On August 5, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, and British Columbians of all backgrounds volunteered for military service. Indigenous, Japanese, Chinese, and Indo-Canadian residents all came forward to participate. B.C. had the highest per capita enlistment rate in Canada with just over 90 volunteers per 1,000 citizens.

In anticipation of the war, Premier Richard McBride purchased two submarines from Seattle, USA. They arrived in Esquimalt the very morning that war was declared. Three days later, the federal government took them over.

The war effort stimulated many of the province’s staple industries, particularly shipbuilding.