ABSTRACT

This article analyses the consumption of alcohol amongst Canadian soldiers based in the East Sussex town of Hastings in 1917. It shows that more relaxed restrictions on alcohol in Britain to those in Canada, all provinces and eventually the federal government had prohibited alcohol by 1918, proved too much of a temptation for some Canadians, who were caught up in instances of drunkenness, disorder and petty crime. The wide availability of alcohol in the town coupled with poor administration and scattered billets provided a fertile environment for ill-discipline. This caused tension between some in the community and the Canadians. Another theme which started to emerge in Hastings was that Canada was more socially advanced than Britain. The motherland’s reluctance to completely ban alcohol was viewed as archaic and backwards. For some Canadians, this warranted a loosening of the attachment to Britain and the Empire in favour of Canada. The Canadian’s experience of alcohol in Hastings may, therefore, point to how Canada was moving away from Britain and the Empire and strengthening its own sense of self. This aspect warrants further research.

摘要

这篇文章分析了 1917 年驻扎在东萨塞克斯镇黑斯廷斯的加拿大士兵的酒精消费情况。它表明，英国对加拿大、所有省份和最终联邦政府的酒精限制更加宽松，到 1918 年已经禁止饮酒，证明对一些陷入醉酒、混乱和轻微犯罪的加拿大人来说，这太诱惑了。镇上广泛的酒精供应，加上管理不善和分散的方坯，为纪律不严提供了肥沃的环境。这引起了社区中一些人和加拿大人之间的紧张关系。在黑斯廷斯开始出现的另一个主题是，加拿大在社会上比英国更先进。祖国不愿完全禁酒被视为过时和倒退。对于一些加拿大人来说，这保证了放松对不列颠和帝国的依附，有利于加拿大。因此，加拿大人在黑斯廷斯的饮酒经历可能表明加拿大正在远离英国和帝国并加强自己的自我意识。这方面值得进一步研究。