CFUW MARGARET DALE PHILP AWARD
Funded by CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo
2014-2015 Value: $3,500

Funded in memory of a former Club President, a teacher and Local Life Member, for graduate studies in the humanities or the social sciences. Special consideration is given to study in Canadian History only as a deciding factor, all else being equal. The applicant must reside in Canada.

2013-2014 Winner: CAROLINE D'AMOURS

B.Sc. Kinesiology, 2004, Laval University
B.A. History, 2007, Laval University
M.A. History, 2009, Laval University
Ph.D. History, 2009-2014, University of Ottawa


The poor quality of Canadian infantry reinforcements in Europe in the late summer of 1944 represented one of the biggest obstacles faced by First Canadian Army in the Second World War. The infantry, the main arm of the service in the conflict, accounted for 70 percent of all casualties combined, though it made up less than 15 per cent of the total Canadian force in Normandy. The Canadian units at the front were therefore continually undermanned, and the issue of training infantry reinforcements became a key factor in the fighting effectiveness of these units. Caroline's doctoral research focuses on the organizational structure of the Canadian reinforcement system between 1939 and 1945. The goal of her studies is to better understand how the Canadian military intended to train its reinforcements and how the Canadian leaders had conceptualized the important concepts to pass on to the men. This fundamental knowledge will also help to explain why, even after four years of preparation, infantry reinforcements were still not considered up to the task.