This weekend marks the centennial of one of the riots in Victoria that followed the sinking of the Cunard ocean liner Lusitania.
Early on Friday morning, May 7, 1915, the telegraph wires started buzzing with tragic news from the waters off Ireland.
The Lusitania had been sunk by a German torpedo. Almost 1,200 passengers and crew died when the ship, bound for Liverpool from New York City, went down.
On board were 15 people from Victoria, including James “Boy” Dunsmuir, who was on his way to England to enlist in a regiment there. His strong desire to serve his country gave him nothing more than a watery grave.
The deaths of so many civilians sparked outrage throughout England, with rioting in the ship’s home port of Liverpool.
In Canada, the worst rioting was in Victoria. It started on Saturday, the day after the sinking. Angry crowds, including off-duty soldiers, attacked businesses and buildings with German-sounding names, or whose owners were known to be of German descent.
The businesses hit by the mob included the Blanshard Hotel, which had formerly been known as the Kaiserhof; the Victoria Phoenix Brewery; the wholesale company owned by Moses Lenz; the Pither and Leiser store; E.J. Geiger’s plumbing business; and the New England Hotel, which was owned by someone who had been born in Bavaria.
The rioters smashed windows to gain entry to the businesses, and then carried off whatever they could. The mayhem continued on Sunday, with the worst looting at 721 Fort St., where Ernest Schaper and W.W. Glass ran a tailoring shop.
“The crowd made a fierce attack on the place, smashed every pane of glass in the shop and walked off with practically everything in it that could be carried off,” the Times reported the following day.
“Bolts of cloth were borne away openly and boldly under the eyes of the police, and any civilians who suggested that this was stealing were told to mind their own business.
“Goods were thrust into the motor cars of people who had been attracted to the scene, and in one case where a protest was made, the man who threw the goods in remarked: ‘You will find this better than any dollar day they could have.’”
Both daily newspapers ran stories defending the stores that had been attacked, noting that many shareholders were not German, and that the German-born individuals involved had proven their dedication to our community.
Businesses ran advertisements to stress their support for the English flag. On Sunday evening, Mayor Alexander Stewart stood in front of the New England Hotel and read the Riot Act.
The mob responded by singing patriotic songs and continuing to throw stones at the buildings. In time, however, tempers cooled and the crowd dispersed, leaving the business owners to clean up the mess and tally the damages.
The sinking of the Lusitania and the riots that followed, along with the aftermath were covered by the Daily Colonist, the largest newspaper in Victoria at the time. They provide a sense of what the mood was like, and the sentiments that had been worked up against people with German names.
Here are extracts from that coverage, based on transcriptions done by Leona Taylor:
Saturday, May 8, 1915
Submarine gets over 1,400 victims
Pirates take lives of 1,500 — Torpedo Great Cunarder Lusitania Off Irish Coast and Sink Her With Her Passengers on Board — Small proportion of people saved
Victorians who were aboard
Fifteen booked passages here — Lieut. Dunsmuir was among number
Lieut. J. Dunsmuir, son of the Hon. James Dunsmuir, was a passenger on the Lusitania. Lieut. Dunsmuir, who was an officer of the 2nd C.M.R. up till three weeks ago, resigned his commission in that regiment in order to proceed direct to England to a get a commission in a British regiment and proceed to the front as soon as possible.
Editorial: Murder Most Foul
We have no words wherewith to characterize the dreadful crime which was committed when the Lusitania, with all her freight of human lives, was struck without warning by a German torpedo and many hundreds of men, women and children were sent to their death. The bare recital of the facts is more eloquent of horror than anything we could hope to say in this place. We simply stand aghast at the revelation of infamy which they disclose.
Sunday, May 9, 1915
Rioters Wreck City Premises
Mob, in anti-German demonstration, does damage estimated at $20,000 — police are powerless
Damage variously estimated at between $20,000 and $25,000 was done in a riot last night during the course of which a mixed crowd of soldiers and civilians virtually sacked the Blanshard Hotel, at the corner of Blanshard and Johnson streets, broke into the premises formerly occupied by Deutscher Verein, loyal German Club; smashed windows of Messrs Simon Leiser and Company, and Mr. Moses Lenz, on Yates Street, looting large quantities of contents, and did likewise to the wholesale premises formerly managed by Mr. Carl Lowenberg, ex-German consul here.
For four hours the crowd, which gradually swelled from about 150 to about 500 persons intent on damage, and which was followed by from two to three thousand curious spectators, paraded the downtown streets, alternating their marching with attacks upon the above premises. Women and boys figured prominently in the riot and in the looting of the wholesale premises the fair sex had a considerable share.
Tuesday, May 11
To the Citizens of Victoria
The undersigned hereby requests all residents of Victoria to remain in their homes or places of business tonight and on subsequent nights until popular excitement has abated. While no further demonstrations are anticipated, the absence of crowds from the streets will greatly facilitate the efforts of the police to prevent disorder, should it appear that any is likely to occur.
A. Stewart, Mayor.
Announcement
In view of the recent demonstrations of violence, we wish to inform the public that this business is, and has for several years been, owned and operated entirely by British capital.
Our local record in public matters and upon all questions of loyalty, should make unnecessary any public statement upon the subject, but to emphasize the position, we would point out that Mr. W.P. Geoghegan, of Dublin, Ireland — our chief shareholder — is at present time providing accommodation, medical and nursing attention for wounded British soldiers entirely at his own expense, and letters received from him at recent dates contain expressions of the most earnest loyalty and desires for the success of the just cause of the Allies.
In these circumstances, we feel sure that the attack upon our premises was due to a lack of knowledge of the true facts of the position, and will be recognized as an injustice which will not be repeated.
Pither and Leiser Ltd.
Authorities have situation in hand
Military and police arrangements preclude resumption of disorderly scenes of previous two evenings
Awed by the energetic measures which the police and military authorities took on Sunday evening in their efforts to deal with the disturbances arising out of Saturday night’s rioting, the element responsible completely effaced themselves last night. The mounted and foot patrols of the military and police had an easy time of it, and not an incident occurred to mar the quiet of the night.
As a precautionary measure, the Board of License Commissioners on Sunday afternoon decided to close the licensed premises of the city for three days, thus stopping the sale of liquor.
Yesterday, the police were active rounding up persons who were found in possession of goods believed to have been stolen from various premises on Saturday night.
Reads Riot Act to quell disturbances
For the first time within the memory of the oldest living Victorian, the head of the civic administration was called upon on Sunday evening to read the Riot Act in an attempt to quiet the disturbances which, following the rioting on Saturday evening, had assumed proportions which threatened to become most serious.
Mayor Stewart performed this task in front of the New England Hotel, on which a crowd of men and boys had commenced an attack by hurling volleys of stones through the plate glass windows.
Wednesday, May 12
A baseless rumour
We are in receipt of the following letter:
With reference to various absurd stories in circulation in the city as to a function or celebration having been held at Government House on the occasion of the German Emperor’s birthday, would you kindly make known the fact that there was no celebration of this event at Government House, in any form whatever.
H.J.S. Muskett, Private Secretary
Letter to the editor
I was born in Chesley, Bruce Co., Ontario, and my father is of German descent, but has been in Canada since he was 11 and served in the Fenian Raid, for which he received the Fenian Raid medal, and my mother’s name was Ross before marriage, and is from Scotland. I am a thorough Canadian, and have served five years with the Fifth Regt. here in Lieut.-Col. Winsby’s company. I have two brothers also living here, Alf and Frank, of Fernwood Hardware.
Harry Schroeder,
Prop., Linden and Home Grocery
Sunday, May 23
Letter to the editor
I am a native son, having been born in Victoria in 1886, and am a Canadian citizen. My wife was born in London, England, of British parents. My father and mother were both born in Uesslingen, Canton Thurgan, Switzerland, and as far back as can be traced their ancestors were natives of Switzerland.
After serving his time in the Swiss army, my father came to Victoria in 1882, followed two years later by my mother, and both have resided in Victoria since that time.
We have no German connections or sympathies, and I trust you will find the space for this correction of a great injustice done to a loyal Canadian citizen.
J.H. Hasenfratz
Sunday, June 6
Letter to the editor
I have resided 25 years in this city, my wife 30. I have raised and educated my family here. My wife is niece of late Jacob Sehl, one of the old-time commercial men here; my hopes, aspirations, and all I possess are bound up with the welfare of the city of Victoria and the Dominion of Canada.
L. Maas
Letter to the editor
I am an American citizen, but registered as German-born, not knowing that I did not need to register. I wish to make it known that I am not one of the ‘Alien Enemies.’ I lived in the United States for 17 years, and have resided in Victoria for 12 years.
Mrs. Anna Leonard
Wednesday, June 23
Notices
To whom it may concern, we, George Koenig, merchant, Harry Peter Koenig, merchant, and Anna Koenig, widow, all of Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, do hereby declare that on June 2, 1915, we formally and absolutely renounce, relinquish and abandon the use of our surname Koenig, and determine henceforth, on all occasions whatsoever, to use, subscribe and adopt the name of Kingsley.
Referring to the explosion of anti-German feeling of late in Victoria and to the threatening attitude of the crowds towards people possessing names bearing the least resemblance to German names, I beg to inform you that my wife is English-born, my boys Canadian-born and I am a native of Brussels, Belgium, late of the 12 Regt of the line. My name has no German connection whatever — it means “lion” in Belgian. I hope that my family and property will be protected while I am with the British expeditionary force from a crowd which I invite to display their fighting qualities out here.
L.J. Eekman
On active service
For more information:
The Royal B.C. Museum has a website devoted to the riot, including photographs and a brief video, at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/war-comes-to-victoria-the-lusitania-riot/.
The video is also being shown in the Clifford Carl Hall. There is a memorial poster on display.
Digitized copies of the Daily Colonist from 1858 through to 1920 are found at britishcolonist.ca.
Transcriptions of the Daily Colonist are found in the Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers by Leona Taylor and Dorothy Mindenhall. It is part of Victoria’s Victoria, and is found at victoriasvictoria.ca.
