"From failing hands..."

On plaques in the Hicks building, you can read their names: Dalhousie students who gave their lives in the First World War. Every year, many current students and staff leave their poppies on the plaques as a reminder of the costs of war. Each plaque has its own inscription:

Their name liveth forevermore

They gave all that mankind may give that we might live

They loved honour more than they feared death

Tell it to the generations following

With Remembrance Day upon us, many will be reflecting back on prior generations and the sacrifices made in the name of their country, community and their fellow soldiers.

Dalhousie’s contributions to the First World War were many, most notably with Stationary Hospital No. 7. After finally getting permission to set up a field hospital after two years seeking government approval, the university raised $17,000 to establish the field hospital with a staff of 162, consisting of Dal professors, senior medical students and nursing sisters. They arrived in England in January 1916, later moving through various locations in France during the war effort.

Within a year of the war, some 165 Dalhousie graduates and staff had enlisted, along with 83 undergraduates. By 1916, when the yearly President’s Report was published, 446 members of the Dalhousie community—students and alumni—had answered “the call of the flag,” as it was put. At that point, 49 students and alumni, including two Rhodes Scholars, had lost their lives. Twenty-three had been decorated for distinguished service.

The Dalhousie Archives and Special Collections is sharing wartime photographs on its Facebook page, as well as highlighting its military collections on the Libraries’ blog. As well, we invite members of the Dal community to share their own family connections or personal recollections of the sacrifices made by soldiers across all conflicts.

Learn more: "Dalhousie overseas" (from Dal News, 2010)