On the Home Front

Women of Canada! save and serve
Ontario. Organization of Resources Committee
1914
Public domain
1914-1918. Women. SB

William J. Hanna was named food controller of Canada in 1917; he urged people to “remember WOMEN are the real Food Controllers of Canada”. 

The pledge to participate in a voluntary rationing programme was established by the Canada Food Board. A pledge card was to be hung up in the household to remind family members of the importance of conserving food for the war effort.

The war activated the knitting needles of women around the world. Quality was important and the Imperial Order Daughters of Empire issued precise instructions for preparing socks for the troops.

The socks were much appreciated, as clean socks helped prevent the fungal condition known as “trench foot”. Government-issued socks wore out quickly, and Norman Keys expressed gratitude that both his mother and Lily’s mother provided him with a steady supply of hand-knitted wool socks.