‘The Paths of Glory Lead but to the Grave’: Imperial Self-Sacrifice and the Commemoration of James Wolfe, 1900–1940

This article explores the remarkable transformation of Major-General James Wolfe’s posthumous reputation during the early twentieth century. Drawing on a wide range of British and Canadian sources, it examines the methods by which imperialists mobilised Wolfe’s memory to combat growing threats to the British Empire. Firstly, it charts the revival of Wolfe’s afterlife during the Quebec Tercentenary of 1908, which saw him deployed by imperial nationalists as part of an elaborately constructed plan to create a unified Canadian identity, and to persuade the Dominion to contribute to collective defence obligations. Secondly, it explores how Britain’s military, religious, and political elite promoted Wolfe as an exemplary hero: the embodiment of attributes required for the Empire’s defence. Finally, it demonstrates how Wolfe’s promoters transformed him into a symbolic martyr who represented the imperial sacrifice during the First World War, and turned his commemoration into an important form of memory diplomacy that bound Britain and the increasingly autonomous Dominion of Canada together during the inter-war years. Overall, this article argues that Wolfe’s heroic reputation was a shared British and Canadian construction that was continually adapted and instrumentalised to serve the Empire’s shifting political needs.