By the end of the First World War, Canada—at the time a country of fewer than 8 million citizens—would see 650,000 men and women serve at home and abroad; more than 66,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders died, and another 170,000 were wounded.
Toronto Police officers were among the many who volunteered to serve after Germany invaded Belgium and Britain declared war, bringing in nations belonging to the British Empire, including Canada and the colony of Newfounland.
Canada’s accomplishments earned it a newfound respect and a recognition—both at home and around the world—as an independent country. This earned Canada a separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the First World War.
(Memorial entries researched and written by Constable Matthew Scarlino, Historian, Toronto Police Military Veterans Association)