is wonderful. Further telegram from Britain suggesting that our offer for an Expeditionary Force may be accepted. Council at 8.30 to place fisheries protection vessels
Canada and
Margaret in Naval Service. Telegram arrived at 8.55 from Britain announcing war. Summoned Parliament for 18th Aug and placed the naval service at the disposal of the King. Great excitement in all Canadian Cities. Crowds on the streets cheered me.
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1914.
Council at which Duke of Connaught presided. Telegrams to and from High Commissioner as to gift of flour. Authorized purchase of two submarines at Seattle. They got away just ahead of US order to detain them and were pursued by a US cruiser. Discussed questions as to state of German Army reservists. Minister Hughes announces program for sending division overseas. Humorous rumor that Austrians were attacking Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Belgians making heroic defense of Liege. Conference with president of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the evening.
Thursday, Aug. 6, 1914.
After much discussion sent telegram offering one million bags flour. Passed order in council prohibiting export various articles. Duke of Connaught attends Council regularly and takes keen interest in everything. Not very quick to understand but good judgment when he does. Minister Hughes doing well but gives too many interviews. Belgians still fighting well. Telegram from Britain at midnight accepting offer of expeditionary force.
Friday, Aug. 7, 1914.
Very hard at work early and late today. Duke of Connaught at Council again. Discussed mobilization pending further instructions from British Government. Very grateful message from them as to the gift of flour. Instructions came to arrest all German officers and army reservists. Decided to modify them and did so. Discussed by-elections and decided not to hold them at this time. Unfounded rumor's floating about of great naval battle. At office all this evening.
Saturday, Aug. 8, 1914.
Report this morning of two German cruisers on the Pacific coast and possible capture of the cruiser
Rainbow. Started four guns from Quebec for Vancouver coastal defense. Telegram from Britain urging arrest of German reservists. Decided to continue our policy. Council in afternoon. Duke of Connaught was present and dealt with several minor matters. The Duke and others agreed with me as to the matter of German reservists. In the evening made public our gift of flour to Britain. Ministers Hughes, White and Hazen doing splendid work. Hughes went to Quebec at 8. Minister Rogers thinks Hughes ought to command contingent.
Sunday, Aug. 9, 1914.
Quiet day. Report of great battle at Altkirch in Alsace, but no confirmation. Weather is very hot and dense due to smoke from forest fires. Minister Hazen came to me in the afternoon respecting a proposal from Francis Clergue to acquire an Argentine vessel currently in the US. Told him to cable Admiralty, proposal is apparently visionary. Battle of Altkirch confirmed but a smaller affair than reported.
(Note. While this is somewhat unfounded, I believe the Argentine vessel discussed above is the battleship ARA Rivadavia which was nearly complete at the US based Fore River Shipbuilding Company around this period. There is no supporting information for this claim however, it is interesting nonetheless that the Canadian government looked into purchasing a South American dreadnought.)
Monday, Aug 10, 1914.
At the office early today. Council in the morning passed an order authorizing the expeditionary force. No news of
Rainbow or smaller cruisers and much anxiety of their fate. Conference with the Duke who intends to be going to Valcartier on Saturday to personally see how the mobilization is proceeding. Council in the afternoon and discussed proposals to provide guns. Wrote to Laurier as to our proposals and thanked him for his promised cooperation. At the office all evening engaged with correspondence, another late night.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 1914.
Great anxiety as to the
Rainbow. Wreckage thrown up on the shores near San Francisco. Council at 12. Conference with the Duke as to patriotic funds and how to properly direct communication between Army Council and Minister Militia. He was much disturbed as to this. Sir Z.A. Lash came to assist in supervising related legislation. More patriotic fund discussions in the evening. Emissary from Hughes arrived to see me, wished to be made a made Lieut.-Gen, I discouraged that idea. Britain reports Japan about to declare war on Germany. Telegram received late evening as to fate of
Rainbow, 49 dead and 5 survivors now in San Francisco. Dreadful. News to be made public tomorrow morning. Expect many calls tomorrow. No sleep found, used time to draft speech and response to sinking.
Wednesday, August 12, 1914.
Rest unfound from previous night, Council regardless again at noon and again at 3.50. Loss of the
Rainbow was announced coast to coast in morning papers. Public outcry and mourning at first Canadian deaths of the war, 117 men presumed lost. Anti-German riots erupted in Victoria, large mobs rampaged around the city all day. Telegram from Immigration Inspector in regard to incitement to revolt in India. Forwarded it to the Colonial Secretary. Discussed patriotic fund further with the Minister of Trade and Commerce. Also discussed a proposal to assist both the Canada Pacific and Grand Trunk Pacific Railways and looked over the Minister of Justices draft of the Emergency Act. Not particularly well drawn. War declared on Austria-Hungary this evening. McBride acted with Militia and local Police to bring riotous behavior to a close. Could only be the beginning.
Thursday, Aug. 13, 1914.
Had orders in council passed respecting Austro-Hungary. Discussed with various ministers the drafted War Measures bill. Conference again with the Duke and correspondence by cable with Canadian figures in Britain. Prepared memo for the Duke respecting German and Austrian citizens of Canada. In evening Council and interview with Austro-Hungarian consul, who spoke very reasonably as to the condition and attitude of the people. NSHQ had dispatched hospital ship to the vicinity of
Rainbow’s sinking two days previous, no news as of late. Germans break rules of war to sink hospital ship? General anxiety rising in myself and Canada.
Friday, Aug.14, 1914.
Very hard day and beginning to feel the strain. Small warship
Shearwater returned to Esquimalt yesterday, sister
Algerine nowhere to be found. News of naval situation and defense of West Coast very dire.
Shearwater emptied of men for cruiser
Niobe in Halifax, all hopes rely on submarines and gun batteries for defense. Militia assures they can provide defense, actual effectiveness in question. Waste of time in Council is terrible, especially in considering the draft of the War Measures Act bill prepared by Justice Minister. Conference with the Duke yet again as to patriotic fund. Conference with Sir Hughes and others as to the three units said to have been offered by Calgary Manitoba and New Brunswick. Discussed the situation with threes members of Ontario provincial government. Went to bed without dinner at 6.30 utterly exhausted and slept until 3 a.m. Require eloquent speech for Parliamentary address on Aug 18, expect potential pushback on naval matters from opposition.
Saturday, Aug.15, 1914.
Much refreshed today but worries still linger. Ministers have been physically and mentally exercised as to Sir Hughes' extravagance as of late. Council at eleven and again in afternoon going over proposed drafts of war legislation. Conference with Sir Hughes as to mobilization which seems to be proceeding rather slowly. Rumblings of increased public interest in war effort due to loss of
Rainbow, daily recruitment for military service saw apparent record heights
. Much discussion in council as to controlling the price of necessaries of life. No great battle yet but hourly expected both overseas and at home. No word on status of German warships but potential for attack both west coast and east coast seemingly high.
Sunday, Aug.16, 1914.
Disaster. Disaster. Disaster. (underlined three times) German attack by sea on Vancouver and many other surrounding places. Reports overwhelming. No friendly ships in region to stop this. I am powerless to stop it. God Save Canada.
While this small entry is all that pertains to the events of August 16 in the original copy of the diary, it seems Borden wrote separate larger entries to describe some of his finer thoughts at times. These additional entries were seemingly just slotted into relevant sections of the diary and were not physically attached or became detached over the years. The two most notable instances of this is the following text for August 16 and later, the February 3, 1916 addition describing the Fire on Parliament Hill. This entry had originally been lost from the complete diary however, it was rediscovered in 1984 when it was found miscategorized in a separate archive file.
“I had originally thought this Sunday would be a quiet day, one in which myself and many others could enjoy another much needed church sermon and prayer considering the events of the past days. Could not bring myself to find sleep the previous night and into this very morning, therefore I was careful not to wake my dearest Laura and made my way out to the back of our property in an attempt to clear my mind. Much earlier when the war was declared, I naively assumed myself to be prepared in regard to the stresses of being a national leader in wartime. One would assume late evening sessions for wartime planning and discussions lasting into the morning hours would be nothing compared to hours upon hours of fiery Parliamentary debate or oration, but it seems my state of mind was largely skewed. In large part I believe this is due to the seeming high amount of national unity I saw within the first few days of war breaking out, the sudden cooperation of much of the opposition and the cheering crowds on the streets does wonders to warp one’s expectations going forward. The sleepless nights have only started the past weekend, ever since the rumblings and eventual fate of Rainbow had crossed my mind. Bloody anti-German riots erupting in Victoria on August 12 were thankfully contained however, isolated incidents against accused German and Austrian persons seem to be flaring up all across the country as of late. I was pulled from my thoughts just after 6.30 this morning by Laura beckoning me back inside for a phone call, which turned out to be from Vice Admiral Kingsmill at Naval Service Headquarters.
The call itself was mercifully short and likely the sole thing which allowed me to keep my composure. Kingsmill has always been a blunt and to the point man which I dearly respect but the words he delivered almost destroyed me. Pleasantries were exchanged briefly, followed by the last thing I had wanted to or ever thought I would be hearing. The defenses of British Columbia had been breached and as we spoke, a German warship was bombarding Vancouver’s internal harbor. As it was explained to me, there was precious little in our power which could be done to stop such a rampage as our submarines were unable to respond and no friendly vessels of war were in the area to assist at this time. A prompt and almost tearful exchange of condolences was about all either of us could muster before call ended as quickly as it started. I initially thought about traveling to the Naval Service Headquarters personally in an attempt to receive the most up to date information possible but on second thought, there was little I could do besides create even more undue stress on the men working diligently there. As self piteous as it may sound, I decided to keep myself near the telephone and await any further calls before I departed to All Saints Church with Laura in a few hours for the sermon. Countless calls and clarifications came in those few hours I waited, descriptions of ships sinking at their moorings, shells raining down on Vancouver proper and Militia fighting back with largely only rifles. First hundreds of men lost aboard Rainbow to the South and now an attack on a major Canadian city in the West, the implications of these events and my potential place in causing them was not lost on me.
Thoughts swirled in my mind throughout that morning on what I could have done better, could Rainbow have fought off the Germans days previously if my governments cuts and the general neglect of the naval service I had wished to completely restructure had not happened? Could a powerful battleship funded by the recently downtrodden Naval Aid Bill have single-handedly smashed this attacker far before they dealt such damage? Was Laurier's described Canadian Navy the better course of action? I harbored no personal vendetta towards the navy and the men who served within it, my apparent distain for the service had largely been one of political convenience against Laurier for the Prime Ministership. Perhaps some bit of bitter resentment lingered from the defeat of the Naval Aid Bill and had been projected onto the navy? It is an immensely bitter pill to swallow that my actions directly may have stopped or allowed this horrendous show to unfold in the first place. This disaster could become a serious problem if the Liberals or other opposition within the government attempt to press the issue of former neglect in Parliament, although it is truly rather unlikely that Laurier would risk a political strife at the beginning of a war. Laurier had given me clear assurances that he would work with me in the coming days to make sure the preparations for war went smoothly but these events could throw a wrench into those prearrangements. Regardless of everything, myself and Laura ended up attending Church that day and witnessed an incredibly moving prayer for both the navy and the people of British Columbia. I was called on by the Minister to give a small speech which initially filled me with dread, although it seemed to be a success judging by the congregations very positive reaction.
More news reaches me every hour, now of a second German warship attacking other cities in the surrounding area. Reports say this was done by the British vessel Algerine flying the flag of the German Navy, such information is incredibly hard to believe yet the events of this day as a whole are somewhat unimaginable. I fear I am not mentally prepared for such a seemingly relentless deluge of disastrous news today. Perhaps if I could reach back all those years and speak to the young Halifax lawyer I once was, I might push him away from this path of politics and spare him the anguish. While I still wholeheartedly believe political life is the responsibility that successful men should undertake for the public good, I fear I might no longer be the man for this job. The news itself stings but the utter helplessness we possess as our only collective response pains even more so. The only thing I can do as of now is to speak words of encouragement to my fellows through the telegraph and telephone while I attempt to prepare a new draft of my speech for Wednesday's Parliament. As always it is principally the peroration, always the most difficult part."
Robert Borden and Laura Borden aboard SS Royal George en route to England, 1912. Definitely in better spirits.