A Union Badge | Exploring SMALL TOWN Canada at War

Great War veterans encountered significant labour unrest when they returned from the war. A failing economy and the slow down from wartime production meant fewer jobs and labour tension. Veterans saw these economic hardships as unfair given the sacrifices they had just made for the country. They began to form chapters of the Great War Veterans Association to make their voices heard by government.

In the summer of 1919, the Cobalt mines were in the grip of an intractable strike in which the Mine Managers refused to recognize the union. Caught between the demands for justice by the union and the need to get on with their lives, many of the veterans opted for a more conciliatory path than that chosen by the embattled union. Writing to the Cobalt Miner’s Union they stated their opinion: ‘This, comrades, is our report. We are sorry that we cannot settle the strike. We have failed as others have failed. The trouble is that when we beat the Boche, we did not destroy distrust, bitterness and rancor.’

A badge

Date: Circa 1906-1919

Image Description:

A badge worn by members of the Cobalt Miner’s Union Local 146, Western Federation of Miners.