Peace and Demobilization

The Canadian story following the Armistice took two different forms. On the one hand, Canadian diplomats created a national presence in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Versailles. Glazebrook's account of the Paris Peace Conference was a semi-official history, relying on documents still closed to the public at that time; although written many years ago, it is still valuable. On the other hand, occupation duties, a shortage of shipping and a decision to bring the CEF home as complete units, led to restless and bored soldiers who rioted when nobody could explain why, in the late spring of 1919, they were still being kept away from their homes and families. The resulting loss of life at Kinmel Park in Wales, led to faster availability of shipping.

Canada. Dept. of Militia and Defence. -- The return of the troops : a plain account of the demobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. -- Ottawa : King's Printer, 1920. -- 180 p.

Glazebrook, G.P. de T. -- Canada at the Paris Peace Conference. -- Toronto : Oxford Univ. Press, 1942. -- 156 p.

Morton, Desmond. -- "'Kicking and complaining' : demobilization riots in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1918-19". -- Canadian historical review. -- Vol. 61, no. 3 (September 1980). -- P. 334-360

Putkowski, Julian. -- The Kinmel Park Camp riots. -- Hawarden, Wales : Flintshire Historical Society, 1989. -- 55 p.

• Reprinted from the Flintshire Historical Society journal. -- Vol. 32 (1989).

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