Baseball in the Great War

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Baseball in the Great war one of the most popular games played by Canadian soldiers as an off-battlefield pastime. In May 1915 the American League sent a “big assortment of baseball paraphernalia” to Sir Sam Hughes for distribution amongst Canadian units. Later that summer, Lord Atholstan’s Montreal Star sent a similar shipment directly to England.

Canadian Army Field Comforts Commission

Such efforts coordinated after the middle of 1915 by the Canadian Army Field Comforts Commission, or CFCC, which had been established by the Dominion government.

Headquartered at Shorncliffe, but with offices from Halifax to Vancouver and as far afield as Capetown and Colombo, the CFCC solicited soldiers’ needs and communicated them back to Canada.

That summer the CFCC declared that apart from socks Canadian troops did not need clothing. Instead, games, magazines, books, musical instruments and, tellingly, baseball equipment were valued above all by the men.

No. 3 Field Ambulance Baseball Team

Baseball in the Great War — Baseball team (No. 3 Field Ambulance). July, 1916. South-east of Poperinghe, Belgium. MIKAN No. 3194081

Captain Robert Pearson, YMCA

Captain Robert Pearson, Y.M.C.A., severely wounded in action 18-9-16 (Courcelette), died 3-6-57.
Captain Robert Pearson, Y.M.C.A.
Capt Robert Pearson, Y.M.C.A.
Captain Robert Pearson, Y.M.C.A., severely wounded in action 18-9-16 (Courcelette), died 3-6-57. MIKAN No. 3129909

Captain Robert Pearson of the Y.M.C.A. who acted as umpire at a baseball game talking to Canadians before the game.
Captain Robert Pearson, Y.M.C.A., umpiring a baseball game held at a Canadian sports meeting, 18th Battalion Sports Field, near Villers-au-Bois, 12 September 1917.
Match held in the Canadian lines.
The batter at a Canadian baseball game in France falls down escaping a dangerous ball.
A Canadian baseball player sliding home.

Lords Canadians vs Americans

Lord Cricket Grounds

Canadians vs Americans

15 May 1918

Baseball Game in which British, Canadian and Australian troops took part, Duisans, Pas-de-Calais, 15 May 1918.

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Nova Scotians (85th Battalion)

Winners Canadian Sports Championship 1918

Epsom Canadians vs 198th Battalion

Scenes at baseball match between Epsom Canadians and 198th Battalion at Goldaming, October 1917. One of the championship games.

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The quarter-final match between Shorncliffe and Seaford on 4 September was marred by the umpire’s decision to call one of the Seaford men out for interfering with a base runner. Seaford had then declared that they would only resume
the match under protest, causing Shorncliffe to march off the field. The chairman of the CMAA Baseball sub-committee then ordered Shorncliffe to resume the game. They refused. Nor would they agree to a rematch. Therefore, Seaford was advanced, only to be defeated by Epsom in the semi-final.

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Ill-feeling over the incident ran deep, and Shorncliffe boycotted a CMAA swimming meet held the same week. Despite having played for Sir Sam Hughes and declaring themselves champions in previous years, Epsom lost in the final to the Canadian Engineers Training Centre.

The Engineers went on to beat the strongest American team and became champions of the British Isles.

No. 8 Canadian General Hospital, Hastings

O.T.C. Bexhill

The Canadian Training School, Bexhill boasted its own a six-team league, something that was common wherever significant numbers of Canadian troops were found.

3384473 Baseball in the Great War — MIKAN No. 3384473

Brussels Corps Sports

(Spectators) Premier Borden, Gen. Currie and Gen. Macdonnell watching Baseball final. - "Corps Sports, Brussels, 22nd March 1919. MIKAN No. 3387328 — (Spectators) Premier Borden, Gen. Currie and Gen. Macdonnell watching Baseball final. – “Corps Sports, Brussels, 22nd March 1919. MIKAN No. 3387328

(Baseball) Indoor Baseball - "Corps Sports", Brussels, 22nd March 1919 — (Baseball) Indoor Baseball – “Corps Sports”, Brussels, 22nd March 1919

Inter-Allied Games

Held from June 22 to July 6, 1919 outside of Paris near the site of the 1900 Olympics. Participants included several famous tennis players, including previous/future Wimbledon champions Andre Gobert (France), Randolph Lycett (Australia) and Pat O’Hara Wood (Australia).

The Inter-Allied Games featured hundreds of male athletes from nations across the world aligned with the Allies during the Great War competing in 13 sports.

An Olympics-style opening ceremony featuring more than 1,500 participants held and athletes from 14 nations competed, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czecho-Slovakia (as it was known in 1919), France, Hedjaz (Arabia), Italy, the U.K., the U.S. and more. Unfortunately, Nursing Sisters, and V.A.D. workers not invited to compete.

Nursing sisters Helen White and Elsie McCready competing in an egg and spoon race. Baseball in the Great War — Nursing sisters Helen White and Elsie McCready competing in an egg and spoon race, 2 July 1917. No. 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Tréport, France.

Flypast

Caproni Ca33 aircraft of L’Armee de l’Air flying over the Canadian baseball team at the Inter-Allied Games.

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The 1919 Inter-Allied Games ended on Sunday, 6 July. Two events were held that day – a baseball game between the United States and Canada, and the light-heavyweight boxing final.