The city of Berlin, Ontario, Canada, changed its name to Kitchener by referendum in May and June 1916. Named in 1833 after the capital of Prussia and later the German Empire, the name Berlin became un
A bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I was dedicated in Berlin's Victoria Park in 1897, pictured here in 1905.
Berlin residents retrieving the bust of Kaiser Wilhelm from Victoria Park lake, August 1914. Vandals threw the bust into the lake following Britain and Canada's declaration of war against Germany.
Three days after the referendum, residents see members of the 118th Battalion off at the Berlin station, May 22, 1916. The soldiers' absence reduced tensions in the city.
A ballot for selecting the new city name, June 1916
Isaac Brock
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Major-General Sir Isaac Brock was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. He is best remembered for his victory at the siege of Detroit and his death at the Battle of Queensto
Berlin-to-Kitchener name change
…the recently deceased British Army officer Horatio Herbert Kitchener. Kitchener prevailed in a tight race over the only serious competitor, Brock – for Isaac Brock, a British military leader in the War of 1812. The city officially changed names on September 1, 1916. Towns across the English-speaking world retreated…
Portrait by John Savery Carey, 1897
Landing of the English Troops at Calantsoog by Dirk Langendyck, 1799
Governor General Sir George Prevost, whose approach to the war conflicted with Brock's
Brock met Tecumseh at Fort Amherstburg and quickly established a rapport with the Shawnee leader.