The demobilization riots during the Great War (1914-1918)

The demobilization of Canadian soldiers after the end of the First World War caused much frustration among the troops and unrest was common. Learn more with our mini-video on the demobilization riots!

Did you know that there were several riots among Canadian soldiers after the First World War?

With the end of hostilities, all demobilized soldiers were sent to Britain before returning home.

However, several delays and logistical problems kept the soldiers in temporary camps for several weeks. The general frustration of the soldiers who were anxious to return home took very little to provoke them. From 1918 to 1919, there were some 13 cases of riots in the demobilization camps.

The riot at Kinmel Park in March 1919 was probably one of the most serious and led to the death of five soldiers and more than twenty injured.

The streets of Kinmel Park after the riots, March 1919 (source: The Canadian Encyclopedia).

Cover photo: Businesses broken into after the Kinmel Park riots (source: Western Front Association).

A video edited and narrated by Aglaé Pinsonnault, and researched and written by Julien Lehoux for Je Me Souviens.

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