The Yukon Fallen of World War I

The Yukon was one of the most isolated parts of the British Empire but when news came by telegram that war had been declared against Germany, the response to the call for volunteers was immediate. It was boasted that more Yukoners volunteered per capita than any other jurisdiction in the country. Of the five thousand inhabitants scattered over an area twice the size of England, more than a thousand signed up for service.

High school students enlisted, some lying about their age to do so. Brothers joined up, as did fathers and sons. Two men mushed all the way from Herschel Island to enroll in Dawson. Miners answered the call from the Klondike, Mayo, Atlin, Forty Mile, Kluane, Livingston Creek, Carcross, Carmacks and Whitehorse. Americans, Serbians, Frenchmen and Montenegrins living in the Yukon also rallied to the flag. Several members of the Yukon Council took up the flag, leaving barely a quorum to carry on the business of government. From the most humble, to the most prominent, they all responded to the call to arms.

This collection of short biographies will be published to mark the hundredth anniversary of the end of the conflict—November 11, 1918. Yukon Fallen honours the individual sacrifices made by those soldiers who did not live to see the end of the war. It will appeal to collectors, readers of military history and anyone interested in learning about Yukon’s contribution to World War I.