Victory Celebrations of World War One

VICTORY! Armistice Signed Nov. 11 at 2.45 a.m. Fighting Ceased at 11 am.; that is 6 am. Our Time

Headline from the Exeter Advocate, 14 November 1918, page 1.

By the time the citizens of Exeter, Ontario and surrounding area were reading this headline, telegraph operator Miss Sanders had already spread the word. And there was much rejoicing...

Exeter Advocate, 14 November 1918, page 1.

"A perfect day was wound up by a bonfire in the evening." 

But not just any bonfire.

In towns and cities all over the world, the end of the war was celebrated by burning an effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Exeter joined in on the festivities. Another newspaper, The Exeter Times explains...

Exeter Times, 14 November 1918, page 1. See below for transcription.

In the evening a huge bonfire was started in front of the Town Hall. Boxes, barrels, etc., were piled high and oil was poured upon the flames. An effigy of the Kaiser and the Crown Prince were suspended from poles about twenty feet in the air and burned. The crowd afterward went to the river bank where another large fire was kindled.

The Kaiser was ripe for caricature as you can see from this effigy in England...

It's said that "World War One was one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of the human race, in which over 16 million people died." 

The world, including small-town Ontario was ready to live again.