Forces With History #216--A Recruiter's Best Day
and how did it happen
In Forces With History #215 I gave a very brief outline of the career of John Bishop, one of the thousands of Canadians who fought in the Korean War. What was Canada like 74 years ago this month, and where did these recruits come from, anyway?
In June of 1950 Communist North Koreans invaded their democratic cousins in South Korea. The UN, with the US leading, asked for help. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and his defence minister, Brooke Claxton, responded.
The call went out from Ottawa and was echoed across this broad land. Wanted: 5,000 volunteers to fight for Canada and the United Nations. Within days recruiting offices were flooded with 10,000 men eager to go.
Those volunteers had their reasons. Some of them had no job, and the army would provide uniforms, food, and a roof over their heads (at least part of the time!). Or they were bored and wanted a change, or they’d missed out on World War II, which had wrapped up only 5 years before. No doubt some of them had personal reasons to get out of town. And if the UN and Canada wanted to roll back the Communists that was okay with them.
What did the Canada of the time look like? Canada was busy beating guns into ploughshares, with a building boom and the armed forces downsizing after their huge efforts in the war. The Prime Minister carried on, while his Minister for External Affairs, a fellow named Pearson, was gaining a profile at the United Nations. Here on the west coast CKNW had been started in New Westminster by Bill Rea, and the hit parade featured songs like Music, Music, Music with Teresa Brewer and If I Knew You Were Coming I’d have Baked a Cake.
Those days seem innocent and simple, looking back on them. They weren’t either of those. A small number of Canadians committed to an overseas war, while the rest of the country ignored them.
To read Forces With History #215 about John Bishop, go to my website www.robertwmackay.ca, click on Newsletter, and scroll down to the Substack Archives button.
My book THE FORGOTTEN: A Novel of the Korean War set in the Korean War will be available as of October 15th for preorders on Amazon, and will be launched on October 12th at the Turnbull Gallery in the South Surrey Rec Centre, 14601 20th Ave, Surrey at 2 pm.