Drunk and Disorderly in Vernon: The Court Martial of Fusilier Florent Labonte

Abstract

It was in 1944—five years into the Second World War—that Canadian manpower began to reach its limits. The management of manpower was difficult for all countries within the British Commonwealth, but for those with nonhomogeneous populations, like Canada and South Africa, it became necessary to weigh national priorities against international commitments. For Canada, the demands of an expanded overseas role and the fact that conscription remained solely for home defence meant that there simply were not enough men to fill the replacement quotas. Having already expanded their accepted age range and health standard, officials were forced to consider their largest remaining source of men: the home defence conscripts.