Pickering College in World War I: A Quaker Perspective

In 1917, the First World War was still raging overseas, and while many Canadians willingly signed up to fight on the front, Prime Minister Robert Borden was concerned by the flagging number of soldiers who were volunteering. Conscription was hotly contested, especially amongst French-Canadians, farmers, and of course Canadian Quakers. Despite the protests, the Military Service Act was passed, and notices were sent out across the country advising men to report to their local Registrar to be conscripted into service.

Peace and pacifism have been tenets of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) for its almost 400-year history:

“We believe all wars, both offensive and defensive, to be wrong, and in direct opposition to the command of the Master, who bids us to “Love our Enemies” and (1) we entreat all our members not to violate our peace principles in any respect, either (2) in actively promoting war or in complying with military requisitions that commit them to fight or aid therein. (3) Any who violate our testimonies in this regard shall be dealt with by the Society, or if they have gone beyond its reach, the meeting is at liberty to disown them.”

Individual groups of Quakers – called “Meetings” – sent out statements including this passage and declared their intention to apply for exemption to the Military Service Act. A Peace Committee was also formed to help Friends get more information on the Act and its requirements. The Clerk of the Genesee Yearly Meeting, C.A. Zavitz, even sent a letter directly to the Prime Minister himself. This letter passionately spoke of the history of Canadian Quakers and their beliefs and why many of them would be applying for exemption. A response was received from the Prime Minister which confirmed that conscientious objection would be a valid cause for exemption, though the exemption would be for direct combat duties only.

It needs to be noted that while many Canadian Quakers were applying for exemption, they were not sitting idly while there was a great need for other types of service during this tumultuous time. Many Quakers were already farmers, so they would be exempted to continue to provide food and labour through their profession. In a letter from an unnamed Friend, a response was given to a man questioning whether he should apply for exemption:

“One thing, however, seems clear – that no man ought to escape taking his full share of the burden in some way. We must not forget that men of other denominations, very many of whom have proved their Christian faith in their life and practice in the past, are taking their part in the war, believing it to be a personal duty for them to do so. On the other hand, there is no question as to what has been the attitude and teaching of the spiritual leaders among Friends throughout our whole history, but for a man to live up to that teaching, it is not enough to simply refuse to take part in this kind of warfare. To do this consistently means attaining a very high ideal of living and service. Without that the other is simply an easy way of escaping something that would be unpleasant.”

Which brings us to the role of Pickering College during this time. In lieu of fighting in the war directly, local Quakers wished to provide aid and service in other ways. The Religious Society of Friends in association with the Board of Management of the college at the time (including Chairman A.S. Rogers and Principal Firth) donated the building and campus free of charge to the Military Hospitals Commission in 1917. The building would serve as a home for injured soldiers returning from overseas. This donation was, according to Mr. Rogers, “intended as a contribution to national service and to show the sympathy of the college and Religious Society of Friends with the wounded and invalided soldiers and the work of the Commission.”

There would need to be extensive remodeling done to accommodate the approximately 250 patients that were intended to arrive. A letter from A.S. Rogers describes partitions and walls being removed to create larger spaces, adding bathrooms and fire escapes, and removing closets. There was an indication that when the building was returned, the Commission would be responsible for restoring all the changes to their original state.

The school had just recovered from a devastating fire in 1905 and was in the process of building itself back up after reopening in 1909. It was no small ask to close the building in the middle of a school year, once again halting the development of the college. However, as Arthur G. Dorland eloquently stated in his book ‘A Hundred Years of Quaker Education in Canada’ (1942): “Thus ended another chapter in the history of the school. But if indeed this had proved to be the last chapter, the final use of the school building as an asylum for the wreckage of war would have been an end quite worthy of the humanitarian tradition which had long been associated with the Society of Friends.” Classes did resume when the school was re-opened in 1927.

By Michelle Tolley, Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM) Archivist