Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War

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Title: Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War
Author: Various, - To be updated
Language: English
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[Illustration:

ARMS GRANTED TO THE COLONY OF NOVA SCOTIA
BY KING CHARLES I]

[Illustration:

HIS HONOUR THE HONOURABLE McCALLUM GRANT, LL.D.

Lieut.-Governor of Nova Scotia.]

NOVA SCOTIA’S PART IN THE GREAT WAR

Compiled and Edited

M. S. HUNT

(Captain R.O.)

Illustrated from Half-Tones

[Illustration]

Halifax, Nova Scotia:
The Nova Scotia Veteran Publishing Co., Limited
1920
All Rights Reserved

The Immortal Memory

Our Fallen Comrades

PREFACE

Two years have passed since the last gun was fired in the Great War on
the Western Front and hitherto no attempt has been made to place before
the people of Nova Scotia a comprehensive history of the various
Military Units and Patriotic Organizations which won for the Province
imperishable fame.

Anyone who makes an impartial investigation of Nova Scotia’s response to
the call of duty will concede that the sturdy little Province by the sea
achieved an enviable record. In some respects it surpassed the other
Provinces of the Dominion in promoting the successful conclusion of the
great conflict—not only by the number of splendid troops it supplied in
proportion to its population, both for Overseas and Home Service, but
also because it had in its capital city, Halifax, the Naval Base of the
British Empire on the Atlantic Coast, and from its spacious harbor sent
many hundreds of ships Overseas laden with Canadian and Allied troops
and received them after the Armistice when they were employed in
returning the victors to their homes. From Nova Scotia ports, chiefly
Halifax and Sydney, were also shipped munitions, supplies and equipment
required by the Army in the field. The appreciation of the troops and
their dependants on their return from Overseas of the welcome given them
by the representatives of the citizens of Halifax, and the comforts and
kindnesses bestowed upon them, has been attested by many grateful
letters received from homes scattered over the North American continent.
The patriotic work of the Nova Scotia Branch of the Red Cross Society,
with its country auxiliaries, was magnificent. All other patriotic
societies and organizations gave equally valuable service. In fact, Nova
Scotia played a role in the conduct of the war which will redound to her
glory for all time. May the same sense of unity and spirit of
self-devotion, which characterized her people during the war, be
retained undiminished and be used wisely in time of peace.

In giving a review of each of the Military Units which were mobilized or
organized in Nova Scotia for service in the Great War, narrative has
been adhered to as far as possible. Official war records were consulted
in so far as they were available, but a great deal of information had to
be gathered from personal war diaries and interviews. The book contains
as complete a history of Nova Scotia’s part in the Great War as could be
compressed into a single handy library volume. And it has several unique
features. It contains many engraved portraits of Nova Scotian officers
who made the supreme sacrifice, of officers commanding Units, leaders of
patriotic organizations, and groups of special persons and events, and a
reproduction of the authentic Nova Scotia Coat of Arms, granted by
Charles I—all of which will be of great interest to readers of this
history.

Before closing this preface special recognition should be made of J. D.
Logan, M.A. (Dalhousie Univ.), Ph.D. (Harvard Univ.), formerly Sergeant
in the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders, for his patient, keen,
and thorough reading of the entire manuscript, with important
alterations and corrections.

I am also deeply indebted to Major J. G. Johnstone, R.O., for his
indefatigable assistance in the compilation of this volume.

For information and assistance my thanks are also due to: Colonel W. E.
Thompson, Colonel Thos. Cantley, Lt.-Col. S. G. Robertson, C.B.E.,
Lt.-Col. H. Flowers, Lt.-Col. Joseph Hayes, D.S.O., Lt.-Col. D. H.
Sutherland, Lt.-Col. R. B. Simmons, Lt.-Col. A. W. Duffus, Lt.-Col. T.
M. Seeley, Lt.-Col. J. L. McKinnon, Lt.-Col. E. C. Dean, Major C. E.
McLaughlin, Major G. B. Cutten, Acadia Univ., Major A. A. Sturley, Univ.
of King’s College, Major J. F. Taylor, Major M. D. McKeigan, Major W. G.
McRae, Major D. A. McKinnon, D.S.O., Major P. O. Soulis, Capt. G. C.
McElhinney, M.C., Capt. Angus L. McDonald, Hon. Capt. Clarence McKinnon,
Capt. B. M. Beckwith, Capt. F. G. Kingdon, Capt. G. T. Shaw, Lieut. W.
H. Whidden, Dr. H. P. McPherson, St. Francis Xavier University,
Professor Fraser Harris, Medical School, Dalhousie University, Principal
F. H. Sexton, Nova Scotia Technical College, Mr. A. A. Campbell, Mr. F.
A. Crowell, Mr. McI. Miller, Mr. Stuart McCawley, Mr. Wilfred Hearn, Mr.
J. McL. Fraser, Mr. J. A. Walker.

M. S. HUNT,
Capt. R.O.

HALIFAX, N.S.
ARMISTICE DAY, 1920.

CONTENTS

PAGE
NOVA SCOTIA’S COAT OF ARMS (Granted by Charles I) i

PORTRAIT of His Honour the Honourable McCallum Grant, LL.D.,
Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia iv

DEDICATION vii

PREFACE ix

PORTRAIT of Sir Robert Borden, Premier of Canada, during the War xiii

PORTRAIT of the Honourable George Henry Murray, Premier of Nova
Scotia xvi

CHAPTER
I. Headquarters Military District No. 6 1

II. 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles 9

III. 9th Siege Battery 22

IV. 10th Siege Battery 28

V. 17th Field Battery 31

VI. 23rd and 24th Field Batteries 41

VII. 36th Field Battery 43

VIII. 14th Brigade, C.F.A. 56

IX. Royal Canadian Regiment 58

X. 17th Battalion 65

XI. 25th Battalion 70

XII. 40th Battalion 92

XIII. 64th Battalion 95

XIV. 85th Battalion and Band 99

XV. 106th Battalion 116

XVI. 112th Battalion 119

XVII. 185th Battalion 122

XVIII. 193rd Battalion 130

XIX. 219th Battalion 133

XX. 246th Battalion 146

XXI. 2nd Construction Battalion 148

XXII. Forestry Corps 154

XXIII. No. 6 District Depot 157

XXIV. Canadian Army Service Corps 161

XXV. Canadian Ordnance Corps 173

XXVI. Canadian Army Medical Corps 177

XXVII. Canadian Army Dental Corps 226

XXVIII. Canadian Army Pay Corps 231

XXIX. Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery 236

XXX. Canadian Engineers 242

XXXI. Militia Units on Home Service 243

XXXII. 1st Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery 245

XXXIII. 11th Brigade, C.F.A., and Composite Artillery Company 250

XXXIV. 63rd Regiment 253

XXXV. 66th Regiment 259

XXXVI. 94th Regiment 263

XXXVII. Composite Battalion 268

XXXVIII. Depot Battalion 272

XXXIX. “B” Unit, M.H.C.C. 275

XL. University of Acadia College 280

XLI. University of Dalhousie College 282

XLII. University of King’s College 289

XLIII. University of St. Francis Xavier’s College 294

XLIV. Presbyterian College, Pine Hill 296

XLV. Recruiting in Nova Scotia 300

XLVI. Ocean Transport 305

XLVII. Munitions 311

XLVIII. Demobilization 322

XLIX. Vocational Training 330

L. Patriotic Fund 345

LI. Victory Loan 347

LII. Red Cross Society; and Willing War Workers, Green Feather
Society and Catholic Ladies Society 350

LIII. Knights of Columbus 370

LIV. Young Men’s Christian Association 377

LV. Halifax Citizens’ Reception Committee 381

LVI. Creche at Pier 2 386

LVII. St. Matthew’s Church 394

SPECIAL SKETCHES, with Portraits 399

“FELT DAWN”—A Literary Appreciation of a phrase in McCrae’s poem,
“In Flanders Fields” 436

[Illustration:

SIR ROBERT LAIRD BORDEN,

Premier of Canada during the Great War.]

[Illustration:

HON. G. H. MURRAY,

Premier of Nova Scotia during the Great War.]

Nova Scotia’s Part in the Great War

CHAPTER I
_HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DISTRICT No. 6._

Upon the opening of the World War the following were the principal Staff
Officers at Halifax, the headquarters of Military District No. 6:—

Col. R. W. Rutherford, G.O.C.; Col. W. W. Humphrey, A.O.C.; Major R. J.
Hayter, G.S.O.; Major A. H. W. Powell, D.A.A. & Q.M.G.; Major W.
Gibsone, D.A.A. & Q.M.G. Fortress.

Military District No. 6 then embraced the Maritime Provinces, but later
in the war, when Compulsory Service came into force, New Brunswick was
made into a separate District, No. 7.

The aforementioned Staff bore the brunt of this sudden change from peace
to war, and met and overcame the resultant many new problems with great
credit to themselves.

The sudden deluge of work included the calling out and recruiting up to
strength of the Halifax City Regiments, viz.: 1st Regiment Canadian
Artillery, 63rd Regiment Halifax Rifles, and 66th Regiment Princess
Louise Fusiliers, as part of the War Garrison of Halifax; supplementing
this Garrison later by a Regiment styled the Composite Regiment, called
up by Companies from other Militia Regiments in Nova Scotia and from the
82nd in P. E. Island; calling out the 94th Argyll Highlanders to guard
the cable and wireless stations at North Sydney, Marconi, Louisburg, and
Canso, and detachments of Artillery from the P.E.I. Heavy Brigade to
protect the Harbors of North Sydney and Canso; the provision of guards
for the wireless station at Newcastle, N.B., for the International
Bridge at St. Leonard’s and Vanceboro, and the calling out of the 3rd
Regiment Canadian Artillery and the 62nd Regiment Infantry for the
defence of St. John, N.B.

This meant that the immediate necessities of war called upon the
Maritime Provinces to furnish, equip and train and keep supplied some
3,000 officers and men, of whom almost 2,600 were supplied by the
Province of Nova Scotia; and of these more than 1,500 men from the City
of Halifax.

This accounts for the fact that in the mobilization of troops for the
first contingent at Valcartier there were not so many men reported there
for duty from the City of Halifax or from rural Cape Breton as might
have been expected. The officers and men, though keen to enter this
larger sphere, were compelled to do this guard and garrison work, and
were only relieved and permitted to join Overseas Battalions as new men
could be found willing to take their places.

In addition to equipping this force the further pressing duty upon the
H. Q. Staff was the working out of a system of recruiting to take care
of the thousands of young men anxious to get into the Overseas
Battalions as they were authorized, and to train these men and officers.

The first change in H.Q. Staff came in December, 1914, when Major W. E.
Thompson was called in from his Regiment, the 63rd Halifax Rifles, then
doing duty on McNab’s Island, to take over the work of Inspector of
Outposts and Detachments throughout the District, with the rank of
Lieut.-Colonel.

This officer succeeded, upon the retirement of Colonel Humphrey in
March, 1915, to the appointment of Assistant Adjutant-General and
Officer in charge of Administration. He remained at H.Q. throughout the
war and until October 1, 1919, having succeeded to the command of the
District in December, 1918, upon the retirement of Major-General
Lessard. He was promoted full Colonel in May, 1916, and during the
summer of that year he acted as Commandant at Aldershot Camp in addition
to doing his work as A.A.G.

Every officer at H.Q. was continually on the watch for an opportunity of
proceeding overseas. The chance came first to Major Hayter, who was
offered the position of Brigade Major at Valcartier and was permitted to
accept in September, 1914. A careful, most painstaking officer, always
at work, always thinking about his work, he left his impress; and at
Valcartier, in England, and in France the same qualities marked his
value. His great modesty may have somewhat retarded his promotion,
though he won the rank of Brigadier-General before the war closed.

For some time the work of G.S.O. was rather perfunctorily performed by
officers awaiting their chance to go overseas and was not again severely
faced till it was taken on by Major A. N. Jones on his being invalided
home from France after service with the 25th Battalion. He carried on
till his health broke down in January, 1917, when Major Soulis acted
temporarily till the arrival of Col. W. R. Lang, who arrived in this
station with General Lessard, remaining till May, 1918, when he was
succeeded by Major W. G. Haggarty.

There was a bit of a struggle between Major Gibsone and Colonel Thompson
for the command of the 40th Battalion, the second Overseas Battalion to
be raised in this District, but the prize fell to the former, and his
place was taken by Major R. B. Willis, who filled the duties of D.A.A.
and Q.M.G. Fortress for the balance of the war with great credit.

Early in 1915 Major Powell was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.
His special work was responsibility for recruiting and the organizing,
officering and equipping of Units for Overseas Service. He brought great
energy and ability to this work, and when New Brunswick was converted
into a separate District he was detailed to that District as A.A.G.,
February, 1916.

Lieut.-Colonel Powell was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel B. R. Armstrong,
of St. John, N.B., who came out with his Regiment, the 3rd C.A., at St.
John upon the outbreak of the war, and who in addition to this command
was the representative of the Officer Commanding the District in New
Brunswick, and had a special supervision over recruiting in that
Province. He carried on the duties of D.A.A. and Q.M.G. for District No.
6 till demobilized in September, 1919.

His work was of a very high order, his grasp of details was unusual, and
his knowledge of shipping and business affairs was of great assistance,
particularly in connection with the very important work of transporting,
embarking and disembarking troops.

This latter work assumed such dimensions that it was found necessary to
provide him with an assistant. Major W. D. Tait served in this capacity
for a time till he assumed command of McGill Heavy Battery for service
Overseas, when, in June, 1916, he was succeeded by Major P. O. Soulis,
who came out on the outbreak of war with his Regiment, the 1st C.A.

Major Soulis was given the special department of Statistics and
Documents, and the supervision of all embarkations and disembarkations.
The combination of these two officers made this most important work
proceed so smoothly that hundreds of thousands of men went through this
port with the bulk of the citizens not realizing that anything unusual
was going on.

It should be mentioned, however, in this connection, that the work of
H.Q. could not have met with the success it did, were it not for the
very efficient executive work of Major A. P. Lomas, the executive head
of the Department of Transport and Supplies during the rush-time of this
most important work. Nor could the work of H.Q. have met with success in
this matter had it not been for the energy and co-operation which the
Clearing Services Command, represented here first by Lieut.-Colonel H.
F. Adams and later by Lieut.-Colonel Cram, brought to its work of
passing troops going and coming through its depot at Pier 2.

When after Compulsory Service came into operation the necessity became
evident for an officer to be detailed to give exclusive attention to the
compilation and care of soldiers’ documents, the choice most naturally
fell upon Major Soulis. He made a close study of the work, and his
system met with so much approval that many of his ideas were adopted by
Militia Headquarters and were put into general operation. Major Soulis
continued to hold the appointment of District Record Officer till
demobilized in July, 1919.

Both Colonel Armstrong and Major Soulis were South African Veterans, the
former having lost a foot in action there, and the latter having been
mentioned in despatches.

In December, 1914, Colonel Rutherford was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General, and in October, 1915, was given his step to
Major-General. He was an officer of much more than ordinary attainments,
and filled well the office of General Officer Commanding, always
carrying the confidence and respect of his Staff. A noticeable increase
in defective hearing shown during a conference of General Officers at
Ottawa led Militia H.Q. to bring about his retirement, and in November,
1915, he was succeeded by Major-General Thomas Benson.

[Illustration:

HEADQUARTERS STAFF, M.D. 6.]

General Benson brought a long training in military affairs, a broad
outlook, an attractive personality, and good judgment to cope with the
many questions arising in the District. He gave up his command in
February, 1918, to the regret of his Staff and of citizens who had been
wont to do business at Military Headquarters. He was given leave till
July 1st of that year, and his valuable services were recognized by
investment with the order of C.M.G.

General Benson’s successor was Major-General T. L. Lessard, who retained
command till December 28, 1918, when he was succeeded by Colonel W. E.
Thompson.

The work done by the Garrison at Halifax during the war was most
arduous, exacting and valuable. From August 7, 1914, when Canada entered
the war till final demobilization, the work was kept up continuously,
and upon the strictest laws of military discipline.

Only such officers whose places could be filled by volunteers were
permitted to proceed Overseas, and no man was relieved for this broader
field of action unless there was a man ready to take his place. This
being so, it was the exception for an officer once on the Staff or for
any well-trained officer of the Units out, particularly of the
Artillery, or for good non-commissioned officers and specialists to get
a chance for Overseas. They all knew that should the war terminate
without their getting over they would for the rest of their lives be
compelled to explain that they were not permitted to go and felt keenly
how flat such an explanation would fall. They had, however, the
consolation that they were doing a necessary and valuable work and were
buoyed up with the hope their chance would yet come; and if not, the
State would at least recognize their voluntary services as at least
equal to the services of those, many of whom were draftees, who had not
proceeded further than England or St. Lucia. Up to the time of writing,
however, no such recognition has been forthcoming.

The above sets out in most skeletonized form the ordinary duties of H.Q.
consequent on the Country being at war, and the Port of Halifax being
the only port of embarkation and disembarkation for Canadian troops and
supplies of war during the most strenuous months of the year.

In addition were the extra responsibilities of caring for troops
awaiting embarkation. These troops were not only Canadians but also
troops from United States, Australia, New Zealand and some 50,000
laborers from China.

When a contingent passed through the port, either coming in or going
out, from illness or other causes some were left behind, and these had
to be cared for, often taxing the facilities of the barracks and
hospitals to their utmost. In the summer of 1918 when we encamped at
Aldershot, some 5,000 United States troops and a whole shipload was
suddenly disembarked at Sydney suffering from the “flu.”

The temporary derelicts from Canadian troops passing through the City of
Halifax were taken care of by being attached to the Composite Battalion,
under Lieut.-Col. H. L. Chipman. When ready for Overseas these were
attached to another unit going through. The records show the number of
such exceeded 10,000 men. Lieut.-Colonel Chipman deserves special
mention for his splendid administration of the Composite Battalion and
for his wise handling of many difficult problems not to be met in an
ordinary Garrison Battalion.

Again, the awful catastrophe which befell the City of Halifax on
December 6, 1917, when a ship loaded with high explosives exploded in
the harbor, spreading death and devastation broadcast, placed a great
burden upon the Garrison and proved its great value in a sudden
emergency. Every officer and man of every Military Unit and Department,
with all the military facilities of the Garrison were rushed into the
work of removing the dead and wounded, fighting fires, preparing
shelters, transporting and feeding the destitute, doing police duty and
the hundred and one things that came to the hands of a willing,
well-trained body of troops.

The Ordnance, under Lieut.-Col. Arthur Panet, opened wide its doors, and
one of the first orders issued from H.Q. was for every available man of
the 63rd from McNab’s and the 66th from York and also every artilleryman
of the 1st C.A. from the forts to be rushed to the city and, proceeding
to the devastated area by way of the Ordnance Yard, for each to carry
with him a blanket for the wounded and destitute. This order was fully
carried out, Col. Panet, though himself wounded, travelling continuously
to and from the area of most suffering to see that as many as possible
were cared for.

Major H. P. Lomas, then at the head of the Department of Supplies and
Transport, met the necessities of the sufferers with the same breadth of
judgment, bigness of heart and broad interpretation of regulations which
marked his most successful administration throughout the war of this the
essentially business department of the Service.

Elsewhere in this publication will be found articles dealing with
specific work done in this District during the war, so that in this
article it is only attempted to give a general idea of who sat at
Headquarters during these strenuous times and a general idea of the work
they were called upon to originate and supervise; and it must be borne
in mind as the detail of this specific work is studied and admired or
condemned, the responsibility and the direction was always with that
often maligned, seldom praised or congratulated, but nevertheless
patient, long-suffering, faithful, headquarters.

This article cannot properly close, however, without mention of the
other heads of Departments in addition to those specially mentioned
above because of their close association with the matters dealt with,
who so heartily and with such great self-sacrifice performed their
various duties, each in their turn:

Lieut.-Col. J. A. Grant, Lieut.-Col. McKelvie Bell, and Col. H. S.
Jaques as Assistant Directors of Medical Service.

Lieut.-Colonel Houliston, Lieut.-Colonel Benoit, Lieut.-Colonel Van
Tuyl, and Major Pringle, Commanding the Royal Canadian Engineers.

Lieut.-Colonel Dean, Assistant Director of Transport and Supplies.

Col. S. J. R. Sircom (Brig.-General upon Retirement), Assistant Director
of Pay Services.

Col. J. F. Macdonald, Senior Ordnance Officer.

Major J. A. Proudfoot, District Signalling Officer.

Lieut.-Col. H. F. Adams and Lieut.-Colonel Cram, Clearing Services
Command.

CHAPTER II.
_THE 6th CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES._

The 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles was recruited from the different
Maritime Provinces Militia Cavalry Regiments—“A” Squadron from the 8th
P.L.F. (headquarters Sackville, N.B.), and 36th P.E.I. Light Horse
(headquarters Charlottetown, P.E.I.); “B” Squadron from the 28th N.B.
Dragoon Guards (headquarters St. John, N.B.), and “C” Squadron from the
14th King’s Canadian Hussars (headquarters Canning, Nova Scotia).

The establishment of officers and warrant officers consisted of the
following:

O.C., Lieut.-Col. R. H. Ryan, South African, Russian-Japanese,
American-Mexican Wars; 2nd I.C., Lieut.-Col. A. E. Ings, Militia Long
Service Medal; Capt. and Adj., Capt. B. W. Roscoe (later Capt. J. W.
Long); Q.M., Major R. A. March; O.M., Major Colin Macintosh; Chaplain,
Capt. G. A. Kuhring; M.O., Capt. F. A. R. Gow; Sig. Off., Capt. H. R.
Emmerson; Asst. Adj., Lieut. E. M. Arnold; Vet. Off., Lieut. J. S. Roy;
R.S.M., L. W. Long.

_“A” Squadron_—O.C., Major A. J. Markham; 2nd I.C., Capt. B. W. Roscoe;
Lieut. A. T. Ganong, Lieut. G. N. D. Otty, Lieut. G. R. Barnes, Lieut.
W. D. Atkinson, Sqd. Sgt.-Major N. Dawes.

_“B” Squadron_—Major C. H. McLean; 2nd I.C., Capt. M. A. Scovil; Lieut.
E. J. Mooney, Lieut. E. A. Thomas, Lieut. H. S. Everitt, Lieut. Geo.
Morrisey, Sqd. Sgt.-Major J. M. Lamb.

_“C” Squadron_—Major T. A. Lydiard; 2nd I.C., Capt. J. C. Gray; Lieut.
H. H. Pineo, Lieut. J. P. Knowlton, Lieut. W. J. Brown, Lieut. H. L.
Bowness, Lieut. B. M. Beckwith, Sqd. Sgt.-Major George Gill.

Colonel Ryan and many of the officers and other ranks had volunteered at
the outbreak of the war but owing to the expected necessity for the
employment of mounted troops in the Maritime Provinces (the 14th K.C.H.
having actually received orders for mobilization) their services were
not accepted. It was also intimated to Colonel Ryan, who was at
Valcartier, when the First Division was mobilized, that in the event of
the Maritime Province Cavalry not being mobilized as Militia Units for
home service he would be permitted to raise a Cavalry Regiment from
these Units and would be given command thereof, owing to his previous
service and experience in the field.

Accordingly Colonel Ryan returned to Nova Scotia and in December, 1915,
received orders to recruit the Regiment.

AT AMHERST, N.S.

The Regiment was mobilized at Amherst, N.S., mobilization dating from
March 17, 1915.

The period during which the Regiment was quartered at Amherst was spent
in perfecting the organization, taking on recruits and training the
latter, owing to restrictions being largely confined to setting-up
exercises, arm drill and route marching with inspections by various
Generals.

While at Amherst a draft of two hundred volunteers was sent as
reinforcements to the Infantry Regiments in England to make up for the
losses sustained by the Canadians in the Second Battle of Ypres. These
were replaced by new recruits.

AT VALCARTIER CAMP.

In May, 1915, the Regiment was moved to Valcartier, being brigaded with
the 4th and 5th C.M.R.’s, under command of Colonel (later
Brigadier-General) C. A. Smart.

Training at Valcartier was intensive and performed on foot, as horses
had not been received, the Cavalry formation being however retained.
Here the Unit received instruction in musketry and rather prided
themselves in their ability in this line.

While at Valcartier and also when at Amherst they were asked if they
would volunteer to serve as dismounted troops, and the answer was always
that “we will serve in any way we are needed.”

IN ENGLAND.

The 6th C.M.R. left Valcartier early in July for England, embarking at
Quebec on the slow South American cold storage boat _Herschel_.
Naturally the accommodations were not of the best, as there were six
hundred men and four hundred horses on a boat without practically any
passenger accommodation. Their eleven days’ voyage ended at Devonport,
where they got a great reception. At Exeter they were met at the station
by the good ladies of that town and given bags of food and fruit, and
had their water bottles filled with hot coffee and tea. Many times since
has this been spoken of in grateful words by the men, who were hungry
and cold from the long train journey. On arrival at Camp in Dibgate they
found themselves once more camping in the sand. As active service in
Egypt had been spoken of, the Unit thought the authorities must be
trying to accustom it to its future surroundings.

While at Dibgate the Unit received a draft of officers and men from the
8th C.M.R., under command of Lieut. T. D. Johnstone (later Capt. in
Command of “B” Co., 5th C.M.R., wounded): second in command, Lieut. H.
N. Bate (transferred to R.C.D.’s, when Regiment was broken up). Many of
the men who had been sick, owing to the strenuous training, had been
transferred to hospital, and when convalescent were sent to the Cavalry
Reserve Depot. These had been replaced by the draft of men from the 8th.

IN FRANCE—PLOEGSTEERTE—MESSINES.

The Regiment proceeded to France on October 24, 1915, the Brigade being
attached to General Seely’s Cavalry Division, operating as Corps Troops
in the areas of Ploegsteerte and Messines.

The following officers and warrant officers went to France with the
Regiment and saw service at Ploegsteerte and Messines during the fall
and early winter months of 1915.

O.C., Lieut.-Colonel Shaw (later O.C. 1st C.M.R., killed in action June
2, 1916).

2nd I.C., Lieut.-Colonel Ings: Adjt., Capt. J. W. Long: Q.M., Major R.
A. March (later to 4th C.M.R. Battalion); P.M., Major C. McIntosh (later
to Can. Artillery); M.O., Capt. F. A. R. Gow (later to Can. Artillery);
Sig. Officer, Capt. H. R. Emmerson (later Major 219th Infantry
Battalion); Vet. Officer, Lieut. J. A. Roy (later to Fort Garry Horse).

_“A” Squadron_-Major A. J. Markham (later to Fort Garry Horse), Capt. B.
W. Roscoe, Lieuts. A. T. Ganong, G. N. D. Otty, G. R. Barnes, T. D.
Johnstone; Sqd. Sgt.-Major N. Dawes.

_“B” Squadron_—Major C. H. McLean, Capt. M. A. Scovil, Lieuts. E. J.
Mooney, E. A. Thomas, H. S. Everett, George Morrisey; Sqd. Sgt.-Major J.
M. Lamb (all later to 4th C.M.R. Regt.).

_“C” Squadron_—Major T. A. Lydiard (later to R.C. Dragoons), Capt. J. C.
Gray, Lieuts. H. H. Pineo, J. P. Knowlton, B. M. Beckwith, H. N. Bate;
Sqd. Sgt.-Major Geo. Gill, D.C.M., later R.S.M. 5th C.M.R.

Lieut.-Colonel Ryan transferred to the Artillery, in which he served
with distinction to the end of the war being decorated for conspicuous
gallantry in the field.

REORGANIZED AS INFANTRY.

The Division was withdrawn from the trenches in December, 1915, and
orders were subsequently received that the 1st and 2nd C.M.R. Brigade
should be reorganized into the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, consisting
of 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Battalions of Mounted Rifles. The junior
Regiments in each Brigade, namely the 3rd and 6th C.M.R., were split up
between the two senior Regiments, thus forming four Infantry Regiments.

The ostensible reason for this was the necessity of relieving infantry
in trenches and the unsuitability of the cavalry formation for that
purpose. The change in formation necessitated the transfer to England of
officers of senior rank.

The command of the reorganized Brigade was assumed by Brig.-Gen. V. A.
S. Williams on January 1, 1916, and training in infantry drill and
tactics was gone at in dead earnest by all ranks.

This training continued both in the line and out and the Brigade
occupied the Ploegsteerte area until March, 1916, when it was moved to
the Ypres Sector as part of the newly-formed 3rd Division, commanded by
General Mercer, and took over the Hooge-Hill 60 Sector.

The disposal of the various Squadrons of the 6th C.M.R. was as follows:

“A” and “C” Squadrons were formed into “D” Company of the 5th C.M.R.
Battalion, the company officers and warrant officers being:

Captain B. W. Roscoe (later Major, D.S.O., 2nd I.C. 5th C.M.R.
Battalion, wounded June 3, 1916, at Sanctuary Wood); 2nd I.C., Captain
H. H. Pineo (later killed in action at Mt. Sorrell, Ypres Sector, July,
1916); Lieuts. A. T. Ganong, G. N. D. Otty, G. R. Barnes; Lieut. J. P.
Knowlton (later to record office at Rouen, and received promotion there
to Captain); C.S.M. George Gill (later R.S.M. 5th C.M.R. Battalion); “B”
Squadron was formed into “D” Company of the 4th C.M.R. Battalion, the
company officers and warrant officers being: Major C. H. McLean (later
2nd I.C. 4th C.M.R. Battalion); Capt. M. A. Scovil; Lieut. George
Morrisey.

SANCTUARY WOOD.

The first serious engagement in which the Brigade was concerned was the
Battle of Sanctuary Wood, which began June 2, 1916.

The disposition of the Brigade was: 1st and 4th C.M.R., front line and
close support; 5th C.M.R., Battalion H.Q. and three Companies in support
at Maple Copse; one Company in reserve at Zillebeke Bund; 2nd C.M.R. in
Brigade reserve near Poperinghe.

The morning of June 2nd was clear with good visibility. About 8 a.m. the
Hun started a heavy bombardment, which grew in intensity, and
information was received that an attack was in progress on the sector
held by the 7th and 8th Brigades. The bombardment continued unabatingly,
and about twelve o’clock mines were seen to be blown. The whole of the
area held by the two Brigades was being systematically and furiously
shelled, and communication with the forward area was impossible.

About 2 p.m. Captain Roscoe received orders to reinforce with his
Company, the remainder of the Battalion at Maple Copse. There was no
route specified, the officer conveying the order remarking that he hoped
they would get through.

The only other officer with the Company at this time was Lieut. G. N. D.
Otty, but it developed that the N.C.O.’s had the requisite requirements
of leadership and judgment. The Company, led by Captain Roscoe, advanced
to the support of the remainder of the Battalion, and in full view of
the enemy, through an extremely heavy barrage of fire, reached Maple
Copse with few casualties, reporting to Lieut.-Colonel G. H. Baker, then
commanding the Battalion.

Orders were then received to connect up with the 7th Brigade on the
left, to dig in and hold the Copse to the last. Then it was that the
N.C.O.’s showed those qualities of leadership and judgment, which later
were to be recognized in a substantial manner.

C.S.M. George Gill, with twenty men was ordered to occupy and hold a
strong point whose garrison had been killed. This he did with great
bravery, showing much skill in defending the position. Sgts. George
Chase, H. McGarry and T. W. Martin led detachments through the Copse and
dug in on the edge next the enemy. Lieutenant Otty was absolutely
fearless in assisting in the disposition of the Company, refusing to
avail himself of anything that looked like shelter. He remarked to the
Company Commander that if he was to be killed that would happen and that
his men were his first consideration. Unfortunately he was hit and
killed within a short time after arrival at the Copse.

The enemy made several ineffectual attempts to break through the line,
and at each repulse his artillery fire became more severe. There was
absolutely no shelter from his fire, and the Copse was like an inferno.
The Company held the position, and were reinforced the next morning by
the 2nd C.M.R.’s. After this things quieted down and the remnants of the
Company marched out that night.

At the roll-call on relief only one officer (Lieutenant Barnes) and
twenty men answered their names, the remainder of the Company which went
into action 130 strong, having been either killed or wounded.

Captain Roscoe had been wounded on the morning of June 3rd, after the
2nd C.M.R.’s had arrived, and the command of the Company was taken over
by Lieutenant Barnes, who was the Battalion Bombing Officer, and with
his bombers had been active in the defence of the position. Lieutenant
Barnes made several very daring patrols, practically between the posts
of the enemy, who had attempted to push down hill in the long grass. It
was through his efforts that the Unit was able to concentrate its rifle
fire on the dangerous places and dislodge several machine guns.
Lieutenant Barnes afterward got the M.C. for his work on this occasion.

The Battalion, reduced to some 300 all ranks, moved into rest billets,
and the losses were filled by a large draft of officers and other ranks
from England.

In the reorganization of the Battalion Major D. C. Draper (later
Brigadier-General Commanding the Brigade) became O.C. (Lieut.-Colonel
Baker having been killed in the engagement); Captain Roscoe was promoted
to be second in command, awarded the D.S.O. for his work on the occasion
and mentioned in despatches. The command of “D” Company was taken over
by Lieut. H. H. Pineo (later promoted Captain), with Lieutenant Barnes,
2nd I.C.

Sergt. Harold McGarry was promoted to C.S.M. in place of George Gill,
who was awarded the D.C.M. and promoted to be Regtl. Sgt.-Major for his
meritorious services and bravery evinced during the battle. Sergt. Geo.
Chase, who was severely wounded, was awarded the Military Medal and
slated for a commission.

The 4th C.M.R. Battalion also lost heavily in the battle, and “D”
Company of that unit thereafter practically lost its identify as a
Maritime Province Company, owing to the casualties suffered.

The command of the Brigade was taken over by Brig.-General J. H.
Elmsley, D.S.O. (afterward Major-General), replacing General Williams,
taken prisoner in the battle, while the command of the Division devolved
upon Major-General Lipsett, D.S.O. (later killed in action), the
Divisional Commander, General Mercer having been killed during the
action.

The Brigade, and incidentally the Company, under the new command had
another very strenuous period of training, and after an initiation trip
for the new men the whole Company moved up again to take their place in
the line. While in training they had the benefit of the advice of a
C.S.M. from the Welsh Guards, which was a great help, especially to the
N.C.O.’s. This training showed later on the Somme.

THE BLUFF—MOUNT SORELL LINE.

On the first trip in after the June fight, the Unit took over the line
on Mount Sorell. The first night in, the Hun started his regular trench
mortar strafe. One of the first of these landed on the signallers’
dugout, next company headquarters, and buried the men on duty there.
Captain Pineo and Lieutenant Barnes, together with some of the men,
started in to dig them out. At that time they could still hear the men
groaning. Almost immediately afterward the Hun threw over another trench
mortar. The men saw it coming by the trail of sparks, and all scattered
up and down the trench. Captain Pineo was struck and instantly killed.
The work of rescuing the men who had been buried need not have been
performed by him. It was his anxiety for his men that cost him his life.
Lieutenant Barnes at once took over the command of the Company. Word was
here received that the Hun had dug some mines under the trench occupied
by the Company, and to be on the lookout. During the night a party who
were digging out in front uncovered a mine sap and on pulling up some
planks from the roof saw a man with a lighted candle passing under the
lines. Explosives were immediately obtained and the sap blown. This
evidently put the “wind up” the Hun for he blew the remaining mines,
some of which were hardly clear of his wire.

AT THE SOMME.

Shortly after this the Unit left for the Somme, arriving in Albert on
September 1st, after a long, hard march, and severe training. They moved
up in support and were selected as one of the two Companies to be first
over the top. In this engagement, owing to previous officer casualties,
the sergeants had to lead Platoons. The attack on September 15th between
Moquet Farm and Courcellette was the first occasion in which the Tanks
were used. The Unit had wonderful success on this day, losing very few
men in the attack. Afterward, out of one hundred and twenty, forty were
killed and sixty wounded, holding the trench. Lieutenant Barnes was
awarded the bar to the M.C. and his majority for his work on this
occasion. No one could speak too highly of the way in which he led his
men, and it was largely due to his dash that the attack was so
successful. Mention should be made here of Sergeant Lowther, who was
left behind with a party of ten men to garrison the trench until
relieved by incoming troops. He lost a leg and several of the men were
killed and wounded before the relief was accomplished. Sergeant Lowther
was awarded the M.M. Sergt.-Major McGarry, who had been recommended for
a commission, was killed in this action.

The Unit’s next attack was on October 2nd when “D” Company was in
support. The objective was Regina Trench, strongly held by two divisions
of German Marines, who had just been brought from Ostend to try and stop
the Canadians. This was one of the stiffest hand-to-hand fights the
Company ever had, and naturally the casualties were very heavy. Several
times the Company managed to bomb several hundred yards of trench clear,
but each time the Hun would come back with reinforcements. At daybreak,
with bombs and ammunition completely exhausted, the few survivors were
forced to withdraw to the jumping-off trench. Every officer engaged was
either killed or wounded. Sergt.-Major Holmes, who led the Company on
this occasion, after the officers were knocked out, was awarded the M.M.
Captain Beckwith, who had been detailed as O.C. of the 8th L.T.M.
Battery, and had joined the Company for this occasion was wounded in the
face. His leadership and energy were of great assistance, and it was
largely due to him and his battery who were carrying ammunition that the
Company was able to hold on as long as it did.

The remainder of the time at the Somme was spent in relieving and
holding front-line positions. The Battalion was complimented by the Army
Commander for its fine work while at the Somme, a personal visit being
paid by him to Battalion Headquarters for that purpose.

In addition to the decorations mentioned as being won here, many of the
officers of the Battalion were cited for bravery and gallantry in the
field. Sergeant T. W. Martin was awarded the M.M. and slated for a
commission for a daring reconnaissance of the enemy line under artillery
fire.

ON THE VIMY FRONT.

The Unit’s next move was to the Vimy front, where it was soon apparent
that preparations were being made for a terrific onslaught on the Hun.
Some time was spent here in assisting in the work of preparation, after
which the Unit was withdrawn with the rest of the Brigade for a period
of intensive training in attack over a taped layout of the enemy
trenches. The Unit was then moved up to its part of the line, being in
close support to the 4th C.M.R. Battalion.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge will live in history as the great achievement
of the war, owing to the position being considered impregnable and the
fact that it was captured with inconsequential losses, mainly due to a
well considered plan of attack, absolute co-operation between all
branches of the service and thoroughness of preparation.

The Company carried on with the usual steadiness during the engagement
and rendered valuable assistance, its losses being negligible.

ON THE DOUAI PLAIN.

For some time after the capture of Vimy Ridge it was found impossible to
bring up the artillery within range, as the Hun had retired to a line on
the outskirts of Lens and Douai. The Company, with the rest of the
Battalion, pushed over the Ridge and were in position as a sacrifice
Battalion to fight to the last man, in the event of a counter attack
being launched to retake the Ridge. Trenches were constructed, deepened
and strengthened, but the expected did not happen, and finally the guns
were able to get up within range, from which time ordinary trench
routine was resumed.

During a tour in the trenches on this front a raid was attempted by the
Hun on the Company front. It was unsuccessful, the enemy being repulsed
with heavy loss.

Lieutenant Holmes was awarded the M.C. for his work on this occasion,
displaying great coolness and gallantry in holding off single-handed,
until reinforced, a party of Huns.

The Battalion at this time was under the command of Major Roscoe,
D.S.O., who the day following the attempted raid received a message from
the Divisional Commander complimenting the Battalion on their steadiness
during the attack. A few days after the Brigade was withdrawn from this
sector.

The Company, which up until now had been practically all Maritime
Province men, under the new reinforcement scheme drew their men from
Quebec, and for a while the Company was made up almost entirely of
French-Canadians. After Passchendaele, during which the Company gave its
usual assistance to the Battalion, the wounded men began to come back as
well as some of the N.C.O.’s who had been granted commissions, and once
again it became a Maritime Province Company. It was at Passchendaele
that Capt. L. C. Eaton was killed, just before going over the top.

In the winter of 1917 the Unit moved back to their old front at Vimy. In
March, 1918, the Battalion put on a raid of 250 men. Lieutenants Gillis
and Young of the old “D” Company took part in this, and were both
awarded the M.C. for their work. Gillis in particular had done some very
fine work during the second attack on the Somme. He had come back from
hospital with an unhealed wound in his arm, and although it was too late
for him to secure a rifle and the necessary equipment, he took a
pick-axe handle and joined his Company in going over the top. He brought
back the prisoners, sixty in all, taken on that occasion.

After a pleasant spring spent in reinforcing different parts of the
line, in August the Unit once again took the road south for Amiens. The
work done by the Company during this attack was spectacular. One of
their accomplishments was the capture of a 5.9 Battery in action at
point-blank range. One of the old 6th men was awarded the D.C.M. for his
work on this occasion and Lieutenant Barnstead was awarded the Croix de
Guerre for his leadership.

Lieutenant Smith was very seriously wounded during the next scrap in
front of Arras, called the Second Battle of Arras. He had been a
stretcher-bearer-Sergeant with the old Company and was awarded a
commission in the spring of 1917. He was given the M. C. for his work at
Arras in the taking of Monchy. He afterwards died of wounds in London.
His work all the time he had been with the Battalion had been
exceptional and the award of his M.C. was very popular.

The next fight was for Cambrai, which as far as this Company was
concerned consisted of a hunt for Huns through the ruins, collecting
souvenirs by the way. The Company had a brush with the Bosche on the
other side of the town, but they were merely scouts left behind and
pulled out as soon as fired upon. The Company was sitting down having
dinner when the English troops came through. As there had been no
barrage they did not know that the town had been taken. From here the
Company went to Valenciennes and then on to Mons. Lieutenant Gillis was
wounded at Valenciennes and invalided to England.

[Illustration:

CAPT. L. C. EATON.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. H. H. PINEO.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. G. N. D. OTTY.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. GEO. MORRISEY.]

The following other ranks of the 6th C.M.R. Regiment, who went to “D”
Company of the 5th. obtained commissions with the Battalion for
gallantry and devotion to duty on the field: J. W. Lewis, M.C. (later
Capt. 8th Bgd. Light Trench Mortars); L. C. Eaton (later Capt. O. C. “D”
Company, killed at Passchendaele); A. C. Wiswell, wounded June 2, 1916
(later Div. Bombing Officer, Bramshott); W. O. Barnstead, Croix de
Guerre; C. G. Dunham, M.C., wounded June 2, 1916; H. A. Smith, M.C.,
died of wounds received at Monchy, Aug. 28, 1918; L. J. Young, M.C.,
wounded June 2, 1916, and at Monchy, Aug. 28, 1918; A. E. Gillis, M.C.,
wounded three times; A. H. Weldon, wounded June 2. 1916; T. W. Martin,
M.M., wounded Aug. 9th at Vimy; W. J. Holmes, M.C., M.M., wounded at
Lens, 1916; F. I. Andrews, M.M., wounded June 2, 1916, and November,
1918; Gordon Campbell, wounded twice; C. W. McArthur, M.M., wounded
twice; A. H. Whidden, wounded June, 1916; A. Desbrisay, wounded June,
1916, died since returning home.

Cadets undergoing training when Armistice was signed: Duncan Chisholm,
Campbell McLellan, Wm. H. Graham, M.M., J. A. Cameron, D.C.M., Walter
Anderson, D.C.M.

The following were gazetted to other Regiments: A. Rogers, N. Rogers, D.
B. Holman, Stuart Roy, B. Elliott, Geo. Morrison.

“B” Squadron and Headquarters, 6th C.M.R.’s, went to the 4th C.M.R.
Battalion and formed „ D „ Company of that Battalion under the command
of Major C. H. McLean, D.S.O (later 2nd i/c 4th C.M.R.’s); Capt. M. A.
Scovil, 2nd i/c (seriously wounded and taken prisoner June 2, 1916).
Lieut. H. S. Everett, bombing officer 4th C.M.R., was wounded at
Sanctuary Wood, May, 1916. Lieut. E. A. Thomas was killed in action at
Sanctuary Wood. Lieut. Geo. Morrisey, Intelligence Officer of 4th
C.M.R., was killed in action June 2nd, 1916, while attempting to save a
comrade’s life.

The following N.C.O.’s received commissions from the 4th for gallantry
and devotion in the field: C. W. Hicks, wounded June 2, 1916 (afterwards
bombing officer, 34th Reserve, Seaford). J. H. Craigie, gazetted to the
Imperial Infantry; N. McKenzie, commission with the 85th N.S.
Highlanders; J. O. Spinney, commission with the 52nd Battalion; H. B.
Fenis, Lieutenant R.A.F.; J. J. Rowland, 4th C.M.R.; J. H. Harris, Depot
Battalion, St John; W. C. Wetmore, 236th Battalion.

CHAPTER III.
_9th CANADIAN SIEGE BATTERY, C.E.F._

The 9th Canadian Siege Battery was composed of officers and men
belonging to the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery. Most of the N.C.O/s
and men came from Nos. 1 and 2 Companies, R.C.G.A., at Halifax, N.S. A
small number came from No. 5 Company at Esquimalt, B.C. All the officers
of the original Battery came from the strength of the R.C.G.A. at
Halifax.

For months the R.C.G.A. had been mobilized in the Forts for the defence
of Halifax; and because the defence of these Forts was a prime
necessity, and no other troops being available, it was impossible, in
the view of Headquarters, to relieve the R.C.G.A. for service Overseas.

The possibility of an attack from German ships at first kept up
excitement, but as the War progressed this soon diminished and the men
looked down from the Forts at transport after transport bearing troops
Overseas. These were trying days for men keen themselves to go, and it
was difficult to make them believe, as they were constantly told, that
their duty was here. Volunteers for Overseas were asked for more than
once but nothing happened.

Eventually during the summer of 1916 a definite proposal, made by
Lieut.-Col. S. A. Heward, then acting C.R.C.A. at the Citadel, to raise
a Siege Battery from the R.C.G.A. was granted, on the understanding that
men to replace those taken away should be found and trained. This was
soon done, and the Battery sailed for England on Sept. 27, 1916.

After a long delay in England the Battery was equipped with six-inch
howitzers, and landed in France on March 22nd. The subsequent moves of
the Battery after its arrival at the Front is best set forth by the
following list of Battery positions:—Mont St. Eloy—Battle of Arras or
Vimy Ridge; Hill 131 (Cabaret Rouge): Angres; Hill 70; Frizenberg
Ridge—Battle of Passchendaele; Thelus; Calonne; Maroc; Petit Vimy; Les
Tilluels; Souciiez; Lievin; Villers Cagnicourt—Battle of Canal du Nord;
Barrelle Wood; Sauchy Lestree—Battle of Cambrai; Blecourt; Bantiguy;
Marquette; Escaudain; Wavrechain-sous-Denain—Battle of Valenciennes;
Herin; Valenciennes; St. Saulve; Onnaing; Mons.

During the incessant fighting of all this period it is not known which
will be considered as major operations, but the Battle of Arras or Vimy
Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Canal du Nord, Cambrai and Valenciennes
will be considered as such as far as the Canadian Corps is concerned,
and in all of which the 9th C.S.B. did its part.

After the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Group Commander showed his
appreciation of the work of the Battery by a special letter of
recognition for good work done. It had been a very strenuous time. The
Battery arrived there only on April 5th. The position was in an open
muddy field. There was not much time to get ready. Gun platforms were
constructed and camouflage erected, ready to move the guns in at night.
All material, as well as the ammunition, had to be carried a long
distance. For three nights there was no sleep, but guns were registered
on April 7th and the Battery took part in the bombardment on that and
succeeding days.

After Vimy the Battery moved forward to a position between Angres and
Cité du Caumont. It had a long and memorable stay here during the
protracted fighting round Lens. The position was a very forward one for
a six-inch Battery, and the Hun machine guns at night seemed very near.
Our infantry front line at first was rather uncertain just here and
German snipers and posts used to occupy empty houses at night not very
far from the Battery. It was a good position. The guns were just behind
a hill which screened their flash and were well concealed from aeroplane
observation. The men off duty had good deep Hun dugouts, some 600 yards
in rear. But the place was shelled continually.

The Battery had wonderful luck, shells day after day dropping all round
the guns and B. C. Post. Funk pits were soon constructed near the guns
for men to take cover when necessary. It was during one of these
enforced cessations of fire that a little episode occurred. The No. 1,
on looking out, saw an old gunner (Gunner Forde) calmly sitting on the
trail of his gun and quietly using most abusive and lurid language
against the enemy. On being asked by him why he did not obey the order
to take cover, he said, “There is not a blankety blank Hun living who
will make me take cover.” It then transpired that he had habitually
stayed behind in this manner on such occasions.

One of the chief dangers was from splinters. In trying to get our guns
many of the Hun shells exploded on the top of the ridge in front of
them, which sent showers of splinters for 800 yards, so that the daily
relief going and coming from dugouts to guns had an anxious time. During
the stay at Angres many other batteries came to the locality, but did
not stay long, leaving for sunnier climes.

It was during one of these visits that the first decoration was awarded
to the 9th C.S.B., Gunner Makin getting the M.M. for pulling some
gunners belonging to another battery out of the debris in which they had
been buried by hostile shell fire. But many others deserved a decoration
as well as he and were frequently recommended for it.

In May the Battery had their most unlucky day, one chance shell killing
seven and wounding six.

It was in June that a Staff Officer informed the Battery that for the
time it had been in France it had (_a_) fired more rounds than any other
Battery, (_b_) had received more shelling than any other Battery, and
(_c_) was the most advanced Battery on the front.

In October the Battery left Lens area for the North with the Canadian
Corps, which was to relieve the Australians in the operations against
Passchendaele. It remained in the Ypres Salient till Dec. 13th. The
Battery relieved three R.G.A. Batteries in turn, going further forward
each time. By a merciful providence the ground was soft, and in
consequence many enemy shells were “duds”; otherwise nothing could have
prevented heavy casualties. Constant shelling and bombing; the enemy’s
aeroplanes everywhere; ours not in sight.

The Ypres Salient is the abomination of desolation—one big graveyard. A
peculiarly depressing place, nothing can describe it; it has to be felt.
A complimentary letter was published from 2nd Division describing the
Heavy Artillery’s work in the taking of Passchendaele as the “perfection
of Heavy Artillery barrage.”

The Battery moved South again, and for the first time in eight months
went into rest at Ham-en-Artois, arriving at that place on Dec. 15th. It
seemed almost too good to be true. Jan. 11th found the Battery back in
the line again at Petit Vimy. Then followed uneventful moves to Calonne
(Feb. 3rd) and Maroc, where there were good cellars for the men.

About this time there was a change in Brigade Commanders. On the new one
asking the former one which was the best Battery in the Brigade, the 9th
was given a reputation it might well be proud of.

On Feb. 25th the Battery was back again at Petit Vimy position with one
section in rear near Les Tilluels. Preparation for the expected Hun
offensive was the order of the day. Successive defensive systems were
prepared. Batteries were issued with Lewis Guns and were ordered to wire
their positions. Many battery positions were prepared and camouflaged.
It was hard work for the men who had heavy days and nights of firing to
carry out at the same time. Again the Battery found itself the most
advanced in the Brigade, and was always being called upon to fire on the
most distant target in consequence. In case of a successful Hun attack
the position would have been impossible to get out of with the steep
Vimy Ridge immediately in rear and all the roads registered and under
observation by day. It seemed that the role of the Battery, under such
circumstances, was that of a sacrifice Battery. Gradually the infantry
in front were drawn in until the line was held by little more than
machine gun posts. The field guns took up positions behind and one woke
up one night to the unusual sound of our own field artillery shells
passing over our heads.

The G.O.C. paid the Battery a visit after a worse than usual “strafe,”
but he found the men with their “tails up.” He said they were doing good
work and that was why they were being kept in that position. Three
distinct times was the B. C. confidentially warned that the attack was
expected on the morrow and three times nothing unusual happened.

March 21st passed and the Huns’ great attack which was to last nine
terrible days commenced. It was to the south of us, and not till the
28th did it reach our neighborhood. But Arras remained firm, and there
was no advance worth speaking about on our front. At 3 a.m. the enemy
started shelling the Battery with gas. He attacked persistently with
heavy gun fire till 12 noon and again in the afternoon. At night every
half hour he put down bursts of harassing fire and concentrations, but
the fire of the Battery was kept up in spite of it and gas. The next day
the enemy continued his tactics; not a half hour but Battery, billets,
roads and railway received his attention. Two of the signallers (Dickey
and West) did noble work in repairing our telephone line, nearly a mile,
through a regular barrage of high explosive and gas, their job being
made more difficult by some defensive wire entanglements which had been
recently placed over our line.

Now succeeded several months when the enemy’s chief energies were
directed to other parts of the Front, and the British Army was
recovering from its wounds, filling up its ranks and organizing for the
coming glorious advance which was to end the war. During these months
the Battery had positions at Souchez and Lievin, neither of these being
pleasant spots, but where life was more or less normal; that is, daily
and nightly tasks of firing, sometimes counter battery shoots, sometimes
destructive shoots, or harassing fire, to all of which the Hun replied
in kind. At Lievin he gave us two bad gas bombardments, but the results,
had he known them, would have been bitterly disappointing to him, to
such an extent had we been educated by this time in anti-gas measures.
At Villers Cagnicourt Chère was some heavy firing and obstinate fighting
before the enemy was driven across the Canal du Nord. At Barelle Wood
the Battery was a day, and at Sauchy Lestree, during the fight for
Cambrai, which was very severe, several days were spent. At this place
the Huns’ night bombers were very active.

But it was now moving warfare in earnest. Blecourt and Batigny were hot
places for a day or two. At Marquette and Escaydain a night only was
spent in each. Wavrechain-sous-Denain was easy. At Herin the Battery
took part in the very fine artillery preparation for the taking of
Valenciennes, and at St. Saulve on Nov. 4th it had its last casualty of
one man killed.

During all this moving warfare, conditions were a great contrast to the
previous trench warfare. Guns sometimes took up positions in fields
almost untouched by shell-fire. The laborious gun pit was nearly
unknown. The woods and trees were no longer shot to pieces, and
occasionally one walked into billets to find cut flowers still fresh on
the window sill, or table, left there by the retiring Hun the day before
or by its civil occupants who had been forced to leave with him.

9th CANADIAN SIEGE BATTERY.

Authority for organization. H.Q. 1–36–129. Names of original officers
with rank: Major (Lieut.-Col.) S. A. Heward, Capt. H. R. N. Cobbett,
Lieut. D. W. McKeen, Lieut. D. A. MacKenzie, Lieut. W. E. B. Starr,
Lieut. C. B. Thackray, all of R.C.A.

Reinforcements: Lieut. E. S. Hoare, Lieut. H. R. Gunter, Lieut. R.
Cruit, Capt. C. MacKay, Lieut. M. A. Wilson. Lieut. E. T. Chesley, Capt.
J. E. Lean, Lieut. T. S. Millar, Lieut, W. A. F. Fairchild, Lieut. F. C.
Harding, Capt. H. T. Seaman, Major W. G. Scully, all of C.G.A.; Lieut.
Warren (Portuguese Interpreter); Lieut. P. Moyara, Portuguese troops;
Lieut. J. C. Fraser, C.G.A.

Numerical strength: Officers, 6; W. O. and S. Sergeants, 8; other ranks,
144. Total all ranks, 158.

Date of sailing for Overseas: 27th September, 1916.

Date of return to Canada: May 9th, 1919.

Commissions: Gunners Young and S. Smith to R.O.C. training school for
commissions.

Honors: Military Cross, 2: Dist. Conduct Medal, 2; M.S.M., 3: Military
Medal, 13; mentioned in despatches, 3.

Total number of battle casualties: Officer, 1; other ranks, 67; total,
68.

CHAPTER IV.
_THE 10th SIEGE BATTERY._

The proposal to recruit a purely Nova Scotian Artillery Unit originated
when four young officers had just completed their training with the
Royal School of Artillery at Halifax. These young officers were: Lieuts.
Wm. Henry L. Doane, 1st R.C.A.; Frederick H. Palmer, 1st R.C.A.; Robert
Parker Freeman, 1st R.C.A.; Robert Edward Jamieson, 1st R.C.A.

The proposal was laid before Major J. M. Slayter, R.C.A., and after
discussion he agreed to undertake to obtain the necessary authority and
to take over, at any rate temporarily, the work of the Battery, if such
was approved.

On August 1, 1916, authority was applied for from the General Officer
Commanding Military District No. 6 for leave to raise a Battery of Siege
in Halifax for service Overseas. On August 12, 1916, the organization of
No. 10 Draft Siege Artillery Battery was approved, and on October 1,
1916, authority was received from headquarters for the appointment of
the following officers: Major J. M. Slayter, R.C.A. (in Command);
Lieuts. Wm. H. L. Doane. 1st R.C.A.; F. H. Palmer, 1st R.C.A.; R. P.
Freeman, 1st R.C.A.; R. E. Jamieson, 1st R.C.A.

Barrack accommodation was found for the proposed Battery in South
Barracks, and at once the work of active recruiting was taken up. By the
end of November, 1916, the Battery was raised to a strength of
eighty-five officers and men. Preliminary examinations were completed
and as quickly as the men completed their preliminary training, they
were passed on to Instructional Courses to qualify as Battery
Commanders, Assistants, Signalling and Gun Laying, and all the various
specialties that go to make up a Siege Battery. On December 11, 1916,
Lieut. W. H. L. Doane was promoted to fill the vacancy of Captain in the
Battery. This completed the establishment of officers.

In accordance with orders received on December 16, 1916, Lieut. Crosby
and fifty other ranks were warned to hold themselves in readiness to
proceed Overseas. They embarked on the _S.S. Scandinavian_ on January
23, 1917. Recruiting continued steadily and on March 26, 1917, Capt. W.
H. L. Doane with fifty other ranks proceeded Overseas on the _S.S.
Missinabie_.

Capt. F. H. Palmer being now the senior Lieutenant of the Battery was
promoted to Captain, March 27, 1917. On April 12, 1917, Lieut. M. B.
Archibald, 1st R.C.S., and Lieut. R. D. Lacon, 1st R.C.A., were
appointed to the Battery. Lieut. R. P. Freeman and fifty other ranks
were warned on May 17, 1917, to hold themselves in readiness to proceed
Overseas. They sailed on the _Olympic_ on the 28th of May.

On November 5, 1917, warning was received that three officers and two
hundred N.C.O.’s and men would proceed Overseas. As the Military Service
Act was now about to become law, organizations which had previously
handled voluntary recruiting would now completely change their
character. Ample man power being available, it would only be necessary
to outfit and start preliminary training of men raised under the Act.

In view of this the Draft embarked for Overseas service on November 23,
1917, on the _S.S. Metagama_, consisting of Major J. M. Slayter, Captain
Palmer and one hundred and fifty N.C.O.’s and men. Lieutenant Archibald
and fifty other ranks proceeded Overseas on the _S.S. Olympic_.
Lieutenant Lacon, and some forty men, the latest joined recruits, were
left in Halifax to carry on the Depot under the Military Service Act.

As the personnel of the detachment who made up this sailing were of an
exceptionally high character, and had had considerable training in
specialties, it was hoped that they might be retained as a Battery for
service Overseas.

On arrival at Witley, Surrey, England, it was found that there were such
heavy demands for reinforcements for Batteries and Brigades already
authorized, that it would be impossible to retain the organization as it
landed at Witley. Specialists were sent for extra courses, and as these
were completed were drafted very largely to the newly-formed 10th, 11th
and 12th Siege Batteries, and to the 3rd Brigade of the C.G.A.

The Depot of the 10th Siege Battery at Halifax continued under Major
George Oland, with Lieutenant Lacon, Lieutenant McNair and Lieutenant
Baird, sending forward drafts and having raised and equipped and sent
forward some ten officers and about eight hundred N.C.O.’s and men. The
Depot at Halifax was finally absorbed after the Armistice in the 6th
Artillery Depot.

These are the bare facts as taken from records, which do not signalize
the splendid self-sacrificing work of such officers as Captains W. H. L.
Doane, R. P. Freeman, F. H. Palmer, and R. E. Jamieson; and such
N.C.O.’s as Jenkins, Fultz and Holmes.

From beginning to end this Unit was marked by the high standard of the
men that it drew, the remarkable lack of crime of even the pettiest
sort, and the earnestness and whole-hearted manner in which all ranks
endeavored to qualify themselves for their duties Overseas.

CHAPTER V.
_17th BATTERY (6th BATTERY, C.F.A.)_

BY WILFRED HEARN SYDNEY.

The 17th Battery had the unique distinction of being the only combatant
Militia Unit in Nova Scotia to be accepted as a Unit of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force for service Overseas in the First Canadian
Contingent. On the day that war was declared between Great Britain and
Germany, the Department of Militia and Defence wired its acceptance of
Lieut.-Colonel H. G. McLeod’s offer of the 17th Battery, C.F.A., as a
Unit for service Overseas.

The mobilization of the Battery was purely a matter of selection, for
many more than the required number applied for enlistment. On August 28,
1914, the Battery left Sydney with the full war strength of 141 officers
and men, four guns and 123 horses. The trip to Valcartier was
uneventful. Shortly after our arrival there we were disappointed to hear
that the Unit would have to be split in order that the new war
establishment of six-gun Batteries might be completed. The right section
of the 17th was to be amalgamated with the 19th Battery from Moncton and
Woodstock, while the left section went with the 21st Battery of
Westmount, Montreal. Thus Major McLeod was to command the new 6th
Battery, C.E.F., keeping with him Capt. J. Geo. Piercey, while Capt. J.
A. MacDonald, our own “Johnnie Angus,” was lost to us, and went to the
new 5th Battery in the same Brigade.

The two weeks spent in Valcartier Camp were pleasant. The getting used
to military routine, drill and ceremonials was not at that early date a
hardship. The novelty had not even begun to wear off then. The reviews
held by Sir Sam Hughes first and His Royal Highness the Duke of
Connaught subsequently, had a certain amount of pleasure for all of us,
despite adverse weather conditions. Yet it was not without a certain
degree of impatience that we awaited the word to set sail for England.

Eventually, after many false alarms, the word came, and we donned full
marching order to set out for Quebec and the waiting transports. What a
memorable sight was that Armada congregated at Gaspe Bay! Thirty-three
of our largest ocean greyhounds in full steam, ready and anxious to
hasten to the assistance of our Mother Country in her hour of need. The
order was signalled from the flagship to set out—last letters of
farewell were hurried aboard waiting tenders, a lingering last look was
taken at the shores of Canada, and the First Canadian Contingent bade
farewell to the peaceful land of the Maple Leaf and set its gaze to the
East where lay discord and strife.

Ocean trips generally are never very much out of the ordinary, and with
the exception of one or two submarine scares, absolutely without
foundation, we steamed our uneventful, out-of-the-way course to Merry
England—and war. The monotony was relieved by routine, athletic
competitions and musical entertainments. It was in the organization of
the latter that the popular Canadian composer of present times, Gitz
Rice, closely related to the Cape Breton Rices, Brent and Walter, first
secured prominence in musical circles. However, if the trip was
uninspiring, such could not be said of our reception at Plymouth. Bands
playing, throngs cheering, the shores of the city blocked with thousands
of people—England certainly did its duty that day in welcoming to its
shores her Canadian sons.

Disembarkation lasted a week, but finally the “Old 17th” landed at
Devonport and were soon en route for Salisbury Plains. Detrained at
Amesbury we were greeted with a downpour of rain, and it was very little
else we saw in the weather line during the whole of our stay on that
historic plain. Mud, mud, mud, and then more mud; drill, drill, drill,
and then more drill, sums up Salisbury Plains, relieved only by brief
leaves to London and provincial towns. How we cursed the mud! Finally,
however, we were moved into comfortable quarters at Urchfont, where we
enjoyed real English hospitality and good cheer. Even the Plains had its
pleasant side, though. Our first Christmas away from home was spent
there, and royally did Major McLeod and his fellow officers endeavor to
give us a real Christmas.

We spent about a month at Urchfont before the call came for which we had
been impatiently waiting. On February 8th, 1915, we left for France.
Embarking at Avonmouth we set out for the scene of war. The Allies at
that time were being pressed from all sides. The Bases of Calais,
Boulogne, and Rouen were seriously threatened. So it was to St. Nazair,
a port in the Bay of Biscay, that the Canadians were sent. On February
13th we first set foot in France; on the 16th we detrained within
hearing of the guns, at Hazebrouck, marching further in to billets at
Borre.

From Borre the 6th Battery moved up into action and took its first
position at Fleurbaix on March 1st. The first round was fired into the
German front line by Captain Tom Kitchen, then Bombardier, and we took
it as a good omen that the second round was observed to have sent our
enemy’s field kitchen skyward. While at Fleurbaix the Battery played its
part in the mix-up of March 10th at Neuve Chapelle, and it was in this
same position we underwent our baptism of fire—fortunately with no
serious casualties.

On March 29th, the Brigade to which the 6th Battery was attached, was
withdrawn to rest—billets at Watou. It was here, on Easter Sunday, that
the first intimation of the hardship and danger to be expected at Ypres
was given us by our Commanding Officer, Col. J. J. Creelman. The Easter
Service was conducted by Rev. Canon Almon, and a feeling of intensity
was apparent as he impressed upon us the sad fact, that of those who
heard him that day, many would, before long, make that greatest
sacrifice. And so indeed it proved. Yet when, on April 18th, we first
caught a glimpse of the city of Ypres, then with a population of about
twenty thousand, with its shops, estaminets and business places
generally in full swing, it was hard indeed for us to believe that our
padre could be correct. Little did we foresee that in four short days
this city, beautiful, even after its first bombardment, would be a mass
of ruins, its population fleeing to safety with a miserable handful of
personal belongings, its Cathedral and historic Cloth Hall and
invaluable treasures forever lost to posterity. Yet such was to happen.

The bombardment of the Second Battle of Ypres commenced on the 21st, and
on the 22nd the Hun let loose his devilish fumes of poison gas. The
French to our left fell back, exposing our flank, leaving a gap of over
a mile. Our own boys held, but at what a price! Reinforcements from our
own reserves were hurriedly sent up, and all that was left of our First
Division was spread over the whole of a three-mile front. But they held
on for that day and the next. On the 23rd, from our position near St.
Julien, we took part in what I firmly believe to have been the most
dramatic action that the Battery was engaged in during its stay in
France and Flanders. Our infantry had fallen back to reform for a
counter-attack. The enemy advanced after them at a range of about 1,200
yards from our guns. Two of our latter were immediately switched to the
left at an angle of 45° from their original line of fire. The remaining
two were galloped over clear country under heavy shell fire to take up a
new position.

With approximately only 100 rounds of ammunition, exposed to the
heaviest shell fire, we waited until the enemy were sufficiently
advanced to come under our “open sights” so that every round might
count. So on they came until 600 yards separated us. The order came for
us to retire. This Major McLeod ignored, but instead gave the word to
open fire. The 7th Battalion charged at the same time, with the remnants
of the Kilty Brigade. Round after round we poured into the still
oncoming enemy until at last they were held and finally swept back
through Langemarck wood. Three new positions were taken up by the
Battery that night, and finally we were settled at Indian Hill, near
Wieltje, and to the side of Potijze. What a hell-hole it was! Our
casualties were fast mounting up, both among the personnel and horses,
and unfortunately a number of these were deaths. On May 1st we took up a
position on the banks of the Yser Canal, and remained there until the
Division was withdrawn for reorganization at Hinges.

On May 19th we were again, as part of the “Flying 7th Division” hustled
into hot action at Festubert, and in the following month at Givenchy. It
was at the latter place that a gun from the 6th Battery was placed in
action in the front line trench, a “stunt” subsequently acknowledged by
the General Officer Commanding. From the “Orchard Position” at Givenchy
the Old 17th was sent into action at Neuve Eglise, where for a long time
they enjoyed comparative peace, with only occasional casualties, and
nothing more than “raiding” work, which was first commenced on this
front, to relieve the monotony. It was while here that the 2nd and 3rd
Divisions came over and the Canadians became an Army Corps. It was here,
too, that we lost our Major.

[Illustration:

LT.-COL. G. H. MCLEOD.]

Major McLeod was of the type of officer most beloved by the Canadian
rank and file. Quick, alert, a thoroughly skilled Artillery Officer, he
surely would have forced early recognition from headquarters had he been
spared to attain it. Terrible was the blow to his “boys,” when his body
was found in a small pond not many rods from the gun position. His was
not even the glory of the death from bullet or shrapnel. Yet his duty
had been well done, to his God, to his country, to his fellow officers
and men. This brief outline of the Old 17th would be even more
inadequate were the writer to omit this humble tribute to a dear friend
and beloved Commanding Officer.

Christmas, 1915, was spent at Neuve Eglise, and again we had to thank
our officers for providing the usual Christmas trimmings. Conditions
were not as they had been in England, and, unfortunately, many of the
old faces were missing. Such were the fortunes of war, and we who had
been raw recruits one short year before were beginning to look at things
as philosophic veterans.

In the latter part of January the Battery was withdrawn to Caestre for a
brief rest, being relieved by one of the Units of the 2nd Division.
Early in February we went to Lederzeele, and about March 20th found
ourselves in action once more at Neuve Eglise. Just about this time
rumors, hitherto vague, became more certain that the Battery was once
more to move Ypresward. Rumor became a definite fact on April 4th, and
we found ourselves in position at Railway dugouts, a trifle to the south
of Ypres City. Here we remained in complete quiet until the 20th, when
in the Hill 60 scrap we received our first taste of gas shells.

It was during the month of May that the organization of three Howitzer
Batteries was undertaken and sub-sections from all the Batteries in the
Division were utilized to form these Batteries, and subsection “C” was
separated from the 6th to help form the D, 48th Battery of 4.5’s. The
complete organization of this Battery had not been consummated before
the German hordes again attacked in force, this time at Soisele Hill and
Sanctuary Wood. All sub-sections reported back to their own Batteries
for duty, and the 6th Battery again played its important part in the
Third Battle of Ypres. On the morning of June 13th the Canadians
counter-attacked and regained the ground lost in the 2nd of June scrap.

The remainder of the month of June was passed quietly in the Ypres
Salient, as was also the month of July, with the exception of a little
excitement at “The Dump.” About the middle of August the Battery went
into billets for rest and tactical drill at Polin Cove and on the 26th
entrained at Audruicq for the Somme.

On detraining at Aix la Chateau on the 27th, the Battery, after one
day’s forced march, went into action at Mesnel on the 28th. On September
3rd the Old 17th supported the attack of an Imperial Corps on Thiepval,
which was unsuccessful. We then moved into position at La Boiselle on
ground won from the enemy during the fighting there in the early part of
July. Glad we were to see at long last ground won from the Hun.
Seemingly we were now engaged in driving him back, steadily and surely.
The Germans were retreating—the end of the war was in sight—so we
thought.

On September 15th the attack on Courcellette was commenced. Who of us
that were there can easily forget the glory of that early sunlit
September morning! The writer was fortunate enough to be one of a party
of Artillery Signallers to “go over” with the second “wave” of infantry
and was forward when the signal—dropped from one of our air craft—came
to advance. The intensity of the bombardment was overwhelming. It was
impossible to hear the loudest shout of the man adjoining you. We were
all frantic—cheering, yelling, jumping up and down in our excitement. It
was pandemonium let loose with a vengeance—and we were winning. We were
advancing. The Sugar Refinery was reached and our Battery was advanced.
Courcellette was taken by the 25th and 26th Battalions—and again we were
moved forward until we were practically within two hundred yards of
where the German front line had been on the morning of the 15th. This
position—Pozieres Wood—had been won by the Australians at a terrible
cost some weeks before.

From the 15th until the 26th of September we were kept busy
consolidating the ground won from the enemy. On the 26th we were again
called upon to take part in a glorious action which won Thiepval for us.
We were also successful in our first attack on Regina Trench. Such heavy
action was not successfully won without our paying the price, however,
and the 6th Battery of October, 1916, little resembled the Old 17th that
left Valcartier in September, 1914. Heavy had been the toll of lives and
casualties.

It was on October 20th that the last remaining gun brought from Sydney,
was condemned after firing 20,010 rounds of ammunition. From this on,
the writer (having been wounded at the Somme sufficiently to keep him
out of action for the remainder of the war) must depend, not on personal
observation, but on information derived from divers sources.

Early in November Desire Support Trench was taken, and a little later on
in the same month our wagon lines were again situated at Albert. The
march along Bouzincourt, Varennes, Raincheva, Frevent, St. Pol, St.
Michel and Marquay was uneventful. On the 30th the Battery stopped at
Pernes, for a well-earned rest. Our 1916 Christmas dinner was held here,
and mighty well was it celebrated. On January 6th we started out for
Bruay, Ruitz, Hersin to Fosse 10 and finally into action at Bully
Grenay.

On February 13th the first landing of the Canadians in France was
suitably celebrated at noon, by the firing of “Battery cheers” and
“Brigade cheers.” From then on is merely a series of names, Hersin Wagon
Lines, Maisnil-les-Ruitz, Camblain l’Abbe, until the E2 position behind
Neuville St. Vaast. On the 25th the Battery was again changed from a
four to a six-gun Unit. From Neuville St. Vaast the Old 17th went to
Vimy. Who will forget Bentata Tunnel? Who will forget the morning of the
13th when two guns of the old Battery went to form the composite Battery
at Bois Carre, to the right of Thelus? On the night of the 16th the
Battery went over the Ridge, and from there on the story of the 6th is
the same as that of the other Nova Scotia Units that took part at Vimy.
From Vimy to late in July was uneventful. On the 22nd of that month our
wagon lines were established at Les Brebis. On the 23rd we went into
action behind Loos Crassier. Things remained quiet until August 15th
when the Hill 70 scrap for Lens commenced. On September 9th we were at
Lievin, and remained in that vicinity for about one month.

Around October 1st a move was made to Boyeffles, where the wagon line
was established. On the 6th the Battery took up a position behind the
cemetery at Lievin, where we remained for some time. On the 24th of
October we were again en route for Ypres, our old hunting ground, via
Bethune, Morbecque and Godewaersvelde. On the 29th our wagon lines were
settled at a spot just south of St. Julien, and on the 1st of November
we took up a position, which shall ever be consecrated in memory of our
First Canadian Contingent, for the Passchendaele show. On the 23rd we
were again en route south, via Bailleul, Strazeele, Haverskerque and
Vendin-les-Bethune. On November 26th the Battery was again at the Old
Lievin cemetery. Christmas Day, 1917, was celebrated at Haillicourt.

On January 24th the Battery took up a position behind Loos Crassier,
where they remained in comparative quietness until March 22nd, when a
new position behind the double Crassier was taken. On the 29th we went
into action at Ronville Dump between Arras and Achicourt, and from there
to the Old Mill at Achicourt on April 1st. On the 8th we were out at
Anzin, on the 9th at Musketry Valley position, in front of St. Laurent
Blangy. The Battery was withdrawn for rest at Hermanville on May 25th,
and on June 1st was inspected with the other Batteries in the Brigade by
the Corps Commander. On the 10th Divisional Sports were held, in which
the old Battery won its quota of prizes.

On July 15th we went into action at St. Laurent Blangy, and on the 24th
were back again at Achicourt—Old Windmill position. August the 1st saw
the Unit at Berlincourt, and on the 3rd they entrained at Frevent for
Amiens. We detrained the following day at Prouzel and left for Bois de
Boves. On August 5th we took up a position at Bois de Gentelles, and on
the 8th took part in the “kick off” for the Amiens show with a night
position in front of Cayeux. From the 9th until the 16th is simply a
sequence of names that spells the hardest action; Caix Valley,
Warvillers, Le Quesnoy, Warvillers. On August 21st the Battery was en
route back to Saleux, via Cayeux, Domart and Boves Wood, where they
entrained for Aubigny and Dainville Wood.

The “kick off” for the Drocourt-Queant line came on September 2nd. On
the 3rd our position was taken up just east of Villers Cagnicourt, and
on the 6th the 6th Battery was at Bainville on rest, where they remained
for about three weeks. On the 26th the Battery went into action at
Buissy, and on the 27th took part in the attack on Canal du Nord and
Cambrai. The Old 17th had the honor to be the first Battery to cross the
Canal at Inchy, and immediately after took up position just east of the
Canal beyond Inchy.

October was merely a repetition of names. The Battery took part in the
general rout of the enemy, until November 7th found them at Crespin, in
action for the last time. On November the 10th the last round was fired
from the Battery in this position by Gunner Malcolm MacDonald of “B”
subsection, the very same subsection that fired the first round on March
1, 1915.

At 11 a.m. of November 11th hostilities ceased and the fighting was
finished. The “Old 17th,” however, marched into Germany as part of the
Army of Occupation and completed the work that the original had set out
to do. Very few, however, of the original members were left by that
time. Yet those of us, who were unable to share in the glorious hour of
Victory, were recompensed by knowing that our successors nobly carried
on in our places equally as well as, if not better than, we ourselves
could have done. The Battery embarked at Southampton on _S.S. Olympic_,
and arrived at Halifax on April 21, 1919. It was demobilized the same
day and consequently its home city, Sydney, was deprived of the pleasure
of welcoming it as a Unit.

CASUALTIES.

Officers: Killed 5
Died 2
——
7
Other ranks: Killed 19
Died of wounds 13
Died 2
—— 34
——
41

HONORS AND AWARDS.

D.S.O. 3
M.C. 10
D.C.M. 4
M.M. 28
Bar to M.M. 1
M.S.M. 1
Croix de Guerre 1
Despatches 12

CHAPTER VI.
_23rd AND 24th FIELD BATTERIES._

[Illustration:

LT.-COL. T. M. SEELEY.]

In November, 1914, Lieut.-Col. T. M. Seeley, of Yarmouth, N.S. (O.C.
11th Brigade, C.F.A.), was commissioned to organize the 23rd Battery of
Field Artillery, to represent the Maritime Provinces in the 6th
Artillery Brigade, C.E.F. The temporary headquarters were at
Fredericton, N.B., but recruits were to be drawn from any part of the
Maritime Provinces. Many were furnished by the 3rd, 4th and 11th
Brigades of the Militia Artillery. An important factor in the new Unit
was a group of twenty-five or thirty students who joined from the
University of New Brunswick and other universities.

The recruiting proceeded at such a rate that Lieut.-Col. Seeley soon
found himself with fifty or sixty men over strength. He appealed to
headquarters for authority to have a second Battery formed, which was
granted. Lieut.-Col. B. A. Ingraham, R.O., of Sydney, C.B., was
commissioned to organize the 24th Battery, also at Fredericton. He took
over the surplus from the 23rd, and in addition brought a large
detachment of fine men from Cape Breton.

These Batteries trained side by side until February 18, 1915, when they
were mobilized with the 21st Battery of Kingston and the 22nd Battery of
Montreal, and sent Overseas February 22nd on _S.S. Megantic_, under
Lieut.-Col. E. W. Rathburn.

The Mayor of Fredericton, the Premier of New Brunswick, the Earl and
Countess of Ashburnham, and the citizens generally were very kind to the
artillerymen during their sojourn in Fredericton.

Just previous to sailing there were several changes made in the
personnel of the officers. Lieut.-Colonel Seeley was detailed to
organization duty in Canada, and Major J. K. MacKay was placed in
command of the 23rd Battery. On sailing the staff was: Major MacKay,
O.C.; Capt. E. A. Chisholm; Lieuts. J. E. Read and J. N. McEachern. The
Staff of the 24th Battery was: Lieut.-Colonel Ingraham, O.C.; Capt. A.
T. MacKay (of P.E.I.); Lieuts. G. St. C. A. Perrin and O. Mowatt.

Arriving in England the Batteries received a brief training at
Shorncliffe, after which they were drafted to the Second Brigade,
C.F.A., and Divisional Ammunition Column in France. A large proportion
of the N.C.O.’s and men of these Batteries won commissions and
distinctions on the field.

CHAPTER VII.
_THE 36th BATTERY, C.F.A._

BY MAJOR D. A. MACKINNON, D.S.O.

[Illustration:

MAJ. D. A. MACKINNON D. S. O.]

The 36th Battery was formed in Sydney in September, 1915, Major Walter
Crowe being the organizer and leading spirit in it. The rush of
applications for positions in the Battery was so great that over one
hundred had to be turned away. Major Crowe selected his men with great
care; and the subsequent achievements of the Battery is evidence that
his judgment was good. To Major Crowe must be given a great deal of
credit for the splendid record which the Battery achieved Overseas. He
remained with it as its Commanding Officer and supervised nearly all its
early training, took it Overseas in March, 1916, but on account of being
very much over age could not accompany the Battery to France; so the
command was given to Major D. A. MacKinnon, of Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The Battery arrived in France on July 14th, 1916, and was almost
immediately placed in action on the Ypres Salient, which was a very
“hot” spot. They were in action only twenty-four hours when they
received quite a heavy shelling from the enemy. They remained in this
position for about a month, firing day and night, and their quick
response to all calls from the infantry was remarked upon. The next move
was to Kemmel, which was a nice quiet spot, and the boys enjoyed
themselves very much while in that vicinity. Early in October the march
for the Somme commenced. It occupied a week; and about the 12th of
October the Battery went into action about one thousand yards in the
rear of Courcellette. They received considerable shelling but returned
one hundred rounds for every one they got. After the Battle of Regina
Trench they moved forward in front of Martinpuich, with the expectation
of another great battle which never materialized. While in this position
they were constantly shelled, the discomforts were terrible, mud and
rain preventing any kind of decent accommodation; but the gunners were
better off than the drivers at the wagon lines; there the mud was two
feet deep, and the trials and sufferings almost unendurable. Nearly all
the ammunition had to be carried to the guns by packing it on horses’
and mules’ backs, taking it up over trails, inasmuch as the roads were
death traps, on account of enemy fire. Notwithstanding this the Battery
kept up its reputation for activity, having fired on several occasions
well over one thousand rounds in a few hours. They were highly
complimented for their splendid concealment and for the brave way in
which they carried on under very discouraging difficulties. On the 20th
of November the Division pulled out of the Somme, greatly to the relief
of all.

A week’s tramp to the Ecuri Front commenced, the first two days being
teeming rain and bitter cold. It was during this march that Sergt. Sam
Wilson, one of the most popular men in the Battery, contracted pneumonia
and died in a few days, mourned by all. During the following months the
Battery stayed in position doing garrison duty, but in February they
were forced to leave and made three shifts of positions in three days.
The bitter cold, it being the coldest winter in forty years, and the
shortage of fodder for the horses, coupled with the hard work which so
much moving entailed, caused the death of a great many horses and mules.
The hardships of the drivers were also particularly severe, shelter was
at a premium, and the winter of 1916 and 1917 will ever remain as a very
disagreeable memory.

Early in March preparations commenced for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the
drivers being constantly employed at night hauling vast quantities of
ammunition to forward points. The month was very rainy with high winds,
and all night the men would be exposed to the rain and winds and return
at daybreak tired and exhausted, cold and wet to the skin. The
sufferings which they experienced that winter, and the grim
determination with which they carried through their duties will never be
forgotten. On the 25th of March the 36th was changed to a six-gun
Battery, absorbing one-half of the 29th Battery. It was a splendid
consolidation, the newcomers proving very excellent gunners and drivers,
and brave men. About the 1st of April, 1917, the Battery moved forward
to a little hollow near the Arras road, facing Vimy Ridge. Rude pits had
to be constructed for the guns, and these they soon fashioned into a
home for the Battery. The Batteries were as thick as flies in this
hollow, and we had neighbors on all sides of us. The 2nd of April saw
everybody registering on targets in the enemy lines, and one had almost
to crawl about to prevent being hit by our own guns. As the enemy had
observation of this position they very quickly began to use it, shelling
the area with gas and high explosives. It was a most uncomfortable
position, and had the battle been delayed a few days longer and the
enemy been given a chance to get more heavy artillery, there is no doubt
that they would have given us a bad time.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge started at 5 o’clock, April 9th. It was the
biggest battle we had ever been engaged in, and every one was quite
interested to see how it would pan out. It was a great success, and we
quickly got orders to move our position forward so as to be able to
range on the retreating enemy. This was accomplished very speedily. The
battle practically ended on April 10th, and no further move was made
forward. On the 14th we took our guns down into the village of Vimy
being, we believed, one of the first Batteries to enter that much
shelled village. We were lucky in getting in and lucky in getting our
teams out, as the roads were shelled most terrifically. It was three
weeks after that before we could bring a wagon of any description down
the roads to the Battery. All ammunition and supplies had to be brought
on pack horses and mules along trails leading over the ridges, but by
the exercise of great care they managed to keep up our ammunition
supplies and prevent casualties.

The first two weeks which followed in our position were memorable for
the amount of gas which the enemy hurled at us. We wore our masks
practically all night. Thanks to a sufficient gas drill and gas
protection our casualties were slight. With the energy and resource
which characterized our boys they set to work and built a position which
was the envy of all. It was so constructed that it was impossible to
detect it by aeroplane or other observation. Speaking tubes connected
all the gun-pits with the command post, and each pit had a tunnel
leading into the other; so that if one was severely bombarded, an escape
could be made through the other. The walls of the pits were nicely
decorated with captured German material, and the appearance was such as
to strike an inspecting officer most favorably. The greatest attention
was paid to strengthening each defence, as the shelling was intense both
by day and night. It was lucky that all these precautions were taken;
for on the 24th of June, just as the Battery had completed firing a
trial barrage, the enemy opened up with four batteries of heavy
artillery. The bombardment was terrific, and almost all varieties of
shell were used, including armor-piercing shell, which went down ten
feet in the ground and then exploded. It was marvelous that there was
anything left of the Battery, the whole position was covered with shell
holes. One of the shells passed through the shelter in which Corpl. John
McVicar, of Sydney, was with his gun detachment. The shock instantly
killed Corporal McVicar and dazed some of the others. At the same time
others had become casualties. The day will be long remembered as one
which inflicted great sorrow on the remaining members of the Battery.
While we were in this position Corporal Jack and Gunner Wheatley were
also wounded, and there were several regrettable casualties among the
drivers at the wagon lines.

[Illustration:

CAPT. F. H. TINGLEY, M.C.]

Early in July the Battery moved to a forward position near Vimy and,
while there, was subjected to another terrific bombardment in which they
had nearly one thousand rounds of ammunition destroyed. Several of the
officers had close calls, and those who are alive will never forget the
experience. About the 31st of July the Battery moved to Hill 70, and
took up a position behind the double crassier. They constructed a good
position in a very short time. The place was alive with Canadian Field
Batteries, and it did not take the Hun long to discover the fact. Nearly
all the Batteries were silent; that is, they were not to do any firing
until a battle commenced, but the 36th and a few others were selected to
do all the firing, including the heavy task of demolishing the wire in
the German trenches, so that our infantry could get through. This the
Battery did to the entire satisfaction of the infantry, although it was
at quite a heavy cost to themselves, as they were constantly shelled day
and night, and the position was a most trying one. The battle, which
took place about the 14th of August, was one of the bloodiest of the
whole war. The Hill was the key to Lens, and the Hun determined to
retake it at all costs. In one day there were fourteen counter attacks
made by the Hun, and on every occasion the field artillery responded,
instantly killing many thousands of Germans. The work of the 36th
throughout this engagement was commented on and needs no mention here.
In one day they brought up from the ammunition dump and fired over five
thousand rounds of ammunition. For two weeks the gunners had practically
no rest, while the drivers that could be spared from the wagon lines
came up and assisted in getting ammunition ready. So active had the
Battery become that the Hun determined to destroy it and made several
attempts but without success. However on the night of the 24th of
August, while the Battery was firing an S.O.S., in response to a call
from the infantry, they were subjected to a very intense shelling with a
new gas, afterwards known as mustard gas. This gas is very much of the
nature of sulphuric acid, and the burns made by it are very similar. In
a short time several men were struck by the shells, some wounded and
some killed; others going to the assistance of their suffering comrades
got the gas on their hands and were terribly burned. It was an awful
night, and some very gallant deeds were done. The returns next day
showed three killed, three officers and twenty-five others gassed. Some
of the men who were gassed on that occasion never recovered from it. The
effects will be with them as long as they live. It was a very bad night
for the Canadian Artillery. Other Batteries suffered, some even more
severely, but they received unstinted praise for the gallant way they
stuck to their guns. Besides the above, the Battery suffered a great
many other casualties while in the Hill 70 Sector. In addition to
Lieutenants Teed and Fleet being gassed, Lieutenant Longworth was
severely wounded. On the night of the 29th of August we were relieved by
a British Battery, but the relief could not be completed in quiet, the
Hun shelling the position very severely with gas.

We were all pleased to leave that vicinity, and our next position was on
the Vimy Front, which was nice and quiet; and everybody had a very
pleasant time until the 10th of October, when the Canadian Corps marched
to Passchendaele, a trek that was undertaken with anything but light
hearts, for its reputation as a death trap was known to all. On the 21st
of October we took over from an English Battery, who were in a very bad
way, having been practically shot to pieces. Everything was in very bad
shape, only two guns being in action; but with great courage the boys
set to work and very soon had the best position in the Salient. They
protected their guns and themselves by the use of sand bags; and in that
way saved many valuable lives. Conditions were such as to be almost
impossible of description. The mud was up to one’s knees, and the place
seemed to be nothing but shell holes filled with water. The enemy had
perfect observation on us from the village of Passchendaele. On the 24th
of October we registered our guns on its church, and the battle started
on the 26th. During the progress of the battle we were severely shelled,
Gunner Ira Stewart, of Charlottetown, being instantly killed. All the
gunners carried on very heroically notwithstanding the shelling, and the
day ended with a great victory for the Canadians.

A few days later we had moved forward to a position in front of Kansas
Cross, and in a short time had prepared a very fine position considering
the materials at hand. The artillery programme was a very extensive one,
firing starting at 5 o’clock in the morning and continuing at intervals
several times through the day and night. The daily expenditure of the
Battery ran well over one thousand rounds, and this had to be
transported by pack mules a distance of eight miles from the ammunition
dump. While on their way to the guns they were subjected to scattered
shelling and to bombing by overhead planes. At night they got no rest
either at the guns, or the wagon lines, heavy bombing planes circling
over the area and dropping their contents indiscriminately. The
casualties of the Canadians in these terrible battles are well known,
their sufferings are beyond description. No words of mine can adequately
portray the courage, fortitude, cheerfulness and devotion to duty
exemplified by the officers and men of the 36th Battery in the terrible
battles which culminated in the capture of Passchendaele Ridge. Among
the officers it would be unfair to particularize, for all did their part
nobly; but I believe that I could speak of Lieut. Andrew Livingstone’s
three weeks’ experience as a forward officer as being the most awful of
the lot. Words could not picture the things he saw and what he went
through. To Lieut. Chas. Shrieve, of Digby, I always gave the greatest
credit for the resourcefulness he displayed in building the positions.
For his gallant conduct he was awarded the Military Cross. Lieutenant
Teed had previously received the same decoration for similar conduct at
Hill 70.

On the 14th of November the most awful experience the Battery ever had
was encountered. The night before the enemy had attempted a counter
attack but the signal from the infantry had met with such instant
response from the field artillery that his ranks were practically
decimated. In retaliation he turned every gun he could command on the
Batteries of field artillery in front of Kansas Cross. There were
probably twenty English and Canadian Batteries within an area of three
hundred yards; and on these at 1.30 in the afternoon was placed a
bombardment that for intensity has probably never been excelled. Guns
and ammunition were blown up at every volley, one entire Battery being
wiped out, with all its personnel. The 36th received their share of the
shelling, their dugouts being blown up and the gunners and officers
buried beneath them. They had, however, suffered very few casualties
considering the terrible ordeal passed through; but those who were
placed at the guns on that day will never forget the experience.

On the 21st of November they moved out of Passchendaele, the Hun
shelling the position just as they were leaving, and the succeeding
Battery being practically annihilated within a few days. A period of
recuperation ensued, which did much to recover the morale of the
Battery. In January they moved down into the Vimy Front, suffering the
ordinary run of casualties, but without any very serious troubles. On
the 21st of March, 1918, the Hun put on his famous offensive, and it was
feared that he would attempt to take Vimy Ridge. As there was very
little chance of getting the guns out if he broke through our infantry
lines, it was decided to move the Batteries from the plain to the top of
the Ridge, where they were put for defensive purposes. The 36th Battery
was selected as a sacrifice Battery and were left in their position in
front of Vimy. Their task was to harass the enemy as much as possible,
their daily expenditure of ammunition running from a thousand to two
thousand rounds. This activity of one Battery did not escape the alert
attention of the Hun; and on the 28th of March, when he made his famous
attack on Arras, a little to the south of Vimy, he took on the 36th
Battery in great style. In three hours it was estimated by observers on
the Ridge that over two thousand-rounds were fired into the Battery.
Guns and dugouts were blown up and a tremendous lot of damage done. Some
brave deeds were carried out by members of the Battery, and among the
decorations received for this affair were Military Medals by Sergeant
Cashen, of Sydney, and Signaller MacKenzie and Bombardier Peter Laforte.
All the members of the Battery acted most heroically. That night orders
were given to retire the Battery from this untenable position, and in
the new one they carried on with much more comfort.

About the 1st of May the Battery went into training for open warfare,
and remained in training until July when they went into the line for a
few weeks. On the 28th of July they were drawn from the line, and on the
first of August started on the famous march to Amiens. The greatest
secrecy was maintained regarding the destination of the Canadians, and
it was not until the night of the 4th of August that we knew our
destination. The nights of the 5th, 6th and 7th were utilized in
bringing up thousands of rounds of ammunition and getting ready for the
big battle which started on the 8th. The Battle of Amiens was the
hand-writing on the wall, so General Ludendorff has told us. On that day
the 36th Battery occupied six positions, giving the most splendid aid to
our glorious infantry. At half past four in the afternoon a German
aeroplane swooped down on the Battery and killed several horses, wounded
some of the men and Lieutenant Manning. The casualties would have been
greater but for the bravery and coolness of the machine gunners, who
poured a constant volley into the Hun and actually killed him, his plane
crashing in a few minutes.

The Battle of Amiens continued for several days with constant advances.
On the night of the 13th we were ordered to place three thousand rounds
of ammunition in an advanced position for another Battery. Sergt. J. W.
Boutillier was given charge of the unloading. While waiting for the
arrival of the ammunition his party was subjected to heavy shell fire.
Sergeant Boutillier and Sergeant Swift were killed and several others
were wounded. Sergeant Boutillier was one of the most outstanding men in
the entire Battery and his loss was very keenly felt. For his bravery on
this occasion Corpl. A. J. McGillivary was awarded the Croix de Guerre.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. D. L. TEED, M.C.]

On the 19th of August the Battery started on its march for the Battle of
Arras, arriving at Arras on the night of the 23rd of August and going
into position that same night. The night of the 24th was utilized in
bringing up ammunition. On the 25th they rested. On the morning of the
26th the famous Battle of Arras opened. It was a day full of stirring
incidents, the 36th Battery suffered severe casualties. The following
days were very busy, the Battery constantly moving into new positions,
shelling the enemy, and being shelled in return. On the morning of
September 1st orders were received to cut wire on the Hindenburg line,
and to expend upwards of four thousand rounds for that purpose. The
position which the 36th Battery occupied was a very exposed one, and
under observation by balloons and other means. The Battery had about
completed one task when the enemy started to shell us very severely. At
first the rounds fell short. Lieutenant Teed was at the telephone, and
thinking that I did not receive the orders at the guns ran down to shout
an order to No. 2 gun in charge of Sergeant McKay. Just as he got there
an enemy shell landed, instantly killing Sergeant McKay, Gunner John
Cornfoot and Lieutenant Teed. These were three of our very best, and the
blow was one of the saddest in the 36th Battery’s whole experience.
Lieut. Lionel Teed was from St. John, and had been with the Battery from
its commencement. He was a brave officer, an extremely clever one, and
loved by all. Sergeant McKay and Jack Cornfoot were also very popular.
The wire cutting was completed. Notwithstanding the shelling the brave
boys of the 36th carried on as though nothing had happened. The battle
which took place the next day broke the Hindenburg line, the strongest
trench fortification ever utilized in warfare.

A succession of moves forward was then made. The Batteries kept close
behind the infantry in their pursuit of the Hun. On the 14th a halt was
made, and the Batteries transferred to another section of the Front.
They took up a position in the village of Sudemont, which was a very
“hot” place, being almost constantly under shell fire. A number of
casualties occurred when we were in this position, notably Corpl. John
McSween, who lost a leg, and Sergeant Philpott and others. On the 17th
the Battery started for the Battle of Cambrai, arriving in that sector
on the evening of the 18th. The nights of the 19th and 20th were used in
bringing up ammunition to a position in the little town of Inchy, where
a battery position had been selected. The ammunition could only be drawn
up under the greatest difficulties, for the roads were under heavy shell
fire. Some very gallant deeds were done by the drivers and those in
charge of them. For one particularly gallant exploit Corpl. A. Morrison
received the D.C.M.

[Illustration:

CAPT. CHAS. D. SHRIEVE, M.C.]

The morning of the 21st was beautiful and the battle was wonderfully
successful. Before ten o’clock thousands of yards of enemy territory had
been penetrated and Bourlon Wood captured. The enemy field artillery
recovered and shelled us vigorously, and we suffered several casualties.
The battle continued for several days, with constant gain of territory
for us. On the night of the 28th, while Lieutenant Livingstone was
unloading ammunition, his drivers and the gunners were subjected to
heavy shell fire and we had many regrettable casualties; among the
drivers, Frank Hughes, of Charlottetown, and Driver George McDonald, of
Sydney. George was one of the most wonderful guides in France, and his
loss was a severe one. The next few days saw several moves of positions,
and on the 5th of October the 36th Battery was in a position at
Raillencourt. On the evening of October 7th orders were issued for the
Battery to move up to a position in the rear of St. Olle. The six guns
with ammunition and ammunition wagons arrived at the position and were
starting to unlimber when a volley of German shells landed directly in
them. The casualties were terrific, over 50 per cent. of those present
being killed or wounded together with twenty horses. The whole thing
occupied only a few minutes, but it saddened a great many hearts. Lieut.
Chas. Shrieve was shot through the chest and died instantly. Captain
Craig was severely wounded through the hip. Lieutenant Livingstone was
wounded in two places and his ankle broken. Twenty-eight N.C.O.’s and
men were killed or wounded. Among the killed was the very popular
Bombardier John Drysdale. The blow was a demoralizing one, but the
undaunted courage of the remaining members of the 36th was equal to the
task. Within three hours the guns had been transferred to new positions,
and lines of fire laid out, and the Battery ready for action.

The Hill 70 gas episode and the shelling received the night of October
the 7th were two of the worst experiences that any Battery had ever been
called upon to endure, but the brave boys of the 36th met both with
unflinching courage and proved themselves worthy of all the encomiums
which had been bestowed upon them. For gallant work on this occasion
several members of the Battery were decorated. On the 10th of October
Cambrai was captured, the 36th Battery doing its share to make the
battle a success.

[Illustration:

LT. F. J. LONGWORTH, M.C.]

From Cambrai they moved northward again, occupying various positions
with various degrees of fortune until November 1st, when the march
towards Mons commenced. This was one long succession of triumphs,
culminating in the capture of the celebrated city on the morning of the
11th of November. On the afternoon of the 10th we were in position at
Je-Mappes, about one thousand yards from Mons. At 3.30 in the afternoon
orders were received to fire on the railway at Mons, and while engaged
in doing that several enemy shells were fired into the Battery, one of
which instantly killed Lieut. Fred Longworth, of Charlottetown, and
wounded Sergeant Dickson and several others. Sergeant Dickson received
thirty-two wounds but managed to pull through. On the morning of the
11th at 6.30 word was received that the Armistice was signed, and a
March-Past was ordered to take place in the City of Mons. There was
great rejoicing at the good news, inasmuch as the suffering of the last
three months was beginning to tell on the remaining members of the “Old
Guard.”

I cannot close this account of the doings of the 36th Battery without
making reference to the wonderful qualities which the officers, N.C.O.’s
and men displayed. It was easy to command a Battery like the 36th. They
were everything that could be desired. Loyal, brave and good-humored,
with the greatest devotion to duty, they cannot be too highly praised by
me. Every man was a hero and every man deserved decorations many times
over. I feel that it is but fitting that I should here mention the fact,
when speaking about decorations, that the 36th Battery received a very
large share of them, including one D.S.O., two Croix de Guerre, eight
Military Crosses, one bar for Military Cross, ten D.C.M.’s and twenty
Military Medals.

On November 21, 1918, Major D. A. MacKinnon, who commanded the 36th
Battery from its arrival in France on July 14, 1916, and who took part
with the Battery in all its battles, was granted sick leave to Canada.

The loss of so many brave officers and brave men had been a severe shock
to him, and his nerves became greatly unstrung. It was with sincere
regret that he parted with the boys after nearly three years of
strenuous fighting. The Battery, after a short stay in Belgium, was
transferred to England, demobilizing in March, 1919. On the 36th
Battery’s return to Sydney, N.S., they were tendered a most notable
reception.

LIST OF OFFICERS WHO SERVED WITH THE 36th BATTERY IN FRANCE, WITH
DECORATIONS RECEIVED.

Major D. A. MacKinnon, Distinguished Service Order and
Charlottetown, P.E.I. Croix de Guerre.

Capt. F. H. Tingley (killed), Moncton Military Cross.

Capt. A. L. Anderson, Toronto Military Cross and Bar.

Lieut. D. L. Teed (killed), St. Military Cross.
John, N.B.

Lieut. C. D. Shrieve (killed), Military Cross.
Digby, N.S.

Lieut. R. Fleet, Montreal Military Cross.

Lieut. F. J. Longworth (killed), Military Cross.
Charlottetown

Lieut. J. W. L. Harris, Moncton, Military Cross.
N.B.

Lieut. A. B. Manning, Toronto Military Cross.

Lieut. A. Livingstone, Sydney, N.S. Military Cross.

Lieut. I. Alexander, Fredericton, Military Cross.
N.B.

Lieut. J. O’Grady, Winnipeg

CHAPTER VIII.
_14th BRIGADE, C.F.A._

[Illustration:

LT.-COL. J. L. M‘KINNON.]

The 14th Brigade, C.F.A., was organized in the spring of 1916 and was
part of the 4th Division Artillery, which trained at Petawawa in the
summer of 1916. The 14th Brigade, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel
John L. McKinnon, of Halifax, N.S., was composed of the following Units:
Headquarters, 7 officers, 40 men, recruited in Nova Scotia. Batteries,
55th and 56th, recruited in Guelph, Ont.; 58th, recruited in New
Brunswick; 66th, recruited in Montreal. Brigade Ammunition Column, 3
officers, 120 men, recruited in Nova Scotia.

In addition to the O.C., Lieutenant-Colonel McKinnon, the following
other Nova Scotia officers proceeded Overseas with this Brigade: Capt.
G. C. Oland, Halifax, Adjutant; Capt. C. V. Trites, Liverpool, Medical
Officer, both attached to Brigade Headquarters; Major S. C. Oland, in
command of 66th Battery; Lieut. J. Vickery, 58th Battery; Brigade
Ammunition Column, Capt. F. S. Burns, Lieut. Herbert Stairs, Lieut. W.
M. Ray, Lieut. T. D. Farquahar.

The 4th Divisional Artillery, consisting of the 12th, 13th, 14th and
15th Brigades, and Divisional Ammunition Column, left Canada on
September 11, 1916, and completed training in England.

In the fall of 1916 the Imperial authorities for the Imperial Army
adopted the formation of six-gun Batteries instead of four-gun
Batteries, reducing Brigades in each Division. The Canadian authorities
followed in January, 1917, and from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions in
France a new 4th Divisional Artillery was reconstituted, and the old 4th
Divisional Artillery became 5th Divisional Artillery, which later became
Corps Artillery.

On the formation of the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot, Lieutenant-Colonel
McKinnon was given command and was later appointed Deputy Judge Advocate
General, Canadian Forces Overseas.

CHAPTER IX.
_THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT._

The Royal Canadian Regiment was raised on December 21, 1883, as a Unit
of the new Canadian Permanent Force, for the instruction of the Canadian
Militia by establishing schools of instruction for officers and
non-commissioned officers, and by the formation of a nucleus of officers
and non-commissioned officer instructors to assist at the various
Militia Camps. The Regiment was first known as the “Infantry School
Corps.”

In 1885 “C” Company, stationed at Toronto, joined a mixed force of
Militia under the command of Lieut.-Col. W. D. Otter, which marched
across the ice along the North Shore of Lake Superior to the Northwest,
to suppress the rebellion of the half-breeds, under the leadership of
Louis Riel. The Company took part in the action of Fish Creek and the
relief of Battleford on April 24th, and in the action of Cut Knife Hill
on May 2nd. It also took part in the pursuit of Chief Big Bear during
June and July. It remained in garrison at Battleford from July until
October, when it returned to Toronto. This was the first occasion on
which Canadian troops had conducted active operations and brought them
to a successful conclusion without the aid of Imperial troops.

In 1892 the name of the Regiment was changed to the “Canadian Regiment
Infantry,” and the following year Queen Victoria approved of the
Regiment becoming a Royal Regiment, known as the “Royal Canadian
Regiment of Canadian Infantry,” and granted permission for her Imperial
Cypher, V.R.I., with the Imperial Crown, to be worn as a badge.

In 1899, on the outbreak of the South African War, a second (Special
Service) Battalion was raised under the command of Lieut.-Colonel W. D.
Otter, and sailed on October 30, 1899, in the _S.S. Sardinian_, arriving
at Cape Town on November 30th. In addition to minor skirmishes the
Battalion took part in the following actions while in South Africa:

Paardeberg 27th February, 1900
Poplar Grove 7th March, 1900
Dreifontein 10th March, 1900
Israel’s Poort 25th April, 1900
Hont’s Nek 1st May, 1900
Zano River 16th May, 1900
Doorn Kop 29th May, 1900
Pretoria 4th June, 1900

The casualties in South Africa were thirty-nine killed, twenty-eight
died of disease, one hundred and twenty-three wounded.

The Battalion was represented at the annexation ceremony at Pretoria on
October 25th by a party specially selected, and on November 7th it
embarked at Cape Town for Southampton, arriving on November 29th. The
Battalion was inspected by Her Majesty Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle,
when she addressed them and thanked them for their services. This was
the last official inspection made by the Queen before her death.

On December 11th the Battalion embarked at Liverpool and sailed for
Canada, arriving at Halifax on December 23rd, where it was disbanded.

During the South African War the name of the Regiment was changed to the
“Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.” His Majesty King George, then
Duke of York, presented colors to the Regiment at Toronto on October 11,
1901, during his tour of the British Empire.

A 3rd (Garrison) Battalion of the Regiment was raised at Halifax to
release the 1st Battalion Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) for
service elsewhere. This Battalion was brought to a high state of
efficiency and formed the greater part of the Garrison in the Fortress
at Halifax. It was, however, disbanded shortly after being relieved by
an Imperial Regiment, the 5th Battalion Royal Garrison Regiment, in
September, 1902.

In 1902 the name of the Regiment was once again changed, becoming known
by its present distinctive title of “The Royal Canadian Regiment.”

In 1904, a special banner, given by His Majesty King Edward VII to
commemorate the Regiment’s services in South Africa, was presented at
Ottawa on October 4th by His Excellency the Governor-General, Lord
Minto.

Imperial troops having been withdrawn and the defence of Canada taken
over by local troops, the Regiment moved to Halifax, the establishment
being raised to ten companies.

On the outbreak of the European War in August, 1914, the Regiment was
mobilized at Halifax, occupying the various forts. It was brought up to
war strength by a draft of four hundred volunteers, men from the newly
formed Camp at Valcartier, for the Expeditionary Force then being
raised. Being trained regular troops, and the only ones available for
service Overseas, the Regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel A.
O. Fages, was sent to Bermuda on September 9th to relieve the 2nd
Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, and were the first Canadian troops to
go abroad. In August of the following year, the Regiment having been
relieved by the 38th Battalion, C.E.F., proceeded, under the command of
Lieut.-Colonel Carpenter, to France, via England, where it was rearmed
and re-equipped. It landed at Boulogne, under the command of Lieut.-Col.
A. H. Macdonell, D.S.O., on October 31st, and on moving up the line
immediately became Corps Troops to the Canadian Corps under
Lieut.-General Sir A. E. H. Alderson, K.C.B. It went into the trenches
for the first time with the First Canadian Division, opposite Messines.

At the beginning of 1916 it was one of the Battalions composing the 7th
Canadian Infantry Brigade under Brigadier-General A. C. Macdonell,
C.M.G., D.S.O., of the newly formed 3rd Canadian Division, under
Major-General Mercer, C.B. The Brigade consisted of the Royal Canadian
Regiment, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, 42nd Battalion
(Royal Highlanders of Canada) and 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment),
and, later, the 7th Canadian Machine Gun Company. The Regiment went into
the line with the Brigade at Wulvergham, moving afterward to Kemmel and
then to Ypres.

The Regiment’s first general action was that of the German attack on
June 2nd to June 5th on Sanctuary Wood and Hooge, in the Ypres Salient.
Here the Regiment, under Lieut.-Col. C. H. Hill, distinguished itself by
its steadiness under the heaviest concentration of hostile artillery and
trench mortar fire which up to that date had ever been brought to bear
on British troops. By its rifle and machine gun fire the attempted
infantry assaults against its lines were frustrated, and it was
virtually the action of the machine guns, assisted by the 7th Canadian
Machine Gun Company, that prevented a great disaster to the whole Ypres
Salient. These guns had been unable to get away after being relieved on
account of dawn breaking. On June 5th the Germans blew up three very
large mines at Hooge, annihilating the Garrison. The guns, which were
some distance in the rear, immediately mounted, fully exposed, on the
Menin Road, and by their coolly directed fire threw back the German
Infantry, thus preventing them from swamping our line and outflanking it
both north and south on the Menin Road. The action of June 2nd to 5th
exemplified the value of long training. The older men who had been in
the Regiment for years, and who were considered as almost past their
day, came to the fore wonderfully by their steadiness and discipline.
This was shown particularly when during the hostile infantry attacks and
intense shelling they remained cool and steady and withheld their fire,
only letting forth their perfect deluge of bullets when a good target
appeared. This encouraged and gave added confidence to the younger men.
It was certainly the old soldier’s day.

Between June and August some extremely gallant trench raids and
expeditions were carried out by the Regiment. One raid carried out was
discovered by the enemy before starting, and came under intense fire
from rifles, bombs and machine guns at close quarters. In spite of this
the party rushed forward and inflicted heavy losses upon the enemy, but
every man except one was wounded. Two officers and some men came out
into the open and worked for two hours under fire collecting and
bringing in the wounded.

In September the Regiment moved south with the Canadian Corps under
Lieut.-General Sir Julian H. G. Byng, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., M.V.O., to the
Somme, where until November they took part in very severe fighting at
Courcellette, Regina Trench, and elsewhere.

The Battalion performed a very difficult feat on September 15th, when it
came up from reserve and occupied a line just after dusk over absolutely
strange ground, made unrecognizable by shell fire, and in so doing was
obliged to change front twice. They occupied their position on time.
Again, on September 16th, two Companies went forward to attack an enemy
trench over open ground, in full view of the enemy, in face of deadly
rifle and machine gun fire, starting at a distance of over 800 yards and
being practically wiped out when less than 50 yards from the enemy’s
trench.

On October 8th, at Regina Trench, the R.C.R. and one other Battalion
were the only Canadian Battalions to capture and for the time hold
objectives. There by its gallantry and determination the Battalion held
on throughout the day outflanked and unsupported. A Battalion of German
Marines was threatening the left, which necessitated a change of front.
This was successfully accomplished. The enemy charged the position on
three separate occasions, but were driven back with heavy loss each
time. This, however, was accomplished only by heavy loss to the
Battalion, for, when relieved, it mustered only one officer and
eighty-one other ranks; in one Company only five men remained.

On leaving the Somme area the Regiment was so depleted that it was
obliged to reorganize. The fighting had been of the bitterest
hand-to-hand kind.

The following order was published on leaving the area:

“7th Canadian Infantry Brigade.

“This Brigade has just finished a series of operations of which
every member may be justly proud.

“The performance of the 15th September, 1916, when the R.C.R.
P.P.C.L.I., 42nd and 49th Battalions, went into an unknown area on
four and a half hours’ notice, in broad daylight, and under heavy
shelling, reached and jumped off on time, not from prepared assembly
trenches, but from a battered trench captured that morning, and,
changing direction twice, captured and held three different
objectives, together with some three hundred prisoners, has been
characterized as one of the finest accomplishments by any Brigade in
the war.

“No one as time goes on can fail to be more and more impressed with
the extent to which each arm of the military machine is dependent
upon others for ultimate and lasting success; a Brigade may do
better than ever before, and still fail to gain their objective,
owing to another arm not having fully accomplished its task.

“The attack on September 16th, 1916, adds to, rather than dims, the
glory. Both the R.C.R. and the 42nd Battalion (R.H.C.) knew the
barrage had failed, that the Zollern Trench was fully manned, and
that the chances of success were slight. Notwithstanding, the
attacking companies of these Battalions did their duty, knowing that
the attack of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, timed for 6.30
p.m., depended entirely on their capturing their objective. They
thrust the attack home gallantly and well, but, under the
circumstances, with the odds so heavily against them, it was
impossible to make good the Zollern Trench.

“On the 8th October, 1916, Regina Trench was not battered in nor the
wire cut, but we all have good reason to be proud of the performance
of our Battalions that day—the R.C.R. and 49th Battalion for their
attack, the P.P.C.L.I. for their good work in the vacated front
line, and the 42nd Battalion (R.H.C.) for cheerfully going in again
to take over the defence of the line, although they had been
withdrawn a few hours before and were desperately tired. The Machine
Gun Company also comes in for its share of the well-earned praise
for its excellent barrage work and support of the Infantry.

“We all feel particularly proud of the splendid work of the R.C.R.
in driving through to their objective and holding it so long against
odds. No one could have done better and few so well.

“A. C. MACDONELL, Brig.-Gen.,
“Comd’g. 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade.

“15–10–16.”

In November the Battalion moved north again to Neuville St. Vaast,
nothing of much importance happening with the exception of raids. These
commenced after Christmas and became almost a daily occurrence. Daring
deeds of all degrees were performed by all ranks, with the result that
the Battalion was morally and actually master of the situation and owned
“No Man’s Land.”

On April 9, 1917, the Battle of Vimy Ridge commenced. This was one of
the most perfectly planned actions that has ever occurred. Every man
knew exactly what he had to do and how to do it, and where he was to go.
The strong ridge which the Germans had held and fortified to the best of
their ability fell into our hands with comparative ease. Many trophies
were captured by the Regiment, and all their objectives were taken
without any delay or hitch of any kind. This was accomplished in bitter
weather and mud knee deep; the ground captured was held intact in spite
of the furious and continued attacks launched by the enemy to wrest our
gains from us.

After Vimy the Regiment took part in the following major actions:—Avion,
June, 1917; Hill 70, July, 1917; Passchendaele, October and November,
1917 (in the latter period eleven hostile attacks were successfully
repelled); Amiens, 1918, where the Regiment was on the extreme right
successfully operating with the French; Monchy, August, 1918; Cambrai,
where Lieut. M. F. Gregg won his V.C.; Forêt de Raisines, Valenciennes;
and last, but not least, the dramatic capture of the world famous Mons.
The credit for the first to enter Mons has been claimed by the 42nd
Battalion. This is a moot point, and is probably due to the fact that a
Company of the Royal Canadian Regiment was detached to the 42nd and
entered the City from the S.E. The indubitable fact remains that Lieut.
W. M. King of the R.C.R. was the first to reach the square, where he was
received by the Mayor at the Town Hall with his platoon, and where he
signed the Golden Book of Mons, which was given by King Albert to the
City on his departure in 1914.

The Regiment returned to Canada and the C.E.F. personnel was demobilized
at Halifax on 10th March, 1919.

The following distinctions and awards were gained by the Regiment in the
war of 1914–18:—

V.C. 1
G.B.E. 1
C.M.G. 4
C.B.E. 1
D.S.O. 11
O.B.E. 5
M.C. 37
Bar to M.C. 5
D.F.C. 1
D.C.M. 24
Bar to D.C.M. 1
M.M. 128
Bar to M.M. 10
M.S.M. 10
Foreign Decorations. 15
Mentions. 35
Commissions from the ranks:
Lieut.-Colonel. 1
Major. 5
Captain. 14
Lieutenant. 28
2nd Lieutenant. 4

CHAPTER X.
_THE 17th BATTALION, C.E.F._

When war clouds lowered on the European horizon in July, 1914, it would
have been strange had the men of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, not been
among the first to recognize their duty to civilization and the Empire.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. STRUAN G. ROBERTSON.]

On July 31, 1914, the officer commanding the 78th Regiment Pictou
Highlanders wired the then Minister of Militia of Canada that his
Regiment was ready for service, and received a reply, dated August 1,
1914, expressing the Minister’s thanks for the patriotic offer. On
August 8th orders were received by wire from the Adjutant-General,
Ottawa, as follows: “It is notified for information that not more than
125 men with officers will be accepted from each rural Regiment.” This
order limited volunteering in Nova Scotian rural corps at once to that
number.

On August 20, 1914, 135 officers, non-commissioned officers and other
ranks left New Glasgow for Valcartier, being joined at Truro by a full
quota of officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the 76th
Colchester Rifles and small detachments of the 63rd and 66th Halifax
Regiments, a Company from the 75th Lunenburg Regiment under
Lieut.-Colonel Andrews, and one from 69th. Passing through Cumberland
County the Nova Scotian contingent was further augmented by a roll of
officers, non-commissioned officers and men, up to the strength
authorized, from the 93rd Cumberland Regiment, with their O.C.,
Lieut.-Colonel Murray, making in all a total of some five hundred
officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks.

Had each of the seven Nova Scotia Regiments of Militia been able to send
the number authorized the contingent would have been little short of
strength as a Regiment. Ottawa had apparently overlooked the fact that
both the Halifax Regiments and the 94th of Cape Breton were on garrison
duty, making it difficult for them to recruit beyond their then
imperative needs or part with the number required.

It was then proposed by the officers on board the troop train that steps
be taken to form a Nova Scotian Battalion, so that all might serve
together. The three senior officers of the contingent, Lieut.-Colonels
Andrews, Cameron and Murray asked Lieut.-Col. S. G. Robertson to
undertake the organization and ask that he be given command. Although he
had specialized as far as possible in Staff work and felt his services
would be of more value in that line than in Regimental duty, the request
was difficult of refusal and the proposal was accepted.

From the time of arrival in Valcartier the Nova Scotians remained
together until a wire was received from the Minister authorizing the
organization of the Battalion. Unfortunately an excessive advertising of
the Unit by a too friendly press in Halifax aroused Provincial
jealousies and no doubt made fulfilment of the authorization difficult.
It undoubtedly made it appear to outsiders that the Nova Scotian
officers were doing a lot of advertising, an opinion that was far from
the truth. Time dragged on; a few officers and men losing heart joined
other Battalions; but their number was small and all had the best
reasons for doing so. In most cases it meant promotion.

Shortly before the day of sailing, the raising of two new Units was
authorized by Headquarters, to be numbered the 17th and 18th Battalions;
and the personnel of the officers was published, which included one, if
not two, of the senior Nova Scotian officers. Recruiting, however,
showed that there were no available rank and file apart from the Nova
Scotians, who, however, absolutely refused to join without their own
officers. As all prospect of a Nova Scotian Battalion seemed to have
vanished, therefore in order to get the men to join one of the new
Units, after consultation with the men Lieut.-Colonel Robertson offered
his services as Paymaster in that Unit.

Hardly had his services been accepted by the Officer Commanding than the
Premier arrived in Camp and called a meeting of the Nova Scotian
officers for the following morning. At the meeting two proposals were
made to the officers, who were asked to consider them and report their
decision at a later hour. The proposals were to go then as a half
Battalion or remain behind to be properly organized and sail later. The
meeting of officers decided without dissent that to remain until
properly organized was the only course open, in view of the shortness of
time and lack of so much that was necessary.

On this report being made to the Premier he stated that it had been
decided to send us as a Battalion with the First Contingent, to allow us
to recruit as far as possible and if necessary to send drafts later to
complete our establishment. The colors of the Battalion were then
presented by Lady Borden, with appropriate ceremony.

Within three days sufficient men had been recruited in Cape Breton,
Pictou, Colchester and Cumberland Counties practically to complete the
strength of a Regiment.

The Premier was no longer in Camp, and transport was refused. Possibly,
the momentarily expected sailing of the First Contingent made it
impractical, and the Battalion sailed from Quebec on September 30, 1914,
with a full strength of officers and non-commissioned officers and 773
other ranks, unbrigaded under strength and under-equipped, but with
hearts burning with loyalty, on board the _S.S. Ruthenia_.

Just one hundred and twenty-nine years before the ancestors of many of
these men had been disbanded from the 82nd Highlanders in Halifax and
given grants of land comprising 20,000 acres in Pictou County. The
Regiment had been raised in Perthshire by Col. Alexander Robertson of
Struan, then Chief of Clan Donnachie, and was commanded by him. Now
commanded by one of the same race and family they were returning to do
their part in the world’s tragedy.

The nominal roll of officers was as follows: Lieut.-Col. Struan G.
Robertson; Majors, Daniel D. Cameron and Daniel Murray; Adjutant, Capt.
Charles E. Bent; Asst.-Adjutant, Lieut. L. Ray Cutten.

Captains: W. H. Allen, L. C. Bentley, W. B. Coulter, Alex. Watson, D. C.
Sheppard, W. Forbes, Thos. Curwen Reid.

Lieutenants: G. W. Harris, F. M. Bentley, F. M. McDonald, J. E.
Christie, E. W. Mingo, C. J. Groggett, J. M. Gillis, Bruce Donald, A. N.
Peerless, R. E. Russell, G. A. Ross, G. E. C. Eager, Norman McKee, J. R.
Bell, Alister Fraser, Arthur Hunt Chute, B. J. Walker, A. Marlow.

Paymaster, Hon. Capt. Arthur McKay; Quartermaster, Hon. Capt. Robert
McMeekin; Medical Officer, Capt. H. Morrell; Chaplain, Paul Goforth;
Transport Officer, C. Hamilton Catty.

For five months the Battalion saw service on Salisbury Plain as a Unit.
No drafts arrived to bring the Battalion up to strength, but it was
attached to one Brigade after another. Some one has said that the ardor
of the Highlander springs from internal sentiment, and that the only
thing his spirit cannot brook is disappointment.

It has ever been seemingly fated that governments failed to appreciate
this characteristic of Scottish soldiers. Broken faith, real or
supposed, caused rebellion in even the Black Watch in 1743. In 1795,
when it was proposed to break up the Cameron Highlanders by drafting,
their Colonel told the Duke of York, then O. in C., “To draft the 79th
is more than you or your Royal father dare do!” The Duke of York
replied: “The King, my father, will certainly send the Regiment to the
West Indies.” Colonel Cameron thereupon losing his temper warmly
rejoined: “You may tell the King, your father, from me, that he may send
us to h—l if he likes, and Ell go at the head of them, but he daurna
draft us.”

Attempts were made to draft the men of the 17th but as they had been
enlisted over three months the Army Act made such procedure illegal,
unless voluntary, and the protest of the Officer Commanding, after
threatened proceedings, was effectual.

Four Battalions of the First Canadian Contingent, including the 17th,
were then made into Reserve Battalions, and the non-commissioned
officers and other ranks were drafted into the First Division to make up
for the wastage suffered during its sojourn on Salisbury Plain, which
then through sickness, desertion and the obtaining of commissions in the
Imperial Forces was equivalent to about ten per cent. of the original
total strength of the First Contingent.

As a Reserve Battalion the 17th served throughout the War and
practically all Nova Scotian Infantry Drafts passed at one time or
another through its ranks. From it were drawn the drafts for the
Highland Brigade 1st Division, and latterly those for Nova Scotia
Infantry Units in the Field. As a Reserve it outlived many of its
enemies.

Of the gallant hearts that left Nova Scotia in August, 1914, many have
paid the price and sleep their last sleep on alien soil.

“And, when the last Great Bugle Call
_O’er Vimy sounding, throbs_,
When the last grim joke is entered
In the big black book of Jobs,
_And Belgic battlefields give up_
Their victims to the air,
I shouldn’t like to be the man
_That played those men unfair_.”

CHAPTER XI.
_THE 25th BATTALION._

BY CAPT. G. C. M‘ELHENNY.

In endeavoring to write this brief account of the organization, training
and operations of the first Battalion of Nova Scotians to be raised and
equipped in their own Province and also the first from these “the
sea-girt hills and vales,” which have contributed more than their quota
of soldiers, sailors, statesmen, educators and men of affairs in the
past, to man the trenches in France and Flanders, the writer regrets and
wishes it understood that he is not writing from personal observations,
inasmuch as (and this is what he regrets) he was not a member of the
25th Battalion until the spring of 1917. The substance, then, of the
following is compiled from the War Diary of the 25th Canadian Infantry
Battalion, and is submitted to the publishers of this volume at their
request and with the fullest appreciation of the writer’s inability to
do justice to the task of chronicling four and a half years of any
Battalion’s history, least of all the splendid story of the indomitable
courage and tenacious striving toward an ideal which were the
predominant features of this, in several respects, an unique Battalion
in the Canadian Corps.

There are many omissions in the following narrative which the writer
regrets are imperative in order to make it of sufficient brevity to
allow of its publication in this volume. The nominal roll of officers is
as issued by the Department of Militia and Defence on the Battalion’s
sailing from Halifax on May 20, 1915. The summary of decorations awarded
was provided by the Adjutant-General, Canadian Militia, Ottawa, and does
not include the medals won by General Hilliam, C.B., and several other
officers and some other ranks when with Units other than the 25th
Battalion.

It will be interesting to note in the list of original 2nd Division
officers who marched across the Rhine at Bonn on December 13, 1918, that
only two were commissioned officers on September 15, 1915. They are
Major A. W. P. Weston and Lieut. G. M. McNeil, M.C. There were
ninety-six other ranks with the Battalion on both the above-mentioned
dates.

In the narrative there are many points on which the writer would like to
dilate at some length—more especially on some of the deeds of heroism in
the different actions. Of these deeds, practically in the earlier days
(1915 and 1916), more went unrecognized outside the Battalion than the
sum of all the decorations won by the Battalion. To mention more than
the few that fit into the narrative is obviously not feasible.

One thing that cheered the 25th Battalion through all their long service
in France was the pipe band under Pipe-Major Carson. Major J. W. Logan
was responsible for the organization and equipment of this fine band.
There was nothing better in the armies in France.

In pursuance of the Canadian Government’s scheme to raise a Second
Division for service Overseas, Lieut.-Col. G. A. Lecain (69th Regiment),
of Roundhill, Annapolis County, was authorized to mobilize the 25th
Battalion, Canadian Infantry, in Nova Scotia (October, 1914).
Lieut.-Colonel Lecain established headquarters at the Armories, Halifax,
and opened recruiting offices in Sydney, Amherst, New Glasgow, Truro and
Yarmouth. Recruiting commenced late in October, 1914. The official
nominal roll of officers who received appointments to the Battalion is
published here and to them is due the credit of the splendid
organization and training which enabled these sons of New Scotland to
rank second to none with the flower of the British Armies. Mention
should also be made of the fine non-commissioned officers of the
Battalion and those loaned by the Permanent Force, who attended to the
details of training with most commendable zeal.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. G. A. LECAIN.]

It should be remembered that this was Nova Scotia’s first attempt at
recruiting and organizing a full Battalion for service in the Great War,
and the facilities for the proper fulfilment of such a task were far
from perfect. In view of this then Nova Scotians should be, and, I
think, are, unanimous in their praise of Lieut.-Colonel Lecain and all
ranks of his Battalion for his organizing and so quickly training a Unit
which, though many times decimated and only a skeleton of a Battalion
left, quickly and smoothly absorbed its reinforcements and carried on
with renewed energy and greater deeds toward the high ideal of service
for home and humanity.

The writer has often had it suggested to him that it was a pity the
deeds of the 25th Battalion were not better known by the people at home.
The reply to such a suggestion, on behalf of the Battalion is this: The
reputation of the 25th Battalion was safe in the hands of our comrades
throughout the Canadian Corps, and our exploits in raiding were the
marvel of two armies. These exploits and deeds with their inevitable
accompaniment of blood and death were not fit subjects to press-agent
into the already overwrought family circles, which were possibly in
receipt of one of those missiles of despair and death—an “official
telegram from Ottawa.” We gloried in the encomiums of the Brigade,
Divisional, Corps and Army Commanders, and still more in the hearty
praise of our comrades in the “Y” or the canteens or estaminets. But no
one thought of sending an account home. And why? Well, there were a good
many Bills, and Jocks, and Toms and so on, who “went west” in that
scrap. And what’s the use of making it realistic to Mary and Nora and
Bessie? “No, Pard, we would rather not.”

And there we will leave it and endeavor to adhere to a resolution to
make this brief sketch statistically correct.

Before Christmas Day, 1914, the Battalion was at full strength and had
the authorized ten per cent. reserve in training in the Armories at
Halifax and later on the Common. In April the people of Nova Scotia
presented the Battalion with two fine field kitchens and $2,500, the
ceremony taking place at the Provincial Building, in front of the whole
Battalion on parade and a vast concourse of people.

As evidence of the fine spirit which animated the whole Battalion
the-following is copied from the official War Diary: “A University
Reinforcement Company of the P.P.C.L.I. arrived in the city to embark
for England, and the 25th Battalion was called on to supply seven men to
bring it up to strength. The Battalion was formed up on the Common and
an invitation extended for any who wished to go Overseas at once in this
draft to take one pace forward. The whole Battalion, to a man, stepped
forward making it necessary to search the records and select seven
ex-imperial service men. Privates Aldridge, Baker, Conroy, Cumberland,
Erickson, Kehoe and Leonard were selected.”

On sailing for England aboard _H.M.T.S. Saxonia_ (Captain Charles, R.N.)
on May 20, 1915, Haligonians and many from other points in the Province
witnessed many a moving spectacle as bright countenances fought the
dimming influence of heavy hearts as they wished the boys of the 25th
Godspeed on their journey, and victory in the fight; leaving their safe
return or immortalization in the hands of the Creator who deals justly
and well in all things. With the 25th Battalion on board the _Saxonia_
were those gallant sons of Quebec, the 22nd Battalion. No account of the
doings of the 25th Battalion could do justice to its purpose without
paying tribute to those noble French-Canadians who were continually
associated with the 25th Battalion from embarkation at Halifax on May
20, 1915, to debarkation at the same port on May 16, 1919. Surely there
is a lesson for our politicians and religious bigots in the close
co-operation which marked the attitude of these two Battalions toward
each other throughout the period of their association. Our brave
comrades of the 22nd Battalion showed us that the French-Canadian was
not only generous in sympathy but quick to collaborate with his fellow
Canadians of British descent on the broad principle of national welfare.
In battle, in sports, or in argument over the estaminet tables, proof of
the whole-hearted camaraderie between the 22nd and 25th Battalions was
daily evident and fostered by both Units.

The _Saxonia_ docked at Devonport on May 29, 1915, and her valuable
human cargo took trains for Westenhanger, in Kent County, where they
detrained in the middle of the night and marched to East Sandling Camp,
in the Shorncliffe area, to which the 2nd Canadian Division had been
assigned for the period of their intensive training.

While this training was being carried out the Battalion took part in
Divisional Reviews by H.M. the King, Earl Kitchener, Lieut-General Sir
Sam Hughes and General Steele, as well as one in honor of the visit to
the area by the Premier of Canada, Sir Robert Borden, and Brigade and
Training Inspectors. The 25th Battalion was now a Unit of the 5th
(Eastern Canada) Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, which consisted of four
Battalions and details (22nd, 24th, 25th and 26th) drawn from Quebec,
Montreal, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The Brigade Commander was
Lieut.-Colonel (now Major-General) Sir David Watson, and Major-General
R. W. Turner, V.C., was Divisional Commander.

After three and a half months of eight hours’ training per day, with
four hours of practice in night operations’ frequently, the 2nd Division
was ordered to France. The 25th Battalion proceeded by boat from
Folkestone to Boulogne on the night of September 15, 1915, and by train
on the following day from Pont de Brieques, a few kilometres from
Boulogne, to a small station near St. Omer. From here to the front line
was the first real test of the Battalion’s _morale_ and physical
condition. Marching for five days with new (Kitchener’s) boots over
French and Belgian cobblestone roads, the Battalion relieved the King’s
Own Regiment on the night of the 22nd–23rd of September, 1915, the first
Nova Scotia Battalion to face the Hun as a Unit. And not a man had
dropped out in the gruelling grind of the last four days. The writer has
been told, unofficially, that this was a record for the Division, and
though it has never been confirmed, neither has it been denied.

The first few tours in the front lines were spent in the H and I
trenches, Kemmel Sector of the Ypres Salient, where the Hun was very
active in mining operations. During the Battalion’s second tour, which
extended over six days, Fritz blew one large and three smaller mines on
“B” Company, which killed twelve and wounded twenty, leaving a crater 65
feet by 35 feet and 25 feet deep. This resulted in no advantage to the
enemy, inasmuch as the charge was situated so that it must have done
considerable damage to his trenches, and the crater was promptly
garrisoned by Nova Scotians.

[Illustration:

BRIG.-GEN. E. HILLIAM, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.]

Late in October, 1915, Major E. Hilliam, a 1st Division officer,
succeeded Lieut.-Colonel Lecain in command of the Battalion; and, under
his soldierly guidance, the 25th began to make the Bosche sit up and
notice his surroundings. Under Major (as O.C., Lieut.-Colonel) Hilliam’s
guidance the Battalion became expert in the little tricks which worried
the enemy and made trench life more interesting. Notable among the many
episodes which added spice to the daily routine was a raid on the Hun
trenches by Lieutenant (now Lieut.-Colonel) Wise, and the stalking of a
German patrol in No Man’s Land by Corporal (now Captain) “Ernie”
Canning, which resulted in the capture of one of their number and the
gaining of much information. The small garrison of thirty-five 25th
Battalion men, under Lieutenants Morgan, Johnstone and McNeil, holding
Nos. 1 and 4 craters at St. Eloi in April, 1915, gave the attacking
company of Huns a sample of the unbeatable stuff they are made of.

In April the 25th Battalion took over the line at St. Eloi where they
remained about six weeks. This was beyond a doubt the most trying
experience which the Battalion had to that time or has since been called
upon to endure. There were no front line trenches. Five mine craters had
to be occupied, since the front line trenches were all destroyed, and
the men had to occupy most exposed positions. Every hole and every
remnant remaining of a trench were used as the only possible cover, and
mud, muck and water prevailed. Under continually heavy and harrowing
fire and attacks the Battalion endured, though at the price of the loss
of hundreds of its personnel. The German artillery fire in the Ypres
Salient was the heaviest of the War. With enemy artillery on three
sides, the situation may better be imagined than described. One crater
that was occupied by the Battalion was attacked no less than five times
between dusk and dawn in one night alone, but the crater was held. When
the garrison was relieved there were not enough men left to bring out
the wounded and a relief party had to be sent in for that purpose. On
this front all intercommunication was impossible and isolated parties
held the lines. The Battalion was highly commended by the higher command
for their excellent work on this front.

The Battalion spent 339 days on the Belgian Front, of which 164 days
were spent in actual front line trenches. Many good officers and men
were killed or wounded. Among the former was Lieutenant Douglas, who was
killed while fighting with the 6th (Western) Brigade in the craters of
St. Eloi. Lieutenant Douglas was Battalion Machine Gun Officer and had
been loaned with the machine gun section to the 6th Brigade during the
furious onslaughts which the Hun was making on the craters. The men with
Lieutenant Douglas were all killed excepting five who were captured.

Besides the Kemmel and St. Eloi Sectors, the 25th Battalion were engaged
at Vierstraat, Ploegsteerte, Hill 60, Hooge and Messines. And it was
here, also, that the Battalion obtained “Robert the Bruce,” mascot and
veteran of three years’ service in the land of his birth. It would be
hard for one to see the immense, sleek goat now on the farm of Major
Matheson at Baddeck and endeavor to imagine the same animal, two weeks
old, hardly bigger than a cat, feeding from a bottle in the hands of
Pipe-Major Carson in the kitchen of the band’s billet in Locre. But they
are one and the same animal. The members of the band bought him from the
“Madame” of the house for two francs (40c.), and trained him to “swank”
in front of the pipe band, eat cigarettes, drink beer, and demand his
blanket at “lights out.” He added many other traits and tricks to his
repertoire before the Battalion was disbanded, and many a would-be
possessor of our mascot has felt the force of his “butt” sufficiently to
make them all leave “Robert the Bruce” strictly to his own Battalion.

The 25th Battalion played a leading part in the assault at Courcellette
on September 15, 1916. The whole Corps welcomed the relief from the
ground-hog tactics of the fray in Belgium and looked forward with keen
anticipation to their participation in open warfare tactics on the Somme
in Picardy.

The troops marched a good portion of the long distance from Hazebrouck
to Albert. The 25th Battalion spent a few days on the way in rehearsing
practices in formations for advancing and assaulting and arrived in the
brickfields of Albert where the whole Division and units of the 1st and
3rd Divisions were massed under tarpaulins and corrugated iron, a few
days in advance of September 15, 1916.

The plan of attack on the immediate front of Courcellette was for the
4th (Ontario) Brigade to open the attack on the morning of the fifteenth
(15th) and clear the ground in front of Courcellette and on the
sixteenth (16th) the 5th Brigade would carry on the attack into the
town. The 4th Brigade had their objectives cleared and consolidated so
early in the day that the Divisional Commander decided to put the 5th
Brigade over the top at 6 o’clock in the afternoon. Brig.-General
MacDonnell (5th Brigade) divided the town evenly, pointed out the
objectives to Lieut.-Colonel Tremblay (22nd Battalion) and
Lieut.-Colonel Hilliam, explained that the other two Battalions would be
in support and reserve and sent the Quebecers and Nova Scotians to it.
Both Battalions were led in person by their commanding officers, who set
a fine example of leadership and courage to officers and men. The 25th
and 22nd Battalions established their line well to the east of the
ruined town and maintained their positions in the face of fierce
counter-attacks until relieved a few days later.

This operation, brilliant as it was in execution, cost the Battalion
some of its most capable officers and men. Lieut.-Colonel Hilliam was
wounded in the hand, but refused to leave the line until his Battalion
was relieved. He was in evidence everywhere throughout the attack with
his long stick cheering his men and by his energy and daring urging them
to their best endeavors. In his report to the G.O.C., 5th Brigade, he
praised the work of officers and men very highly, and closed with the
words, “General, I have the honor of commanding the finest body of men I
have ever seen.”

Three Company Commanders, Major Tupper (“A” Company), Major Brooks (“D”
Company), and Capt. John Stairs (“C” Company), were killed, and the O.C.
“B” Company, Major Flowers, was severely wounded. The Adjutant, Captain
Dicky, Lieutenants Hobkirk, Howson, Craig and Doane were killed. The
wounded included Capt. J. D. McNeil, Major Nutter, Lieutenants Wetmore,
Ryan, DeYoung and Dennis Stairs.

Before I pass from the doings of the Battalion on the Somme, it is
necessary, in order to do justice to the narrative, to record the loss
of one of the bravest and most capable officers of the Battalion and one
who gave great promise as a fearless and resourceful fighter for high
ideals. I refer to Lieut. L. H. Johnstone, who led the 25th Battalion in
the fruitless and bloody attack on Regina Trench, October 1st, 1916.
While gallantly leading those men into a veritable hell of machine gun
and shell fire, the “Iron Duke,” as he was nicknamed by the gallant men
he was leading, fell to rise no more.

[Illustration:

CAPT. L. H. JOHNSTONE.]

[Illustration:

MAJOR J. H. TUPPER.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. CHAS. H. HOBKIRK.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. C. E. HOWSON.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. FRASER CRAIG.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. W. E. E. DOANE.]

When the Battalion finally moved from the Somme area to be reinforced
and recuperated there were less than one hundred of the original
crusaders who marched so gaily from Flanders less than one month
previously. Though they had received a hard drubbing they made the old
nickname of “Herring-choker” one to be respected as long as memory lives
and histories are written. Theirs was not the attitude of the torn and
mangled dog with its tail between its legs. With reinforcements, which
arrived while the remnants of the Battalion rested a few days at
Bertrincourt, near Albert, they were transported to Hersin, and
immediately went into the line at Bully-Grenay, on the Lens Front,
where, with a pugnacity which is typical of the breed, they stirred up a
quiet sector until it became the most frequently raided and most heavily
shelled of their experience.

The first raid on this front, and one of the most successful, was the
enterprise, on Christmas Eve, 1916, directed by Capt. W. A. Cameron and
carried out by an officer and twenty men from each Company. The
objective took in a point in the enemy lines known as the “Pope’s Nose,”
owing to the peculiar twist in the trench which brought it to within
fifteen yards of our line. Each party was successful in gaining entrance
to the Hun trenches. In fact, two of the parties encountered no
opposition, for Fritz had fled for cover. But the party from “D”
Company, under Lieut. (now Capt.) W. A. Livingstone, found their
objective strongly manned and the men were able to get in some splendid
bayonet and Mills bomb work. They saved seven specimens of German Kultur
to tell our Intelligence Staff what they knew about the situation on the
other side of No Man’s Land.

Captain Cameron, Lieutenants Livingstone and Morris received Military
Crosses in recognition of their energy and personal gallantry in the
above affair.

Lieut.-Colonel Hilliam, D.S.O., was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General and appointed to the command of the 10th Infantry
Brigade, 4th Canadian Division, in January, 1917. The Battalion at
having their C.O. selected for a higher command recognized that no
promotion in the Allied Forces was more deserved; but regret at the
Battalion’s loss was expressed by all ranks. The effects of his
soldierly training and administration of the Battalion remained with
them throughout the War.

In the attack on Vimy Ridge, Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, the 25th
Battalion was led by Major J. A. Delancey, M.C., until that brave
officer was killed, after which Major (now Colonel) A. O. Blois, of
Halifax (who had enlisted as a private in the 40th Battalion, been
appointed to a commission in the 64th Battalion, transferred a subaltern
to the 25th Battalion and had progressed at that date through the
Adjutancy of the Battalion to the rank of Major), took command, and
organized and consolidated the objectives which had all been secured by
ten o’clock and were extended later in the day.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. HALLISEY.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. J. H. WALLACE.]

Two of the Battalion pipers played the boys over the top that wintry
morning, and although the German band and our own artillery drowned the
skirling notes of the pibroch, our lads were fired with the spirit which
prompted these two noble musicians to volunteer and insist on
accompanying the Battalion through the muck and mire, the death and
destruction which was let loose on that fateful day. They were awarded
Military Medals for their splendid example of self-sacrificing disregard
for personal safety.

Lieutenant Hallisey, of Truro, was killed while proceeding to the
“jumping off” position. Several officers were wounded, and the
casualties among the N.C.O.’s and men were very heavy. The death of
R.S.M. “Dad” Henchcliffe, M.C., father of all the N.C.O.’s and men in
the Battalion, was particularly regrettable; for he was a very efficient
warrant officer and a friend to all.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. “STAN” BAULD.]

Lieut.-Colonel Bauld commanded the Battalion at the taking of Fresnoy
and Arleux late in February. While these were only local affairs and
confined to a narrow front, they were the cause of some very severe
casualties. “D” and “C” Companies suffered very severely at Arleux.
Captain Weare, M.C., was severely shell-shocked, Lieutenants Bell and
Wallace, two very promising young officers, were killed, and scores of
our men caught in the wire, in the darkness, were literally shot to
pieces.

Shortly after this affair, two officers’ batmen from “C” Company went
astray in the darkness with their officers’ rations and strayed into the
enemy lines. Their whereabouts was a matter of conjecture until the
publication of the roll of prisoners of war. In the thirty-eight months
during which the 25th Battalion was in contact with the flower of the
German War Lord’s Legions, only eight of our men were captured alive.
The five machine-gunners have already been noted. They were detached
from the Battalion at the time of their capture. The two mentioned above
were the victims of a dark night and unfamiliar recently captured
ground. The eighth man to be captured was taken on the Mericourt Sector
early in 1918 during a raid by a party of three officers and ninety Huns
on a thinly held portion of the sector. We also succeeded in capturing
one of the raiding party who was unfortunate enough to get into our wire
entanglements. A great deal of information was gleaned from the captive
regarding the training and composition of the raiding party. The man who
was captured by the enemy had only joined the Battalion a few days
previously. So what information the German Intelligence Staff gleaned
from him must have been purely family affairs.

Early in July, 1917, Lieut.-Colonel Bauld obtained leave of absence to
visit his home, and the command of the Battalion devolved on Major
Blois, D.S.O., who commanded the 25th, until he in turn was granted
leave to Canada in May, 1918.

[Illustration:

COL. A. G. BLOIS, D.S.O.]

The 25th Battalion played a glorious part in the Battle of Hill 70 on
August 15, 1917. The boys went over the top from the shell-holes of No
Man’s Land in front of Cité St. Laurent. “A” Company, in the first wave,
secured the Hun front line. “B” Company was through them as soon as the
creeping barrage permitted and clinched the support line, while “D”
Company carried on to the limits of the town. The 24th Battalion then
pushed on our positions 600 yards farther to the trench “Nun’s Alley.”
Considering the amount of ground gained and the nature of the fighting,
in ruined streets and over demolished buildings, the casualties were
very light on the 15th. But the Hun artillery promptly laid down a
barrage to cover his counter-attacks, which fell behind the front line
and completely churned up the debris formerly known as Cité St. Laurent,
where the 25th Battalion was endeavoring to establish a defensive
position. The counter-attacks of the Bosche gradually weakened, and by
the 18th had ceased; but his artillery strafing grew more intense as the
days passed, causing many casualties.

On the night of August 19–20, the 25th Battalion moved from their
positions in Cité St. Laurent to the comparative peace and quiet of the
front line. At daybreak the 6th Brigade on our immediate right were to
attack and tighten the pressure already exercised on Lens. The Hun also
divulged his reason for the systematic and furious shelling of our
positions during the past six days when he launched an attack in force
on the 6th Brigade and extending into our right (“D” Company’s front).
The O.C. “D” Company, being in an advanced position and close to our own
artillery barrage line, was ordered to place his men under cover, which
he did, leaving only sentries at the entrances to shelters.

[Illustration:

CAPT. OWEN C. DAUPHINEE.]

Zero hour for the 6th Brigade’s and the German attack coincided and both
were demoralized by the intensity of the artillery fire they encountered
before the assembly positions could be cleared. The result was that
neither the 6th Brigade nor the Prussians opposite them left their
trenches. But the artillery was not so active on the Front of our “D”
Company, with the result that the Huns were throwing grenades down on
our dugout steps before our men realized that they were trapped.
Lieutenant Dauphinee was killed in a gallant attempt to clear the
entrance to the dugout in which the whole Company was sheltered. Captain
W. A. Livingstone, M.C., O.C. “D” Company, managed to force his way out
by another entrance, and with a Lewis Gun spitting .303 bullets from his
shoulder, he managed to clear the trench of those who escaped his
fusilade. But the trench was literally filled with corpses from the
attacking hordes. Nor was the situation normal as yet. A party of Huns
had got in on the right of our boundary, and Lieutenant Spurr and
Sergeant Jordan, after expelling them, organized the survivors of the
Company of a Western Battalion, who had lost all their officers and were
in a precarious condition. The boys of “D” Company, reinforced by a
platoon from “B” Company, which had been led up through the intense
shelling by Lieutenant Bell, were busy all day repelling bombing parties
which stubbornly attempted to force their way into our lines at the
Battalion boundary-the junction of Nun’s Alley and Commotion Trenches.

Captain Livingstone, whose work on this day merited the Victoria Cross,
was severely wounded in the chest and collapsed immediately after he had
cleared the Huns from his trenches, and Lieutenant Spurr commanded his
company until relieved by a company of the Royal Canadian Regiment at
night. Great credit is due Lieutenants Gibbons and Bell for their skill
and judgment in rallying our boys and organizing the defences. The
coolness of Sergeant Jordan saved the situation on the immediate right,
when he rallied the overwrought survivors of the Western Battalion.
Corporal Boudreau, Company Sergt.-Major Bragg, Corporal Veniot, and
Sergt. “Dan” Fraser also distinguished themselves in inflicting
punishment on the Hun and by their heroic conduct throughout the day.
Company Sergt.-Major Bragg and Sergeant Jordan were awarded
Distinguished Conduct Medals for their services on this occasion.
Captain Livingstone, M.C., was awarded a bar, and Lieutenant Spurr, the
Military Cross.

At Passchendaele, on November 10, 1917, the 5th Infantry Brigade was
given the post of honor as a successful assaulting Brigade. The 1st, 3rd
and 4th Divisions and the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division had been
engaged in nibbling here and there at the Hun positions and had at
length captured most of the Passchendaele Ridge. But the ruined town
still remained in German hands. On the morning of the 6th November the
26th Battalion attacked and captured the ruins to the eastern limits of
the town and after holding their gains for four days the 5th Brigade was
withdrawn from the Passchendaele Sector, and returned to Lens.

The 2nd Canadian Division remained in the Lens-Mericourt Sectors until
the latter part of February, 1918. The only notable occurrence, other
than the loss of one man to the Huns, as previously noted, was the
stealth raid led by Lieut. P. R. Phillips, of Barrington, assisted by a
covering party under Lieut. Max MacRae, of Westville. The raiding party
of only five crawled over the Lens-Arras Road and made their way among
the battered houses of Lens to one of the buildings of Fosse 3 and
destroyed a dugout full of “Heinies,” bringing the sentry who was on
duty at the entrance into our lines. The prisoner proved to be a very
observant chap and a great deal of information was gleaned from him.
When questioned as to the great offensive which our Staff expected
daily, he said no attack would be made on the Canadians. Fritz had
probably had his fill of attacking Canucks when he broke his head on
them in the First Battle of Ypres, at St. Eloi and the Barrier.

The 2nd Division had completed ten days.of what was to be a months’ rest
when the long-expected Hun offensive broke away south on the British
right on March 21st. The 25th Battalion had only started their syllabus
of training and recreation when they were ordered south. The northern
limits of this effort of the Hun was marked by the southern boundary of
the Canadian Corps’ front, and here the 2nd Division took over the
completely disorganized line of the Imperial troops. The sector was
known as the Mercatel-Neuville Vetasse Sector. Here the 25th Battalion
was engaged three months in punishing the German Division opposite. Each
period of six days spent in the front line was marked by a raid on the
enemy outposts, and sometimes our boys penetrated three-quarters of a
mile into the Hun lines. So completely terrorized was Fritz by the
vigorous onslaughts which occurred almost nightly and several times in
broad daylight that no resistance was offered in most cases, and at
length the news was gleaned from some of the last prisoners that the
whole Division had to be withdrawn for re-equipment.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. J. WISE, D.S.O., M.C., CROIX DE GUERRE.]

The 25th Battalion established themselves as the “Master Raiders” of the
Canadian Corps, and were called on for some officers and
non-commissioned officers to instruct the famous Guards Division in the
new and most effective art of keeping Fritz worried. Six of the raids
conducted on this front were led by one officer, Lieut. (now Major) Max
MacRae, every one of which netted prisoners, besides machine guns and
documents. Among the other officers taking part in these raids were
Captains Anderson and Holmes, Lieutenants Lounsbury, Hawes, Bell,
Johnstone, Holly, Burchell, Spurr, and Wright. It was here that the
Battalion established its record of successful raids and became known
throughout the 1st and the 4th Armies as the “Raiding Battalion,”
putting on about thirty raids in this sector.

Lieut.-Colonel (now Colonel) Blois, D.S.O., was granted leave to Canada
and handed the Battalion over to Major (now Lieut.-Colonel) Wise in May,
1918.

At the battle of Amiens, August 8, 1918, when the Canadian Corps was
first launched into the grand offensive which broke the German morale
and brought them begging for peace, the 25th Battalion was on the left
of the Canadian Corps and in touch with the dashing Australian Corps on
their left. The attack, like that of nearly two years previous at
Courcellette, was made with the 4th Brigade taking Villers, Brettonneux,
and Marcelcave on the Amiens-Roye Railway, and a considerable stretch of
country to the right of those towns. The plans were so well guarded and
the assemblage of troops, guns, etc., so effectively concealed, that the
enemy was utterly stunned at the suddenness of the attack and the speed
with which it was pushed.

After the 4th Brigade had established their line in front of Marcelcave
the 5th Brigade carried on the attack through Wiencourt and
Guillaucourt. The 25th Battalion encountered considerable opposition in
a small wood south of Wiencourt; and it was there that most of the
casualties occurred. Lieut. J. W. Holly, of St. John, was killed by
machine-gun fire, and thirteen other officers were wounded in ousting
the Huns from this wood.

[Illustration:

CAPT. N. H. WETMORE.]

At Guillaucourt, Lieut.-Colonel Wise, who was the first to arrive at the
objective, fell, severely wounded by a sniper’s bullet. The Adjutant,
Capt. N. H. Wetmore, utterly disregarding his own safety, sprang to his
O.C.’s assistance and became the target for a better directed bullet
from the same sniper and fell, never to rise again.

Major Day, second in command, who had been acting as a Brigade liaison
officer during the attack, immediately assumed command of the Battalion
and directed it in the advance on the following day when the towns of
Vrely and Meharicourt were taken. After having advanced twelve miles in
two days, the 2nd Division gave place to the 4th, who carried on to the
outskirts of Hallu. This attack was certainly the most successful in
which the 25th Battalion had thus far been engaged. An immense area of
beautiful country with some important towns had been taken from the Hun,
with surprisingly few casualties.

After a few days in the line in front of Hallu, the Battalion was moved
to Berneville, near Arras, where the details were left behind and we
were into it again—over Telegraph Hill and down the eastern slope to the
Cojuel River on August 26th—a distance of four miles—fighting all the
way; then across the dried-up bed of the stream on the 27th to Cherisy
and past the Sensee River to the heights beyond; and then a tightening
up of the Hun resistance, which meant a fruitless hammering at the
strongly wired positions in front of Upton Wood and “the Crow’s Nest” on
the 28th.

The 2nd Division had not rested since the 5th of August, and had
penetrated to great depths in the enemy’s lines on two fronts. The tired
troops could accomplish no more. The writer can testify that men
actually fell asleep on their feet on the night of the 28th–29th of
August, when a counter-attack was imminent. The state of mind of men
when so thoroughly exhausted as our boys were at the end of the third
day, is one that cares not what may happen to a body so completely worn
out. It is then that sentiment—love of home, Battalion pride, and the
shame of weakness—asserts itself and supports a man when everything
tangible is wobbling.

[Illustration:

CAPT. M. L. TUPPER.]

“C” Company lost a splendid officer when Capt. M. L. Tupper was killed.
A relative of Major J. H. Tupper, who “paid the price” at Courcellette
in 1916, he had shown a fearlessness in the face of the enemy and a
conscientiousness in all his duties which well merited his appointment
as O.C. “C” Company.

The Battalion had a respite of two days at Hautes Avesnes, on the
Arras-St. Pol Road, over the anniversary of the landing in France and
the Battle of Courcellette, September 15th, and was then continuously in
the forward area until after the fall of Cambrai on October 9, 1918,
engaging the Hun in the Inchy-Moeuvres and the Marcomg Switch Sectors,
and clearing the Hun from the towns of Eseadoeueres and Ievuy, on the
northern outskirts of Cambrai. “B” Company, under Lieutenant (now Major)
MacRae, M.C. (two bars), did splendid work at Inchy on the 21st and 22nd
September, when they captured seven machine guns, killing the crews and
straightening out a kink in our line.

In this wonderful last hundred days of the War, when the Hun had to be
dislodged from the positions he had been preparing since his first check
at the Marne in 1914, the deeds of valor which were enacted daily and
hourly were too numerous to refer to here at any length. But mention may
be made of some of the more notable recipients of War Decorations
awarded officers, N.C.O.’s and men, who served with the 25th Battalion.

First in the list must come Lieut.-Colonel (now Brig.-General) Hilliam,
who won the D.S.O. and two bars for personal gallantry in the field and
was mentioned in despatches four times. He was also invested with the
insignia of a Companion of the Bath (C.B.) and that of a Companion of
the Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.). Another officer who
carries two rows of medals on his breast is Major G. McL. Matheson,
D.S.O., M.C., and M.M. Lieut.-Colonel Wise wears the D.S.O. and the
M.C., with the French Croix de Guerre. Lieut. M. M. Jordan wears the
M.C., D.C.M. and Bar.

Capt. Max MacRae was awarded the Military Cross three times. Company
Sergt.-Major Dauphinee and Corporal Leggett each were awarded the
Military Medal three times. Regimental Sergt.-Major Hurley was awarded
the Military Cross, D.C.M. and French Croix de Guerre. Company
Sergt.-Major Boudreau received the Croix de Virtute (Roumanian) besides
the D.C.M., M.M. and Bar. Private Mickarek won the Russian Cross of St.
George. And many officers and men won Military Crosses, D.C.M.’s, M.M.’s
and Bars. A summary of the Battalion’s record of awards is given further
below.

The last occasion on which the 25th Battalion was in hostile contact
with the Hun was at the storming of Elouges, a mining town near Mons, on
November 8, 1918. The casualties, though very light, only eleven men
being killed, included some of the originals who had seen the thing
through to this ringing down of the curtain. Some eleven, including
Company Sergt.-Major George Vincent, D.C.M., Corpl. John Morrison and
“Billie” Roberts, who had weathered the storm only to be swept over at
the harbor’s mouth, lie asleep in the little civilian cemetery at
Elouges, where their graves will be guarded and cared for by the
grateful people of the town, who welcomed the Battalion as liberators.

The boys of the Battalion were enjoying their “lionization” by the
populace at Mons when the news was received at 9 a.m. on November 11,
1918, that we had but two hours more of hostilities when the Armistice
would become effective.

The remaining three days were given over to celebrating what had been
fought for, and prayed for during the last four years—_Victory_. A
Thanksgiving Service was held in the little chapel in the town,
conducted by the brave chaplain who had stuck to us through the “Last
Hundred Days”—Capt. A. J. MacDonald. And the local pastor addressed us
in an impassioned Address of Thanks in French, out of which the writer
distinguished only the oft-repeated phrase, “Merci beaucoup, nos
liberateurs.”

On November 19, 1918, the Battalion started on the long march to the
Rhine. We crossed the German border near St. Vith at 10.08 a.m.,
December 5th, with the Union Jack flying at the head of the column. At
10.47 a.m., December 13th, the Battalion crossed the Rhine at Bonn and
proceeded to the “Cologne Bridgehead Outpost Line,” where we had the
satisfaction of telling the Hun how he should act and also the pleasure
of enforcing our instructions on him.

After six weeks on the Rhine, during which all ranks had an opportunity
of visiting the famous cities of Cologne, Bonn and Coblenz, the
Battalion returned to Belgium and went into billets at Arvelais, near
Namur. On April 5, 1919, we started for Havre, and on the night of the
9th embarked on the old _Prince Arthur_, formerly of the Boston-Yarmouth
service, and on the morning of the 10th arrived at Southampton and
proceeded by train to Witley Camp in Surrey, where, after a month’s
sojourn awaiting documents from the Record Office, we sailed from
Southampton on the _Olympic_, May 10, 1919.

On board were the whole 5th Brigade and the 29th Battalion, 6th Brigade.
After an uneventful though pleasant voyage, and to the accompaniment of
the music of several bands and the shrill whistles of factories, boats
and auto horns on both sides of Halifax Harbor, the _Olympic_ docked at
Pier 2; and after a farewell to the 22nd, 24th, 26th and 29th we lined
up for our march to the Armories, which triumphal procession, to the
writer, seemed to be but a part of a great dream, as the memory of the
exile from home now seems but an hallucination.

TOTAL NUMBER OF DECORATIONS WON IN THE WAR BY OFFICERS AND OTHER RANKS
OF THE 25TH BATTALION, NOVA SCOTIA REGIMENT.

Decoration. Other
Officers. Ranks.
D.S.O. 5
M.C. 37 2
2nd Bar to M.C. 1
Bar to M.C. 6
D.C.M. 27
Bar to D.C.M. 2
M.M. 156
Bar to M.M. 25
2nd Bar to M.M. 2
M.S.M. 8
Croix de Guerre 3 5
Russian Cross of St. George 1
Croix de Virtute Militata (Roumania) 1
Medaille Barbatie si Credinta, 3rd Class (Roumania) 1
—— ———
Total 51 230
Mentioned in Despatches, officers, 17; other ranks, 15.

LIST OF ORIGINAL OFFICERS OF THE 25TH BATTALION.

Lieut.-Col. Lecain, G. A., O.C. Roundhill, Ann. Co. 69th Regt.
„ Sponagle, J. A., M.D. Middleton, N.S. C.A.M.C.
Major Bauld, D. S., “D” Co. Halifax 66th Regt.
„ Conrad, W. H., 2nd Comd. „ 63rd „
„ Jones, A. N., “A” Co. „ C.F.A.
„ McKenzie, J. G., “B” Co. Westville 78th Regt.
„ MacRae, D. A., “C” Co. Baddeck 94th „
„ McKenzie, L. H., Adjt. Stellarton 78th „
„ Weston, A. W. P., Jr. Maj. Halifax 66th „
Hon. Capt. Graham, E. E., Chap. Arcadia C.M.R.
Capt. Holt, C. W. Amherst 93rd Regt.
„ Logan, J. W., “C” Co. Halifax 63rd „
Hon. Capt. McPherson, D., Chap. Sydney Mines, C.B.
Capt. Margeson, J. W., Paymaster Bridgewater 75th „
„ Medcalfe, W. B., “B” Co. Halifax 66th „
„ Purney, W. P., “D” Co. Liverpool 68th „
„ Tupper, J. H., “A” Co. Bridgetown 69th „
„ Whitford, W. L., “D” Co. Chester 75th „
Lieut. Brooks, E. J., “A” Co. Falmouth
„ Bullock, L. N. B., “D” Co. Halifax 63rd „
„ Cameron, W. A., “A” Co. St. John, N.B.
„ Delancey, J. A., “M.G.” Middleton 93rd „
„ Eville, C. K., “B” Co. Halifax 81st „
„ Grant, J. W., “B” Co. Amherst S.A.
„ Grant, J. A., “B” Co. Halifax 63rd Regt.
„ Johnstone, L. H., “C” Co. Sydney 81st „
„ Longley, H. G., “Trpt.” Paradise 69th „
„ Macaloney, C. W. Halifax
„ Morgan, E., “D” Co. Bear River 69th „
„ Mosher, C. M. Mahone Bay 75th „
„ Murphy, V. P., “D” Co. New Ross 75th „
„ McKay, K. L., “A” Co. Inverness 94th „
„ McKinnon, D., “A” Co. Woodbine 94th „
„ McLeod, H. A., “B” Co. Salt Springs, Pic. Co. 78th „
„ McNiel, G. M., “A” Co. Iona 94th „
„ McNiel, J. D., “C” Co. Whitney Pier S.A.
„ Newnham, T. F., “Qmst.” Halifax R.C.G.A.
„ Roberts, G. E., “C” Co. „
„ Smith, B. H. „ 66th Regt.
„ Stairs, J. C., “A” Co. „ 66th „
„ Tanner, F. I., “C” Co. Pictou C.F.A.
„ Young, G. R. Kentville C.M.R.
67001 R.S.M. Miles, H. F. Halifax R.C.R.

Strength of Unit on proceeding to France on Sept. 15th, 1915.

Officers. Other Ranks.
32 1,000

Reinforcements after coming to France.

Officers. Other Ranks.
231 3,829

Wounded and sick to England.

Officers. Other Ranks.
156 2,557

Killed in action and died in hospital.

Officers. Other Ranks.
32 686

Missing. Prisoners. Transferred.
Off. O.Rs. Off. O.Rs. Off. O.Rs.
2 64 8 37 682

CHAPTER XII.
_THE 40th BATTALION._

The 40th Battalion was authorized January 1, 1915, under the command of
Lieut.-Col. W. H. Gibsone (R.C.R.). As the men were recruited,
detachments were formed at McNab’s Island, Halifax, Sydney, Glace Bay,
North Sydney, Truro, Amherst, New Glasgow, Yarmouth, Lunenburg,
Kentville and Digby.

The Battalion was finally mobilized at Aldershot Camp, N.S., on May 11,
1915. Lieut.-Colonel Gibsone proceeded direct to France to become A.A.G.
of the 3rd Canadian Division, which was then in process of formation. At
Aldershot Camp, N.S., the 40th was first inspected by the Duke of
Connaught and Brig.-General H. M. McLean, who commented on their
splendid showing. On June 21st, under the command of Lieut.-Col. A. G.
Vincent, the 40th Battalion moved to Valcartier Camp, Quebec. Before
leaving for Valcartier two drafts were despatched, one of twenty-five
men to the 25th Battalion, and another of 250 men and five officers to
England, as reinforcements.

At Valcartier strenuous work by all ranks drew special mention of the
40th by Major-General Sir Sam Hughes at a General Review of the Camp a
week before sailing. The Battalion was also inspected later at
Valcartier by the Duke of Connaught and also by Sir Robert Borden. A
week before sailing a third call was made for reinforcements, and again
five officers and 250 N.C.O.’s and men, all picked, were despatched to
England.

Notwithstanding this great drain, on October 18, 1915, the 40th sailed
from Quebec on the _S.S. Saxonia_, with a strength of 1,143 all ranks,
under the command of Lieut.-Col. A. G. Vincent and the following
officers:

Major C. A. Andrews, Second in Command.
Major J. C. Ditmars.
Capt. J. S. Legge, Adjutant.
Lieut. H. Fisher, Q.M.
Lieut. G. M. Sylvester, Assistant Adjutant.
Lieut. A. W. Cunningham, Sig. Officer.
Lieut. H. St. C. Jones, M.G. Officer.
Major Geo. Wood, Chaplain.
Capt. E. Douglas, Medical Officer.
Capt. G. H. Gillis, Paymaster.

Major A. G. Nutter, O.C. “A” Company.
Capt. W. E. Doane, Second in Command.
Lieut. Geo. Campbell.
Lieut. G. W. Anderson.
Lieut. P. W. Freeman.
Lieut. A. S. Allen.
Lieut. J. Harley.

Capt. C. R. Chisholm, O.C. “B” Company.
Capt. H. P. Bell, Second in Command.
Lieut. Mc.I. McLeod.
Lieut. J. D. McIntyre.
Lieut. W. W. Pickup.
Lieut. H. H. Heal.

Capt. A. M. Ross, O.C. “C” Company.
Capt. G. W. Dwyer, Second in Command.
Lieut. G. B. Murray.
Lieut. A. S. Churchill.
Lieut. C. E. Little.
Lieut. L. W. Ormand.
Lieut: D. H. MacKenzie.

Capt. W. Letcher, O.C. “D” Company.
Capt. E. R. Dennis, Second in Command.
Lieut. B. F. Davidson.
Lieut. F. P. H. Layton.
Lieut. R. Jago.
Lieut. L. W. W. Slacke.
Lieut. F. G. Robertson.
Lieut. A. Anderson.

On October 29, 1915, after an uneventful voyage the Battalion landed at
Plymouth and proceeded to Bramshott Camp, being the first Canadian
Infantry Battalion to enter that Camp, where they took over quarters
from the Royal Irish Rifles. At Bramshott the 40th joined part of the
then contemplated 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division, which was
under the command of General Lord Brooke.

Owing to the heavy demand for reinforcements, following the disastrous
action of June 2, 1916 (the Third Battle of Ypres), the Battalion was
moved to East Sandling to become the 40th Reserve Battalion, where
drafts were despatched to nearly every Unit in the Canadian Corps. After
many moves the 40th absorbed the remnants of the 64th, 104th, 106th and
112th Battalions, and finally returned to Bramshott to become the 26th
Reserve Battalion, and was finally absorbed by the 17th Reserve
Battalion.

[Illustration:

CAPT. E. E. DENNIS
(killed in action at Vimy Ridge. April 5, 1917).]

The 40th Battalion has the distinction that practically every officer
and man of the original Battalion saw service in France. Ten of the
officers were killed in action, viz.:

Capt. A. M. Ross.
Capt. W. E. Doane.
Capt. E. R. Dennis.
Lieut. G. H. Campbell.
Lieut. W. W. Pickup (Major).
Lieut. G. M. Sylvester.
Lieut. A. Allen (Capt.).
Lieut. F. P. H. Layton.
Lieut. H. Fisher.
Lieut. A. S. Churchill.

In addition, nineteen were, wounded. Twelve received the M.C., one the
D.F.C. Several were promoted and mentioned in despatches for valuable
service. It would be a long list to give the names of the N.C.O.’s and
men of the original 40th who gave their lives. Several were promoted to
commissioned rank in the Field and many others were decorated for valor.
Wherever they went they acquitted themselves in such a manner that
although never to cross the Channel as a Unit, the 40th always received
honorable mention in every fighting Unit in the Canadian Corps.

CHAPTER XIII.
_THE 64th BATTALION, C.E.F._

The 64th Battalion was authorized in June, 1915, and mobilized at
Sussex, N.B., August 15th, 1915. It was originally intended that this
should be a Highland Battalion raised in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island; and having this in view, the officers were
selected from the three provinces proportionately.

When the Unit started to recruit, owing to New Brunswick and Prince
Edward Island being still busy completing the 55th Battalion, all the
recruits came from Nova Scotia, and eventually, when New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island began sending their quota, the ranks swelled to
over 2,300, whereas the strength of a Battalion was only about 1,100 all
ranks.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. H. MONTGOMERY CAMPBELL.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. G. H. MAXWELL
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. H. M. CAMPBELL
(killed in action).]

The 104th Battalion was then authorized as a New Brunswick Battalion,
and all the New Brunswick men with some of the officers were transferred
to the new Unit.

Lieut.-Col. H. Montgomery Campbell, late 8th Hussars and Commanding
Officer 11th Infantry Brigade, Military District No. 6, was appointed
Commanding Officer 64th Battalion.

The Battalion organized and trained for ten weeks at Sussex, and early
in November moved to Halifax, where at Pier No. 2 it went into winter
quarters, continuing training till finally sailing on the 31st of March,
1916, for Liverpool on the _S.S. Adriatic_.

The following officers proceeded overseas with the Unit:

O.C., Lieut.-Col. H. Montgomery Campbell Formerly 8th Hussars, N.B.
Second in Command, Major H. Flowers „ 1st C.G.A., N.S.
Junior Major, Major G. H. Maxwell „ 1st C.G.A., N.S.

Company Commanders—

Major Angus W. McArthur „ 78th Regt., N.S.
Major G. Guy McLaughlin „ 67th Regt., N.B.
Major Guy L. Mott „ 81st Regt., N.S.
Major Francis L. Stephens „ 66th Regt., N.S.

Captains—

Anglin, Gerald C. „ O.T.C., N.B.
Barbour, Roydon McF. „ O.T.C., N.B.
Bowron, Edward H. „ 78th Regt., N.S.
Fairweather, Frank R. „ 62nd Regt., N.B.

Lieutenants—

Blois, Arthur O. „ 66th Regt., N.S.
Campbell, Herbert M. „ 81st Regt., N.S.
Curren, Reginald H. „ 14th K.C.H., N.S.
Flowers, Eric P. „ 1st C.G.A., N.S.
Gale, John R. „ 62nd, N.B.
Guildford, David A. „ 1st C.G.A., N.B.
Gunn, James D. „ 69th, N.S.
Henry, John D. „ 8th Hussars, N.B.
Hobkirk, Charles H. „ 71st, N.B.
Keswick, Robert McL. „ 73rd, N.B.
McKay, Reary „ O.T.C., N.B.
McLean, James D. „ O.T.C., N.B.
McCleave, Harry A. „ 76th, N.S.
Murray, Ralph M. „ 74th, N.B.
O’Leary, Harry „ 73rd, N.B.
Perks, Arthur J. „ 66th, N.S.
Rogers, William M. „ 63rd, N.S.
Russell, Bernard W. „ C.F.A. N.S.
Watt, William L. „ 73rd, N.B.
Wetmore, Norman H. „ O.T.C., N.B.
Winslow, Donald B. „ C.F.A., N.B.

Adjutant, Captain J. Hutton Wallace „ 81st, N.S.
Medical Officer, Capt. Arthur C. Jost „ C.A.M.C., N.S.
Quartermaster, Captain Samuel S. Wright „ R.C.G.A., N.S.

Chaplains—

Hon. Capt., Rev. Wm. Fowler Parker „ N.B.
Hon. Capt., Rev. Father Patrick McQuillan „ N.S.

Paymaster, Hon. Capt. Robert M. Hope „ C.F.A., N.B.

On arrival in England, April 9th, the Battalion moved to Bramshott,
where it remained for four weeks. It then moved to Otterpool for
preliminary musketry, proceeding to Lidd for the final training in that
branch. During the stay at Otterpool the Battalion was attached to the
6th Training Brigade, being inspected by Major-General Sir Sam Steele,
together with the 63rd, 66th and 69th Battalions. After the inspection
Major-General Steele informed the troops that they were fully equal to
any troops he had ever inspected, but that owing to certain exigencies
of the war it was impracticable to send them to the Front as Units. Next
day the drafting commenced and 198 were sent to the A.S.C.

[Illustration:

CAPT. F. FAIRWEATHER
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. REARY MCKAY
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. H. A. M‘CLEAVE
(killed in action).]

After one week at Lidd an order was received to send to Shorncliffe all
those who had completed musketry. Five hundred other ranks in charge of
Captain Fairweather moved out of camp at 5 a.m. The next week was spent
completing musketry, and on the following Sunday the remainder of the
Battalion moved back to Otterpool. Other drafts were almost immediately
called for of both officers and men.

On July 3rd the last move was made to Caesar’s Camp near Folkestone. The
remainder of the Battalion was handed over to the 40th Reserve, and the
64th for all practical purposes ceased to exist. The O.C. and Staff were
employed in winding up the affairs of the Unit, the other remaining
officers being ordered to hold themselves in readiness to proceed to
France.

Every officer of this Unit eventually proceeded to France. Of the
thirty-nine officers the following paid the supreme sacrifice, namely:
Major G. H. Maxwell, Capt. Frank Fairweather, Capt. J. Hutton Wallace,
Lieut. Herbert M. Campbell, Lieut. C. H. Hobkirk, Lieut. Reary McKay,
Lieut. N. H. Wetmore, Lieut. H. A. McCleave—eight in all. Of the
remainder twenty-four were wounded, only seven escaping the casualty
list.

This Battalion was undoubtedly one of the best trained Battalions
leaving Canada. Many of its N.C.O.’s finally reached the Commissioned
Ranks, and the Units in France were always pleased to get a detachment
of 64th men.

CHAPTER XIV.
_THE 85th BATTALION, NOVA SCOTIA HIGHLANDERS, AND THE 85th BATTALION
BAND._

The first distinctly Highland Battalion to be organized in Nova Scotia
for active service Overseas in the late War was the 85th Battalion, Nova
Scotia Highlanders. The Battalion was authorized at Ottawa on September
14, 1915, with the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Allison H. Borden as
Commanding Officer. Headquarters for organization and mobilization were
first established at the Military Camp, Aldershot, N.S., on September
23, 1915. Recruiting proceeded rapidly, the idea of a distinctly Nova
Scotia Highland Battalion having fired with enthusiasm the people of the
Province, who, true to their ancestral Highland spirit, were found “deas
gu cath” (ready for fight). The success of the recruiting drew an order
from Ottawa for Battalion Headquarters to be transferred to Halifax, and
for the Battalion to be mobilized in full strength and stationed in the
Armories. Mobilization resulted on October 14, 1915, with the 85th
Battalion 200 over strength. On that day occurred the first parade of
the Battalion—a memorably impressive scene and event, by virtue of its
contrasts in personnel; for in all ranks were officers and men who came
from every walk of life, professional and industrial and commercial,
with farmers and manufacturers amongst the officers, while clergymen,
college professors, and teachers paraded shoulder to shoulder in the
rank

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. A. H. BORDEN, D.S.O.]

The 85th Battalion has the distinction of being the senior, and, as it
were, the parent Unit of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. But with the
Brigade as such this chapter is not concerned. Its story has been told
incidentally in connection with the other Units which made up the
Brigade. It will suffice to remark, however, that this magnificent body
of fighting men—“the very flower of Nova Scotia’s manhood”—after being
noted by the military leaders and authorities in England “as the finest
body of troops sent over from Canada,” was, under the exigencies of
military supervision, finally broken up in England, and reorganized into
two Battalions, the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders, and the
185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders. The latter Battalion—“siol nan
gaisgeach mora”—became a splendid Unit in the so-called Fifth Division,
but was denied the privilege and glory of seeing service in France as a
Unit. The record of their compatriots, “D” Company of the 85th
Battalion, at Virny and Passchendaele, a most glorious record, is
sufficient proof that had the 185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders,
got to France as a Unit, the name not only of Nova Scotia Province but
also of the Island of Cape Breton would to-day be shining with still
greater glory than that which they now possess for brilliant military
achievement in the late War. As it was, however, the records of
individual officers and men of the 185th Battalion who had transferred
to the 85th and other Units on the 185th being broken up just before the
initial drive of 1918, were such as to give a noble name not only to
themselves individually, but also to the 185th Battalion and Cape Breton
Island, where this splendid Unit of fighting men was recruited.

Reverting now to the 85th Battalion as such, after due training, and
many inexplicable disappointments in earlier sailing for Overseas, the
85th Battalion, and the other Units of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade,
broke camp on October 11, 1916, and sailed for England on October 13,
1916, aboard H.M. Transport _Olympic_. The 85th and the Nova Scotia
Highland Brigade disembarked at Liverpool on October 19, 1916, and
immediately entrained for Witley Camp, Surrey, arriving in Camp the same
evening. Following the breaking up of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade,
and the reorganization of the 85th, the Battalion sailed for France on
February 10, 1917, going into training for service in the Field at Gouy
Servins, Bouvigny, and Bouvigny Wood, from which quarters the Battalion
moved up to Music Hall Line, in the reserves, to take part as “a working
Unit” in the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9, 1917).

Including Vimy, the 85th Battalion was in the following
engagements—Vimy, April 9 to 14, 1917; “The Triangle,” June 20, 1917;
Ontario Trench, June 26, 1917; Eleu dit Leauvette and the Horse Shoe,
June 28, 1917; Lens, July to October, 1917; Passchendaele, October 28 to
November 2, 1917; Arleux, June, 1918; Fompoux, July, 1918; Amiens,
August 8 to 11, 1918; Arras (Drocourt-Queant Line), September 2 to 5,
1918; Cambrai (Bourlon), September 25 to October 2, 1918; Valenciennes,
November, 1918; Quievrechain, November, 1918; Honnelle River. November,
1918.

What the Battalion did after the signing of the Armistice is of no
military significance. It returned from France to England on May 1,
1919, took part in the Great March of Triumph through London on May 3,
1919; sailed from England for Canada on May 31, 1919; and arrived at
Halifax on June 8. 1919, and two days later marched through the City of
Halifax, which was _en fête_ to give the Unit a memorably joyous welcome
home. It was not, however, a welcome from the city, but from the whole
Province, and it is estimated that 60,000 outside visitors—friends and
relatives—of the returned victors must have been present among the
citizens of Halifax to witness the home-coming parade of the 85th
Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders. A week later (June 15, 1919), a
remnant company of the Battalion fell in at Grafton Park, Halifax, and
headed by the Royal Canadian Regiment Band, marched with its King’s and
Regimental Colors to Government House, where the colors were deposited
in the presence of His Honor Lieutenant-Governor Grant, Colonel W. E.
Thompson, D.O.C., M.D. No. 6, and Staff. On the occasion Lieut.-Col.
James Layton Ralston, C.M.G., D.S.O., with Bar, Commanding the 85th,
read an address of farewell to the officers and N.C.O.’s and men
assembled—and thus the history of the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia
Highlanders, as a fighting Unit, came to an end.

In the proper places there will be explicit observations on the
achievements of the Battalion, individual officers, N.C.O.’s and men on
the Field. In the meantime, following is a summary of the honors and
awards (259 in total) that belong to the Battalion:—

C.M.G. 1
D.S.O. 4
Bar to D.S.O. 1
M.C. 34
Bar to M.C. 3
D.C.M. 15
M.S.M. 4
M.M. 166
Bar to M.M. 12
Croix de Guerre 5
Mentioned in Despatches twice 4
Mentioned in Despatches-Officers 0
Mentioned in Despatches-Warrant Officers 1
———
Total 259

The first “big show” or engagement in which the 85th Battalion took part
was that of Vimy Ridge. Theirs was not at first an envious situation.
The Battalion had been substituted for another in the 12th Brigade, but
the actual taking over did not ensue till after the Battle of Vimy
Ridge. For that engagement the 85th was attached to the 11th Brigade,
commanded by Brigadier-General Odlum. For the Battle of Vimy Ridge the
85th moved into position in the reserves, and was to serve as “a working
Unit,” that is, to follow up the troops in action, and to carry
ammunition, build dugouts, keep up communication trenches, clear wire
entanglements, and in general, as the phrase is, “to mop up.” The 85th,
of course, could be called on, as they were, to fight in an emergency.
But they were regarded as “green troops,” and it was not considered
likely by the authorities that the Battalion would be efficient and
steady under slaughterous fire. As a matter of fact, all the while
between the Battalion’s arrival at Gouy Servins till the Unit moved out
from quarters into the reserve at Music Hall Line for their part in the
Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Col. A. H. Borden,
the Second in Command, Lieut.-Col. E. C. Phinney, the Adjutant, Major J.
L. Ralston, and Assistant Adjutant, Lieut. A. T. Croft, had been
preparing the Battalion as much for a fighting Unit as for a working
Unit—having had the German lines at Vimy all taped out to scale, and
having trained the Unit in every detail of the coming operation, until
all ranks knew the precise “lay” of the Vimy Front and how the fighting
Units as such would operate in action. Thus considered, the 85th
Battalion was not a Unit of “green troops” in the ordinary acceptance of
the phrase. They were “ready for fight”—and unexpectedly they got their
chance, and achieved to their immortal glory.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge opened in the early morn of Easter Monday,
April 9, 1917. At first it was all clear gain for the Canadians. But, at
last, toward the evening, word kept coming back that the Canadian
advance was being held up, that Hill 145 remained untaken, that it was a
“nasty critical situation,” because the enfilading of the Huns would
destroy attacking troops totally, and that if Hill 145 were not somehow
taken, the engagement would fail. Where were there fresh troops who
could be sent in to take Hill 145? It is understood that Colonel
Hilliam, commanding the 25th Battalion, Nova Scotia’s invincible “Shock
Troops,” recommended that the 85th Battalion be selected for the feat.
He assured Brigadier Odlum that even if they were “green troops” they
would be steady under fire. The die was cast. Orders came from
headquarters that two Companies of the 85th were to go into the line at
sundown and assault Hill 145. Lieut.-Col. Borden, Commanding Officer,
selected “C” and “D” Companies, and placed Capt. Percival W. Anderson in
command, with Capt. Harvey E. Crowell in command of “C” Company.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. E. C. PHINNEY.]

At zero hour “C” Company went over the top, followed immediately by “D”
Company, but, for good reasons, without the usual barrage. The 85th had
_dared_. The question now was on the part of the Units that had been
held up, Would the 85th also _DO_? From the moment the Companies went
over the top, they proceeded on to their objective, the crest of Hill
145, with the precision and steadiness of inured troops. There is no
necessity to describe the assault in detail. But when the Huns first saw
the 85th Companies going over the top, they were amazed. As the
Companies proceeded forward, steady and indomitable in spite of the gun
fire and the hail of bullets from concealed nests of machine guns, the
while themselves wreaking destruction on the Bosche, the Germans became
alarmed. And when the 85th Companies still kept on, in the same spirit,
and with the same effectiveness, the Huns became disconcerted, and at
last ignominiously turned and “beat it,” leaving Hill 145—the Huns’
“pivotal strategic stronghold”—in possession of the 85th Companies and
the Canadian Corps. The clearing up of the Ridge and the advance of the
85th Companies to the Lens-Arras Road need not detain us. On the morning
of April 14, 1917, the Battalion was relieved by the Royal Sussex, and
marched back to rest quarters at Bouvigny Huts.

There were many acts of heroism on the part of officers, N.C.O.’s and
men during the first day of the Vimy Ridge “show” and on later days. One
phrase might be applied to summarize the conduct of the Commanding
Officer (Lieutenant-Colonel Borden), the Second in Command
(Lieutenant-Colonel Phinney), and the Adjutant, Major J. L. Ralston, who
had the task of consolidating the line after the taking of the Ridge;
not only were they all the time “cool, calm and collected,” but the
three showed distinct military genius. Outstanding was the conduct of
Capt. Percival W. Anderson, who, amongst other exploits, single-handed
performed a deed of heroism which won for him the Military Cross (it
should have been the V.C.). One of the men in the patrols suffered a bad
wound. His groans were heard in “No Man’s Land,” but he lay where the
whole field was raked by rifle and machine-gun fire. Captain Anderson
would not ask or command any of his men to attempt a rescue, but went
out himself and carried the wounded man back to safety. This splendid
soldier and officer was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele, his death
profoundly regretted; for he knew no fear, and he was a superb officer
and leader of men, a splendid example of the Cape Breton Highlander.

The list of those who turned exploits and won awards at Vimy is too long
to admit of detailed accounts. But specially to be mentioned are Capt.
H. E. Crowell, Capt. H. B. Clarke, Chaplain, and later Transport Officer
(acting); Lieuts. H. C. Verner (“Hell-Fire” Verner), Douglas Graham,
Hugh A. Crawley, F. C. Manning; and amongst the privates and
N.C.O.’s—Pte. C. A. McLeod, Pte. H. C. Steeves, Pte. A. J. Murphy, Pte.
J. S. Westlake, Pte. L. M. Gates, Pte. K. Manoles, Pte. J. C. Taylor,
Pte. C. J. Doucette, Runners, Ptes. W. E. Stackhouse, W. W. Pearson and
G. B. Peck; Lance-Corporal A. F. MacAree, Lance-Corporal V. M. Lindsay,
Lance-Corporal H. W. Hardy, Corporal C. D. Reid, and Sergt. W. U.
Martel.

The courage, pluck, indomitableness and resourcefulness of the officers,
N.C.O.’s and men of the 85th Battalion at the Battle of Vimy Ridge were
instanced not to glorify the Battalion, but to show forth the kind of
“stuff” that was the spirit of the Unit. The same kind of spirit was
shown in all subsequent engagements—“The Triangle,” Ontario Trench, Eleu
dit Leauvette and the Horse Shoe and around Lens, up to Passchendaele.
The outstanding phase of the long Battle of Passchendaele (October 28 to
November 2, 1917) was the recapturing of the front line by “D” Company
(Cape Bretoners), commanded by Captain Ross M. MacKenzie—another “saving
of the day,” as at Vimy, by the 85th Battalion. The 85th was, as
decided, to be in the line for a day before going over the top. However,
before that move, “D” Company was to take over the whole Battalion
frontage, the other Companies to remain at the rear. A Western Canadian
Unit was in the line, and just as “D” Company reached the line for the
relief of the Western Battalion, the Huns launched a violent and
destructive counter-attack. Captain MacKenzie and “D” Company saw that
the Western Battalion was falling back, and the Huns advancing in great
force. It was a critical situation, and Captain MacKenzie at once
offered himself and his Company to reinforce the retiring Unit. The
offer was gladly accepted. Captain MacKenzie ordered his Company to drop
all kit, and to fix bayonets and advance in true Highland fashion. With
huzzas they made for the enemy—dashing upon the Huns with such a rush
and momentum, that the Huns became bewildered, next were seized with
panic, broke, and “beat it.” The situation was saved, and the line
recaptured shortly by continued advance to the position from which the
Western Battalion was forced to retire. But that advance was costly in
casualties, for it was covered by enemy machine guns and snipers’ posts.
Then it was that the ancient fighting spirit of his Gaelic ancestors
shone brilliantly in Captain MacKenzie, and he became the Gaelic Hero
Cuchullain in the fight and in death. MacKenzie was shot through the
abdomen—some say he was literally riddled—with machine gun bullets, and
he fell. But he struggled to his feet and kept on with his Company,
bleeding to death, and commanded his men, encouraging them, until he
dropped exhausted into a shell hole. Even then, though undone, he would
not be attended to, but kept encouraging his Company. Eventually he
permitted himself to be placed on a stretcher, and while being borne
away, he died—like Cuchullain too, unconquerable in death. There were
many other individual examples of heroism on that day and during the
days that followed at Passchendaele. But the slaughter was awful: and
while the engagement added fresh glory to the 85th Battalion, and is a
memorial to the living, it is to be regarded as an apotheosis of all
85th officers, non-commissioned officers and men who fell at that
mysteriously ordered engagement—Major P. W. Anderson, M.C., Capts. John
M. Hensley, E. R. Clayton, M.C., and Ross M. MacKenzie, Lieuts. Walter
U. Martel, M.M., Frank O. Hutchison, Angus D. MacDonald, Norman C.
Christie, Alexander D. Fraser, Fred J. Anderson, John R. MacFarlane, W.
H. Murr and R. Salisman, and the 123 privates and non-commissioned
officers. It was for their bravery and resourcefulness and
indomitableness—their sheer invincibility—at Passchendaele that the 85th
Battalion won from the other Units in the Canadian Corps and the
Imperials the noteworthy, if slangy, complimentary epithet, “The Never
Fails.”

[Illustration:

LIEUT. A. D. FRASER.]

[Illustration:

MAJOR P. W. ANDERSON.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. ROSS MACKENZIE.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. A. D. MACDONALD.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. R. MACFARLANE.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. N. C. CHRISTIE.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. JOHN M. HENSLEY.]

From Passchendaele to the signing of the Armistice would furnish only
repetitions of the records of the 85th Battalion in action. It was all a
most honorable and glorious record, quite worthy to stand beside that of
Canadian Units which had seen longer service. It would not do, however,
to bring this summary narrative to a close without mentioning the
characteristics of the outstanding officers, but for whom the 85th would
not have been a reality, or would not have achieved so splendidly.
First, let it be remembered perennially that all honor and distinction
belongs to Lieut.-Col. Allison H. Borden for conceiving the idea of a
distinctly Nova Scotia Highland Battalion, and, later, a distinctly Nova
Scotia Highland Brigade. As an officer he always displayed vision and
decision, great gifts for organization; and in the Field he was a
gallant and resourceful soldier, to whom the loss of men in action was
felt as a poignant personal loss. He was awarded the Distinguished
Service Order. But posterity will gratefully remember him and honor his
name as the Organizer and Commanding Officer of the 85th Battalion, Nova
Scotia Highlanders, and the Organizer and Brigadier of the Nova Scotia
Highland Brigade. Lieut.-Col. Earle C. Phinney was a young officer, and,
in turn, filled several positions from Adjutant to Commanding Officer in
Canada and in England, and had the honor of taking the 85th to France,
where, though he had voluntarily reverted to Second in Command, he was
temporarily in Command till the arrival of Lieut.-Colonel Borden. He
made a record at Vimy for coolness and resourcefulness in the Field. In
a later engagement he was wounded, and was eventually invalided home.
Lieut.-Col. J. L. Ralston, who brought the 85th home, as Commanding
Officer, also served as Adjutant and as Commanding Officer in the Field.
He was his officers’ and men’s ideal of “the splendid soldier,” intrepid
and indomitable, and always resourceful. He was wounded several times:
and was awarded the D.S.O. and Bar to the D.S.O., and honored by the
King with the C.M.G. Lieut.-Col. Joseph Hayes was unique as an officer.
He was the M.O. of the Battalion, and a more humane and intrepid M.O.
there was not in the Canadian Corps. Though several years past the age
limit, he never missed a day from the line from Vimy to Passchendaele,
and did much to keep up the morale and fighting spirit of the officers
and men of the 85th. In a phrase, Lieut.-Col. Joseph Hayes was a gallant
officer, a genuinely brave soldier, and a humane and kind medical expert
in the line. The hygiene of the Battalion, which was a record in the
Canadian Corps, was due to Colonel Hayes’ rigorous supervision of camp
and line sanitation and his meticulous care of the person, food and
potables of the officers and men. He was awarded the D.S.O. It is
impossible to make a “Homeric Catalogue” of the character and deeds of
all the other officers. Suffice it to say that they all were good men
and true. The Battalion had the distinction of having Sir Robert Borden,
Premier of Canada, as Honorary Colonel.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. J. L. RALSTON, C.M.G., D.S.O.]

* * * * *

Killed in Action while serving with the 85th in France and Flanders

[Illustration:

LIEUT. O’DONOHUE.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. G. F. CANN.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. HOLLAND.]

[Illustration:

MAJOR IVAN RALSTON.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. GEO. T. LYE.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. ERIC LANE.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. A. M‘KINNON.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. N. L. CHIPMAN.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. CYRIL A. EVANS.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. W. T. RUGGLES.
Died after return to Canada.]

[Illustration:

LIEUTENANT THURBER.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. T. M. M‘LEAN.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. F. C. MANNING.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. M. W. M‘KINNON.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. O. M‘LEOD.]

_85th BATTALION BRASS AND REED BAND._

The literary and the musical professions were well represented in the
personnel of the 85th Battalion—by one historian, two poets, and a brass
and wood-wind band, an organization of instrumentalists that gave the
Battalion additional and peculiar distinction and glory. Lieut.-Colonel
Hayes in England and France acted as a free-lance war correspondent and,
on arrival home, set to work to prepare the History of the 85th
Battalion. He produced an illustrated work of nearly 400 pages—a most
readable volume, the first history of any Nova Scotia fighting Unit that
had taken part in the late War. It was hurriedly prepared, under very
difficult conditions, but despite a minimum of slight and inevitable
discrepancies or omissions—every history from Thucydides to John Richard
Green has these—it is a well-written and accurate work, a genuine
monument to the literary acumen and devotion of that versatile and
gallant officer, Lieut.-Col. Joseph Hayes. The two poets were the late
Lieut. Frederick C. Manning, a brilliant alumnus of Acadia University,
whose “Poems” were posthumously published. They are excellent poems,
both in conception and in craftsmanship, and go to prove how great a
wastage of brain power and rare spirit was caused by the late War. The
other poet was Sergt. J. D. Logan, an alumnus of Harvard University. He
was a free-lance war correspondent at the Front. He published two
volumes of war poems—“Insulters of Death and Other Poems of the Great
Departure” (1916), and “The New Apocalypse and Other Poems of Days and
Deeds in France” (1919), besides a series of magazine articles on
special phases of the War, a series entitled “From Vimy to
Passchendaele” (1918), and before sailing for Overseas a pamphlet on the
85th Band (“Canada’s Champion Regimental Band”). All this is mentioned
to show that military training for active warfare and actual warfare do
not necessarily kill the finer spirit of men or turn soldiers from human
beings into brutes. But the chief aesthetic glory of the 85th Battalion
was its extraordinary fine marching and symphonic band. Following are
the salient facts in its history.

The band was the descendant of the old Albion Mines (Stellarton) Band,
established in the ’40’s of the last century, and having a continuous
history of nearly three-quarters of a century to date. It was for years
the regimental band of the 78th Pictou Highlanders. Lieut.-Colonel
Borden, commanding the 85th, asked Lieut. Dan. Mooney, bandmaster of the
Stellarton or 78th Band, to organize a band for the 85th. The original
personnel of the 85th Band, the personnel which went Overseas with the
Battalion, was: Lieut. Dan. Mooney, Bandmaster; Sergt. J. C. Profitt,
Corpls. W. D. MacLeod and Alex. Myers, Ptes. A. H. MacDougall, R. H.
Roy, Ronald MacDougall, E. B. Mitchell (did not sail), R. Y. Geddes, C.
A. MacDonald, A. J. Fraser, T. R. Roy, J. W. Henderson, T. B. Davidson
(died in France), C. W. Appleton, H. P. Barnes, F. T. Freeman, J. J.
Gray, T. Mason, C. A. (“Chud”) MacDonald, A. R. MacDonald, A. A.
MacDougall, J. R. Munro, H. H. Murray, C. E. Purves, G. A. Rackham, W.
D. Jamieson, F. A. Ryan, W. P. Cameron, Joseph Smith, James Roy, D. W.
Cameron, W. E. Gallagher, F. D. Mooney, A. F. Gallant, W. Dunn (did not
sail, died later), Sergt. J. D. Logan.

This band was distinguished in musicianship by _versatility_,
_virtuosity_ and _brilliancy_. It had acquired a notable reputation for
these qualities in Canada, and when Overseas, in England, where it was
in demand by towns near Camp Witley, for social functions of a
semi-military or war-propaganda nature. The Director of Musical
Services, who came to Camp Witley, to hear and conduct the band at
rehearsal said of it, in writing: “_It is the best band that has come
Overseas from Canada_,” and remarked specially on its precision in
attack, its unanimity, its dynamic qualities and nuancing, and its
brilliancy.

Now, bands in camp and rest quarters are regarded as good for the morale
of Units, but generally were considered as impedimenta (or superfluous
baggage) with a Unit active in the Field. But the officers and men of
the 85th were insistent in their outspoken demand—“We want our band.”
The problem was how to keep the band from being broken up, and how to
get the bandsmen, with their instruments, into France. It was achieved
by the characteristic resourcefulness of the Commanding Officer and
officers. When the 85th crossed to France the band was not on the
establishment. The bandsmen, however, were brought over on the strength
as fighting men, and the instruments came along too, somehow
mysteriously, as part of the Quartermaster’s stores (Capt. Robert
Donaldson was Quartermaster—and a kinder and more resourceful
Quartermaster there was not in the Canadian Corps). The bandsmen and
their instruments being in France, their fixed place on the
establishment of the Battalion was finally adjusted by the authorities.

The fame of this band soon spread throughout the 4th Division and the
Canadian Corps, and into England; and it became a matter of perpetual
demand for the 85th Band to be present and to play at concert parties
and at parades and other functions of the Division and Brigade. This was
due more particularly to the versatility of the band in _soloists_ and a
_group of entertainers_ amongst the personnel, who formed a concert
party by themselves. It is without question that Thomas Roy, euphonium
soloist; Percival Barnes, piccolo and flute soloist; R. MacDougall and
D. W. Cameron, cornet soloists; J. C. Profitt and Alex. Myers, clarinet
soloists; Alex. (“Attell”) MacDougall, trombone soloist, and the
trombone quartet (A. MacDougall, J. J. Gray, C. E. Purves, and James
Roy) were as expert instrumentalists as the trained ear could wish to
hear. They earned for the band its name for virtuosity and brilliancy.
The group of entertainers comprised H. H. Murray, George Rackham, Frank
(“Hunk”) A. Ryan, C. W. Appleton and Ronald MacDougall. Murray was vocal
soloist, with band accompaniment, having a rounded cantabile baritone.
He was also “the lead” in the theatrical entertainment, sketches and
vaudeville, with Rackham as foil. Ryan, Appleton and R. MacDougall were
step dancers, and Ryan was noted for his eccentric dancing specialties.
The group, assisted by the other members of the band, also produced “The
Old Homestead,” in costume, at the Front.

On the day of the Great March of Triumph through London, May 3, 1919,
the 85th Band made a distinct popular “hit” with the Londoners. The
Director of Musical Services, noted the fact in the following official
communication:

“Argyll House,
“London, W.I.,
“May 5th, 1919.

“To—
”LT.-COL. G. S. HARRINGTON,
“Deputy Minister, O.M.F.C.,
“34 Grosvenor St., W.I.

“SIR,—I have the honor to bring to your notice the musical report of
the bands marching through London:—

“‘The 85th Battalion Band, thirty performers, under Lieutenant
Mooney, Bandmaster. This famous marching band has been sadly
depleted by war losses, but gave a fine, spirited performance, which
was much admired.’

“I have the honor to be,
“Sir,
“Your Obedient Servant,
”JASPER VALE-LANE,
“Musical Director.”

It should be noted that the band was considerably augmented when in
France; and that one member, T. B. Davidson, died, while Ben. Hichens
and H. Luscomb were killed in action. It should also be noted that the
85th returned officers and men organized, under the name “The 85th
Clansmen,” and “The 85th Memory Club,” to perpetuate the name of the
Battalion and the memory of the fallen by reunions on the days of the
engagements in which the Battalion took part.—L.

CHAPTER XV.
_106th BATTALION, C.E.F._

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. R. INNES.]

The 106th Battalion, Nova Scotia Rifles, was authorized on November 8,
1915, and recruiting commenced at once. Being the first Rifle Battalion
recruited in the Maritime Provinces, it appealed strongly to the members
of the various rifle clubs and was soon up to strength.

The standards of the Battalion were high. Regimental schools for the
training of non-commissioned officers were established. The motto of the
Battalion was “None So Reliable,” and all ranks sought to make the
Battalion worthy to bear such a name.

Headquarters were established at Truro, where two Companies were
stationed; the other two Companies were stationed at Springhill and
Truro.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. W. R. M‘ASKILL
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. R. H. SAWLER
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. A. H. WALKER
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. A. M. O’BRIEN
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. P. A. FULTON
(killed in action).]

LIST OF OFFICERS.

Lieut.-Col. Robert Innes O.C.
Major O. G. Heard Second in Command.
Capt. C. M. Williams Adjutant.
Capt. G. M. Bryce Quartermaster.
Capt. E. L. Miller Paymaster.
Capt. W. L. Muir Medical Officer.
Hon. Capt. G. McL. Dix Chaplain.
[1]Lieut. H. C. Dawson Assistant Adjutant.
Lieut. S. D. Morrison Signalling Officer.
Lieut. R. Flemming Machine Gun Officer.
Lieut. J. T. Arenburg Bandmaster.
[1]Lieut. W. R. McAskill Base Detail.

“A” Company.
[1]Major E. W. Joy O.C.
Capt. C. B. McMullen Second in Command.
[1]Lieut. J. F. Hallisey
[1]Lieut. P. A. Fulton
Lieut. W. R. Cox
Lieut. F. S. Huntley

“B” Company.
Major W. J. H. Moxom O.C.
Capt. F. D. Dodsworth Second in Command.
[1]Lieut. A. M. O’Brien
Lieut. M. McRae
[1]Lieut. A. H. Walker
Lieut. F. V. Burgess

“C” Company.
Major J. A. McPherson O.C.
Capt. E. J. Lounsberg Second in Command.
Lieut. H. A. Allum
[1]Lieut. R. H. Sawler
[1]Lieut. C. E. Howson
Lieut. G. R. Harrison

“D” Company.
Major J. R. Maxwell O.C.
Capt. T. C. King Second in Command.
Lieut. W. J. Brothers
Lieut. M. J. Dryden
Lieut. W. A. Livingstone
Lieut. G. C. McDermid

The Battalion left Canada July 15, 1916, and encamped at Lower Dibgate,
Shorncliffe, England. There it met the fate of many other Canadian
Units, by being broken up into drafts to reinforce Battalions in the
Field.

CHAPTER XVI.
_112th BATTALION, C.E.F._

Authority for the recruiting of the 112th Battalion, with headquarters
in the historic town of Windsor, N.S., was granted in November, 1915.
Its personnel was composed of officers and men drawn chiefly from the
western part of Nova Scotia, embracing the counties of Halifax, Hants,
Kings, Annapolis, Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg.
Recruiting progressed with unique rapidity and by the middle of April,
1916, the Battalion was at full strength. Over 1,500 men applied for
enlistment, and of these about 300 were found medically unfit. The
significance of this achievement will be seen when it is considered that
it was accomplished without the aid of any extensive recruiting
campaign, but by the united effort of each officer and man.

In the early days of the Unit each county was allowed to keep a
detachment, providing it numbered fifty men or more, who trained in
their own locality until finally mobilized in Windsor in May, 1916.
There the Battalion encamped on the hill of Fort Edward, where it was
subjected to a rigorous training, and the progress made elicited much
praise from Major-General Sir Sam Hughes, then Minister of Militia, who
inspected the Unit about the beginning of July, 1916. The period of
training at Windsor was one of keen enjoyment to all concerned. Its
discipline was stern, its experience was at times hard, but the life was
altogether wholesome and profitable, which was evidenced by the
improvement in the bearing and appearance of the Unit during its short
stay at Windsor.

The Battalion was commanded by Lieut.-Col. H. B. Tremaine. The other
officers were: Majors W. F. D. Brennan, second in command; T. M. Seely,
M. S. Parker, T. A. Mulock; Capts. R. W. Churchill, O. G. Dauphinee
(killed in action), R. T. Christie, J. Flemming (Adjutant), E. S. Spurr,
M.C. (killed in action), M. P. Titus (Quartermaster), H. A. MacDonald
(Paymaster), John St. C. McKay (Medical Officer), C. R. Cumming
(Chaplain), G. R. Martell (Chaplain), Lieuts. J. T. Probert, M.C.
(killed in action), R. S. Parsons, W. D. Comstock, J. W. Hughes, J. K.
Swanson (killed in action), W. G. Foster (killed in action), G. M. Hebb
(killed in action), A. M. Parsons, M.C., R. M. Morris, M.C., R. B.
Logan, A. H. Creighton, P. L. Wilcox, J. W. G. Lardner, W. P. Harmon, W.
H. Smith, J. C. Lithgow, R. W. Dill, E. W. Bell, C. C. Morash, M. L.
Tupper (killed in action), W. J. Sangster, L. E. Langley (killed in
action), R. Henshaw, R. M. McGregor (killed in action), O. H. Lunham, G.
W. Banks, A. T. E. Crosby, H. L. Gates.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. WM. GORE FOSTER.]

Capt. G. R. Martell, Rector of Christchurch, Windsor, N.S., and Chaplain
of the Battalion throughout its organization, did splendid work in
recruiting and was beloved by all ranks. Owing to his inability to
proceed Overseas, the Rev. Charles R. Cummings was appointed Chaplain
and held the position until transferred to hospital duty in England
preparatory to proceeding to the Chaplain Services in France in January,
1917. Captain Martell died in June, 1918.

Colors for the 112th Battalion were made by Mrs. Annie Pratt, of
Windsor, Nova Scotia, and were presented to the Battalion by Mrs.
Tremaine, wife of the Commanding Officer, on Friday afternoon, July 21,
1916. The Battalion was formed up in mass in front of the bandstand at
Victoria Park, Windsor, and addresses were delivered by the Chaplain,
Mayor Roach, and others. The next day the colors were deposited in
Christchurch, Windsor, where the officers and men attended divine
service.

The 112th Battalion embarked at Halifax, July 23, 1916, on _H.M.T.
Olympic_, and arrived at Liverpool on July 31st. Here it entrained and
proceeded to Oxney Farm near Bramshott. The Unit remained there for
about three weeks, after which it moved to Bramshott on the departure of
the 4th Division for France. In Bramshott the Battalion was put through
very intensive training, and on October 5th the first draft of 122 other
ranks left for France to reinforce the 25th Battalion. On October 10th,
212 other ranks and on October 29th, 40 other ranks were sent to the
25th Battalion, all of whom proved to be a very welcome acquisition to
that famous Unit. Other drafts found their way to the Royal Canadian
Regiment. Most of the officers were detailed to special schools in
various parts of England for a time, after which they were gradually
absorbed by the Battalions already at the Front. At one time it was
expected that the Battalion would become a Forestry Unit and be sent to
France, but for some reason this did not eventuate, and the Battalion
was gradually depleted until the remnant was finally merged into the
26th Canadian Reserve Battalion in February, 1917.

CHAPTER XVII.
_THE 185th BATTALION (CAPE BRETON HIGHLANDERS)._

BY CAPT. ANGUS L. M‘DONALD.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. F. P. DAY.]

It is a difficult task indeed to compress a history of the 185th
Battalion into the space allotted for the purpose in this book. It is a
difficult task, because, if we exclude those Battalions that saw active
service as complete Units, the history of the 185th is longer than that
of any other Nova Scotia Battalion. It is a difficult task because,
through this long association and through the high standard of
efficiency to which the Battalion attained, there grew up between all
ranks a spirit of pride in their Unit and of affectionate regard for
each other, which may be fairly said to be almost unique, and which
deserves a monument much grander and more enduring than this sketch can
hope to raise.

The origin of the 185th may be said to be in the 85th Nova Scotia
Highland Battalion, recruited by Lieut.-Col. A. H. Borden in the autumn
of 1915. The enthusiasm with which the people of Nova Scotia hailed the
advent of the 85th Battalion engendered the more ambitious idea of a
Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, and in the months of February and March,
1916, there was conducted in Nova Scotia a recruiting campaign for the
raising of three additional Battalions, to form, with the 85th, a
complete Brigade. The remarkable success of that campaign is now part of
our Nova Scotian history.

The Island of Cape Breton was given the task of raising a Battalion, to
be known as the 185th and to be under the command of Lieut.-Col. F. P.
Day (then Major Day) of the 85th Battalion. Though Cape Breton had
already given men to the colors, in numbers far in excess of her due
proportion, nevertheless, the prospect of seeing active service with a
Unit distinctly and entirely Cape Breton, so fired the imagination of
the young men of the Island that in three weeks the Battalion was
recruited to full strength.

The system of recruiting employed was well calculated to obtain the best
results. First, the officers were selected. Some of them were Cape
Bretoners, serving with the 85th Battalion, a few came from the
Officers’ Training Corps of the Colleges, but the majority were drawn
from the 94th, the Cape Breton Militia Unit. These officers were sent
out into their own native districts to recruit men for their own
Companies or Platoons, and the assurance was given that men from the
same locality would be placed together in the same Company, Platoon, or
Section as the case might be, and under an officer from that locality.
That assurance was kept sacredly.

The motto selected for the Battalion was the same as that of the
85th—“Siol Na Fear Fearail”—“Seed of Manly Men.” That motto was highly
appropriate, for the ranks of the Battalion were in large part filled by
descendants of Highlanders—those manly men who peopled Cape Breton in
late 18th and early 19th centuries. To the Highland element in the
population of Cape Breton the 185th made its greatest appeal, for the
promise had been given that the Battalion should wear Highland garb, and
the prospect of joining a Unit which should be clad in that picturesque
and historic dress undoubtedly touched the Highland imagination. But the
other races did not lag behind. The French, Irish and English elements
were well represented, and there were not a few recruits of Italian and
Russian extraction.

“A” Company of the 185th came from the counties of Inverness, Victoria
and Richmond; “B” Company from Glace Bay and New Waterford; “C” Company
from North Sydney and Sydney Mines; and “D” Company from Sydney.
Broughton, eighteen miles from Sydney, was chosen as a mobilization
centre, and there the Battalion assembled during the first week of
April, 1916.

At Broughton, three bands, Pipe, Brass and Bugle were organized. The
citizens of Glace Bay, the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club, the “Green
Feather” Societies of North Sydney and Sydney Mines, and Mr. Thomas
Cantley, of New Glasgow, each presented four pipes and three drums to
the Battalion. Money for the purchase of instruments for the Brass Band
was subscribed by the citizens of Sydney. For the Regimental March, the
stirring Highland air, “A Hundred Pipers,” was chosen.

Broughton did not offer a suitable ground for advanced training; and so
on May 26th, 1916, the Battalion entrained for Aldershot, N.S., where
the Highland Brigade was to spend the summer of 1916, under the command
of Lieut.-Col. A. H. Borden, who had recruited and commanded the 85th
Battalion. The other Battalions of the Brigade were the 85th, 193rd and
the 219th. During the summer the Brigade was reviewed by H.R.H. the Duke
of Connaught, Governor-General of Canada; by Sir Sam Hughes, Canadian
Minister of Militia; by Major-General Lessard, Inspector-General for
Canada. It was twice reviewed by Sir Robert Borden, Prime Minister of
Canada. On the last visit of Sir Robert Borden, he was accompanied by
Lady Borden, who presented colors to the Battalion. The colors are of
beautiful design, rich material and elegant workmanship. They were
received on behalf of the Battalion by Major Harrington and Lieutenants
Purves and Livingstone, and were blessed by Capt. Michael Gillis, Roman
Catholic Chaplain to the Battalion. (The colors were taken to England
with the Battalion and after the War were returned to Canada, deposited
in the Cape Breton County Court House at Sydney.)

On October 4th the Battalion underwent successfully at the hands of
Major-General Lessard its last inspection in Canada. Preparations for
embarking for England were begun and on October 11th the 185th bade
good-bye to Aldershot and entrained for Halifax. That evening they
marched on board “His Majesty’s Transport, 2810,” the war-time
designation of the great steamship _Olympic_.

At five o’clock on the evening of October 13th the _Olympic_ steamed out
of Halifax Harbor, bearing the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, surely the
most precious cargo that Nova Scotia ever entrusted to the mighty
Atlantic. The docks at Halifax were thronged on that day with thousands
of people from all parts of Nova Scotia who had come to say good-bye—in
many cases unfortunately a last good-bye—to relatives and friends. Nova
Scotia loves her own, sorrows over their departure from her bosom, and
watches their fortunes under foreign skies with a fond eye and an
anxious heart. I was told in London that, after any battle in which
Canadian troops had taken part, there were more enquiries at Canadian
Headquarters in London, from Nova Scotians, than from people of any
other Province of Canada. I could well believe this to have been so, for
in Nova Scotia character, friendship and loyalty to kith and kin are
outstanding characteristics.

The officers of the 185th at the time of sailing for England were as
follows:

Honorary Colonel Col. D. H. MacDougall.
Officer Commanding Lieut.-Col. Frank P. Day.
Second in Command Major J. G. Johnstone.
Adjutant Capt. R. C. Jackson.
Medical Officer Capt. J. A. Munro.
Paymaster Capt. R. MacDougall.
Quartermaster Capt. J. T. Malone.
Protestant Chaplain Capt. A. J. MacDonald.
R. C. Chaplain Capt. Michael Gillis.
Machine Gun Officer Lieut. J. A. Holland.

“A” Company—
Officer Commanding Capt. J. MacIsaac.
Second in Command Capt. A. L. Macdonald.
Lieutenants H. N. Price, John MacKenzie, J. D.
MacKenzie, E. M. Johnstone.

“B” Company—
Officer Commanding Major G. S. Harrington.
Second in Command Capt. A. J. MacInnis.
Lieutenants C. MacLeod, W. F. Carroll, J. A.
McKinnon, J. H. MacIvor.

“C” Company—
Officer Commanding Capt. W. W. Nicholson.
Second in Command Capt. Alex. MacDonald.
Lieutenants T. D. A. Purves, D. N. MacDonald,
L. G. MacCorrison.

“D” Company—
Officer Commanding Major J. W. Maddin.
Second in Command Capt. C. W. Sutherland.
Lieutenants A. M. Fraser, D. M. Wiswell, G. D.
Crowell, D. Livingstone.

The voyage from Halifax to Liverpool was made in a little over five
days. The Battalion disembarked on the morning of October 19th, the Pipe
Band playing the men down the gangway. Immediately the train was taken
to Witley Camp, which was reached after a journey of eight hours. Here
the Battalion settled down to work as part of the 12th Canadian Infantry
Training Brigade, which name replaced the old name, “Nova Scotia
Highland Brigade.”

In early December there came tidings which nearly every Canadian
Battalion that ever went to England had grown to dread. The Battalion
was called on to supply a draft of 192 men for France. The other
Battalions of the Brigade had received similar orders, the total number
of men required from the Brigade being 800. The call for these drafts
seemed to spell the disruption of the Brigade, notwithstanding promises
to the contrary in Canada. The strongest protests were made by officers
of the Brigade, but to no avail. On December 5th the drafts set out for
Southampton whence they were to embark for Havre. The 185th sent 20 men
to the 42nd (Montreal) Battalion, and 172 men to the 73rd Battalion,
also of Montreal.

Each Battalion of the Brigade had now been considerably reduced in
strength, and the Canadian authorities in England decided to amalgamate
the 219th with the 85th Battalion, and the 193rd with the 185th
Battalion. Officers and men in any one of these four Units who were not
physically fit were sent to the 17th Nova Scotia Reserve Battalion at
Bramshott. The Nova Scotia Highland Brigade was no more, and the hope in
every heart now was that the two Battalions—85th and 185th—which
constituted what was left of that Brigade, might reach France as Units.

After the amalgamation of the 193rd, the officers of the 185th were as
follows:—

Officer Commanding Lieut.-Col. F. P. Day.
Second in Command Lieut.-Col. R. J. S. Langford.
Adjutant Major J. W. MacDonald.
Medical Officer Capt. J. A. Munro.
Quartermaster Capt. F. C. Baird.
Paymaster Capt. R. MacDougall.
Assistant Adjutant Lieut. W. E. Macdonald.
Machine Gun Officer Lieut. J. A. Holland.
Musketry Officer Lieut. D. M. Wiswell.
Scout Officer Lieut. H. N. Price.
Bombing Officer Lieut. J. D. MacKenzie.

“A” Company—
Officer Commanding Capt. J. MacIsaac.
Second in Command Capt. A. L. Macdonald.
Lieutenants John MacKenzie, E. M. Johnstone, T.
E. Logan, C. J. Markham.

“B” Company—
Officer Commanding Major J. P. LeGallais.
Second in Command Capt. F. B. Schurman.
Lieutenants J. A. McKinnon, J. H. MacIvor, J.
Soy, P. T. Andrews, H. A.
Dickson, A. D. Baxter.

“C” Company—
Officer Commanding Capt. W. W. Nicholson.
Second in Command Capt. Alex. Macdonald.
Lieutenants D. J. MacGillivray, H. F. Orman, L.
G. MacCorrison, H. D. Cunningham,
D. Livingstone.

“D” Company—
Officer Commanding Capt. R. C. Jackson.
Second in Command Capt. C. W. Sutherland.
Lieutenants A. M. Fraser, J. O. MacLeod, J. J.
Murray, G. D. Crowell, H. C.
Lowther.

About this time the Battalion received permission to use as its official
name, “185th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders),”
instead of “185th Canadian Infantry Battalion,” as before.

In the spring of 1917, the 5th Canadian Division was organized at Witley
Camp, under the command of Major-General Garnet Hughes, who had already
won high distinction in France. The 185th was given a place in that
Division. The Division was assured that it would be sent to France, and
in that hope it set to work with such earnestness that in the summer of
1917 it was regarded as one of the most efficient Divisions that had
ever trained in England. The 185th by hard and persevering work had won
the reputation of being unexcelled, and by many unbiased observers it
was regarded as unequalled, in the whole Division. Certainly, the
Battalion was often specially complimented by Inspecting Officers and
was often singled out for particular honor. At the great Dominion Day
Parade in London, in 1917, the Guard of Honor for the Colors was drawn
from the 185th. Again and again its teams won from other Battalion teams
in competitions in Musketry, Bayonet Fighting, Physical Training, Drill
and Machine Gun Work.

From the first the men had looked forward eagerly to the day when kilts
would be issued to the Battalion. Their wish was realized in August,
1917, when kilts of the Argyll and Sutherland tartan were authorized to
be worn, and sufficient kilts were sent to the Quartermaster to clothe
the whole Battalion.

Reference has been made already to the promise given to the 5th Division
that it would go to France intact. That promise was repeated several
times, and the hope that it would be kept was the only ground on which
men could be induced to remain contentedly in England. But no phrase has
done better service during the War than the phrase “military
exigencies,” and it was invoked once again to justify the disbanding of
the 5th Division in February, 1918.

Coincident with the breakup of the Division came the order to the 185th
to furnish a draft of two officers and one hundred men to each of the
three Nova Scotian Battalions in France—the 25th, 85th and R.C.R. All
the men at once volunteered. Sergeants reverted to the rank of private
in order to get to France more quickly; Colonels reverted and became
Majors; Majors became Captains and Captains Subalterns. The drafts for
France were finally selected, and the rest of the Battalion was ordered
to be sent to Bramshott, to be absorbed by the 17th Reserve. On February
23rd the Battalion paraded for the last time, the drafts for France
stood fast, the draft for Bramshott swung out on the London-Portsmouth
Road, the pipers played their last march, and the 185th passed out of
existence as an Overseas Unit forever.

It is idle now to lament its unhappy fate, or to deplore the peculiar
policy that was pursued toward it and other Battalions of the 5th
Division, but Cape Bretoners everywhere will always have difficulty in
restraining a regretful sigh over the lot of their own and only
Battalion. Let it always be remembered, however, that through no fault
of its own did the 185th fail to reach France as a Unit. It kept faith
with the people of Cape Breton, and it established a standard which any
Battalion might be proud to emulate.

But though there never fell to this Battalion the supreme honor of
battle or the glory of triumph, its individual members went forth to
war, stronger in training, in discipline, in comradeship and in spirit
from their association with the Cape Breton Highlanders. Every officer
of the Battalion saw service in some theatre of war, and five of them
now sleep on the field of honor—Lieutenants Fraser, Holland, MacIvor,
Livingstone and J. O. MacLeod. Nearly every other officer of the
Battalion has been wounded, and several have been decorated for bravery.
Of the men it is enough to say that incomplete returns show that 136 of
them fell in action. On their graves may the turf lie lightly. Truer
hearts or more gallant spirits never fought for any cause, and to them
we may be sure that every Cape Breton tongue will apply with heartfelt
sincerity the words that have been chosen for the crosses that will mark
the graves of British soldiers buried in France—“Their Name Liveth
Forevermore.”

[Illustration:

LIEUT. A. FRASER
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. H. M‘IVOR
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. D. LIVINGSTONE
(killed in action).]

[Illustration:

CAPT. JOHN T. MALONE
(died on active service).]

CHAPTER XVIII.
_THE 193rd BATTALION._

The 193rd Battalion was authorized on January 27, 1916, and John
Stanfield, M.P. for Colchester, in the Dominion House of Commons, was
gazetted Lieut.-Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. JOHN STANFIELD.]

For a few weeks following this date the 193rd Battalion was not regarded
as a Highland Brigade Battalion, but on February 23, 1916,
Lieut.-Colonel Stanfield was officially notified that the 193rd had been
selected as one of the Brigade Units.

Organization for recruiting had already been effected, and the 193rd
was in a position to join in the Brigade campaign at once. The
territory of the Battalion embraced the six Eastern Counties of the
Mainland—Cumberland, Colchester, Hants, Pictou, Antigonish and
Guysboro, with headquarters at Truro. Within one month the Battalion
was over strength.

On March 24th Capt. J. L. Ralston, of the 85th Battalion, reported for
duty as Acting Adjutant. His assistance was invaluable and counted for
much in these early days of organization. Capt. J. Welsford MacDonald
relieved him on April 7th and was appointed Adjutant. He was later
succeeded by Capt. F. B. Schurman.

In February Lieut.-Colonel Stanfield had asked for the services of Capt.
R. J. S. Langford, of the Royal Canadian Regiment, Halifax. On April
18th Captain Langford was attached to the 193rd, with the rank of Major,
was appointed second in command and took over the duties of officer in
charge of training. The high standard of efficiency to which the
Battalion later attained was brought about by Major Langford’s
enthusiastic and unremitting efforts.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. “TOMMY” LOGAN.
Killed in action.]

The mobilization of the Battalions of the Highland Brigade at Camp
Aldershot in May, 1916, is dealt with elsewhere in this volume. The
193rd arrived in Camp 300 men over strength.

Early in September the Brigadier, Lieut.-Colonel Borden, left for
England, and was succeeded in the command of the Brigade by
Lieut.-Colonel Stanfield. Major Langford took over the command of the
Battalion with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.

On September 26th, Lady Borden, wife of the Premier of Canada, presented
King’s and Regimental Colors to the four Battalions of the Brigade. The
distinctive color selected by the 193rd was “Royal Blue.”

The Battalion embarked on the _Olympic_, October 12th. The officers at
that time were:

Lieut.-Col. R. J. S. Langford O.C
Major J. P. LeGallais Second in Command.
Capt. F. B. Schurman Adjutant.
Capt. F. C. Baird Quartermaster.
Capt. C. S. McArthur Paymaster.
Capt. E. D. McLean Medical Officer.
Capt. J. F. Tupper Chaplain.

“A” COMPANY—Major A. T. McLean, Company Commander; Capt. C. A. Good,
Second in Command; Lieuts. H. F. Orman, D. J. McGillivray P.
Andrews, H. A. Dickson.

“B” Company—Capt. R. K. Smith, Company Commander; Capt. R. G. McKay,
Second in Command; Lieuts. N. C. Christie, J. M. Soy, H. C. Lowther,
C. F. Wetmore.

“C” COMPANY—Major A. A. Sturley, Company Commander; Capt. A. B.
Todd, Second in Command; Lieuts. H. DeW. Cunningham, H. B. Potter,
J. A. Ross, C. J. Markham.

“D” COMPANY—Major J. W. MacDonald, Company Commander; Capt. G.
McQuarrie, Second in Command; Lieuts. J. O. McLeod, W. E. McDonald,
T. E. Logan, J. J. Murray.

A few weeks after arrival at Witley Camp, Lieut.-Colonel Borden returned
from the Front and resumed command of the Brigade. Lieut.-Colonel
Stanfield, owing to ill-health, was invalided back to Canada. When the
Brigade was broken up in December, 1916, the following officers, with
300 other ranks, were transferred to the 185th Battalion: Lieut.-Colonel
R. J. S. Langford, Major J. P. LeGallais, Major J. W. MacDonald, Capt.
F. B. Schurman, Capt. F. C. Baird, Lieuts. H. F. Orman, D. J.
McGillivray, P. Andrews, H. A. Dickson, J. M. Soy, H. DeW. Cunningham,
C. J. Markham, J. O. McLeod, W. E. McDonald, J. J. Murray.

The remainder marched to Bramshott, where they were absorbed early in
January, 1917, by the 17th Reserve Battalion, and used as reinforcements
to the Nova Scotian Battalions in the Field.

CHAPTER XIX.
_219th BATTALION, C.E.F._

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. W. H. MUIRHEAD.]

In the limited space allowed for this article it is necessary to omit
references to the stirring events which marked the recruiting of the
Battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, the 185th in Cape
Breton, the 193rd in Pictou, Colchester, Cumberland and Hants Counties,
and the 219th in Halifax and the Western Counties of the Province. Each
contributed to the popular enthusiasm, and through the agency of the
press any unusual success in one part was heralded throughout the
Province and bore fruit in distant sections.

In Halifax and the Western Counties, while there were many agencies at
work, too numerous to mention, they naturally centred around the
extraordinary series of meetings addressed by Colonel Borden and Captain
Cutten, when, accompanied by the 85th Band, they made their historic
tour, commencing at Lunenburg on February 26, 1916, and ending at
Wolfville on March 12th. They touched at all the chief points on the
Halifax and South Western Railway and returned by the Dominion Atlantic
as far as Wolfville. While active recruiting in many places had preceded
and prepared for their arrival, the extraordinary enthusiasm aroused by
their speeches and by the martial strains of the band formed an epoch in
each community.

Recruits enrolled were billeted in their own towns, and detachments
marched into Camp Aldershot on June 1st from Lunenburg, Mahone Bay,
Bridgewater, Lockport, Caledonia, Shelburne, Clarke’s Harbor,
Barrington, Yarmouth, Weymouth, Trenton, Digby, Bear River, Annapolis,
Berwick, Bridgetown, Kentville, Wolfville, Dartmouth and Halifax.

The first Battalion orders on record were issued on March 6th by Major
E. C. Phinney, who had been placed in temporary command of the 219th.
Lieut. C. Holland was appointed Acting Adjutant. For some time the
orders were chiefly concerned with the large accessions to the strength
of the Battalion, daily reported, as the result of Colonel Borden’s
successful tour, and the formation of the various detachments. These
recruits were now arranged in four companies, “A” in Halifax, “B”
comprising the territory from Mahone Bay to Clarke’s Harbor, “C” from
Yarmouth to Bear River, and “D” from Annapolis to Wolfville.

The first public parade of “A” Company was on May 27th to St. Matthew’s
Church to attend the memorial service for Lieutenant Campbell, who had
been killed in action, and who was the son of Mr. G. S. Campbell, one of
the most active spirits in the recruiting campaign.

In the history of the 219th there is a humorous distinction between the
first funeral procession and the first actual funeral of one of its
members. One night in the early spring a fire occurred in a house in
Barrington Street. Unfortunately the inmates could not be extricated in
time, and some fatalities resulted. The charred remains of one body was
identified as that of Metrofan Meik, a Russian recruit in the 219th. The
funeral took place from St. Mary’s Cathedral. A firing party was
furnished by “C” Company of the 85th. The Last Post was sounded and full
military honors paid to the dead. Next morning who should report in the
orderly room but Metrofan himself, very much alive and feeling greatly
the better for his leave, which had now expired. Who it was that was
buried with military honors has never been discovered to this hour.

The first actual funeral of a soldier in the 219th took place on May
2nd, from the Military Hospital in Halifax. The deceased was Private
Edwards, a native of England. The services were conducted by Hon.
Captain MacKinnon.

It was on Wednesday, February 23rd, that a letter came from Ottawa
authorizing the formation of the 219th and granting permission to
appoint Major E. C. Phinney, of the 85th as temporary O.C. It was he who
had the task of organizing the 219th, and the manner in which he
accomplished this is a fine tribute to his executive ability. For the
first few days he was assisted by Lieut. C. Holland, who acted as
Adjutant. In the beginning of April a rumor was in circulation that the
Highland Brigade was not to materialize and that the 85th was to proceed
immediately Overseas. Rather than miss this opportunity of going to the
Front, Major Phinney relinquished his position as Commanding Officer of
the 219th and went back to his former position in the 85th.

On April 8th Lieut.-Col. N. H. Parsons became temporary C.O. of the
219th. He planned a tour of inspection, but his purpose was frustrated
by a serious illness. Lieutenant Holland, who afterwards became Staff
Captain in the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, was succeeded as Acting
Adjutant by Lieut. John S. Roper. He along with Major Rudland and
Lieutenant Wylie had been one of a Military Committee to assist in the
formation of the Battalion. He remained Adjutant throughout its whole
history.

By May 4th Colonel Parsons felt sufficiently recovered to proceed with
his tour of inspection, and during his absence the duties of command
devolved on Major H. D. Creighton. But the atmosphere was surcharged
with uncertainty and the Battalion was beginning to suffer for want of a
permanent head. Lieut.-Col. Parsons returned to the 85th, and, with him,
Major Creighton. At last on May 5th, Lieut.-Col. W. H. Muirhead assumed
command. Immediately the unrest ceased, and the Battalion settled itself
to the business of training.

On the outbreak of the War Colonel Muirhead went at once to the new camp
at Valcartier and was given an appointment on the Divisional
Headquarters Staff. But being unmarried and anxious to take his part in
the actual fighting, he transferred to the Royal Canadian Dragoons
before the First Canadian Contingent sailed, reverting to the rank of
Lieutenant. Early in May, 1915, he crossed to France in the Canadian
Cavalry Brigade, which included, with the Dragoons, the Strathcona Horse
and the 2nd King Edward Horse. For nine months he was in the trenches,
and witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the War.

In Canada the idea was gaining ground that new troops should be
instructed in the latest methods of warfare, and this could only be done
by bringing some of the officers from the Front. Colonel Muirhead was
subsequently appointed second in command of the 112th, which was
recruiting at the time, and he returned in January, 1916. As above
stated he took over the 219th on May 5th. His keen intelligence, long
familiarity with business methods, together with the stern experience he
had known at the Front, fitted him in quite an exceptional manner for
the command and training of a Battalion.

The Battalions at Camp Aldershot were arranged in order of seniority.
Nearest to Aldershot Station was placed the 85th, and then in order the
185th, 193rd and 219th. Beyond the lines of the 219th were quartered the
97th, “The American Legion,” made up of men from the United States, who
had come to take their share in the fight for the freedom of the world.

Later in the season the waste land beyond the 97th was cleared and
became the home of the 246th, the reserve Unit of the Brigade. It might
be of interest to mention that the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade wore
Balmoral caps with feathers. The feathers were dark gray, but each one
of them had a distinctive coloring. In the 85th, it was red; in the
185th, green; in the 193rd, blue; and in the 219th, purple.

Naturally changes took place in the personnel of the officers of the
219th, especially late in the season, when the 246th was formed. But the
following list represents with fair accuracy the situation during most
of the summer:

Officer Commanding Lieut.-Col. W. H. Muirhead.
Second in Command Major M. E. Roscoe.
Adjutant Lieut. J. S. Roper.
Quartermaster Major F. W. W. Doane.
Paymaster Hon. Capt. H. D. Henry.
Medical Officer Capt. D. P. Churchill.
Chaplain Hon. Capt. C. MacKinnon.

“A” COMPANY—Major J. Rudland, Company Commander; Capt. H. A. Kent,
Second in Command (Capt. Kent, after going Overseas, became Company
Commander of “C” Company); Lieuts. V. G. Rae, E. R. Clayton, A. D.
Macdonald, R. D. Graham.

“B” COMPANY—Capt. M. C. Denton, Company Commander; Capt. E. C.
Miller, Second in Command (after going Overseas Capt. Miller became
Company Commander); Lieuts. W. M. L. Robertson, J. Belyea, A. C.
King, E. J. Hallett.

“C” COMPANY—Major A. K. Van Horne, Company Commander; (after going
Overseas, Captain Kent); Lieut. G. D. Blackadar, Second in Command
(after going Overseas, Capt. H. E. Crowell); Lieuts. H. E. Crowell,
N. L. Chipman, W. J. Wright, Kenneth Campbell, who went over in a
draft during the summer.

“D” COMPANY—Capt. G. H. Cutten, Company Commander; Capt. W. Noblett,
Second in Command (Capt. Cutten became Major in the 246th and Capt.,
afterwards Major, H. K. Emerson, recently returned from the front,
took command of “D” Company); Lieuts. A. D. Borden, J. P. McFarlane,
J. C. M. Vereker and E. R. Power.

In addition to these officers were Lieut. H. A. Love in charge of
Signalling Section, and Lieut. W. L. Black of the Machine Gun Section.

During the summer Hon. Captain Father O’Sullivan was added. He was
employed most of the time in raising the “Purple Feather Fund,” and
spent only a week or two in camp.

The Battalion was fortunate in its Sergeant-Major, A. S. Ward, who
blended a strict sense of duty with a genial disposition and secured
alike the approbation of the officers and the respect of the men.

The Camp had not been long established at Aldershot when it was honored
by a visit from Sir Sam Hughes, the Minister of Militia. On June 11th,
at 6 a.m. the Brigade was paraded. Although there had only been a few
days of united training, the impression produced upon the Minister was
quite noticeable, and ever afterwards he showed a kindly appreciation of
the Nova Scotia Highlanders.

On August 9th the Camp was honored by another distinguished visitor, Sir
Robert Borden, the Premier of Canada, who was accompanied by the Hon.
David MacKeen, the Lieut.-Governor of Nova Scotia. The March Past was
excellent, and the Premier, a native of the Province, was pleased to
speak words of heartfelt appreciation and encouragement. Another
inspection was made on August 15th, but this was more of a formal
military character and lacked the general significance of the previous
reviews.

The red-letter days of the Brigade’s whole history at Aldershot were
Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of August. On Friday the Camp was
thrown open to the public, who flocked thither from every part of the
Province. The resources of the railway were taxed to the utmost. Fully
eight thousand people visited the grounds and witnessed the March Past.
They were relatives of “the boys,” and nothing revealed more clearly how
tenderly the thought of the Province centred about the rows of white
tents, where the flower of its manhood was encamped. By a happy thought
the Camp Commandant, Col. W. E. Thompson, added to the ordinary review
exercises a short march in column of route, so the men would pass
immediately in front of their many friends.

[Illustration:

H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT INSPECTING THE HIGHLAND BRIGADE AT
ALDERSHOT CAMP, SEPTEMBER, 1916.]

On Saturday morning Field-Marshall His Royal Highness the Duke of
Connaught arrived. Exhilarated by the enthusiasm of the previous day,
the Brigade excelled itself in its manoeuvres, and especially in the
March Past. His Royal Highness, who was too fine a soldier to be guilty
of a meaningless expression, declared that he had not inspected anything
finer in the Dominion of Canada.

One other function completes the tale of reviews. It was the
presentation of colors by Lady Borden to the four Battalions on Monday,
September 25th. No little practice was necessary for the involved
movements connected with the ceremony. Once again the weather was
propitious; the sunbeams kissed the silken colors as they were unfurled
to the breeze, and rousing cheers greeted the declaration of the Premier
that they would shortly be sent over the seas.

That afternoon a competition was commenced between the various platoons
of the Brigade, which resulted in the award going to the “thirteenth
platoon” of the 219th, and as a sign that they had won, they were
permitted to wear their feathers with the edge trimmed.

On Friday, September 26th, a message arrived ordering the Brigade to be
ready to go Overseas in six days, and cancelling all leave for officers
and men. The announcement of this approaching embarkation would by
itself have been sensational enough, but when it came accompanied by an
order that no one should have the privilege of seeing his home again,
the men were fairly stunned. All had counted on a “farewell” leave. At
first everyone seemed paralyzed. Then their resolution took shape. It
was not in the Colonel’s power to grant leave but, though a strict
disciplinarian, he understood the situation and felt a deep sympathy for
the men, and determined that his attitude should be as lenient as
possible. The men were resolute to see their homes, many of which were
in the vicinity of the Camp. Every effort was made to stop them. Cordons
with fixed bayonets were placed around the station at Kentville. But all
to no purpose. The majority simply rose and went. They hired motor cars,
mounted horses, or even walked. For a moment there was a sense of alarm
and humiliation, which quickly changed to confidence and pride as the
men came streaming back, satisfied that they had seen their friends and
ready to do their duty in facing the foe. This unauthorized farewell
furlough was not confined to the 219th but was general in the 185th and
the 193rd as well.

[Illustration]

The six days’ warning was, of course, a mere preliminary measure but
definite orders at last arrived for the 219th to march out on the 12th
of October at 5 a.m. Never did Halifax seem lovelier than in the bright
autumn air as the Battalion marched along Barrington Street and up
Spring Garden Road and through South Park Street to the Common, where a
vast company of friends and well-wishers had congregated to say
good-bye. Ranks were broken and the soldiers mingled freely with the
people. The “Fall In” sounded, the band struck up a lively air, and the
march was resumed until the gates of the docks closed behind the last
file. Opportunities of further adieus were granted in the afternoon
within the limit of the dock, and then for the final time the troops
climbed the long gangways to the decks of the transport.

All night the _Olympic_ lay at the pier. On Friday afternoon she moved
up to Bedford Basin. Life belts were passed out and alarms practised.
During the afternoon, when rumors that we were doomed to several days’
detention in the basin were at their height, the anchor was quietly
raised and almost noiselessly the ship began to glide down the harbor.
But the movement was quickly noticed on shore, and the tooting of tugs
and the cheering of the crowds that rushed to the pier heads showed that
the “boys” had not been forgotten by their friends. The shades of night
were gathering in as Cape Sambro fell astern, and the twinkle of its
kindly light was Nova Scotia’s farewell. Betting in New York had run as
high as twenty to one that the _Olympic_ would be sunk because the
notorious German submarine U53, which had committed serious depredations
off Nantucket, was reported to be in the vicinity. Whatever anxiety may
have been felt by those on the bridge, seemed not in the slightest
degree to have reached the troops below, who had a confidence in the
British seamanship that was almost sublime.

On Tuesday night two destroyers picked up the ship and acted as
consorts. Wednesday morning the coast of Ireland was in view, and
Wednesday evening anchor was dropped in the Mersey, the voyage having
been completed in four days and nineteen hours. We sailed on a Friday,
and the thirteenth at that, but war has exploded the superstitions of
the world along with many other things.

Two or three hours were required for the disembarkation. Eight trains
were required for the whole Brigade, and they were started at various
intervals of time. The last two carried the 219th. It was nearly
midnight when the train drew into the siding at Milford Station and,
resuming their packs, the men began their two miles’ march into Camp.

Witley Camp was situated on Witley Common, a sandy tract covered with
scattered pines, known as Scotch fir, and with few houses in the
vicinity. Milford Village was a mile and a half away, and Godalming
three miles. The nearest town was Guildford, eight miles off. The county
was Surrey, and the landscape among the most picturesque in all England.

After the first cold snap that greeted the troops on their arrival,
milder conditions prevailed; the air became balmy; the fresh, full
foliage on the trees, and the fragrance of the flowers still in bloom
seemed to carry summer into December. But as November drew into December
cold mists settled into the valley where Witley Camp lay, and caused an
acrid chill that seemed to eat into the marrow of the bone. Influenza
(known as “flu” or “grippe”) invaded the Camp. The sick parade in the
morning increased by leaps and bounds; the general hospital at Bramshott
and the sick detention hut of the Brigade were filled and could take no
more. A special hut in the Battalion lines was secured and in a few days
crowded out, and even the spare accommodation in the medical room was
covered with bed boards on which lay fevered and coughing men. December
will remain to the troops at Witley Camp something of a nightmare.

No one as yet seriously believed, or at least publicly announced, that
the Highland Brigade would not be held together. Had not the Minister of
Militia plighted his word to that effect? Had it not been a promise to
the men when they enlisted? Towards the end of November, however,
sinister rumors began to filter through and culminated on the 30th
November in the call for the first draft for France. Immediately the
Camp was in a hubbub of excitement, for the draft required 800 men from
the Brigade, and this obviously meant its dismemberment. All reasonable
means that might avert the blow were employed, but the order was
explicit. No officers were to go except those in charge of drafts, and
they were to return from France whenever their duty was accomplished.
All non-commissioned officers chosen were to revert to the rank of
private. Ultimately 115 went from the 219th under the command of
Lieutenant King. The Brigadier addressed a few parting words, and to the
strains of martial music and the skirl of the pipes the proud lads
marched away leaving a thoughtful Camp behind. What was to be the fate
of those who remained? Rumor again became busy, hope revived and old
predictions were renewed, when once more with dramatic swiftness the axe
fell and when it accomplished its business the Highland Brigade was no
more. No one could have attempted to parry the blow more resolutely than
the Brigadier. He felt keenly the pledges that had been given and the
injustice to Nova Scotia; and his efforts were not without a measure of
success. Two Battalions of the four were preserved, the 85th and the
185th. Into the 85th some 350 men, nearly all the Lieutenants and Major
Rudland, were drafted from the 219th. A large number from the 193rd were
put into the 185th. The 85th received orders to prepare at once to go
Overseas, though this was not actually accomplished until February 10th.
The 185th was “slated” for the Fifth Division, and it was to remain in
Witley Camp. The remainder of the Highland Brigade were to proceed to
Bramshott Camp. It was in the last week of December that the large
draft, carefully selected and splendidly fit, changed their feathers
from purple to red and went over to the lines of the 85th. The officers
packed their kits and the happy fellowship of the Mess Room, that had
lasted from the happy days of concentration in sunny Aldershot, was
dissolved, alas, never in its completeness to reassemble again.

Between five and six hundred of the 219th Battalion still remained. Kits
and trunks were packed, adieus paid, our temporary English home broken
up, and promptly at 12 o’clock Saturday, December 30th; the Purple
Feather ranks, now varied with blue and green and red feathers, moved
off headed by the 85th Band. The Battalion settled down in a pleasant
part of the Bramshott Camp, on the brow of a hill overlooking the
picturesque dale through which flowed a streamlet gathered from the
meadows of Haslemere, Shottermill and Hammer. It was the country of
George Eliot and of Tennyson’s later years. Many travellers had come to
it, but never any on so strange an errand.

Presently there appeared in Camp the Old 17th. It had been the first
Nova Scotian Unit sent Overseas. Apart from its Commanding Officer,
Lieut.-Colonel Cameron, it possessed hardly any Nova Scotians; it was
officered and its ranks were filled almost exclusively by Western
Canadians. This Battalion, like the famous Minotaur, had fed on the
remnants of many others in its time. Would the Highland Brigade succumb
to the usual fate or would it prove an indigestible morsel?

At the commencement of 1917 a change of policy was inaugurated affecting
all the Canadian Camps in England. Witley was reserved for the Fifth
Division. In the others the Training Brigades became reserve ones, which
would have a full strength of 8,000 each, and each Reserve Battalion
(2,000 in strength) would have some definite fighting Unit at the Front
to which it would send reinforcements whenever required. The 17th was
made a Reserve Battalion in the 5th Reserve Brigade; it was to reinforce
the 25th and 85th and to be distinctively Nova Scotian; it was ordered
to take over the 219th and 193rd. Officially the whale swallowed Jonah,
but in the curious and unscriptural sequel Jonah took over the control
of the whale from the inside. This second transformation was undoubtedly
due to the fact that the 17th Reserve was to become a Nova Scotian Unit
and naturally Nova Scotians assumed the dominant role; and these were to
be found in the ranks of the Highland Brigade. But it was also due to a
stubborn and persistent _esprit de corps_ that had always characterized
the 219th.

The formal transference took place on January 23rd, and that date marks
the end of the 219th as a distinct military Unit, and forms a fitting
close to this article. It has been the story of a splendid Battalion
into which the Western Counties of Nova Scotia poured their best manhood
with unstinted patriotism. It represents the finest sacrifice ever made
by the loyal enthusiasm of that part of the Province. Fisherman, farmer,
lumberman, student, minister, lawyer, doctor drilled side by side in a
spirit of comradeship seldom excelled.

It is not given to this bloodless narrative to trace to the field of
battle the brave men that filled the ranks, but in the tale of their
Battalions they will be found to have played their part in the defence
of civilization bravely and well, and to have left to their country the
legacy of an imperishable example.

CHAPTER XX.
_246th BATTALION, C.E.F._

The 246th Battalion was authorized in August, 1916, as a Reserve Unit to
supply reinforcements to the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. It was
organized at Camp Aldershot a short time before the Brigade embarked for
Overseas, and to it were transferred officers and other ranks who, from
various causes, were temporarily unfit for service at the Front. Each
Battalion of the Brigade was represented by one Company, “A” Company,
the 85th Battalion; “B” Company, 185th Battalion; “C” Company, 193rd
Battalion, and “D” Company, 219th Battalion.

The officers were:

Lieut.-Col. N. H. Parsons Officer Commanding.
Major G. B. Cutten Second in Command.
Major H. H. Bligh Company Commander.
Major H. D. Creighton Company Commander.
Major M. A. McKay Company Commander.
Major W. G. McRae Company Commander.
Capt. A. McKinnon
Capt. G. E. Roberts
Capt. J. Armitage Adjutant.
Capt. L. L. Titus Quartermaster.
Capt. A. C. Wilson Medical Officer.
Capt. C. W. Corey Chaplain.
Capt. F. Robertson Paymaster.
Lieut. R. V. Harris Asst. Adjutant.

Lieuts. F. J. McCharles, A. T. E. Crosby, E. S. H. Lane, H. F.
Lockhart, H. L. McInnes, A. W. Rogers, W. B. Ross, E. C. Shields, C.
E. Smith, H. R. Theakston, W. M. Bligh, C. E. Baker, G. D.
Blackadar, R. S. Edwards, N. Rogers, J. S. Roy.

A detachment of the 246th under the command of Major H. D. Creighton was
sent to Trenton to guard the Nova Scotia Steel Company’s plant at that
point, and was later relieved by a detachment from the Composite
Battalion.

During the autumn and winter months recruiting became very difficult,
and when the necessity for compulsory service became evident it was
decided to discontinue organization and send the Battalion Overseas in
drafts. The first draft, under the command of Lieuts C. E. Baker and W.
M. Bligh, embarked in March, 1917, and on June 1st a further draft of
230 men and the following officers were sent Overseas:

Lieut.-Col. N. H. Parsons; Major M. A. McKay; Capt. A. McKinnon, Capt.
L. L. Titus, Lieuts. A. T. E. Crosby, R. S. Edwards, E. S. H. Lane, H.
F. Lockhart, H. L. McInnes, A. W. Rogers, W. B. Ross, E. C. Shields, C.
E. Smith.

On arrival in England the draft proceeded to Bramshott, where one half
of the men were sent to the 185th Battalion, then training at Witley
with the 5th Division. The remainder together with the officers were
absorbed by the 17th Reserve Battalion.

The remainder of the strength left in Canada was transferred to Labor,
Forestry, Special Service and other Units, the majority eventually going
Overseas.

CHAPTER XXI.
_NO. 2 CONSTRUCTION BATTALION._

No. 2 Construction Battalion was authorized on July 5, 1916. Mr. D. H.
Sutherland, of River John, N.S., a well-known railroad contractor, who
had enlisted in the 193rd Overseas Battalion, was given command of this
Unit with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. D. H. SUTHERLAND.]

An Infantry Battalion was not deemed advisable as the population was not
sufficient to send the necessary reinforcements; therefore a
Construction Battalion was authorized to represent the colored citizens
of Canada, who were demanding that their race should be represented in
the C.E.F. by a Unit composed of their own people.

The colored citizens of Canada are settled principally in the Provinces
of Nova Scotia and Ontario, although of late years a great many have
settled in Western Canada. Out of a total population in Canada of
20,000, including men, women and children, Nova Scotia has 7,000;
Ontario 5,000; New Brunswick 1,000, and the remainder of the colored
population are settled in Western Canada. It is estimated that 200
colored men were engaged in coal mines in Nova Scotia, and therefore not
eligible to enlist. The number of men who enlisted in No. 2 Construction
from Nova Scotia was 500, so that of the men available in Nova Scotia,
the colored citizens sent Overseas in No. 2 Construction Battalion fully
10 per cent. of their population as volunteers.

Recruiting was carried on simultaneously wherever the colored population
were located. A detachment of sixty men, under command of Capt. W. A.
McConnell, was raised at Toronto and latterly joined the detachment at
Windsor, Out., under the command of Capt. A. J. Gayfer. The Ontario
recruits in all numbered 350. About fifty recruits volunteered from
Western Canada. The headquarters was first located at Pictou, N.S., and
later transferred to Truro, where more barracks room was available.

No. 2 Construction Battalion was the only volunteer Unit to engage in
war-work before proceeding Overseas. A Company of 250 men, under command
of Capt. Kenneth A. Morrison, was employed during the months of January,
February and part of March lifting rails from the Grand Trunk sidings at
Moncton, Nappadogan and Edmundston, N.B., to be shipped Overseas for the
Western Front.

Following is a list of officers of this Unit:

D. H. Sutherland Lieut-Colonel and O.C.
Kenneth A. Morrison Capt. and Second in Command.
John Sidney Davie Capt. and Adjutant.
Walter Adam McConnell Captain.
George Peter McLaren Captain.
A. J. Gayfer Captain.
James Stuart Grant Captain and Paymaster.
David Anderson Captain and Quartermaster.
Russell R. McLean Lieutenant.
James Bertram Hayes Lieutenant.
Roderick Livingstone Lieutenant.
Halton Fyles Lieutenant.
William L. Young Lieutenant.
L. Bruce Young Lieutenant.
Isaac Logan Banhill Lieutenant.
Attached Officers Capt. Dan. Murray, Medical Officer.
Hon. Capt. William A. White, Chaplain.

Mr. Harry B. McLean, of the Cook Construction Company, and Wheaton
Bros., presented the Unit with a set of band instruments. Mr. Andrew
Wheaton also assisted the Unit financially. Mr. H. B. McLean was
appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel on account of his interest in and
assistance to the Battalion.

The Unit embarked at Halifax, March 25, 1917, on board the troopship
_Southland_; in all there were 3,500 troops on board. The ship was in
command of Captain Morehouse, and the troops in command of Lieut.-Col.
D. H. Sutherland. The convoy arrived at Liverpool April 8th. During the
passage great precautions were taken to guard against enemy submarines.
No lights were shown, no bugles blown and a constant watch was kept day
and night for floating mines and submarines. This period was the worst
in the history of submarine warfare, as more ships were sunk during the
week April 1 to April 8, 1917, than at any time during the War.

The Unit entrained at Liverpool Sunday noon, April 8th, and left for
Seaford, travelling by special troop train through a very picturesque
country. Arriving at Seaford the Unit was escorted by a British band to
our Camp under canvas, about two miles from the depot. All troops
arriving from Canada at this time were segregated ten days, to avoid the
introduction of contagious diseases. The Unit was taken on the strength
of the Canadian forces at Seaford, under command of Col. G. S. Gardiner.

Before proceeding to France, it was necessary for any Unit to have the
full quota of men in accordance to the establishment of the Unit. As No.
2 Construction was 300 under strength, the Unit was reorganized into a
Construction Company of 506 men and ten officers. As there was no
provision on the establishment for a Lieutenant-Colonel, Lieut.-Col.
Sutherland, Officer Commanding, reverted to the rank of Major to proceed
to France in command of the Unit.

While at Seaford, from April 8 to May 17, 1917, the Unit was detailed
into working parties and employed in building trenches for the troops in
training and in building and repairing roads within the bounds of the
Canadian command. Permanent air picket was detailed about May 1st, to be
in readiness in the event of air raids, which were of frequent
occurrence. During the Sports’ Day Competition among the Canadian Forces
at Seaford, the members of No. 2 Construction won a silver cup presented
for competition by the British Y.M.C.A.

The Unit was ordered to France on May 17th, and entrained at Seaford at
2 a.m., May 17th, arriving at Folkestone and proceeding direct to the
Channel troopship at the pier. The crossing occupied two hours. The
Channel boats carrying troops were well escorted by British destroyers
on port and starboard sides, while the _Silver Queen_, a small-sized
dirigible airship, escorted our troopship overhead to sight for enemy
submarines. Arriving at Boulogne at 3 p.m. the Unit was escorted to a
rest camp; twenty-four hours later, on May 18th, the Unit entrained at
Boulogne and travelled by special troop train by Etaples, Paris, Dijon,
Dole, Mouchard and arrived at our destination, La Joux, Jour Mountains,
on May 21st.

The Unit was attached to No. 5 District, Canadian Forestry Corps, under
command of Lieut.-Col. Geo. Johnson. There were four Forestry Companies
consisting of 170 men, 40 teams, logging and sawmill outfit, located
within one-half mile radius from No. 2 Construction Company’s Camp. The
officers and men of No. 2 Construction were detailed into working
parties and paraded daily to assist in the logging, milling and shipping
operations of the Forestry Corps.

The officers were employed as follows:

Major Sutherland was in command of the Unit and kept a general
supervision over the different working parties.

Capt. J. S. Grant was employed as officer in charge of shipping for No.
5 District, and all lumber sawn by the four Companies was shipped at La
Joux Station by No. 2 Construction men. A detachment of fifty men, under
command of Lieut. H. Fyles, assisted No. 22 Company, C.F.C., in logging
and in the construction of a narrow gauge railway to transport saw-logs
to the mill. The roads were kept in repair by Capt. David Anderson, No.
2 Construction, with a party of 100 men. A road plant consisting of a
rock crusher, steam drill, motor lorries and steam roller, was employed,
and the roads were kept in a good state of repair where the heavy
traffic demanded the best roads possible.

The water to supply the Camp had to be pumped to an elevation of 1,500
feet by means of force pumps in relay. Lieut. Bertram Hayes was officer
in charge of pumping stations and water lines. Capt. R. Livingstone was
Transport Officer for No. 5 District, assisted by Lieut. Russell McLean,
both of No. 2 Construction Company.

On December 30, 1917, Capt. K. A. Morrison left La Joux for Alencon, in
command of 180 other ranks to report to the O.C. No. 1 District, C.F.C.;
Lieut. S. Hood was Adjutant of this detachment. Fifty other ranks were
despatched to 37th Company, C.F.C., near Peronne.

A few items, as follows, taken from the War Diary of this Unit July 1,
1918, will be of interest:

Dominion Day celebrated by the eleven Forestry Companies and No. 2
Construction Company, composing No. 5 District, in field sports held at
Chapois. The four Companies from La Joux, namely, No. 22, 40, 50 and No.
2 Construction paraded to the grounds under the command of Major
Sutherland. During the day, the band of this Company, by their excellent
music, greatly assisted in entertaining the crowd and making the holiday
a success.

July 7, 1918: Camp inspected by Lieut.-General Sir Richard Turner, V.C.,
accompanied by Major-General A. MacDougall, G.O.C. Canadian Forestry
Corps, and Lieut.-Colonel Johnson, O.C. Jura Group. The interior economy
and general tidiness were favorably commented upon.

July 13, 1918: Hon. Capt. W. A. White, Chaplain, returns from visiting
the Alencon detachment.

July 14, 1918: Sunday, no work. The Mayor of Salins invited the
Canadians in this district to send a detachment to Salins to take part
in a review in which American and French troops were participating.
Major Sutherland represented Lieut.-Col. G. M. Strong, D.S.O., O.C. No.
5 District, C.F.C., who was absent on duty, and acted as reviewing
officer of the Allied Troops at Salins, in commemorating the National
Day and to do honor to the French Republic. The band of this Company,
under the leadership of Sergt. G. W. Stewart, played the National Anthem
and a programme and greatly assisted in making the event a memorable
one.

July 15, 1918: Camp inspected by General Bouillard, Commanding 7th Army
Division, French, and Lieut.-Col. G. Johnson, O.C. Jura Group.

April 3, 1918: The following telegram sent to the D.T.O., C.F.C.,
France, from the O.C. No. 2 Construction Company:

“Will you please recommend my Unit which is organized for construction
work for transfer to Western Front.”

In April, 1918, Colonel Strong, D.S.O., O.C. No. 5 District, C.F.C.,
recommended that No. 2 Construction Company be given the establishment
of a Battalion. This recommendation was approved by the G.O.C., General
White, and General MacDougall, but held up for lack of reinforcements.

Shortly after the Armistice, orders were received for this Unit to
report at the General Base Depot, Etaples. The Unit left La Joux,
December 4th. One hundred and fifty Russian soldiers, who had been
attached to No. 2 Construction Company during 1918, were taken over by
No. 40 Company, C.F.C. No. 2 Construction arrived at Etaples December
7th, and was joined by the detachment from Alencon and fifty men from
37th Company, C.F.C. The Unit sailed from Boulogne, December 14th, with
600 attached troops, under command of Major Sutherland, and arrived at
Bramshott Camp. The Unit was attached to the Nova Scotia Regimental
Depot, and from there dispersed to the several military camps
representing the various military districts in Canada, to which the men
would be forwarded for demobilization. The different drafts composing
this Unit sailed the latter part of January, 1919, for Halifax.

A letter was received by Major Sutherland from Major-General MacDougall
conveying the thanks of the Canadian Forestry Corps to the officers and
men of this Unit for their valuable and faithful services while attached
for duty and discipline, to the Canadian Forestry Corps.

CHAPTER XXII.
_THE CANADIAN FORESTRY CORPS._

On February 15, 1916, the Colonial Secretary cabled to the
Governor-General of Canada, H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, the following
message:

“H.M. Government would be grateful if the Canadian Government would
assist in the production of timber for war purposes. Owing to the
very serious shortage of freight for munitions, food, forage and
other essentials, which is a matter of the gravest concern to H.M.
Government, it is impossible to continue to import Canadian timber
on a sufficiently large scale to meet war requirements, and
arrangements must therefore be made for felling and converting
English forests.

“Chief difficulty is finding sufficient skilled labor, fellers,
haulers and sawyers. One thousand five hundred men are urgently
needed, and H.M. Government would suggest that a Battalion of
lumbermen might be formed of specially listed men to undertake
exploitations of forests of this country. If proposal commends
itself to Canadian Government, would beg very early action. Suggest
that men be enlisted into Canadian Expeditionary Force and
despatched in small companies under competent supervision.
Government is aware that lumber season is now in progress, but feel
sure that men would enlist even at sacrifice of present employment
if the reason of appeal were made known to them. Incidence of cost
will be arranged as agreeable to Canadian Government.”

A further cable was sent on February 29th. So quickly did the Canadian
authorities make up their minds, that on March 1, 1916, a cable was sent
stating that the Battalion asked for would be provided with the least
possible delay. The raising of Units in this Corps exemplified the
readiness of the Canadian Government to assist in the most unexpected
direction.

The 224th Battalion, under Lieut.-Colonel McDougall, arrived in England,
April 28, 1916, and the 230th, 238th and 242nd Battalions followed
within six months.

Nova Scotia’s quota in this branch of the Service was about 525 officers
and men, known as the Nova Scotia Forestry Draft, composed of three
Companies with a personnel of officers as follows:

_Staff._—Major M. C. Denton, Officer Commanding; Major E. J. Stehlen,
Second in Command; Capt. J. G. Pierce, Adjutant.

_“A” Company._—Capt. M. D. McKeigan, O.C.; Lieut. A. Roy, Lieut. Parker
McDonald, Lieut. David Neal.

_“B” Company._—Capt. G. D. Blackader, O.C.; Lieut. N. P. McKenzie,
Lieut. C. B. McDougall, Lieut. C. F. Kinney.

[Illustration:

MAJOR M. C. DENTON,
Forestry Corps.]

_“C” Company._—Capt. H. B. Verge, O.C.; Lieut. George Harding, Lieut R.
S. Shreve, Lieut. W. V. R. Winters.

Authorization for this Unit was granted in March, 1917. Recruiting and
organization work began immediately by Companies, under the direct
supervision of the Company Commanders in the various counties as
follows: “A” Company in Pictou, Cape Breton, Victoria and Inverness; “B”
Company in Halifax, Cumberland, Colchester and Prince Edward Island; and
“C” Company in Shelburne, Queens, Lunenburg, Yarmouth and Digby; “A” and
“B” Companies mobilized at Truro; “C” Company at Yarmouth; and on May
29th all Companies proceeded to Aldershot to complete the work of
organization, after which they embarked on the White Star Line Transport
_Justicia_, and arrived in England, July 4, 1916.

The Base Depot for the Corps was at Smith’s Lawn, Sunningdale,
Berkshire, within the confines of Windsor Great Park. This site was
given to the Corps by His Majesty the King in December, 1916.

About the middle of August the entire draft was broken up, a portion of
the officers and men were absorbed into other Forestry Units, operating
in England, Scotland and the South of France. Officers that were not
disposed of in this manner transferred to the Flying Corps, Canadian
Railway Troops, Infantry and Labor Battalions, subsequently getting over
to France.

It is difficult to conceive the multitude of ways in which timber was
used for war purposes. At the Front, the Army very largely walked on
timber, lorries drove on timber, railways, light and heavy, required
huge numbers of sleepers or ties. Underground no less than above ground
was timber used for dugouts, and all the complicated contrivances
connected with trench warfare. From huts to ammunition boxes, from
duckboards to stakes for barbed wire entanglements, the uses of timber
ranged. The general specifications for a Company’s operation in this
Corps was the production of Sawn Lumber, Fuelwood, Pickets, Hurdles,
Fascines, Faggots, Continuous Rivetting and Parry Sticks.

In order to save time, and for other reasons, it was arranged that
Canadians should bring with them their own machinery and equipment of
the kind to which they were accustomed, with the necessary modifications
to adapt it to the conditions in Britain and France. The work of the
Forestry Corps was thus not only of the utmost assistance in meeting the
need of timber for the War, and in saving tonnage, but was of permanent
value in that it has knit more closely together the people of Great
Britain, with their compatriots scattered throughout Canada.

CHAPTER XXIII.
_NO. 6 DISTRICT DEPOT._

During the early part of 1918 when the Germans were making their last
great drive, few people realized that preparations were already made for
the demobilization of the Canadian Corps. These preparations were due to
the foresight of Headquarters Staff. Accordingly when the organization
of No. 6 District Depot was completed on the 18th of April, 1918, a
District Depot was established in each Military District of Canada, each
Depot being designated by the number of the Military District in which
the Depot was situated.

Lieut.-Col. B. W. Roscoe, D.S.O., was first appointed Officer
Commanding, and he had under him a small but efficient Staff, with Capt.
J. S. Davies, M.C., as Adjutant, headquarters being at Leith House,
Hollis Street, Halifax.

The functions of District Depots at first were many. Besides carrying
out ordinary discharges, all personnel in the different hospitals had to
be looked after, and in addition to this all casualties who became fit
for further service were allotted to the different Service Companies and
Battalions in the District and to their own Units Overseas.

No. 6 District Depot differed from the other Depots in so far that it
had an Embarkation Casualty Section which handled all casualties, on
embarkation; that is to say, when troops were proceeding Overseas from
the different districts of Canada, who for various reasons could not
embark at the appointed time, they were taken on the strength of No. 6
District Depot and forwarded by some future sailing.

This work was carried on by Lieut.-Colonel Roscoe until June, 1918, when
Lieut.-Col. D. A. MacRae, 25th Battalion, was appointed Officer
Commanding, with Capt. G. T. Shaw, 31st Battalion, as Adjutant,
headquarters being removed to Wellington Barracks.

From this time on the work began to increase owing to the great number
of men returning from England to be demobilized. Demobilization went on
very rapidly, and when the Armistice suddenly came it was realized that
more speedily to carry out demobilization No. 6 District Depot would
have to be enlarged. With this in view two Dispersal Stations known as
“A” and “B” were added to the Depot, these Dispersal Stations being
situated in Charlottetown and Halifax, and commanded by Major J. S.
Stanley and Major J. G. Johnstone, respectively. To these officers was
allotted the greater part of the organization of their respective
stations which was carried on in such a manner that great credit was
reflected upon the Depot as well as upon the officers commanding.

Everything was now in readiness to handle very speedily troops arriving
for demobilization, so that when the first complete Unit, the Royal
Canadian Regiment, arrived at the Port of Halifax early in March, 1919,
it was demobilized in less than a day. This was made possible by the
hard work of the Officer Commanding Dispersal Station B, Major J. G.
Johnstone.

This work was kept up by the stations throughout Canada until late in
July, 1919, when it was found that the Canadian Corps had practically
been demobilized. At first it was thought it would take two years to
complete demobilization of our forces, but the whole work was carried on
so speedily that the feat was practically accomplished in six months.
This in itself speaks well of the splendid organization of the Depots.

No. 6 Depot, besides demobilizing the Maritime troops, demobilized a
great number of troops from other districts, viz., the Cavalry Brigade,
Engineer and Forestry Units, Railway Troops and several Hospital Units.
The work of No. 6 Depot was highly praised by Gen. John Hughes during
his tour of inspection, when he stated that No. 6 District was one of
the best organized throughout Canada.

One will realize the immense amount of work done by No. 6 District Depot
by the results obtained; that is to say, the total number of discharges
from April 18, 1918, until the latter part of May 1920, were one
thousand five hundred and seventy-eighty (1,578) officers and
twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and ninety-six other ranks (27,896),
made up as shown in the table below:

Reasons. Other
Officers. Ranks.
1. _Medically Unfit._
(_a_) Disability due to or aggravated by
service 76 2,983
(_b_) Requiring further medical treatment of
long duration or vocational education 38 507

2. _Demobilisation._
All discharged other than above 1,462 24,299

3. _Struck off Strength._
Deaths 2 17
1,578 27,896
————— ——————
Transferred to other Districts 8 58

It will be very gratifying to Nova Scotians to know that the whole Staff
of No. 6 District Depot were made up of Nova Scotia officer ranks, all
of whom saw service at the Front, and it is sure when the records of the
District Depots are compared that No. 6 District Depot will be well to
the forefront.

Officers on strength No. 6 District Depot when organized:

Officer Commanding Lieut.-Col. W. B. Roscoe, D.S.O C.M.R.’s.
Second in Command Major A. B. Bucknell 15th L.H.
Adjutant Capt. J. L. Davie, M.C 21st Bn.
Assistant Adjutant Lieut. J. A. Ross 85th Bn.
Quartermaster Capt. A. A. Clark 139th Bn.

_June, 1918._

Officer Commanding Lieut.-Col. D. A. MacRae 25th Bn.
Second in Command Major J. L. Davie, M.C. 31st Bn.
Adjutant Capt. G. T. Shaw 21st Bn.
Assistant Adjutant Lieut. A. F. Ferguson 10th R.R.T.
Quartermaster Capt. A. A. Clark 139th Bn.
Records Officer Lieut. B. E. Elliott C.E.

_Leave and Furlough Section._

Officer Commanding Capt. M. S. Hunt 5th Bn.
Second in Command Lieut. J. Harley 25th Bn.

_Details Company._

Officer Commanding Capt. F. A. Ladd 7th Bn.

_Casualty Company._

Officer Commanding Major L. D. V. Chipman 13th Bn.
Company Officers Capt. A. G. Foster 7th Bn.
Lieut. W. H. Whidden Composite Bn.
Lieut. H. A. Crawley 85th Bn.
Lieut. A. A. Crawley R.C.G.A.

_Discharge Section._

Officer Commanding Capt. R. W. Dill 25th Bn.
Section Officers Capt. J. A. Gunn 13th Bn.
Capt. F. A. MacAloney R.A.F.
Capt. W. Fisher 25th Bn.
Lieut. G. W. Banks 38th Bn.
Lieut. I. C. Banks Composite Bn.

_Hospital Section._

Officer Commanding Major J. A. Mackenzie 85th Bn.
Section Officer Capt F. T. DeWolfe C.G.A.

_Dispersal Station “A,” Charlottetown._

Officer Commanding Major J. W. Stanley C.G.A.
Second in Command Capt. J. S. Bagnell C.G.A.
Company Officers Lieut. R. Richie C.G.A.
Lieut. H. E. McEachern 50th Bn.
Lieut. J. McDonald C.G.A.
Lieut. J. White C.G.A.

_Dispersal Station “B,” Halifax._

Officer Commanding Major J. G. Johnstone 85th Bn.
Second in Command Capt. M. S. Hunt 5th Bn.
Company Officers Capt. R. L. Billman C.G.A.
Lieut. J. Bonner 85th Bn.
Lieut. B. E. Nicks 13th Bn.
Lieut. J. H. E. Jones C.E.

CHAPTER XXIV.
_THE ARMY SERVICE CORPS._

In the lexicon of the Army Service Corps, the word “impossible” does not
exist. It was this spirit, insistently inculcated since the organization
of the Corps in 1902, that made the accomplishment of the seemingly
“impossible” possible by the Canadian Army Service Corps in the Maritime
Provinces when the Kaiser let roar his terrorizing thunderbolts in
August, 1914.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. E. C. DEAN.]

Blatant glory has seldom perched on the escutcheon of this hard-worked
Corps, but, on the other hand, the capable work of the Army Service
Corps has frequently been the means of attracting this coy bird to a
resting place on the banner of many a Unit whose prowess fills the pages
of history.

Briefly, it is the efficient service of the Army Service Corps that
makes possible the achievement of great things by the army.

It is impossible to record the history of the Canadian Army Service
Corps in the Maritime Provinces throughout the duration of the Great
War—and after—without beginning at the basis of the structure, namely,
No. 4 Detachment of the Canadian Permanent Army Service Corps, now known
as No. 6 Detachment of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, having its
headquarters at Halifax.

On August 4, 1914, No. 4 Detachment was officered by five officers of
the Canadian Permanent Army Service Corps, two attached officers of the
Active Militia, and one officer of the Imperial Army Service Corps,
attached. The Detachment was administered by Major E. C. Dean, who was
attached to the Staff of Military District No. 6 as an Assistant
Director of Supplies and Transport (now Lieut.-Colonel E. C. Dean,
Senior Supply and Transport Officer, attached to the Staff of M.D. No.
6). He was also Commandant of the Canadian Army Service Corps School of
Training. In command of the Detachment was Major R. O. Marks, an officer
of the Imperial Army Service Corps, temporarily loaned to the Canadian
Sister Corps. He was also Adjutant of the School of Training. The other
officers of the Permanent Force were Lieut. H. O. Lawson (now Major
Lawson, Senior Supply and Transport Officer, M.D. No. 3, Kingston,
Ontario); Lieut. Keith MacDougall (now Major MacDougall, in charge of
No. 6 Detachment, R.C.A.S.C.); Lieut. J. A. Gwynne (who proceeded
Overseas as Adjutant of the Second Divisional Train); and Lieut., now
Capt., George Simms, District Barracks Officer—a most efficient,
hard-working officer, whose capability went a long way towards making
possible the quartering and comfort of many thousands of troops in the
Maritime Provinces. The splendid services rendered by this officer—his
absolute devotion to his arduous duties, his zeal and tireless efforts
in behalf of the C.E.F., and, at the same time, his careful supervision
of all matters pertaining to the financial interests of the public
purse—are well worthy of recognition.

The two attached officers of the Active Militia were Lieut. (now Major)
H. R. Hendy, of Esquimalt, B.C., and Capt. H. J. B. Keating, of No. 6
Company, Canadian Army Service Corps. Captain Keating is now stationed
at Quebec.

The rank and file of the Detachment numbered less than fifty—scarcely
sufficient to care for the needs of Halifax Garrison in peace time. The
available transport comprised about a half-dozen horses, two time-worn
Ford passenger cars, two steamboats, and a “dumb” lighter. Practically
the whole of the land transport was carried out by horses and wagons
under a civilian contractor—Mr. George E. VanBuskirk.

The Supply Depot, including grocery store, bakery, and meat shop, was
located within the confines of Glacis Barracks—the headquarters of the
Army Service Corps at Halifax—in a small brick building which, under the
regime of the Imperials, had been used as a school for the senior
children of Imperial soldiers in garrison at Halifax. Under peace
conditions this building was inadequate for the purposes for which it
was used, and, needless to say, under war demands its continuance as
such was out of the question. All flour, bread, groceries, meat, and
other supplies, had to be taken in and out of one small door.

To meet war requirements, the garrison gymnasium—situated about fifty
feet from the old senior school building—was taken over and converted
into an ideal Supply Depot. The former grocery store was then opened up
to enlarge the bakery, which was modernized by the introduction of
electrically-operated machinery and new and enlarged ovens. The meat
shop was also improved, the chill room enlarged and modernized by the
addition of a “trolley” system for the expeditious handling of meat.
Thus in a short time the handicap with which the Army Service Corps
labored at the outbreak of war was quickly overcome.

The most serious difficulty, however, which had to be combatted was that
of obtaining sufficient men to carry out the increased work thrown upon
this Corps by the sudden strengthening of Halifax Garrison, and the
calling out of troops to guard various points in the Maritime Provinces.
This was a real and trying hardship. The other Permanent Force Units
forming Halifax Garrison could not spare men to assist the Army Service
Corps, as every man was needed within his own Unit. The problem was
partly solved by calling up a number of non-commissioned officers and
men of No. 8 Company, Canadian Army Service Corps, commanded by Capt. F.
W. Wickwire, with headquarters at Kentville, N.S. No. 7 Company,
commanded by Major A. L. Massie, with headquarters at St. John, also
supplied a few. Later on Lieut.-Col. I. W. Videto, commanding the 63rd
Halifax Rifles, and Lieut.-Col. A. King, commanding the 66th Princess
Louise Fusiliers, very generously loaned a number of splendid men, whose
ready adaptability made it possible for the Army Service Corps to “carry
on.” As time advanced enlistments made the Corps more or less
self-sustaining, but the fact remains that never throughout the duration
of the War were sufficient men actually enlisted in this branch of the
Service to render it independent of other Units. This condition was
probably due to the fact that the possibility of getting Overseas was
greater by enlisting in other Units.

Mention has been made of Nos. 7 and 8 Companies of the Canadian Army
Service Corps. Both these Companies played important parts in the Great
World War, at home and abroad. Major Massie took Overseas the Second
Divisional Train, and all the officers and practically the whole of the
rank and file of No. 7 Company accompanied him. Captain Wickwire, of No.
8 Company, after a short period as Deputy Assistant Director of Supply
and Transport, M.D. No. 6, also went over to France with this Train, and
rendered very efficient service with it in the fighting zone.

The strengthening of the Garrison of Halifax made possible the
fulfilment of the plans of defence, which had long since been carefully
laid down. This, and the summoning of troops for guard purposes at
various points in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, threw a vast amount of
work on the Army Service Corps, for not only had these troops, scattered
over a wide area throughout the three Provinces, to be housed, and their
daily wants in the matter of food, water, light, fuel, straw for
bedding, transport and necessary services arranged for, but it was also
required, following a preconceived plan, to provide for them against the
possibility of their being cut off from their source of supply. To do
justice to the amount of labor involved in the organization and
administration of this task would require a volume greater in size than
this one, so all that can be done is to give a brief outline of the
general scheme followed.

When the Royal Canadian Regiment, with its supporting artillery, were
ordered to garrison points in the Island of Cape Breton and Canso, they
left Halifax self-sustaining for fourteen days; that is, they carried
with them reserve rations sufficient for fourteen days for all ranks. In
addition they carried rations for current consumption sufficient for all
ranks for a further fourteen days, but minus meat, butter and bread.
Lieut. J. A. Gwynne, of the Army Service Corps, and one clerk,
accompanied the Regiment to Sydney to make necessary supply and other
arrangements. The tasks this officer had to attend to may be judged when
it is known that he had to make contracts, and to arrange to supply the
wants of troops located at nine different points, covering a frontage of
about fifty miles, and requiring travel by train, steamship, street car
and automobile to reach the various posts. So capably was the duty
performed that the troops had never to go without a meal, their rations
being arranged with practically the regularity which prevailed in
Halifax under peace conditions. When Lieutenant Gwynne was summoned for
service Overseas, he was replaced at Sydney by Lieut. Horace
Westmoreland. Later on this officer went to France as Transport Officer
of the Royal Canadian Regiment, being replaced at Sydney by Lieut. Cecil
Sircom. These three officers belonged to the Permanent Force, and
received their training at Halifax.

As the Supply and Transport Officer at Sydney found it impossible to
give any attention to the troops stationed at Canso, the work there
incidental to the Army Service Corps was performed by the Officer
Commanding the Guard, who received the necessary instructions by
telegram and telephone from the Assistant Director of Supplies and
Transport at Halifax, an Army Service Corps’ Clerk being sent to Canso
to attend to the necessary accounting.

An incident might here be related as exemplifying the difficulties that
had to be overcome from time to time by the Army Service Corps. Certain
heavy guns had to be transported from Prince Edward Island to points in
Nova Scotia. Every effort was put forth to obtain the services of a ship
capable of carrying these guns, but without success. Finally, after a
delay of several days, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Peake telephoned from
Charlottetown to Halifax to say that a ship was then approaching
Charlottetown Harbor which might be suitable. The A.D. of S. & T. at
Halifax instructed him to approach the captain of this vessel and
explain to him the situation, and if he was not agreeable to undertaking
the task of transporting these guns, Colonel Peake was to commandeer the
ship and move the artillery to the places directed. Whether it was
Colonel Peake’s persuasiveness or his war-like demeanor that had the
desired effect cannot be stated with certainty. Time was spent only in
removing sufficient of the ship’s cargo to make it possible to load the
guns, which were then transported with despatch. Meanwhile other
arrangements had been made by the Army Service Corps to carry these guns
to the points in Nova Scotia where they were required.

The troops forming the actual defence force of Halifax and environments
were supplied on the same basis as those sent to Cape Breton, so that in
the event of necessity they could sustain themselves for fourteen days,
and by the addition of tinned meat and biscuit, the period could be
extended another fourteen days.

Meanwhile troops had been summoned for the defence of St. John, N.B.,
which necessitated calling out a portion of No. 7 Company of the
Canadian Army Service Corps, under the command of Major A. L. Massie.
This detachment took up its headquarters in the Armories, and from there
efficiently ministered to the wants of the troops on duty and in
training at St. John and adjoining points. Lieut. J. Key, who had been
trained at Halifax, was sent to St. John to take up the duties as
District Barrack Officer, carrying out these duties very satisfactorily.
Lieut. Arthur Biggar, who was also trained at Halifax, was despatched to
St. John as Officer in Charge of Supplies, a position he filled very
creditably until called for duty in France. The troops doing duty at St.
John and adjacent points were also rationed on the same basis as were
those on duty at Halifax, Cape Breton, and other points.

It will be remembered that early in the War a Capt. Von Weghorn, an
officer of the Prussian Army, startled the civilized world by an attempt
to destroy the International railway bridge spanning the St. Lacroix
River, between McAdam Junction, on the Canadian side, and Vanceboro, on
the United States’ side. A suitcase filled with dynamite was placed
between the piers of the northeast corner of the bridge on the Canadian
side. The attempt failed, the bridge being only slightly damaged and
traffic not delayed. It was considered expedient, however, to place an
armed guard on this bridge on the Canadian side. To Lieut.-Col. E. C.
Dean, A.D. of S. & T., M.D. No. 6, fell the duty of making the necessary
supply and other arrangements for this guard.

A similar guard was placed over the new railway bridge spanning the St.
John River at St. Leonards.

Guards were also established over the Marconi Wireless Towers at
Newcastle, N.B., and Barrington Passage, the latter under command of
Lieut.-Col. T. M. Seeley. These guards required the usual attention on
the part of the Army Service Corps. To maintain the guard at Barrington
Passage was a cause of anxiety, as it was stationed at a point some
miles off the main road, in the midst of a wilderness, and could be
reached only in good weather, as the road leading to the Wireless
Station from the main highway was-well, simply impossible.

Permanent guards were also maintained at Louisburg, Glace Bay, Whitney
Pier, Sydney, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Cranberry Head, Chapel Hill,
Canso and various other places.

Incidentally troops were gathering at Valcartier to form the First
Contingent and the quota from the Maritime Provinces had to be
transported to the place of rendezvous. The manner of the arrangement of
this transportation was unique. Recruiting was being carried on in
practically every city, town, village and hamlet in the Maritime
Provinces. Movements were made when it was known that sufficient numbers
of men had been recruited to justify sending them forward. On the A.D.
of S. and T. rested the task of making train arrangements to get these
recruits to Valcartier. It was done in this manner: Instructions were
sent to various recruiting centres to have certain numbers of recruits
entrain on a certain train on a certain day. Thus, for instance, the
first lot might entrain at Louisburg, and others along the line as far
as Sydney; probably some would be brought over from Sydney Mines and
North Sydney to Sydney. At the latter place two, three or four special
coaches would be attached to a regular train, and as this train
proceeded towards Truro, the number of recruits would be augmented,
until on its arrival at Truro it might have from two to three hundred on
board. Meanwhile, a sufficient number would be run up from Halifax, and
a special train would then be made up at Truro and run to Levis, P.Q.,
where a transfer would be made for Quebec and Valcartier. At other times
Moncton would be made the point at which a special train would be made
up, in which case St. John supplied the completing quota to make up the
train load of 500 or thereabouts. It must be borne in mind, however,
that the whole movement was planned ahead of time, and the transport
scheme carried out on a definite plan.

Obviously it was impossible to send out transport warrants to cover the
movement of these various groups, so an arrangement was made whereby the
railway authorities agreed to accept temporary interim receipts from
officers or non-commissioned officers in charge of these groups, on the
presentation of a telegram or letter of instruction from either the A.D.
of S. & T. or any other Staff officer. These receipts were issued in
duplicate, one copy of which was kept by the ticket agent and the other
mailed to the A.D. of S. & T. Upon receipt of the latter, covering
transport warrants were mailed to the ticket agents concerned. By this
means some thousands of troops were moved expeditiously from the
Maritime Provinces to Valcartier.

New Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were forming in various
parts of the Maritime Provinces, and it behooved the Army Service Corps
to quarter them, arrange for supplies, water, light, land
transportation, barrack equipment, and a thousand and one details
incidental to the requirements of newly-formed military organizations,
and of which only a trained soldier has the faintest conception. These
new Units, or in some cases reinforcements, were scattered throughout
the length and breadth of the three Provinces, at such places in Nova
Scotia as: Halifax, Windsor, Truro, Pictou, New Glasgow, Antigonish,
Sydney, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Broughton, Glace Bay and Amherst.

When the Malleable Iron Works at Amherst, were converted into a domicile
for the involuntary reception and entertainment of adherents of the
doctrines of the Kaiser and his admirers, a small detachment of the Army
Service Corps was sent there to attend to their well-being. The late
Capt. P. F. Keating was in command of this detachment which had also to
look after the needs of the recruits quartered in Amherst. Captain
Keating was trained at Halifax and later proceeded Overseas in command
of No. 4 Company of the Third Divisional Train. This Company was
recruited at Halifax, having its headquarters in the old Medical College
Building at the corner of College and Carlton Streets.

Shortly after the outbreak of war, Canadian horses began to find their
way Overseas. In the first winter of the War the number shipped from the
Port of Halifax was something like 17,000. On the Army Service Corps
rested the duty of embarking these animals. The absence of forewarning
of train loads of horses being en route for Halifax was sometimes the
cause of great anxiety. At five o’clock one Easter Sunday morning a
telephone message from a railway official conveyed the tidings that
there were three train loads of horses in the freight yards consigned to
the Assistant Director of Supplies and Transport. As this was the first
intimation received of the movement of these horses, naturally no
arrangements had been made for their reception, and as the ships by
which they were to be conveyed Overseas were not in the harbor, it
became necessary to arrange for their disentrainment without loss of
time. Mr. M. McF. Hall, Secretary of the Halifax Exhibition, was called
out of bed by telephone, the situation explained to him, and
arrangements completed to detrain and stable the horses at the
Exhibition Grounds. Every available man of the Army Service Corps was
aroused from bed and marched to the Exhibition Grounds, there to care
for these horses instead of proceeding to church to take part in Easter
Sunday Service. Later, a detachment of artillerymen was told off to take
on the responsibility of these horses. At least on two other occasions
consignments of horses reached Halifax under similar circumstances.

Another “job” of the Army Service Corps at Halifax was to receive,
account for and send forward Overseas thousands upon thousands of
parcels of “comforts” for the troops at the Front, these parcels coming
from all parts of Canada, comprising everything in size from an envelope
containing a handkerchief to packing cases and barrels of comforts of
every description. Every parcel received was given a number, registered,
and then despatched Overseas.

Arrangements for the embarkation of complete Units and reinforcements of
troops during the early part of the War also fell to the lot of the Army
Service Corps, the A.D. of S. & T. being the responsible officer. He had
a most capable and efficient assistant in the person of Capt. S. A.
Doane, of Army Service Corps, whose knowledge of steamship matters is
unsurpassed, and who carried out practically all the details incidental
to the embarkation of troops at Halifax.

The Barrack Services under Capt. George Simms was a hard-worked branch,
the pressure on which did not cease until long after peace had been
declared.

It is worthy of mention that throughout the War thousands of contracts
for supplies were made and carried out by the Army Service Corps in the
Maritime Provinces, involving the expenditure of millions of dollars,
the accounting for which was also one of the many duties of the Army
Service Corps, yet not in a single instance was there the breath of
scandal discernible, a single transaction questioned, or a suggestion of
deviation from the ethical pathway of rectitude. Truly a glorious record
and heritage for the Canadian Army Service Corps in the Maritime
Provinces, with headquarters in the Metropolis of Nova Scotia.

The statement has been made that at the outbreak of the Great World War
there were stationed at Halifax eight officers of the Army Service
Corps. Most of these were soon cleared out and proceeded Overseas. Major
Marks, Lieutenants Lawson and MacDougall were summoned to Valcartier and
accompanied the First Contingent. Lieut.-Colonel Dean was called to take
command of the First Divisional Train, but as his services at Halifax
could not then be spared, he was not permitted to go. Later on he was
given the command of the Second Divisional Train, but again he was held
back, Major A. L. Massie of St. John being given the command. Col. W. A.
Simson, a Nova Scotian, was placed in command of the First Divisional
Train, which proved to be the “first” Train in more senses than one,
inasmuch as it was conceded to be the best Train in France, barring
none.

On the establishment of an Army Service Corps Training School at
Toronto, Capt. H. R. Hendy, of Halifax, was appointed Adjutant. On
proceeding Overseas, he was replaced by Capt. Cecil R. Sircom. Both of
these officers received their training at Halifax, as did also upwards
of one hundred officers, all of whom “made good” in Flanders Fields,
bringing credit to themselves, the Army Service Corps and the Metropolis
of Nova Scotia, where they were trained.

Among Nova Scotia officers of the Army Service Corps who were trained at
Halifax and saw service at the Front were: Capt. G. A. Redford, of New
Glasgow; Lieut. D. A. Starr, of Halifax; Capt. “Ted” Foster, of Bedford;
Capt. G. W. Underwood, of New Glasgow; Capt. Walter Taylor, of Halifax,
who transferred his affections to the Army Medical Corps; Lieut. Frank
S. Brennan, of Halifax, later transferred to the Flying Corps; Lieut. A.
B. Dewberry, of Halifax. In addition Lieut. L. Pierce, of No. 8 Company,
saw service in France, while Lieuts. J. A. Rose, G. H. Applegate, W. J.
V. Tweedie, H. S. Crowe and F. D. Doyle, also of No. 8 Company, all Nova
Scotians, performed meritorious service in Canada. Lieut. J. G. Ryan, of
Kentville, received his training at Halifax and filled many important
appointments at Sydney, Amherst, Aldershot, Ottawa and elsewhere.
Physical unfitness rendered him unable to partake in the campaign
Overseas.

The Headquarters Company of the Fourth Divisional Train was organized at
Halifax, the 200 members being recruited almost entirely from Nova
Scotia. The Train was mobilized and trained at Halifax. It was commanded
by Lieut.-Col. E. C. Dean, who took it Overseas. Of this Unit a Canadian
officer in high position in England said it was one of the best trained
bodies of men that Canada had contributed to the Great War.

On the departure Overseas of Lieut.-Colonel Dean, the duties of A.D. of
S. & T. were taken over by Major A. P. Lomas, of No. 6 Company of the
Army Service Corps. This officer very efficiently administered the Army
Service Corps affairs in the Maritime Provinces for nearly three years,
and rendered the British Empire invaluable service. He was ably seconded
by Major E. E. Wood, who commanded the local C.P.A.S.C., now developed
into a Company of upwards of 200 men, having about fifty horses and
forty motor vehicles.

The Permanent Detachment of the Army Service Corps at Halifax
contributed very materially in personnel to the various Army Service
Corps Units proceeding Overseas, the Detachment being made up largely of
Nova Scotians. The training and disciplining these men received at
Halifax had the effect of leavening the Overseas Units with which they
became associated.

When the casualties began to return from France, they came in ship
loads, about ninety per cent. returning through the Port of Halifax.
Sometimes as many as three vessels a week arrived. Most of the
well-known big ships were engaged in bringing home these war-scarred
veterans, among the number being the _Olympic_, _Aquitania_ and
_Mauretania_. In this work the Army Service Corps played an important
part, as they made all train, berthing and feeding arrangements, as well
as issuing all ranks with the necessary tickets for transportation. The
Army Service Corps worked out each train “consist,” gave the completed
train schedules to the railroad officials, who made up the trains in
accordance therewith.

Lieut.-Col. E. C. Dean, who had just returned from France, was appointed
Chief Transport Officer. Other Army Service Corps officers employed on
this important work were: Major F. W. Wickwire (who later succeeded
Colonel Dean as Chief Transport Officer), Capt. S. A. Doane, Lieut. Ken.
Love, Capt. L. Prickler, and Lieut. George H. Edgar. Also assisting were
eighty train conducting officers, one of whom was placed in charge of
each troop train to look after the comforts of the men, see that they
were properly fed, and that the train was run through to its destination
without undue delay.

Troops were disembarked at the rate of 1,000 under one hour: the
_Olympic_ and _Aquitania_, each carrying 5,500, were cleared in five
hours. About twelve to fourteen trains on an average were required to
despatch this number of men homeward, and the fact that over a quarter
of a million men were thus entrained, ticketed, berthed and fed en route
without a single mishap or complaint serves to illustrate the almost
perfect system that prevailed. Troops were entrained at the rate of
1,000 an hour, which meant that a troop train departed every half hour,
which may be considered quick work even from a railroad standpoint.

Though he was not connected with the military in any way, at the same
time a word of praise is due Mr. Ernie Cameron, now Superintendent of
the Dining and Sleeping Car Department of the Canadian National Railways
at Halifax, for the very able, efficient co-operation he gave the
military authorities in making up trains, providing most excellent meals
for the men en route and in many ways doing his bit to make the
home-coming of the warriors a happy one.

The Maritime Provinces, and Nova Scotia in particular, may justly be
proud of the part played in the Great War by their sons who wore the
badges of the Army Service Corps. The highly creditable achievements of
this organization—a Unit usually little heard of, but which accomplishes
big things—has shed lustre on the names of the three Provinces down by
the sounding sea.

CHAPTER XXV.
_THE CANADIAN ORDNANCE CORPS._

On the outbreak of hostilities the Canadian Ordnance Corps had a
strength of four officers, fifty-five other ranks and thirteen
civilians. It was very soon apparent that the Ordnance Depot would have
to be kept working twenty-four hours per diem. All ranks therefore were
immediately placed under canvas within the Depot, and shifts arranged so
that work of the Ordnance Depot could be continued the whole period of
twenty-four hours.

The armament of the Fortress and the Royal Canadian Engineer Defence
electric lights were immediately equipped up to war scale. All fighting
equipment necessary for the Royal Canadian Regiment, the 63rd and 66th
Regiments, and 1st Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery was immediately
issued. Companies of the 94th and 78th Regiments were later clothed and
equipped for duty at various strategic points in Nova Scotia.

With the manning of all Forts it became necessary to place a highly
trained mechanic, known as an Armament Artificer, in each, to keep all
guns and machinery in repair, and ready for immediate action. These were
provided by the Canadian Ordnance Corps.

As soon as the Camp opened at Valcartier, it fell to the lot of the
Canadian Ordnance Corps at Halifax to ship forward the bulk of the
stores for equipping the Units being mobilized at Valcartier. Day after
day, night after night, it was one continuous loading of cars to rush
forward to Valcartier Camp. Special efforts were made to complete the
17th Battery, C.F.A., Sydney, with clothing and equipment before
proceeding to Valcartier.

Prior to the departure of the 1st Division from Valcartier, an advance
party from the Canadian Ordnance Corps was being sent to England to
prepare for the arrival of the Canadians in England. Conductor J. D.
Pitman and three non-commissioned officers and men left Halifax with
seventy minutes notice and proceeded to England as part of the Canadian
Ordnance Corps advance party. The party were each in possession of a
haversack and water bottle as their kit. Conductor Pitman received
promotion to the rank of Major, and held Staff appointments on the
various Divisions in France, finally being made Chief Ordnance Officer,
Canadian Overseas Military Forces, and was awarded the D.S.O.

As the Imperial Government was, during the early stage of the War,
urgently in need of guns and ammunition, all guns and ammunition which
could be spared from this district were immediately shipped away direct
to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich.

Two Armament Artificers also left Halifax to proceed with the Canadian
Artillery Brigades of the 1st Division, and of these two, Armament
Q.M.S. Smith, it is regretted, after having greatly distinguished
himself in action, died of the result of wounds.

In October, 1915, the Halifax Detachment of the Canadian Ordnance Corps
sent Overseas a nucleus of an Ordnance Mobile Workshop required by the
Canadian Corps for the inspection, repair and upkeep of guns and
vehicles of all kinds in the Field. This Unit was placed under the
command of Major A. S. Buttenshaw, Inspector of Ordnance Machinery. This
officer was afterwards Chief Inspector of Ordnance Machinery, Canadian
Forces, and was awarded the D.S.O. Other ranks of the Detachment were
moved away from time to time Overseas as ordered from Ottawa. Owing to
the enormous amount of work required in the clothing and equipping of
C.E.F. Units in the district, it was necessary to more than treble the
Staff, recruits enlisting being trained for their duties by the few
permanent men who, though much against their own wishes, were kept in
Halifax, and even then all ranks were working day and night. The
explosion which occurred in Halifax, December, 1917, also added to the
work, various temporary hospitals being equipped by the Canadian
Ordnance Corps.

In August, 1918, one officer and nine other ranks of the Halifax
Detachment, C.O.C., were ordered to Vancouver as part of the Siberian
Expeditionary Force. Several cars were loaded at Halifax with stores for
this force and sent forward. The Halifax Detachment, with Ordnance men
from other districts, arrived in Russia at Vladivostock and at once
opened up a complete Ordnance Depot, where work was carried on in the
usual smooth manner.

Several hundred thousand tons of ammunition, arms, equipment and
clothing have been handled by the Canadian Ordnance Corps at Halifax
during the period of the War, both coming from and going to England. The
Ordnance Workshops at Halifax carried out an enormous amount of repair
work, and in addition manufactured large quantities of military stores
which were unable to be purchased. Tradesmen enlisting in the C.E.F. in
various parts of Canada, such as wheelers, blacksmiths, saddlers and
armorers, who were required to accompany troops Overseas, were sent to
the Canadian Ordnance Corps, Halifax, for training. The Ordnance
Department was also called upon to carry out all repairs and testing of
ammunition for the Naval Services, both Imperial and Canadian, in
addition to that of the Land Service. This work has to be done by
experts, and necessitates very long hours, as certain cordite tests have
to run continually day and night for several days at a time.

Since the War, all the equipment, including ammunition, for the new
Reorganized Active Militia, is being handled at Halifax and reshipped to
the various military points in Canada.

The following officers and senior warrant officers of Canadian Ordnance
Corps have served with No. 6 Detachment, Canadian Ordnance Corps, during
various periods of the War:—

Colonel J. F. MacDonald; Lieut.-Colonels A. H. Panet and M. C. Gillin;
Majors A. S. Buttenshaw, D.S.O., and J. D. Pitman, D.S.O.; Captains E.
M. Cartmer, J. H. MacQueen, S. V. Cooke, A. M. Simons, J. N. Gibson, and
R. N. C. Bishop; Lieut. G. E. J. Ball; Conductors J. A. Villard, E. V.
Hessian, A. Bentley, D.C.M., and A. Lable.

In recognition of services rendered during War 1914–1918, His Majesty
the King has graciously approved the grant of the title “Royal” to the
Canadian Permanent Ordnance Corps, and hereafter this Corps is permitted
to bear the designation of “The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps.”

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. JOSEPH HAYES, D.S.O., C.A.M.C.,

Twice mentioned in dispatches; M.O., 85th Infantry Battalion, 30–10–15
to 19–12–17; M.O., 4th Divisional Train, 19–12–17 to 14–4–18;
S.M.O., Central Group, C.F.C., 15–5–18 to 1–1–19; O.C., No. 2
Canadian Stationary Hospital, 7–1–19 to 17–5–19. Author of “The 85th
in France and Flanders.”]

CHAPTER XXVI.
_NOVA SCOTIA MEDICAL SERVICES IN THE GREAT WAR._

BY LIEUT.-COL. JOSEPH HAYES, D.S.O., C.A.M.C.

“Men whisper that our arm is weak,
Men say our blood is cold,
And that our hearts no longer speak
That clarion note of old;
But let the spear and sword draw near
The sleeping lion’s den,
Our Island shore shall start once more
To life with armèd men.”

The medical men of this Province were no less ardent in their desire to
serve their country in the War than all the other professions, trades
and callings. It was a contagion in the air that got into the blood.
Sooner or later everybody got it and responded to it according to their
own notion of service or opportunity. Medical men were needed at home as
well as abroad. There were recruits to be examined and young soldiers in
training requiring medical and surgical attention and the country could
not be stripped of medical service. No sooner were Units formed than
there was a clamor for medical appointments. Some medical men even
joined the combatant ranks, although they were soon returned to the
medical service owing to the demand for medical officers. Also many Nova
Scotia medical men went direct to England, or were already abroad, and
joined up with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Many of these, with many
regimental medical officers, owing to their isolation from the great
body of medical men associated with Canadian Hospitals, will be
overlooked in narratives of the doings of the medical fraternity.

Before describing in detail the medical work done by Nova Scotians
during the War, it will be useful to give a brief outline of the
activities of the Medical Service in war.

Medical attention is required all the way from the recruiting and
training camps at home, and those in England and France and along the
lines of communication, up to the front areas and fighting Units in the
firing line, No Man’s Land and the hand-to-hand encounter in the enemy
trenches. But perhaps the function of the Medical Service which calls
for the greatest vigilance and most thorough care is the prevention and
control of epidemic and contagious diseases.

The most strenuous efforts of the Medical Services are exerted to rescue
the man who is wounded in action, and to give him such prompt attention
as will prevent him, as far as possible, from bleeding to death or dying
from shock or exposure and to hasten him to a place where the best
surgical skill can be exercised to save his life and limbs.

The primary aid is under the direction of the Regimental Medical Officer
who is assisted by sixteen stretcher-bearers and two orderlies whom it
is his duty to keep in a constant state of efficiency by careful
training, as unskilled men, during active operations, are constantly
being added from the ranks to make up wastage. One Nova Scotia Regiment
lost thirty-three per cent. of its stretcher-bearers in two hours in the
Vimy Ridge engagement.

This little coterie goes into the trenches with the Unit. The Regimental
Medical Officer selects a Regimental Aid Post (R.A.P.) well to the front
and as far as possible out of the direct line of enemy fire, so that the
wounded may be safely cared for and promptly evacuated. The
stretcher-bearers are detailed four to each Company, and these go with
their Companies into action and accompany them wherever they go. They
are the most exposed men in an engagement; for while the combatants may
advance in rushes and seek shelter as they go, the stretcher-bearer is
constantly exposed, going back and forth to the relief of the wounded.
As a result of the efficiency these men attain, their dressings, applied
on the battle-field during action, often can go untouched until they
reach the hospital.

At the Regimental Aid Post further treatment is given by the Regimental
Medical Officer, food and hot tea or coffee are given and the wounded
are rolled in blankets and made as comfortable as possible before being
sent out. All cases are tagged, usually a white tag showing the man’s
name, number, Regiment, the nature of his injury, and any special
treatment or remedies that may have been given. In dangerous cases a red
tag is used, which secures the right of way in rapid evacuation and
immediate attention.

As soon as casualties are ready for evacuation from the R.A.P. they are
handed over to the Bearer Section of a Field Ambulance to be carried to
their Advanced Dressing Station. As it is practically never possible to
establish the Main Dressing Station sufficiently far forward to convey
stretcher cases to it in one relay, and at the same time have it
accessible to motor ambulances, light railways and other means of rapid
evacuation, Advanced Dressing Stations are set up as near the front as
can be evacuated to the Main Dressing Station by horsed ambulances with
reasonable safety by day as well as by night. The evacuation of the
wounded up to this point must usually be done at night on account of
enemy observation; though the walking wounded are often able to take
advantage of lulls in the hostile fire and make their way out during the
day. Usually arrows are put up along the route pointing the direction
for “walking wounded.”

The Main Dressing Station of the Field Ambulance is provided with
facilities for attending to cases requiring immediate operation as the
only means of saving life. It must be remembered that this Unit is on
the field of actual operations and within reach of the direct fire of
the enemy. The sick and wounded are here sorted, classified and
evacuated as soon as possible to the Casualty Clearing Station (C.C.S.).
The few mild cases that can be returned to the line or sent to near-by
rest camps after twenty-four or forty-eight hours are held at the Field
Ambulance, it being necessary to conserve, as much as possible, the
man-power for the line.

The Casualty Clearing Station affords the next relief. This is the first
Unit completely equipped for urgent, formal major operations, and some
have X-ray apparatus and electrically-heated operating tables. Although
cases are not carried to a finality of treatment, and are only kept
until fit to move after relief is given, practically all wounds are
dressed at the C.C.S. After emergent operations wounds are often packed
with dressings and hurried on to a general hospital in the Lines of
Communication. It must be remembered that these Units are within range
of enemy guns and liable to get short notice from the enemy, by
concentrated high explosive shell-fire, to vacate, or they may have to
advance with the advance of their own troops. Constant action is
therefore necessary to maintain rooms for the steady stream of wounded
which they must always be prepared to handle. It is only the most urgent
operations that are performed, such as wounds of the abdomen, chest and
brain, or such wounds as are liable to become hopeless through infection
or complications before reaching the base. The C.C.S. is usually located
at a rail head and has access to ambulance trains for evacuation. These
trains are wonderfully equipped with an emergency operating room,
kitchen, dining room for up-patients and Staff sleeping berths,
dispensary, medical officers, nurses and orderlies.

Now comes the first real hospital treatment. All along the coast of
France and at suitable places were hospital centres such as Calais, St.
Omer, Le Treport, Le Havre, Rouen, Etaples and Boulogne, with General
and Stationary and Special Hospitals. These centres were under an
A.D.M.S., who was informed usually twice daily by the different
hospitals what empty beds were available. From this information convoys
(hospital trains) were dispatched from the C.C.S. to the different
hospitals. These were notified by telegraph of the approximate time of
arrival so that ample provision could be made to transfer by motor
ambulance the patients from the train, on arrival, to the hospital.

These hospitals were all splendidly equipped with X-ray departments and
pathological laboratories, and were well staffed with medical and
surgical specialists, highly trained nurses and orderlies. When
satisfactory progress had been made here, patients were transferred to
England to similar, though more highly specialized, hospitals and
convalescent homes, and finally, where necessary, were invalided home to
Canada.

The difference between a General and a Stationary Hospital was only in
size, the former being primarily about twice the size of the latter.

Nova Scotia contributed its quota to all these varied services,
including three complete Medical Units.

NO. 1 CANADIAN CASUALTY CLEARING STATION.

[Illustration:

COL. F. L. S. FORD, C.M.G.]

The first Nova Scotia Unit to be accepted and mobilized for Overseas
Service with the First Contingent was a Medical Unit, No. 2 Clearing
Hospital, which had recently returned from annual training at Sussex,
N.B. Its headquarters was at Halifax and its Commanding Officer Major F.
L. S. Ford, who afterwards became Colonel Ford, C.M.G., and was three
times mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s despatches.

This Unit afterwards became No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and
had a most brilliant record, going through the whole war service of the
Canadian Corps.

Immediately after Great Britain entered the War on August 4, 1914, Major
Ford telegraphed to Ottawa offering his Unit for Active Service, and on
August 10th its mobilization was ordered at Liverpool, N.S. On August
12th a recruiting meeting occurred in the Town Hall, Liverpool, which
was one of the first, if not the first, public recruiting meeting held
in Canada. This meeting was addressed by Major Ford, the mayor of the
town, and a number of other citizens. There was a great deal of
enthusiasm, and then and there the Unit was recruited up to peace-time
strength, and in a few days orders were received to entrain on August
20, 1914, for Valcartier Training Camp, via Halifax.

When the people of Queens County saw this first draft of the flower of
their young manhood march away in the King’s uniform for service on the
battle-fields of Europe, they felt that the War was a real thing and had
already reached their erst-while quiet, peaceful homes. The send-off was
appropriate to the occasion and the people were proud of their noble
sons who so promptly responded to the call of Empire and bore themselves
splendidly as they marched away amidst the acclaim of their friends and
comrades.

This Unit had always been recruited principally from Queens and
Annapolis Counties, but had members on its strength from all over the
Maritime Provinces and during the period of Active Service had on its
roll men from all parts of Canada.

At 11 a.m., August 22nd, the Unit arrived at Valcartier with six
officers and forty-one other ranks, who were soon mixed up in the moil
and swirl and grind of military training in that big Camp with some
thirty thousand others.

The officers, N.C.O.’s and men who went to Valcartier from Liverpool
were: Major F. S. L. Ford, Commanding Officer; Capt. H. T. M. McKinnon,
Capt. C. Harold Dickson, Capt. G. B. Peat, Lieut. H. A. Pickup, Q.M.,
Lieut. G. W. McKeen, Staff-Sergt. F. Burnett, Staff-Sergt. E. Dexter,
Staff-Sergt. E. Hunt, Q.M.S. R. Robar, Staff-Sergt. R. Brown, Sergt. J.
Fiendel, Sergt. McLeod; Privates—A. Crouse, J. Gardine, L. Keating, P.
Joudrey, A. Morris, N. Neily, M. Reid, L. Frost, W. Joudrey, W. Murray,
H. Harnish, E. Conrad, G. McGill, H. Rafuse, C. Fraser, C. Holden, E.
McGowan, C. Robart, W. Bernadine, J. Hallett, W. O’Reilly, H. Oickle, C.
Jollimore, S. White, A. Trefry, B. Smith, A. Joudrey, L. Brooks, H.
Lantz, J. Downer, G. Conrod, R. Bell.

On arrival at Valcartier this Unit took over No. 2 Camp Hospital, and
carried on as a Field Hospital. The Staff was kept pretty busy with the
usual run of camp sickness among new recruits, camp diarrhœa, acute
indigestion, fevers, camp accidents, and the usual P.U.O.’s and N.Y.D.’s
thrown in.

While at Valcartier, the O.C., Major Ford, was gazetted Lieut.-Colonel.
Capt. G. W. O. Downsley, Capt. C. E. Cooper Cole, and forty other ranks
of No. 1 Clearing Hospital of Toronto were taken on the strength as well
as Major H. A. Chisholm, Capt. R. H. McDonald and Capt. J. M. Stewart.
Lieut. G. W. McKeen was transferred as Medical Officer to an Army
Service Corps and Captain Cole was retransferred to No. 2 General
Hospital.

At 4.30 p.m., September 25th, the Unit left by train for Quebec and
embarked on the _S.S. Megantic_ at 6 p.m. The other Units to embark on
this ship were: The 15th Canadian Battalion (48th Highlanders),
Lieut.-Col. John Currie; The 1st Divisional Ammunition Column,
Lieut.-Col. J. Penhole; No. 1 Canadian Field Ambulance, Lieut.-Col. A.
E. Ross.

After lying in the stream for five days the ship weighed anchor at 10.30
p.m. on September 30th and proceeded down the St. Lawrence River to the
rendezvous in Gaspé Bay, for there were thirty-one troopships in this
grand fleet which was to convey the Canadian Army of thirty thousand
safely over the ocean to Old Mother England.

As the good ship _Megantic_ glided quietly down the river the stars
shone brightly, the silvery moon was high in the heavens, and the clear
frosty tang of early autumn was in the air. As the shimmering waters of
this great river glistened and danced in the moonlight all nature seemed
to have an air of serene quietude and universal confidence. The scene
might have been committed to canvas as an emblem of peace; but this was
a first stage in the great adventure of war, the fullest bitterness of
which many of that gay company were destined to taste.

At 3 p.m., October 3, 1914, this great flotilla weighed anchor and put
to sea, led by _H.M.S. Eclipse_, immediately followed by the _Megantic_,
containing the first Nova Scotia Medical Unit. There were a number of
torpedo boat destroyers, and among the battleships were the _Queen Mary_
and the _Glory_. After an uneventful voyage of eleven days this great
flotilla arrived at Plymouth on October 14th. The reception given the
Canadian Contingent everywhere was wonderful. The sentiment back of it
all seemed to reach every heart. A splendid army of sturdy Anglo-Saxons
from a new and great country had come three thousand miles over the seas
to join the forces of the Mother Land within two months from the time
she had entered the War.

After lying in the stream for two days the _Megantic_ docked and on
October 16th the 1st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station disembarked and
marched midst cheering throngs through the streets of Plymouth together
with the other Units, and entrained for the land of winter slush and mud
at Salisbury Plains. At 2 a.m. on a pitch dark October morning the Unit
detrained at Patney and Chirton Station and marched to West Down North,
where they arrived tired and weary after a sleepless night and a long
march, at 7.30 a.m., October 17th.

Major H. A. Chisholm was called for duty to the office of the A.D.M.S.
Canadians shortly after arrival. Major Chisholm belonged to Antigonish,
and was a member of the Permanent Army Medical Corps. He had a
distinguished career Overseas and attained the rank of Colonel and was
mentioned in despatches and awarded the honors of C.M.G. and D.S.O. He
also held the important positions of D.A.D.M.S. 1st Canadian Division;
A.D.M.S. 4th Division; A.D.M.S. attached to the office of the D.G.M.S.
Canadians, London, and D.D.M.S., O.M.F.C., London.

The unusually heavy autumn rains of 1914 converted the rolling downs of
Salisbury Plains into seas of mud, through which the Unit wallowed and
bathed and boated in its efforts to follow field training. The troops
were all under canvas at this time.

Lord Astor, then Major Astor, had a palatial residence and spacious
grounds at Cliveden, near Taplow, Bucks, the grounds of which he offered
for hospital purposes. In December No. 1 Canadian C.C.S. was sent to
Cliveden to establish a hospital, and for six weeks the entire personnel
was busy in these preparations. This hospital, established by No. 1
Canadian Casualty Clearing Hospital of Nova Scotia, ultimately developed
into the great Duchess of Connaught Hospital, afterwards officially
known as No. 15 Canadian General Hospital, upon which thousands of
Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and other
Britishers can look back with grateful memories for the skilful and
successful treatment and great kindness for which this hospital became
noted.

A Casualty Clearing Station is a field unit, and consequently when the
1st Canadian Division was ordered to France this Unit received a move
order and preceded the Division to France, landing at Le Havre at 10
a.m., February 3, 1915, on _S.S. Huanchaco_ from Southampton. On the
same ship was another Canadian Hospital Unit—No. 1 Canadian Stationary,
commanded by Lieut.-Col. Lorn Drum (now Colonel Lorn Drum, C.B.E.,
Inspector of Military Hospitals for Canada). These, however, were not
the first Canadian Units in France, as they were preceded in November,
1914, by a No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital, which was commanded in
its last days in France and brought back to Canada by the writer. This
was really the first Canadian Unit of any description to function in
France as a Unit and the only one in France in 1914.

After some six weeks’ stay at Le Havre the Unit was transferred to
Boulogne, where it arrived at 9.45 a.m., February 26, 1915.

Motion was usually rapid in France and changes made at short notice.
Within a week this Unit had orders to proceed from Boulogne to First
Army Headquarters at the Town of Aire-Sur-La-Lys, where it arrived
Saturday morning, March 6th. On arrival the Unit was assigned to Fort
Gassion, which had been a French prison before the War but was now
occupied by British troops as a rest camp, and there was also a Motor
Ambulance Convoy billeted there. The work assigned to No. 1 C.C.S. was
to take over this old prison and make it immediately ready for the
reception of patients.

The old buildings were filthy and in a dilapidated condition, and
required a great deal of work to prepare them for patients, and all the
equipment had to be unpacked and placed. The whole Unit went to work
with diligence and determination and within forty-eight hours they
brought order out of chaos and on Monday morning admitted and
comfortably housed fifty patients.

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle was in progress and was the source of most
of the patients during the week.

Heroic work was done by the six nursing sisters who had been attached to
and had come over to France with this Unit. They were:—Vivian Tremaine,
M.V.O., R.R.C., Frances M. Frew, M. U. Riverin, Amy Howard, Minnie
Follette.

Nursing Sister Follette, of Great Village, Colchester County, afterwards
lost her life with the sinking of the hospital ship _Llandovery Castle_
by the Germans.

No. 1 Canadian C.C.S. was the only Canadian Unit in action during the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle. It was one of six C.C.S.’s attached to the
First Army. Before the War was over there were sixteen. This Unit showed
such prompt action and capacity that it received the special
commendation of Major-General Sir W. G. MacPherson, Director Medical
Services, First Army, and in June the O.C., Lieut.-Colonel Ford, was
awarded the C.M.G., the first awarded to Canadians in France.

During this engagement Capts. C. H. Dickson and G. W. O. Downsley and a
party of twelve orderlies were hastily sent to Merville to assist a
British C.C.S., and at the Second Battle of Ypres, Captain Downsley and
Captain J. M. Stewart, of Halifax, with Nursing Sister Follette and
twelve orderlies were assigned to duty at Hazebrouck to assist another
British C.C.S.

There was heavy fighting throughout the summer of 1915 in the Bethune
Sector, and No. 1 Canadian C.C.S. did a lot of heavy and trying work,
and in addition detailed a section under Major W. T. M. McKinnon and
Captain C. H. Dickson for duty with No. 2 British C.C.S., which was
located at the Village of Choques.

This Unit continued its headquarters at Aire, and in May, June and
September took its full share in the herculean task of evacuating the
wounded from Festubert, Givenchy and Loos. During the battle of Loos
over sixty thousand casualties were evacuated from the British Front by
the various clearing stations in four days.

One of the outstanding distinctions of No. 1 Canadian C.C.S. is that,
when His Majesty King George V was seriously injured near Bethune in
August, 1915, by his horse falling and rolling over on him, one of the
nursing sisters of this Unit, V. A. Tremaine, was selected by the
Director Medical Services of the 1st Imperial Army for personal
attendance upon the King. His Majesty was cared for in a chateau near
Aire until he was able to be moved to England. Sister Tremaine and a
second nurse who had been selected, Nursing Sister E. K. Ward,
Q.A.I.M.N.S. Territorials, accompanied the Royal patient and nursed His
Majesty through convalescence at Buckingham Palace.

When Sister Tremaine finished her duties the King conferred upon her the
M.V.O. and personally presented her with the insignia of that Order and
made a personal gift of an exquisite brooch of gold and enamel set with
diamonds. Her Majesty the Queen gave her autograph copies of the royal
photographs.

The Unit continued to operate at Aire until January, 1916, when it was
transferred to Bailleul and opened up in a very fine pavilion of the
Asylum for the Insane. This splendid building was subsequently destroyed
by German shell fire and bombs. The Unit saw much strenuous work here,
and had its first experience with gassed cases. Sixty of these out of
eight hundred died within the first twenty-four hours after being
brought in.

Major Edward Archibald, of No. 3 (McGill) Canadian General Hospital, was
attached to the Unit as a surgical specialist, and Major W. A. McLean,
of Glace Bay, N.S., was transferred from No. 1 Canadian General Hospital
as his assistant, and afterwards succeeded Major Archibald. Major McLean
was killed during the summer of 1917 while at work in a C.C.S. in the
northern sector of the British line. He was considered one of the most
brilliant surgeons in the British Army.

In June, 1916, Colonel Ford was appointed Deputy Assistant Director of
Medical Services of the Canadian Corps and Lieut.-Col. T. W. H. Young
succeeded to the command. Later Colonel Young was succeeded by Major C.
H. Dickson, who was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.

There was a great deal of activity on the Arras Front in the early
spring of 1917, and preparations were being made for the drive for Vimy
Ridge. At this time the Unit was transferred to Aubigny, behind Arras.
Under the energetic administration of Lieut.-Colonel Dickson this Unit
was very much increased in strength and did valuable work during the
Battle of Vimy Ridge and throughout the operations on the Arras Front.

In the summer of 1917 the Unit was again moved to a position near
Nieuport and arrived just as the Germans had broken through and made a
nasty salient in the British line. Amidst this confusion, uncertainty
and fierce fighting, the Commanding Officer, Colonel Dickson, quickly
located his Unit and did such splendid work in the evacuation of the
wounded that he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the D.S.O.

The Unit remained at Nieuport for a few weeks only when the position
became untenable for hospital purposes, owing to almost constant
shelling and nightly bombing. Lieut.-Colonel Dickson was called to
London for Staff duty, the command was taken over by Lieut.-Colonel A.
G. H. Bennett, O.B.E., and the Unit was transferred again to the
Arras-Vimy Front.

During those anxious days of the early spring and summer of 1918, while
the Germans battered themselves hopelessly against the impenetrable wall
of steel erected by the Canadians along the Arras Front this Unit did
fine work in caring for and clearing the seriously sick and wounded and
also got many casualties from that memorable drive of the Germans
against the 5th British Army in March, 1918, as all the Ambulance and
C.C.S. Units in that area were quickly put out of commission.

When preparations were made for the final victorious Canadian drive
which commenced at Amiens on August 8, 1918, this Unit was moved to that
sector and followed the Canadian Corps through those strenuous days to
final victory and accompanied the 1st Canadian Division on its
victorious march into Germany. At Bonn No. 1 Canadian Stationary
Hospital took over the famous St. Martin’s Hospital, which was located
on one of the loftiest hills in Bonn, and but two weeks before had dukes
and scions of the leading aristocracy of Germany as patients, for it had
been one of the most exclusive hospitals in Germany. Now it became the
haven of the sick Canadian Tommy.

It seemed like the realization of a fantastic dream to the medical Staff
and nursing sisters, as well as the rank and file, to find themselves in
a modern and well-equipped hospital with luxurious appointments and
surroundings, as compared with four long years of mud and mire under
canvas, in huts, and often broken-down buildings on the edge of the
battle-fields of the Somme, Ypres, Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens, Bourlon,
Cambrai and Valenciennes, Mons, and then glorious victory.

The following is an incomplete list of the battle casualties of this
Unit:—

KILLED IN ACTION.

Major Walter Maclean; Nursing Sisters Mae B. Sampson and Minnie
Follette, both killed on Hospital Ship _Llandovery Castle_; Pte Proctor,
Pte. Vere Mason.

WOUNDED.

Lieut.-Col. F. S. L. Ford, seriously, by piece of bombshell (fracture
base of skull); Capt. E. C. C. Cole, seriously; Capt. R. H. MacDonald,
Sergeant M. Neilly, seriously.

NO. 7 CANADIAN STATIONARY HOSPITAL.

(Dalhousie Unit.)

Dalhousie University was early inspired with patriotic fervor. Within a
month after the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany,
Dalhousie University offered to the Government the personnel of a
Casualty Clearing Station. This offer was renewed in the spring of 1915.
It was not known until later that this type of Unit was not in demand,
and it was decided to offer the personnel of a Stationary Hospital.

[Illustration:

COL. JOHN STEWART, C.B.E.]

So anxious was Dalhousie to have a definite, tangible part in the more
strenuous service of the nation in this great struggle, that a
delegation was sent to Ottawa on August 13, 1915, representing the
Governors and Faculty of the University. So well were the claims of
Dalhousie presented that the offer was now accepted of a Stationary
Hospital, to be known officially as “No. 7 Canadian Stationary
Hospital.” Definite authority for this was received on September 27,
1915.

When it came to the selection of a Commanding Officer everybody turned
instinctively to that great outstanding factotum in Medicine and Surgery
in Nova Scotia, Dr. John Stewart, whose name inspired enthusiasm,
confidence and respect.

Halifax was taxed to its utmost in supplying accommodation for troops.
All the old military barracks were full, the Armories were occupied by
infantry Battalions, the sheds on No. 2 Pier were also occupied, and
there was consequently some delay in finding accommodation for the
mobilization and training of this Hospital Unit. Dalhousie University
came to the rescue and gave the old Medical College building on the
corner of Robie and College Streets, and Principal Kaulbach, of the
Maritime Business College, gave the use of the dining room and kitchen
of the Business College restaurant as a mess room. By November 1st the
old Medical College had been converted into an adequate barracks and
orderly room.

The selection of the medical and nursing personnel and the recruiting of
other ranks then commenced in earnest and the response was wonderful.
For a Stationary Hospital only twelve medical officers and twenty-seven
nursing sisters were required: but thirty medical men and eighty nurses
applied. The material was all so excellent that it was a delicate and
difficult task to select. Preference was given, however, to Dalhousie
graduates and those connected with the University; and among the nurses
preference was given to graduates of the two outstanding Nova Scotia
nurses’ training hospitals, the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, and
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Glace Bay, as these were the only general
hospitals in the Province with the necessary number of beds to meet the
requirements of the Military Service in the matter of training.

Just before orders were received to proceed Overseas in the latter part
of December, 1915, the Unit was inspected by General Benson, G.O.C. of
this Military District, Colonel A. H. Powell, D.A.A. & Q.M.G., and
Colonel Grant, A.D.M.S. These officers were very generous in their
praises of what the Unit had already accomplished in the way of training
and establishing a snappy military organization. Their sturdy Commanding
Officer, with his sixty-seven years of youth, had shown his magnificent
qualities of body as well as mind and character. When Colonel Stewart
set the pace on their route marches the youngest and most athletic had
to let himself out. Colonel Grant, the A.D.M.S., referred to the
splendid work already done in the service by members of the Staff, and
mentioned particularly the work done by Major E. V. Hogan as Chief of
Surgery at Cogswell Street Military Hospital and Major L. M. Murray as
Chief of Medicine; and also expressed his regret at losing his Deputy,
Capt. F. V. Woodbury, but congratulated the Unit on what it had gained
thereby.

The time set for leaving Halifax for Overseas was December 31, 1915, via
St. John, N.B. The departure at one time of so many professional men and
women, who stood high in the confidence of the people of Halifax and
Nova Scotia, was a poignant reminder of the serious proportions assumed
by the Great War.

On the evening of the last day of 1915, when Dalhousie Unit entrained at
North Street Depot, a large concourse of people were assembled, not only
of Halifax but from many other parts of the Province. The bands of the
1st Canadian Artillery and 63rd Rifles, as well as the pipers, joined
the citizens of Nova Scotia in a fitting farewell. Their train pulled
out amidst music and cheers.

The Unit arrived at St. John at 6 a.m., New Year’s Day, and went aboard
His Majesty’s Troopship _Metagama_. At noon the officers were
entertained at luncheon by the medical profession of St. John at the
Royal Hotel. The Unit sailed at 9 o’clock on the evening of January 1,
1916, with several other Units, with Col. H. C. Bickford as Officer
Commanding troops.

Sea voyages are pretty much alike. There are those who like their beer
and poker, or bridge, and those who like to laze and read and sleep and
sleep and read and laze, or sit and think, or simply sit, while others
wish they had taken the advice of the poet—“Praise the sea but keep on
land.” A convoy of torpedo boat destroyers was met at noon on the eighth
day out, and at 3 a.m. on January 10th the Unit landed at Plymouth and
disembarked at 9 a.m.

The personnel on arriving in England was as follows: O.C., Lieut.-Col.
John Stewart; Majors E. V. Hogan and L. M. Murray; Captains M. A.
MacAulay, V. N. MacKay, K. A. MacKenzie, E. K. Maclellan, S. J.
MacLennan, D. A. MacLeod, J. A. Murray, John Rankine, Frank V. Woodbury,
Karl F. Woodbury (Dental Officer), Lieut. S. R. Balcom, Dispenser;
Lieut. Walter Taylor, Quartermaster; Miss L. M. Hubley, Matron, and
twenty-six Nursing Sisters; one hundred and twenty-three N.C.O.’s and
men.

The officers, non-commissioned officers and men entrained at once for
Shorncliffe, where they arrived in the evening, while the matron and
nursing sisters proceeded to London and were temporarily quartered at
Bonnington Hotel. They were afterwards distributed for duty between the
hospitals at Westcliffe, Moore Barracks and Ramsgate.

On the 11th the Unit was inspected by Lieut.-Col. F. W. E. Wilson, of
Niagara, Ontario, A.D.M.S. Shorncliffe area.

Billets were secured and the medical officers were employed on medical
boards or as medical officers to various Units in the training camps,
while the non-commissioned officers and men were assigned to various
duties.

On January 17th Capt. F. V. Woodbury was stricken with that dread
disease among troops, cerebro-spinal meningitis. For some days there was
great anxiety on his account, but he made a rapid and complete recovery.

On February 5th Colonel Stewart, O.C. of No. 7 Canadian Stationary
Hospital, was given command of Shorncliffe Military Hospital, with the
forty subsidiary hospitals of the Dover area, in succession to
Lieut.-Col. R. J. Blanchard, No. 3 C.C.S., of Winnipeg. He immediately
recalled the nursing sisters and reassembled his Unit, and with his
reorganized Staff manned Shorncliffe Military General Hospital and the
Helena Hospital for officers. The Shorncliffe Hospital alone had 800
beds, and altogether there were some 10,000 beds in the hospitals taken
over. Colonel Stewart and his Staff had a pretty busy time administering
the hospitals of this large area. Sir Frederic Eve visited these
hospitals periodically.

During this time there were some changes in personnel: Corpls. G. S.
Mitchell and Eric Grant left to take commissions; Capt. S. J. MacLennan
went to Westcliffe Eye and Ear Hospital. Capt. E. Douglas joined the
Unit during the latter part of the period here and sixteen other ranks
were taken on strength.

There was much excitement and anticipation when it was announced that
the Unit was to proceed to France. The impression got abroad somehow
that the Unit was to go direct to the Arras and Somme areas, where they
would be in close contact with actual warfare. This was the source of a
good deal of enthusiasm. The Unit left Shorncliffe and proceeded to
Southampton on Sunday, June 18, 1916, embarked there on the _City of
Benares_ and landed at Le Havre the same day. On arrival the Unit
received orders to take over the Hotel des Emigrants at Le Havre from
No. 2 Imperial General Hospital, which contained 400 beds. This was
somewhat disappointing to the men after their anticipations of
proceeding at once to the Front. However, all ranks settled down to
steady work, and in a few weeks orders were received to establish a
subsidiary tented hospital Unit at Harfleur, about six miles from Le
Havre, to consist of 400 additional beds. This meant that the existing
Staff had to man two hospitals of the same size, thus bringing a very
heavy strain on the entire personnel, especially the nursing sisters and
other ranks. Major L. M. Murray was placed in charge of the Harfleur
Division.

The main hospital was used for German wounded prisoners being sent back
from the forward areas and for local sick from various Imperial Units at
Le Havre. The subsidiary hospital was used for camp sick and accidents
from the Canadian Base and several Imperial Units.

As soon as these extensions were completed and in operation an urgent
request was sent in for more men. Eventually a much larger number were
sent than were required of P.B. men. (Permanent Base men are those who
are no longer fit for service in the front areas.) These were with the
Unit only a few days when orders were received to despatch to hospitals
in another area a draft larger in number than the one received. This
took away several old members of the Unit and left it shorter handed
than ever, but the Unit “carried on” and did its work under
difficulties.

Constant changes were taking place in the staff. Capt. J. M. Stewart,
nephew of the O.C., came to the Unit shortly after arrival in France
from No. 1 C.C.S., and in August, 1916, Capt. F. V. Woodbury, Capt. M.
A. MacAulay, Capt. John Rankine and Capt. Edgar Douglas were posted to
other duties. Capt. E. K. Maclellan was posted to another hospital in
March, 1917. Numerous officers from other parts of Canada were detailed
for duty with this Unit from time to time. One of the most popular of
these was Captain Ireland, of Ontario, who afterwards received the M.C.
and was killed in action.

On December 31, 1916, the hospital at Le Havre was handed over to the
Royal Army Medical Corps and the personnel of Dalhousie Unit, which had
been carrying on there, marched to Harfleur and joined the balance of
the Unit. Once more the whole Unit was united and experienced a very
general sense of satisfaction. Ample provision had been made for
quarters, mess, dental offices and orderly room.

In January and February, 1917, the weather was very severe, with steady,
keen frost and a good deal of snow, “But,” as Colonel Stewart puts it,
“the bitterest memories are the indescribable mud, deep, tenacious and
slippery.” As spring approached it looked as if the summer were to be
spent in the beautiful Lezard Valley, in which Harfleur was situated,
and consequently potatoes and other vegetables were planted, shrubs set
out and other work done with a view to beautifying the grounds. It was
beginning to seem quite like home here. All the troops coming to France
en route to the Front came through this base, and many Nova Scotians
were met and old acquaintances renewed. Also a good many Nova Scotia
boys trickled in to the hospital, and when they did they were lavished
with attention, and all the nurses and orderlies wanted to wait on them,
and the pipers, too, would manage to make themselves heard and many a
lad’s eye was made brighter when he heard again the skirl o’ the pipes.

There was no abiding place in France, and it was just as one got nicely
settled down that he had to move, and at this very time the Unit got
orders to proceed to the front areas and take over a hospital at Arques,
which is a suburb of the City of St. Omer. Headed by the pipers the Unit
marched off to the station Saturday evening, May 12th, but did not
entrain until daylight the next morning when a special train was
provided for the Unit and its hospital equipment.

The hospital at Harfleur was taken over by a Welsh Unit, the 40th
Stationary Hospital, R.A.M.C.

The route was through Yvetot, Amiens, Abbeville and over the Somme, past
the former battle-field of Crecy, through Boulogne and Calais to St.
Omer and to the little suburban town of Arques, which was reached at 2
a.m., May 14, 1917. The rumble of the artillery could now be plainly
heard, and the eastern sky was aflicker with the flashings of guns. The
Unit was now within thirty miles of the trenches. A noble old French
Chateau with spacious grounds, and a canal running through them, was to
be the domicile of the hospital. This same chateau had been occupied by
the Duke of Wellington after the campaign of Waterloo.

Tents were pitched on the grounds to supply the additional
accommodations required, and the hospital equipment was soon unpacked
and placed; but there was considerable delay in getting the necessary
supplies for the erection of kitchens, bath houses, pavilions, and
material for other necessary alterations and accommodations.

The first convoy was received on June 8th and consisted of wounded
German prisoners of war. There were 13 officers and 379 other ranks.
This was a large order for the first while not yet completely ready, and
tested the resourcefulness and agility of the Unit. They rose to the
occasion and handled the situation with great skill. Many of the men
were only slightly wounded, and were soon discharged to prison camps.

From this time on everybody was kept busy. Wounded came by ambulances,
hospital trains and hospital barges down the canal. There were Imperial,
Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, East Indian and Portuguese troops.

Dominion Day, 1917, will long be remembered by the inhabitants of St.
Omer and vicinity. The Unit engaged a large field and advertised an
athletic meet, and sent invitations to all the Units in the area. They
all responded, for when July 1st came, bright and sunny, the whole
countryside turned out, including the civilian population. A splendid
programme of sports was carried out, and No. 7 carried off a goodly
share of the honors. In the shade of the trees of the chateau grounds in
the evening tables were spread and the Unit sat down to a “family party”
and enjoyed a season of conviviality and good fellowship.

The next afternoon all patients who were able to be up, or to be carried
out, were given a special tea on the lawn in honor of Dominion Day.
While this was going on His Majesty the King with H.R.H. the Prince of
Wales paid the Unit a surprise visit. His Majesty was particularly
gracious in his felicitations to patients and Staff, by all of whom the
honor of this visit was greatly appreciated.

During the summer the enemy aeroplanes were very active in bombing raids
on the back areas, especially on moonlight nights. The first real
bombing raid this Unit experienced was on September 30th. Enemy
aeroplanes came over this area in great force shortly after sundown and
began dropping numerous bombs. The loud swish of the bombs coming
through the air followed by the fearful crash of the explosion was
terrifying; but everybody, nursing sisters and all, “stood to” at their
post of duty. Although No. 7 escaped there were serious casualties. Four
men were killed and several wounded at the British Hospital just across
the river, and four nursing sisters and sixteen men were killed at the
Scottish Hospital in St. Omer, only two miles distant.

On October 8th H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught visited and inspected the
Unit.

The first word of the terrific explosion at Halifax was received on
December 8th, and many anxious days were spent awaiting definite word
and to know just what had happened.

The Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, was called to the higher
and more important duties of Surgical Consultant to hospitals in England
and left the Unit, greatly to the regret of the entire personnel, on
Thursday, March 7, 1918. The command of the Unit was taken over by Major
E. V. Hogan, who was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.

March and April, 1918, brought still more busy days to the Dalhousie
Unit. Being so near the Front they received a very large number of
wounded, many straight from the field of battle. Although this hospital
had only 400 beds it frequently had 800 severely wounded soldiers to
look after.

The final titanic struggles of 1918 had been ushered in when the fate of
the world hung in a balance and men spoke hoarsely and with bated breath
of the possible outcome. The Germans had smashed through the Fifth
British Army in front of Cambrai and then hurled themselves against the
Canadians on the Arras Front, only to be checked and beaten off. Then
they sought a more vulnerable sector and attacked the Portuguese on the
Bailleul Front. The Portuguese troops gave way and the enemy rapidly
advanced towards Aire and got within less than three miles of this
strategic point and were able to put shells into St. Omer, Arques and
all sections of that hospital area, so that shelling became more or less
constant and bombing raids were a nightly occurrence. There were a
number of casualties among patients and Staff at some of the hospitals.
Word was hourly expected that Aire had been taken and that the Germans
were marching on Hazebrouck and St. Omer. It was therefore considered
that this area was no longer tenable for hospital purposes and orders
were issued for all hospitals to evacuate at once. Dalhousie Unit
entrained on April 18th for Etaples.

The Unit had received orders to promptly open up a large tent hospital
at Etaples; but these orders were subsequently cancelled, greatly to the
disappointment of the Staff, and the entire personnel was posted to
various other hospitals in that area.

The Germans seemed to have acquired a special fancy for bombing and
shooting up hospital areas, and on May 18th subjected Etaples to a very
severe aerial bombardment by sixty planes. Casualties among officers,
nursing sisters and men amounted to over a thousand. Dalhousie Unit lost
two men killed—Pte. F. W. Laidlaw and Pte. Takanayagi (Jap.)—and two
others wounded, including the Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Col. E. V.
Hogan, and Pte. W. G. O’Tulle.

Etaples had been a large hospital centre, but was now abandoned as such
and the various hospitals were withdrawn to other places. The Dalhousie
Unit was moved to Rouen, which was the largest base hospital centre in
France. Here the officers and personnel were distributed and attached to
various British Hospitals and had a further enriched experience, as
there were very many casualties constantly coming in direct from the
field of battle, owing to the demoralization of the hospital service in
the front areas during the period of the German drive. Most of the
nursing sisters had been allowed to go on leave, and some were sent to
England.

A special Canadian Hospital was to be established at Camiers, between
Etaples and Boulogne, and Dalhousie Unit was ordered, in September,
1918, to reassemble and proceed to Camiers and take over a hospital of
1,000 beds at a site formerly occupied by No. 42 British Stationary
Hospital. In the five months that followed this hospital was crowded and
the patients were all Canadians.

It was during this period that the Armistice came with its relaxing
influences, its glorious sweets of victory, and happy dreams of home.
Christmas also brought its good-cheer and was most pleasantly celebrated
by the patients as well as the Staff with a splendid Christmas dinner
and other festivities.

Early in February, 1919, the Unit received orders to hand over to the
Nova Scotia sister Unit, No. 9 Canadian Stationary Hospital—the St.
Francis Xavier Unit—and proceed to Le Havre en route to England and
Canada. The Unit sailed from Le Havre on March 17, 1919, for
Southampton, arriving there in the afternoon. The stay in England lasted
only a month, but this was ample time for all the members of the Unit to
visit different parts of the British Isles.

During its service the Dalhousie Unit treated some 60,000 sick and
wounded, 10,000 in England and 50,000 in France.

On April 17, 1919, a happy group of Nova Scotians assembled on the docks
at Liverpool and boarded the good ship _Belgic_ with 3,500 other
Canadian troops for Home, Sweet Home. On April 23rd that goodly company
landed in Halifax and were greeted by a people proud of their noble sons
returned with the laurels of victory. That happy group of Nova Scotians
now assembled on the pier at Halifax and were given an ovation and
cheered to the echo as they marched through the streets to the Armories
to be demobilized. These were they who had gone in the honored name of
Old Dalhousie. Well did they guard the honor of that name, and long may
Dalhousie and Nova Scotia be proud of the record and deeds of the
Dalhousie Unit.

The following casualties occurred among the members of the Unit:

_Killed in Action_: Ptes. Wm. Beck, B. E. Fraser, J. F. McLellan, Horace
Grant, S. J. Dick, F. W. Laidlaw, Sergt. F. J. Howley, Ptes. J. C.
Sutherland, P. L. Findlay, C. P. Wright, C. J. A. Guymer, Takanayagi
(Jap.).

_Died from Service Disability_: Pte. C. J. McCarthy.

_Wounded_: Lieut.-Col. E. V. Hogan, C.B.E.; Major D. A. MacLeod, Ptes.
W. H. Chase, F. F. Choote, Dawson (twice), Bugler J. E. Doyle (twice),
Sergt. P. D. MacDonald, Pte. W. G. O’Tulle (twice), Sergt. F. H. Pond.

The following Nova Scotia medical officers were at different times
attached to the Dalhousie Unit: Gerald Grant, M.C.; J. M. Stewart, A. E.
Mackintosh, A. H. McKinnon, F. B. Day, J. A. Munro, E. D. McLean, E. D.
Douglas, M.C.; J. E. Ellis, Seymour MacKenzie, K. Blackadar, A. M.
Covert, A. Ellis, J. I. O’Connell, Andrew Love, W. H. McDonald.

The following received commissions in the Field: H. B. Archibald, Wm
Beck (killed in flying), R.F.C., G. Dawson, M.C. (wounded and awarded
M.C.), Geo. Edgar (awarded commission, Embarkation Officer in Halifax),
C. W. Holland, A. R. McPherson, W. H. Pool, D. H. Sutherland, M.C., J.
D. Vair, Horace Grant, G. Wright, M.C., C. C. Armstrong, H. C. Lewis, C.
F. Moriarity, J. C. Sutherland (killed), P. R. Tingley, A. W. Webber, C.
Glennister, C. E. White, C. P. Wright, G. C. Beazley, J. F. McLellan,
M.M., G. H. Morrison, H. B. Titus, T. H. Whelpley, C. J. A. Guymer, D.
H. Windsor.

Promotions and Awards: Lieut.-Col. John Stewart became Colonel and
received the C.B.E., and later was Surgical Consultant to Canadian
Hospitals in England.

Major E. V. Hogan assumed command of the hospital on the promotion of
Colonel Stewart. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel,
received the C.B.E. and was wounded in the Etaples raid.

Major L. M. Murray became heart specialist to Special Canadian Heart
Hospital at Bushey Park.

Capt. M. A. MacAulay, promoted to Major, left the Unit and was in
command of various Units and Field Ambulances. After his return home was
in command of Cogswell Street Military Hospital.

Capt. V. N. MacKay, promoted to Major and was retained in England for
special laboratory work.

Capt. K. A. MacKenzie, promoted to Major on leaving the Unit at Arques
in the summer of 1917 and was detailed for duty at Colchester Heart
Hospital as Heart Specialist. Subsequently he became Officer in charge
of Medicine at Bramshott Military Hospital.

Capt. E. K. Maclellan, promoted to Major, afterwards returning to Canada
where he became Officer in charge of Pine Hill Military Hospital, and
later President Standing Medical Board. In winter of 1917, Acting
Officer in charge Surgical Service No. 12 Canadian General Hospital.

Capt. S. J. MacLennan, transferred to Westcliffe Eye and Ear Hospital,
on arrival in England, for special duty. Invalided home from England.

Capt. D. A. MacLeod, mentioned in dispatches, wounded at Passchendaele
in September, 1918, promoted to Major, and on return to Canada became
Registrar at Camp Hill Military Hospital.

Capt. J. A. Murray, promoted to Major, and on return to England from
France in summer of 1917 became Officer in charge of Clarence House
Canadian Convalescent Hospital.

Capt. John Rankine, left Unit in summer of 1916 and went as Medical
Officer to No. 1 Entrenching Battalion. Was attached to No. 4 Field
Ambulance, returning to Canada for duty in the fall of 1917.

Capt. Frank V. Woodbury went to one of the Entrenching Battalions and
was later attached to the Staff of the 3rd Division, recalled to England
for Staff duty. Received promotion to Majority and subsequently promoted
to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Capt. Karl F. Woodbury served continuously and returned to Canada with
the Unit, with much credit to himself and the Unit, as Dental Officer.

Lieut. S. R. Balcom returned to England in July, 1917, became
Quartermaster No. 12 General Hospital and promoted to Captain. He
returned to Canada and took over duties as Officer in charge of Medical
Stores, Military District No. 6.

Lieut, and Quartermaster Walter Taylor, promoted to Captain, served
continuously with the Unit until recalled home at the time of the
Halifax explosion in December, 1917, having had three children killed in
the explosion and losing his property. Later became Quartermaster
Cogswell Street Hospital.

Matron L. M. Hubley served continuously with the Unit until April, 1918,
subsequently attached for duty to No. 3 General Hospital and No. 8
Stationary Hospital, and Westcliffe Eye and Ear Hospital, returning to
Canada, March, 1919. On returning to Canada she was employed as Matron
of Cogswell Street Military Hospital. In December, 1916, Matron Hubley
was awarded the Royal Red Cross, 1st Class.

Nursing Sister S. A. Archard served continuously with the Unit, with the
exception of a short time at a Forestry Corps Hospital. She was awarded
the Royal Red Cross, 2nd Class.

Nursing Sister R. S. Calder, invalided to England in October, 1916,
served with Canadian Hospitals in England during the rest of the War and
was awarded the Royal Red Cross, 2nd Class.

Nursing Sister E. A. Cooke served continuously with the Unit in England
and France, returning home with the Unit. She was mentioned in
dispatches and was awarded the Medal of Queen Elizabeth of Belgium.

Nursing Sister A. M. Johnston, mentioned in dispatches.

Nursing Sister MacDonald, mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Royal
Red Cross, 2nd Class.

Nursing Sister F. A. Rice, awarded Royal Red Cross, 2nd Class.

Sergt.-Major G. T. Brown, recalled to England in June, 1917, receiving a
commission as Quartermaster of C.A.M.C. General Depot, later being
promoted to captain’s rank and receiving the O.B.E.

Sergt. P. D. MacDonald was transferred to the R.C.R. and was wounded in
action.

Sergt. F. J. Howley received a commission in service. While home on
leave was killed in the Halifax explosion.

Sergt. A. F. McGregor, recalled from Shorncliffe to Canada to complete
medical studies at McGill. On graduating received commission and later
served again Overseas. He was promoted to Captain.

Sergt. F. H. Pond obtained commission with an Infantry Battalion and was
severely wounded and invalided to Canada.

Sergt. T. H. Robinson succeeded Sergt.-Major G. T. Brown, being promoted
to warrant officer.

Sergt. C. G. Sutherland, recalled from Shorncliffe to Canada to complete
medical studies at McGill. On graduating received commission and later
served again Overseas, having been promoted to Captain.

Corpl. E. McN. Grant left Unit in Shorncliffe, receiving commission in
13th Battalion. Later invalided to Canada.

Corpl. G. S. Mitchell promoted to Captain, later became Chaplain of the
Unit. Invalided to Canada in October, 1917.

Bugler J. E. Doyle, transferred to No. 1 Field Ambulance, promoted to
Sergeant, wounded twice and awarded D.C.M.

NO. 9 CANADIAN STATIONARY HOSPITAL

(St. Francis Xavier College Unit).

With characteristic enterprise St. Francis Xavier College decided, as
the War went on, that it should stand side by side with other
Universities of Canada in direct representation. In the autumn of 1915
the President and Governors offered a Medical Unit for Overseas. This
seemed the most fitting service for a great Christian and humanitarian
institution, and it was understood that hospitals were in demand.

Dr. H. P. MacPherson, President of the University, took the matter up
direct with the Government of Canada, and in April, 1916, authority was
given for the acceptance of No. 9 Canadian Stationary Hospital from St.
Francis Xavier.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. R. C. M‘LEOD.]

This announcement was received with great enthusiasm, and it was decided
not to send the Unit away empty-handed. A subscription list was opened
and friends of the University were given an opportunity to subscribe to
a fund to provide for some special equipment and to organize a band. The
response was most generous, and in a very short time an ample amount of
money was secured. Besides private subscriptions, liberal donations were
received from the Red Cross, Daughters of the Empire, Knights of
Columbus and other societies.

Busy days followed in selecting the personnel and organizing the Unit.
No recruiting campaign was necessary. The loyal sons of St. Francis and
daughters of Antigonish, and many others everywhere, were offering their
services. As the brokers would say: “The stock was over-subscribed.” And
it was a matter of selection.

The command was given to Lieut.-Col. Roderick C. McLeod, who had already
enlisted in the C.E.F. and was daily expecting orders to proceed
Overseas. Colonel McLeod was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier and had
attained a wide reputation as a successful medical practitioner of North
Sydney. He was a man of a most genial personality and beloved by all who
knew him. His appointment to the command of this Unit was hailed with
universal satisfaction.

Colonel McLeod was assisted in the work of organization by Major H. E.
Kendall as second in command, an outstanding surgeon of Cape Breton; and
Major J. S. Carruthers, an energetic Militia officer, was appointed
adjutant.

The enthusiasm among nurses for service in this Unit was remarkable.
Applications poured in from every Province in Canada and from many parts
of the United States, by mail and telegraph. Miss S. C. MacIsaac, a
graduate of Mt. St. Bernard Convent, of Antigonish, was chosen as
Matron. Miss MacIsaac was trained as a nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital,
Glace Bay, in which institution she had charge of the operating room for
three years. She had taken a post-graduate course at Mercy Hospital,
Chicago, and when war broke out she was Assistant Matron at Mt. Zion
Hospital, San Francisco. Miss MacIsaac therefore came to her new,
important and strenuous post well qualified.

The organization of the Unit was completed at the University Town of
Antigonish, the seat of the mother College, St. Francis Xavier. The
college authorities and citizens of Antigonish vied with each other in
extending an enthusiastic reception to the volunteers as they came, and
everything was done to make their stay pleasant.

Orders were issued from headquarters for the Unit to mobilize at Halifax
in the spring of 1916. The officers took the C.A.M.C. Training Course at
Cogswell Street Military Hospital, and the nursing sisters were also
posted there, and faithful work was done in a general course of
preliminary training.

The original personnel was as follows:

Lieut.-Col. Roderick C. MacLeod, Commanding Officer; Major Henry E.
Kendall, Second in Command; Major J. Stewart Carruthers, Adjutant.

Medical Officers: Capts. Alex. R. Campbell, J. F. Ellis, T. A.
Lebbetter, A. H. MacKinnon, J. I. O’Connell, L. D. Densmore, Hon. Capt.
J. L. Johnson, Capts. R. MacCuish, J. A. McCourt, L. J. Violette, Hon.
Lieut. Leo F. Fry.

Nursing Sisters: Emma Ella Barry, Laura Emily Campbell, Sarah Catherine
Chisholm, Monica Connell, Isabel Helen Dawson, Helena Margaret Ellis,
Florence Mary Kelly, Nellie King, Annie MacDonald, Annie Helen
MacDonald, Catharine Chisholm MacDonald, Catharine Eileen MacDonald,
Catharine Tulloch MacDonald, Jessie MacDonald, Minnie Frances MacDonald,
Flora MacDougall, Mary MacGrath, Sadie Catharine MacIsaac (Matron),
Christena Mary MacKenzie, Dora MacKenzie, Annie Tremaine MacLeod,
Marcella Agnes O’Brien, Catharine Regina Shea, Edith Alexander Thompson,
Mary S. Walsh, Anna Teresa Young.

The Unit was not long in receiving orders to proceed Overseas, and on
June 19, 1916, set sail per _S.S. Missinabie_. After ten days’ sail on
typical summer seas a landing was made at Liverpool. Here the jolly
family group was divided and the officers and men were sent to
Shorncliffe and attached for instruction and duty to Shorncliffe
Military Hospital, while the matron and nursing sisters entrained for
London, where they were detailed, by the Matron-in-Chief, for duty to
various hospitals in England.

[Illustration:

CAPT. K. A. M‘CUISH.]

This was a sort of a period of orphanage; but in exactly three months,
September 29, 1916, the Unit was again reassembled for the purpose of
taking over the Bramshott Military Hospital, No. 12 Canadian General
Hospital, which served the large military training camps of Bramshott
and Witley. This was a splendid experience and training for the entire
personnel. A great deal of excellent work was done. The Medical Division
was taken charge of by Major Charles Hunter, of Winnipeg, and Major H.
E. Kendall was in charge of the Surgical Division, assisted by Capt. K.
A. McCuish.

While acting as the Medical Officer of the 5th C.M.R.’s Captain McCuish
received wounds at Passchendaele, from which he died. He was buried in
the Military Cemetery at Remi Siding, near Poperinghe, Belgium, in a
hero’s grave, and now “sleeps where poppies grow in Flanders fields.”

The winter of 1917 taxed the capacity of the hospital to the utmost, as
well as the endurance of the Staff, owing to a very severe outbreak of
influenza in the Bramshott area. The splendid manner in which the Unit
rose to the great demands made upon it and coped with the serious
condition that arose, called for special commendation from Major-General
Foster, Director-General of the Canadian Medical Services.

Here the first great sorrow came to the Unit in the illness and death of
their beloved Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel MacLeod. He contracted
anthrax poisoning, from which he died January 4, 1917. With military
honors and amidst a large concourse of sorrowing comrades he was laid to
rest in the cemetery at Bramshott.

Command of the Unit was taken by Major H. E. Kendall, who was promoted
to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. Lieut.-Colonel Gilmore of Toronto took
charge of the surgical section.

The spring of 1917 was a very hard period, as was also the fall of 1917.
The damp and chilly English climate was very trying to new Canadian
troops, and there was a large amount of sickness. A good many battle
casualties were also received from France.

A call came from France for more Canadian hospitals, and No. 9 Canadian
Stationary Hospital was selected. The Unit was ordered to proceed to
France, and sailed from Folkestone in December, 1917, landing at
Boulogne the same day with the following officers: Lieut.-Col. H. E.
Kendall, Officer Commanding; Major Charles Hunter, Major Adair,
Quartermaster; Capt. J. Williams, Pathologist; Capt. H. L. Reazin, Capt.
J. W. Lord, Capt. Andrew Love, Capt. W. F. MacIsaac, Capt. A. F.
Slayter, Capt. D. A. Webb, Capt. J. Wilfred, Hon. Capt. J. O. Ralston,
Chaplain; Hon. Capt. P. White, Chaplain.

Major Adair was subsequently Quartermaster at No. 3 Canadian General
Hospital at Boulogne, where he died suddenly of uræmia following
influenza in the spring of 1919.

On arrival in Boulogne the Unit received orders to proceed to
Longuenesse, near St. Omer, and open a hospital of four hundred beds.
Here everything was found to be in readiness. There were hutted wards of
corrugated iron, wooden administration buildings complete in every
detail and ready for occupation. There was an excellent, well-lighted,
well-ventilated and thoroughly-equipped operating room. The quarters
provided for officers, nursing sisters and men were all that could be
desired.

It was only a few days before the Unit was ready to carry on, and early
in January, 1918, the first convoy was received, consisting of over one
hundred wounded soldiers from the Front. Excellent and steady work then
continued.

In February instructions were received from headquarters to enlarge the
hospital to nine hundred beds. With willing hands and enthusiastic
workers this was soon completed, and during the month of March a great
many surgical cases were dealt with. Capt. A. Loos and Capt. A. F.
Slater were the surgical specialists at this time. On account of the
large number of surgical cases application was made for assistants.
Capt. T. MacGregor, a noted Scotch surgeon of Glasgow, was sent for
temporary duty. The officer in charge of the Medical Division was Capt.
H. L. Reazin, a successful and well-known practitioner of Toronto.

During the spring of 1918 the St. Francis Hospital Unit carried on under
precisely the same conditions of harassing shell fire and nightly
bombing as described in connection with the Dalhousie Medical Unit.

The nursing sisters and hospital Staff displayed great courage all
through these trying times, remaining at their posts in the operating
room and hospital wards. No pen can describe the nerve-testing and
nerve-wracking experience of hearing the swish through the air of those
terrible and deadly bombs, then the terrific explosions and rocking and
trembling of the earth which meant destruction and death to many. The
way those splendid young women carried themselves was magnificent.
Without a quiver or the slightest hesitation they kept right along with
their work and soothed and encouraged and ministered to their patients.
They were the same living contradiction here as elsewhere to all logical
relations, and the harmony of things. They would jump up on the
operating table and scream at the suggestion of a mouse or trench rat;
but would go out into the storm and darkness and fire to give a drink of
water to a wounded soldier.

The Unit was making preparations to still further expand the bed
capacity of the hospital when orders were issued for all hospitals in
the area to evacuate at once. The wounded were sent by ambulance trains
to the base, the equipment was packed up, and on April 19th the Unit
moved to Etaples, which is a fishing village about twenty miles from
Boulogne. It was a large hospital area and there were 25,000 available
beds.

On the outskirts of the town near the village of Le Faux a site was
provided for the St. Francis Unit. The nursing sisters were detailed for
duty to No. 1 Canadian General Hospital and No. 7 Canadian General
Hospital. The officers and men were under canvas.

The Unit was under instructions to open a tent hospital of 600 beds, and
the work was progressing rapidly when that terrible air raid came at 10
o’clock in the evening of May 18th and continued for nearly two hours.
The casualties were very heavy and every hospital suffered. A number of
live bombs dropped within the small area occupied by the St. Francis
Unit. Two men were instantly killed and thirteen wounded. The killed
were Sergeants MacMillen and Taylor. They were buried in the Military
Cemetery at Etaples. Seventeen hospital marquees of the Unit were
destroyed during this raid. It was fortunate that the Unit had not
commenced receiving patients.

[Illustration:

COL. R. ST. JOHN MACDONALD.]

One of the medical officers, Capt W. F. MacIsaac, of Antigonish, was
badly wounded, and succumbed to his injuries in No. 1 Canadian General
Hospital on June 3rd. He was a young man of brilliant attainments,
exemplary character and a promising young surgeon. He too was buried in
the Military Cemetery at Etaples. The whole Unit was in attendance at
the funeral.

Since a large part of the hospital equipment was destroyed it was
decided to move the Unit to another area. All the railways were
congested and every other means of transportation taxed to the utmost;
consequently no means of moving the equipment could be obtained, and it
remained packed for several months. Most of the officers and men were
detailed for duty to other hospitals.

Lieut.-Col. H. E. Kendall was recalled for duty to England on August 28,
1918, and command of the Unit fell to Major R. St. J. MacDonald, who had
been posted to the Unit a few months previously.

The Unit was instructed to be in readiness to open up a Convalescent
Hospital for the Canadian Corps. But before this was carried out the
Germans made an unconditional surrender which they were allowed to call
an Armistice.

Hopes were now high for an early, in fact, immediate return home, and
this became the all-absorbing topic of conversation.

Capt. A. Sterling, Capt. S. MacKenzie, Capt. G. Zwicker, Capt. G.
Phillips and Capt. S. Whitehouse arrived from England on November 20th
and joined the Unit. Capt. Sterling had gone Overseas as a combatant
officer with the R.C.R.’s and saw considerable fighting. Owing to the
scarcity of medical officers in the summer of 1917 he was asked to
transfer to the Medical Corps, which he did, and was posted to the
Canadian Special Hospital at Etching Hill, where he remained until
joining No. 9 Canadian Stationary.

Major S. L. Walker was posted to this Unit on November 25, 1918, and was
afterwards promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. He had been on active
service with various Units since the spring of 1915. Colonel Walker was
an excellent administrative officer and added strength to the Staff as
second in command.

The Unit received instructions to take over the special hospital at
Camiers from the Dalhousie Unit, which had received orders to proceed to
England en route to Canada. This change took place on February 8, 1919,
and St. Francis Unit took over the hospital with 900 patients.

In a short time the number of patients increased to 1,100 and St.
Francis Unit had the honor of being raised to the status of a General
Hospital. This gave an opportunity for some well-merited promotions
among the officers, non-commissioned officers and men.

At this time the Staff was as follows:

Col. R. St. John MacDonald Officer Commanding.
Lieut.-Col. S. L. Walker Second in Command.
Major H. G. Murray In charge Medical Division.
Major A. Sterling In charge Surgical Division.
Major R. F. Slater Registrar and Paymaster.
Major J. R. MacRae
Major G. S. Gordon
Major S. Sprague
Hon. Capt. H. E. Law Quartermaster.
Hon. Capt. A. E. Hagar Chaplain.
Capt. S. P. H. Morlatt Dental Officer.
Capt. F. Hinds Dental Officer.
Capt. J. F. Elkerton
Capt. J. D. MacDonald
Capt. W. M. MacDonald
Capt. A. R. Campbell
Capt. G. Phillips
Capt. S. Whitehouse
Capt. G. Zwicker

The stay at Camiers was made more pleasant for the personnel and
patients by the attention paid to recreation and amusements. A baseball
league was formed for the area and many good games were played, in which
there was a great deal of enthusiastic interest. There was also much
interest taken in tennis and quoits. A moving-picture theatre was
constructed and equipped by the Canadian Y.M.C.A., under Capt. A. E.
Hagar, which was an unfailing source of pleasure to the patients and
personnel. The Y.M.C.A. also established a canteen and furnished a
reading room. The Red Cross too, through its representative, Major F.
Murphy, contributed very largely to the success of the Unit by providing
comforts for the patients and a large amount of sporting equipment.

A thrill of pleasant anticipation ran through the Unit when on May 20th
orders were received that the patients were to be evacuated at once with
a view to demobilization and return to Canada. As soon as the patients
were evacuated no time was lost in turning the hospital equipment and
supplies in to Ordnance Stores. This was completed on May 28th and on
May 30th the Unit moved to Boulogne, crossed to Folkestone the same
afternoon and arrived at Witley Camp, Surrey, the next day.

After a very pleasant month in England, occupied mostly with
leave-taking and renewing old acquaintances, the Unit proceeded to
Southampton and embarked on the _S.S. Olympic_ for Halifax on July 2nd,
together with No. 7 Canadian General Hospital (Queens) and No. 4
Canadian General Hospital (Toronto).

On July 8th at 6 p.m., after a voyage of only six days, these happy
home-comers were docked at Halifax. The Unit was met by representatives
of St. Francis Xavier College, whose name it had the honor of bearing,
led by Dr. J. J. Tompkins. Dr. Tompkins invited the officers,
non-commissioned officers and men to a reception as well as farewell
banquet at the “Green Lantern.” Other guests present were Governor
Grant, Hon. R. E. Faulkner, Hon. Senator Crosby, Col. John Stewart,
Lieut.-Col. E. V. Hogan and John Neville. After an excellent supper the
Unit was welcomed home in a very happy manner by Dr. Tompkins, Governor
Grant and others. Col. R. St. J. MacDonald and Lieut.-Col. S. L. Walker
replied on behalf of the Unit.

The following morning, July 9th, the Unit was demobilized after over
three years’ service Overseas.

The entire personnel had changed since leaving Halifax for Overseas, and
on demobilization was as follows:

Col. R. St. J. MacDonald.
Lieut.-Col. S. L. Walker.
Major A. Sterling.
Major H. G. Murray.
Major G. S. Gordon.
Major A. F. Slater.
Hon. Capt. A. E. Hagar, Chaplain.
Hon. Capt. F. Kelley, Chaplain.
Capt. A. H. Haugh.
Capt. J. D. MacDonald.
Capt. W. M. MacDonald.
Capt. G. Zwicker.
Capt. G. Phillips.
Capt. S. Whitehouse.
Capt. W. H. P. Lavell.
Capt. W. B. Surleton.
Capt. M. MacKay.
Capt. J. MacBeth.
Capt. S. P. H. Morlatt.

Following is a list of honors received by original members of No. 9
Canadian Stationary Hospital, as far as can be ascertained at the moment
of writing:

Lieut.-Col. R. St. John MacDonald Mentioned in dispatches.
Capt. A. R. Campbell M.C.
Capt. L. D. Densmore M.C.
Matron S. C. MacIsaac Mentioned for valuable services,
20–10–17; R.R.C., 2nd class,
1–1–19; R.R.C., 1st class, 31–7–19.
Nursing Sister F. Kelley R.R.C., 2nd class.
Nursing Sister C. E. Chisholm Mention, 20–12–18; mention, 11–7–19.
Nursing Sister Annie MacDonald Mentioned for valuable services,
20–10–17.
Nursing Sister C. M. MacKenzie Mentioned for valuable services,
20–10–17. Mentioned for valuable
services, 9–9–19.
Nursing Sister C. R. Shea Medaille Militaire des Invalides.

MISCELLANEOUS MEDICAL SERVICES.

Less than half the Nova Scotia medical men who went Overseas served with
the Nova Scotia Medical Units. This narrative would therefore be very
incomplete without reference to the major portion.

Many of these had distinguished service with the Royal Army Medical
Corps (R.A.M.C.) and with other Canadian and Imperial Hospitals, as well
as with the fighting Units as Regimental Medical Officers and other
general and special duties.

Be it said to the honor of Nova Scotia that the organizing and directing
genius of the Canadian Army Medical Service was supplied by two Nova
Scotians, Major-Gen. Guy Carleton Jones, C.M.G., who was born in Nova
Scotia and practised his profession in Halifax, and Major-Gen. G. L.
Foster, C.B., who was born in Nova Scotia and also practised his
profession in Halifax.

General Jones went Overseas with the First Canadian Contingent as
A.D.M.S. and shortly after arrival in England was made Director of
Medical Services, Canadian Expeditionary Force, with headquarters in
London, which he organized and administered with great ability until he
was made Medical Inspector, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in 1917. Later
he became D.M.S. in charge of hospitals in Canada.

General Foster succeeded General Jones as D.M.S. Canadian Expeditionary
Force and later was made D.G.M.S., O.M.F.C., and successfully carried on
the duties of that high and difficult office until the end of the War
and the demobilization of the Canadian Army.

Another outstanding Nova Scotia Medical Officer was Lieut.-Col. H. M.
Jacques. When the First Contingent left, Colonel Jacques became Acting
D.G.M.S., Ottawa. He was A.D.M.S. 2nd Canadian Division in France; he
was three times mentioned for distinguished service in Sir Douglas
Haig’s dispatches and was promoted to the full rank of Colonel and
awarded the D.S.O. and Bar for distinguished and gallant service in
action.

The nursing service has also brought great credit to Nova Scotia, and it
is a further honor to the Province that the Canadian Army Nursing
Service was under the direction of a Nova Scotian. The Matron-in-Chief
was Miss Margaret C. MacDonald, of Bailey Brook. She was mentioned for
distinguished services and awarded the R.R.C. She had seen active
service in the Spanish-American War and was selected to accompany the
Second Canadian Contingent to South Africa.

The following is a synopsis of the Military Services of Nova Scotia
medical men not previously mentioned, as far as can be obtained. It has
been impossible to get a complete authentic record, and although every
medical man on the Medical Register for the Province, who was known to
have been in the military service, was written to personally for
information, only thirty replies were received to 150 letters. The list
is therefore liable to some errors and omissions.

MILITARY MEDICAL SERVICE OVERSEAS.

ARCHIBALD, MAJOR THOMAS DICKSON—Went to England as a combatant officer
with the 8th Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1916. On this being broken up, a
Canadian Cavalry Field Ambulance was formed, which Captain Archibald
joined as a Medical Officer. He was in the Somme fighting, was two years
in France, and was promoted to the rank of Major.

ATLEE, MAJOR H. BENGE.—Enlisted in R.A.M.C. in London, England,
November, 1914. Appointed Medical Officer, Royal Munster Fusiliers.
Served in Gallipoli, the Suvla Bay expedition, No. 19 British Hospital,
Alexandra, Egypt, the 69th Ambulance, Salonika. Was awarded the M.C. and
promoted to the rank of Major.

BAULD, LIEUT.-COLONEL W. A. G., D.S.O.—Enlisted 1914. Demobilized June,
1919. Served in England, France and Salonika. Twice mentioned in
despatches. Awarded D.S.O.

BARRACLOUGH, CAPT. WILLIAM—Enlisted C.A.M.C. 20–12–16. Demobilized
12–12–19. Served in Canada 20–12–16 to 23–3–17, England 27–3–17 to
15–6–18, France 15–6–18 to 19–5–19. Was Neurological Specialist in Camp
Hill Hospital, Halifax, 27–5–19 to 12–12–19.

BARSS, CAPT. G. A.—Enlisted Captain R.A.M.C. in England 29–8–15. Posted
to Durham Light Infantry, with which he went to France in January, 1916.
Served also with Scots Guards. Mentioned twice in dispatches for
services in the Somme, 1916, and Cambrai, 1917. Demobilized 29–8–18.

BLACKADAR, CAPT. K. K.—Enlisted 5–1–17. Demobilized 21–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

BLACKETT, CAPT. ARTHUR E.—Enlisted Capt. C.A.M.C. 9–8–15. Demobilized
23–6–19. Served in Canada 9–8–15 to 18–6–16, England 18–6–16 to 4–5–17
and 2–9–18 to 18–1–19, France 4–5–17 to 2–9–18.

BORDEN, CAPT. R. F.—Enlisted 1–7–16. Demobilized 27–4–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

BURGESS, CAPT. HARRY C.—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

BURNS, CAPT. ARTHUR S.—Enlisted 19–2–16. Demobilized 23–12–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

CAMPBELL, CAPT. DONALD ST. C.—Captain C.A.M.C. Enlisted 23–12–16.
Demobilized 29–12–19. Served in Canada, England and France.

CAMPBELL, CAPT. JOHN G. D.—Enlisted 26–12–16. Demobilized 29–11–19.
Served in Canada, England and France.

CARRUTHERS, LIEUT.-COL. J. S.—Enlisted 30–6–15. Returned 26–1–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

CHISHOLM, CAPT. JAMES STANLEY—Enlisted 8–5–15. Demobilized 30–9–19.
Served in Canada, England and France.

CHURCHILL, CAPT. L. P.—Enlisted 15–2–16. Demobilized 11–3–19. Served in
Canada, England and France. M.O. 219th Battalion. Served in France with
5th Field Ambulance, 3rd British General Hospital, 47th British General
Hospital, 7th Canadian General Hospital, 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles and
R.C.R. Awarded M.C. for gallant services at Battle of Arras.

COCHRANE, CAPT. WILFRED N.—Enlisted 13–11–16. Demobilized 1–1–19. Served
in England and France; in France with No. 7 Canadian Stationary Hospital
(Dalhousie Unit), 8th Canadian Field Ambulance and 3rd Division Train.

COCK, MAJOR J. L.—Enlisted 9–3–15. Demobilized 12–1–20. Served in
Canada, England and France.

COFFIN, CAPT. WILLIAM V.—Overseas Service. No particulars available.

COLLIE, CAPT. JOHN R. M.—Overseas Service in the Navy. No particulars
available.

COVERT, CAPT. ARCHIBALD N.—Enlisted 7–3–20. Demobilized 12–6–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

CREIGHTON, MAJOR THOMAS MCCULLY.—Was in England when war broke out and
enlisted in the British Navy July 30, 1914. Was posted to _H.M.S.
Argonaut_, transferred to Hospital Ship _China_ and went to Salonika.
Later joined the Army and went to France. On returning to England became
D.A.D.M.S. Demobilized September, 1919.

CROLL, LIEUT.-COL. ANDREW—Enlisted 1–4–15. Demobilized 4–11–18. Served
in Canada, England and three years in France.

CURRY, MAJOR WILFRED A.—Enlisted in R.A.M.C. in England. Had three
years’ service in France as Surgical Specialist to No. 44 C.C.S. and No.
34 C.C.S. On returning to England was attached to Shepherd’s Bush
Orthopædic Hospital, London. On demobilization was appointed Orthopædic
Specialist to Department of Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment for Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

DAVIDSON, CAPT. VICTOR DAVID.—Overseas Service. No particulars
available.

DAY, CAPT. FREDERICK B., M.C.—Enlisted 5–10–15. Demobilized 30–4–19.
Service in Canada, England and France. In France served with No. 7
Canadian Stationary Hospital, 13th Field Ambulance. In trenches as M.O.
54th Canadian Infantry Battalion until wounded twice by shrapnel.
Awarded M.C. for gallant services in action.

DOBSON, CAPT. WM. L.—Enlisted 16–9–17. Demobilized 25–7–19. Served in
Canada and England.

DONOVAN, CAPT. OSCAR C.—Enlisted 11–19–15. Demobilized 25–2–20. Served
in Canada, England and France. Was a Surgical Specialist in France, and
after returning to England was attached to Shepherd’s Bush Orthopædic
Hospital, London. Was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French.

DOUGLAS, MAJOR EDGAR, M.C.—Enlisted 17–8–14. Demobilized 29–9–19. Served
in Canada, England and three years in France. In France served with No.
7 Canadian Stationary Hospital, No. 1 Canadian C.C.S., No. 11 C.C.S.,
R.A.M.C., 4th Canadian Field Ambulance, No. 13 Canadian Field Ambulance.
Was wounded in head and hand at Lens, and wounded in left shoulder at
Passchendaele. Awarded M.C. for gallant service at Lens.

DOULL, CAPT. JAMES ANGUS, M.C., Croix de Guerre—Served in England and
France. Particulars not available.

DWYER, CAPT. THOMAS R.—Enlisted 12–5–17. Demobilized 10–11–19. Served in
Canada and England.

DYAS, CAPT. ALEX. D.—Enlisted 10–8–16. Demobilized 8–10–19. Served in
Canada, England and France as Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. Wounded
by shrapnel at Arras.

EAGAR, MAJOR WILLIAM H.—Service in Canada, England and France as X-ray
Specialist.

EATON, CAPT. PERRY B.—Enlisted 13–3–17. Demobilized 11–9–19. Served in
Canada and England.

FREEMAN, CAPT. E. H.—Enlisted 11–5–15. Demobilized 31–1–19. Served in
England, France, Salonika, Palestine and Egypt.

FREEMAN, CAPT. NELSON P.—Enlisted 1–10–16. Demobilized 15–6–18. Served
in Canada and England. Invalided home with paralysis, one side.

GASS, CAPT. CHAS. L.—Served Overseas. Particulars not available.

GITTLESON, CAPT. PHILIP M.—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

GODFREY, CAPT. HARRY M.—Overseas. No particulars available.

GODFREY, CAPT. ALEX. T.—Enlisted 22–10–16. Demobilized 4–6–18. Served in
Canada and England.

GOUTHRO, CAPT. H. P.—Enlisted 26–11–16. Demobilized 12–1–20. Served in
Canada, England and France.

GOW, MAJOR F. A. R.—Enlisted 14–10–14. Demobilized 15–5–20. Served in
Canada, England and France. 1914–15 Star.

GRANT, CAPT GERALD W.—Enlisted 7–11–16. Demobilized 15–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France. Awarded M.C. for gallantry in action, and
the 1915 Star.

GREEN, CAPT. FREDERICK WILLIAM—Served Overseas. No particulars
available.

HAYES, LIEUT.-COL. JOSEPH, D.S.O.—Enlisted 24–9–15. Demobilized 16–5–19.
Served in Canada, England and France. Served in France with 85th
Canadian Infantry Battalion, 4th Divisional Train, No. 10 British
General Hospital, Facture Detention Hospital, S.M.O. Central Group
C.F.C., O.C. No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital. Was twice mentioned in
dispatches and awarded D.S.O.

HART, CAPT. EDWARD C.—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

HEAL, JAMES G. F.—Served Overseas. Particulars not available.

HEMMEON, MAJOR JAMES A. M.—Enlisted 1–3–16. Demobilized 6–8–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

HENDERSON, CAPT. CHARLES S.—Enlisted 18–4–18. Demobilized 12–1–20.
Served in Canada 18–4–18 to 7–12–18 and 1–9–19 to 12–1–20, and in
England 7–12–18 to 21–8–19.

HINES, CAPT. ARTHUR—Enlisted 31–5–16. Demobilized 31–8–19. Served in
Canada, England and two years in France. Was awarded M.C. for gallantry
in Battle of Amiens, August 8th, 1918.

JOST, MAJOR ARTHUR C.—Enlisted 6–3–16. Demobilized 1–8–19. Served in
Canada and England. On demobilization held the temporary rank of
Lieut.-Colonel.

JOHNSON, CAPT. ARTHUR M.—Highfield House, Bury, England. Served
Overseas. No particulars available.

JOHNSON, CAPT. JAMES MACGREGOR, Highfield House, Bury, England. Served
Overseas. No particulars available.

JOHNSON, STEPHEN R.—Served Overseas. Particulars not available.

KEAY, CAPT. THOMAS—Enlisted 24–1–17. Demobilized 11–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

KENNEDY, CAPT. GEORGE B.—Enlisted 7–16–15. Demobilized 12–6–19.
Transferred from C.A.M.C. to R.A.M.C., July, 1915. Served in Canada,
England, Malta (in St. Andrew’s Hospital), Fort Manuel, France, April,
1916, with 77th Field Ambulance, No. 16 General Hospital, 5th Field
Ambulance, 3rd Cavalry Field Ambulance, No. 2 Stationary Hospital, No.
223 Brigade, R.F.A., No. 7 Stationary Hospital, Boulogne, etc.

KENNEDY, CAPT. WILLIAM F.—Enlisted 18–8–18. Demobilized 1–3–20. Served
in Canada, England and France in various arms of the Service.

KENNY, CAPT. W. F.—Enlisted 28–6–15. Demobilized 28–2–20. Served in
Canada, England and France.

LYONS, CAPT, JAMES N.—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

MACAULAY, CAPT. DANIEL A.—Enlisted August, 1918. Demobilized 5–3–19.
Served in Canada, England and France.

MCAULAY, MAJOR MURDOCK A.—Enlisted August, 1915. Demobilized on
disbanding of C.E.F., but continued in service of C.A.M.C. as O.C.
Cogswell Street Military Hospital, Halifax. Also served in England and
France.

MACKASEY, CAPT. WM, P.—Served 31 months in the R.A.M.C. Was on service
in England 6–9–15. Demobilized in Canada 4–5–20. Africa 1916. Chief
Surgeon on Ambulance Ship in the Mediterranean.

MEECH, CAPT. LLOYD R, M.C.—Served Overseas and was awarded the M.C. for
gallant services. No particulars available.

MILLAR, MAJOR J. ROSS—M.O. German Prisoners of War Camp at Amherst,
March, 1915. Joined R.A.M.C. July, 1915, and proceeded to England.
Joined No. 2 British General Hospital, France, in September, 1915.
Posted to No. 37 C.C.S. in November, 1915. Sent to Italian Front with
No. 37 C.C.S. in November, 1917. Transferred as Surgical Specialist to
No. 9 C.C.S., January, 1918. In charge Advanced Operating Centre, Asiago
Plateau. On returning to England assigned to duty with Shepherd’s Bush
Orthopædic Hospital, London. On returning to Canada was appointed
Orthopædic Specialist to D.S.C.R. for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island, which position he resigned to resume private practice.

MORRIS, LIEUT.-COL. CLARENCE H.—Enlisted August, 1914. Demobilized
11–11–19. Served in Canada, also England, 5–10–14 to 1–1–15; France
1–1–15 to 1–8–15; Gallipoli 5–12–15 to 5–2–16; Egypt 5–2–16 to 6–2–17;
Macedonia 15–4–17 to 17–10–17. Mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s
dispatches, November, 1915. On return to Canada was O.C. Camp Hill
Hospital, Halifax, and later D.A.D.M.S., M.D. No. 6.

MORTON, CAPT. LEWIS M.—Enlisted 11–10–15. Demobilized 28–8–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MUIR, CAPT. WALTER H.—Enlisted 16–11–15. Demobilized 13–12–19. Served in
Canada, England and France. Joined Staff of No. 7 Canadian General
Hospital in France at Etaples 7–8–17. Sent to forward areas 28–8–17 for
duty with No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance. M.O. 6th Brigade Canadian
Field Artillery 14–4–18. Was in all the activities of 2nd Division from
Passchendaele to the Rhine.

MUNRO, CAPT. JOHN A.—Enlisted 15–2–16. Demobilized 31–3–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MURRAY, CAPT. DAN.—Enlisted 26–2–17. Demobilized 1–8–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MURRAY, CAPT. DUNCAN.—Enlisted 4–11–16. Demobilized 13–6–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MCCURDY, CAPT. DEXTER S.—Enlisted 23–12–16. Demobilized, 12–7–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

MACDONALD, LIEUT.-COL. T. HOWARD—Enlisted 1914. Served in England and
France. He was appointed O.C. of the ill-fated Hospital Ship _Llandovery
Castle_, on her last voyage, on which he was drowned.

MACDONALD, CAPT. NATHANIEL—Enlisted October, 1915. Demobilized 28–12–18.
Served in Canada, England and France. Was mentioned in Sir Douglas
Haig’s dispatches.

MACDONALD, CAPT. JOHN CLYDE—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

MACDONALD, MAJOR P. W. S.—Enlisted early in 1915. Served in Canada,
England and France. Was on D.M.S. Staff, London. Died of influenza in
England.

MACDONALD, MAJOR WILLIAM HENRY—Enlisted 25–9–16. Demobilized, 4–6–19.
Served in England on Surgical Staff, Kitchener Military Hospital. Went
to France 10–10–17 and joined No. 7 Canadian Stationary Hospital as
Second in Command. Surgical Specialist Staff of No. 3 Canadian C.C.S.,
4–1–18 to 14–8–18. On Surgical Teams No. 19 and No. 38, British C.C.S.,
and No. 32 British Stationary Hospital. Was in retreat of 5th Army and
escaped with small surgical outfit.

MACDONALD, CAPT. WILFRED M.—Enlisted February, 1917. Continued in
C.A.M.C. after dispersal of C.E.F. Served in Canada, England and France.

MACINTOSH, CAPT. ARTHUR E.—Enlisted 30–6–15. Demobilized 15–7–19. Served
in Canada, England and France. Served in France with No. 7 Canadian
Stationary Hospital.

MCKAY, CAPT. JOHN ST. C.—Enlisted 25–11–15. Demobilized 13–6–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

MCKAY, CAPT. MURDOCK—Enlisted 4–1–17. Demobilized 12–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MacKENZIE, CAPT. SEYMOUR G.—Enlisted 12–11–17. Demobilized 28–8–19.
Served in Canada, England and France.

MACKINNON, CAPT. HUGH A.—Enlisted 3–5–16. Demobilized 15–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MCLARREN, CAPT. PHILIP D.—Enlisted 30–5–17. Demobilized 12–1–20. Served
in Canada, England and France.

MACLEAN, CAPT. E. D.—Enlisted 14–2–18. Demobilized 21–2–19. Served in
Canada, England and France. Went to England with the Highland Brigade.
On going to France was attached to No. 7 Canadian Stationary Hospital.

MCLEOD, CAPT. JOHN KNOX—Enlisted 25–5–17. Demobilized 31–5–19. Served in
Canada, England and France. On returning to Canada was appointed O.C.
Ross Moxham Hospital, Sydney.

O’NEIL, MAJOR FREEMAN—Enlisted April, 1914. Demobilized 15–7–19. Served
in England 18–11–18 to 4–5–19; France 19–6–19 to 30–6–19.

MCRAE, CAPT. DUNCAN R.—Overseas. No particulars available.

MACRITCHIE, CAPT. JOHN JAMES—Overseas. No particulars available.

PARKS, CAPT. JOHN E.—Enlisted 20–7–15. Demobilized 15–6–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

PARKER, CAPT. VERNON H. T.—Enlisted 31–3–17. Demobilized 26–8–19. Served
in Canada, England and France.

PATTON, CAPT. WELDON W.—Overseas. No particulars available.

PENNINGTON, CAPT. JOHN W.—Overseas. No particulars available.

POTTER, COL. JACOB L.—Canadian Permanent Army Medical Corps. At outbreak
of War was A.D.M.S., Military District No. 3. Called to office of
D.G.M.S., Ottawa. Became acting D.G.M.S. and afterwards Deputy D.G.M.S.
Went to Siberia with the Canadian Stationary Hospital.

PORTER, CAPT. SYDNEY E.—Enlisted 30–7–17. Demobilized 31–5–19. Served in
Canada and England.

PATRICK, CAPT. IVAN YOUNG—Enlisted 19–4–18. Demobilized 21–7–19. Served
in Canada and England.

PEAKE, CAPT. EDGAR P.—Enlisted 3–7–17. Demobilized 31–7–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

PICKUP, CAPT. WILLIAM A.—Enlisted 16–7–14. Demobilized 1–7–17. Served in
Canada, England and France.

ROBBINS, CAPT. WELTON H.—Enlisted 15–9–17. Demobilized 25–11–9. Served
in Canada, England and France.

SLAYTER, MAJOR JOHN HOWARD—Enlisted 8–6–16. Demobilized 21–11–19. Served
in Canada, England and France. Awarded M.B.E.

SPARROW, CAPT. CECIL J.—Enlisted 6–9–15. Demobilized –7–18. Served in
Canada, France and the Balkans.

SPONAGLE, LIEUT.-COL. J. A.—Enlisted 20–11–14 as M.O. 25th Infantry
Battalion, which proceeded Overseas 20–5–15. Was M.O. 1st Canadian
Divisional Train in France. Went through Battles of Lens and
Passchendaele with this Unit. In England held numerous important
appointments—among them: Pensions and Claims Board; O.C. of C.A.M.C.
Training Depot; Duchess Connaught Canadian Red Cross Hospital; O.C.
Canadian Hospital, Hillingdon House, Uxbridge. Had twenty-seven years’
previous experience in the Canadian Militia. Received Colonial Auxiliary
Forces Officers’ Decoration for long service. Was demobilized February
16, 1920.

SUTHERLAND, CAPT. COLIN G.—Enlisted 1–6–17. Demobilized 9–6–19. Served
in Canada and England.

SUTHERLAND, MAJOR ROBERT H.—Enlisted 5–8–14. Demobilized 21–7–19. Served
in Canada, England, Egypt and Salonika with No. 1 Canadian Stationary
Hospital.

TRITES, CAPT. CHARLES B.—Enlisted 18–4–16. Demobilized 5–5–19. Served in
Canada, England and France.

WHITMAN, CAPT. GEO. W.—Overseas service. No particulars available.

WILSON, CAPT. ARTHUR A. C.—Served in Canada and England.

WISWELL, CAPT. GORDON B.—Enlisted October, 1915. Demobilized 6–2–19.
Served in Canada, England and France. Was awarded M.C. for gallant
service in action and was mentioned in dispatches.

WYLDE, CAPT. CHARLES F.—Served Overseas. No particulars available.

ZWICKER, CAPT. W. D.—Enlisted 24–1–17. Demobilized 12–1–20. Served in
Canada, England and France.

MILITARY MEDICAL SERVICE IN NOVA SCOTIA.

Capts. W. B. Almon, Hugh O. Blauvelt, William J. Barton, Thomas I.
Byrne, Barry H. Calkin, Allister Calder, Michael J. Carney, Prof. John
Cameron, George M. Campbell, John L. Churchill, Major James R. Corston,
Capts. Allan R. Cunningham. John A. Davis, Lieut. David Drury, Capts.
Charles S. Elliott, Guy S. Goodwin, John W. Gannon, W. H. Hattie, B. A.
LeBlanc, Roy D. Lindsay, Vernon L. Miller, Major Ernest F. Miller, Capt.
Angus M. Morton, Major Leander R. Morse, Capt. John A. Murdoch, Major
Donald McDonald, Capt. Dan. F. McInnis, Lieut. Joseph W. McKay, Capts.
Donald J. MacKenzie, John M. McLean, Majors Geo. J. McNally, A. G.
Nichols, Lieut.-Col. Albert A. Schaffner, Capt. W. H. Schwartz, Lieut.
Sieniewicz, Major Dugald Stewart, Lieut. Clarence W. Thorne, Capt.
Solomon J. Turel, Major Philip Weatherbe, Major H. B. Webster.

NURSING SERVICE.

In connection with the Nova Scotia Hospital Units reference has been
made to only a few Nova Scotia nurses. No account of the humanitarian
service of the medical organization in the Great War should fail to give
prominence to the noble work of the nursing sisters. What they have done
to lighten the weary hours of the wounded, war-sick and homesick soldier
has been stamped indelibly on hundreds of thousands of hearts throughout
the world.

Every effort has been made to get a complete list of all the Nova Scotia
nurses who served in the Great War and where they served. The nearest
approach to it is an official list of nurses who either enlisted or were
demobilized in Nova Scotia at the headquarters of No. 6 Military
District. This has been supplemented by submitting the list, for
revision, to some thirty active service nurses and also a number of
Medical Officers. Even now there will undoubtedly be some omissions and
errors.

MILITARY SERVICE OF NURSES ENLISTED OR DEMOBILIZED IN NOVA SCOTIA.

_England, France and Salonika._

Clarke, Catherine Parker.
Condon, Margaret.
McKenzie, Elizabeth Margaret.
MacIntosh, Mary Catherine.
McKay, Alice Lettie.

_England and Salonika._

Brennan, Emily Lorraine.

_England, France and Russia._

Cotton, Dorothy M., R.R.C.

_England and France._

Archard, Sarah Ann, A.R.R.C.
Allan, Ann Doctor, R.R.C.
Arbuckle, M. B.
Benvie, Ada.
Black, Amy Isabel.
Bayers, Gladys Fuller.
Beers, Vivian Gertrude.
Cameron, Josephine Christine.
Connell, Monica.
Cooke, Elizabeth Ann; mentioned in dispatches.

Nova Scotia was as prominent in the Nursing as in the Medical Service,
and is said to have contributed during the War more Matrons in France
than any other individual Province in the Dominion. It gave the
Matron-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces, Miss Margaret C. MacDonald,
R.R.C., M.M. des I (French Army). Miss MacDonald had previously seen
active service in the Spanish-American War and the South African War.

The other Nova Scotia nurses who were Matrons in France during the war
were: Miss Georgina Pope, R.R.C. (Senior Matron in Canada), who went
with the Canadian Contingent to the South African War as Matron; Miss
Harriett Graham, R.R.C.; Miss L. M. Hubley, R.R.C.; Miss K. C.
MacLatchy, R.R.C.; Miss S. C. MacIsaac, R.R.C.; Miss Elizabeth B. Ross,
R.R.C.; Miss A. C. Strong, R.R.C.

Calder, Jennie Squair, A.R.R.C.
Cameron, Annie May.
Campbell, Laura Emily.
Chisholm, Christena Elizabeth; mentioned in dispatches.
Chisholm, Sarah Catherine.
Churchill, Sarah.
Davidson, Jessie Ann.
Dawson, Isabel Helen.
Dempsey, Mary Catharine.
Doyle, Elizabeth C. (Mrs.)
Drew, Margaret Currie.
Duthie, Edna Craig.
Edgecombe, Lillian Grace.
Ellis, Helena Margaret.
Etherington, Ethel B.
Fitzgerald, Lillian Mary.
Follette, Minnie (drowned _Llandovery Castle_).
Fraser, Annie Margaret.

Fraser, Edith Morrow.
Fraser, Pearl (drowned _Llandovery Castle_).
Genders, Sarah Elizabeth.
Gillan, Ina Gertrude.
Gordon, Eleanor McLaren, A.R.R.C.
Graham, Harriet M. (Matron), R.R.C.
Gray, Dorothy Louise, R.R.C.
Gray, Marguerite Olive.
Guild, Effie Jean.
Gunn, Mary Catharine.
Haliburton, Marion Frances.
Hazard, Mary Elizabeth.
Howard, Alice Maud.
Hubley, Laura May (Matron), R.R.C.
Irwin, Eliza Blanche.
Johnstone, Alice May; mentioned in dispatches.
Johnstone, Margaret A., R.R.C.
Kelly, F. M., R.R.C.
Kendall, Helen Mary.
King, Hazel Mary.
Lamplaugh, Mary Edith, R.R.C.
Landells, Margaret Jane.
Lynch, Mary Theresa; Belgian decoration.
MacAulay, Lorinda.
MacDonald, Annie; mentioned in dispatches.
MacDonald, Annie Belle; French decoration.
MacDonald, Annie Helen.
MacDonald, Catherine Chisholm.
MacDonald, Catherine Tulloch.
MacDonald, Helen Catherine.
MacDonald, Hilda Havergill.
MacDonald, Janet MacGregor, R.R.C.
MacDonald, Jessie Belle.
MacDonald, Jessie Helen.
MacDonald, Louise, A.R.R.C.
MacDonald, Margaret, A.R.R.C.
MacDonald, Margaret Clothilda (Pr. Matron, C.E.F.), R.R.C. (Florence
Nightingale decoration).
MacDonald, Mary Margaret.
MacDonald, Mary Simpson.
MacDonald, Minnie Frances.
MacDougall. Annie Claire.
McCuish, Elizabeth Margaret.
McDonald, Catharine Eileen.
McDonald, Nellie Elizabeth.
McDougald, Flora.
McDougald, Margaret; French decoration.
McGrath, Mary.
McInnis, Florence Louise.
McIsaac, Sarah Catherine (Matron), R.R.C.
McKay, Helen Barbara, A.R.R.C.
McKeel, Theadora, R.R.C.
McKenzie, Charlotte.
McKenzie, Christina Mary.
McKenzie, Dora.
McKenzie, Margaret Eliza.
McKenzie, Minnie Hannah.
McKinnon, Euphemia.
McLatchey, Katherine O. (Matron), R.R.C.
McLean, Catherine.
McLean, Elizabeth Isobel.
McLean, Marguerite.
McLean, Mary Rachael.
McLeod, Annie Tremaine.
McLeod, Winifred G.
McLeod, Isabella Gordon.
McLeod, Margaret Christena.
McNeill, Mary Belle.
Moreshead, Eleanor Gorrill.
Mosher, Eva Maud.
Mulcahy, Grace.
Mutch, Florence Sarah.
Myers, Olga.
Nicholson, Elsie Sarah.
O’Brien, Marcella Agnes.
Paget, Catherine White.
Paton, Florence May.
Patton, Mary Steele.
Pidgeon, L., R.R.C.; mentioned in dispatches.
Pope, Georgina, (Matron), R.R.C.
Rice, Frances Augusta. A.R.R.C.
Richardson, Edith Louise.
Rose, Lenora E.
Ross, Elizabeth Belle (Matron), R.R.C.
Schurman, Winifred Dobson; French decoration.
Shannahan, Mary Catherine.
Shea, C. R.
Smith, Sarah Catharine.
Stevens, Louise Myrtle.
Strong, A. C. (Matron), R.R.C.
Stuart, Evelyn Mary.
Tait, Mary.
Thomas, Lalia E.
Thompson, Wilhelmine Irene.
Thompson, Edith Alexandra.
Urquhart, Lottie.
Veits, Caroline Winifred.
Walsh, M. S.
Walters, Emma Jane.

Watson, Mabel Margaret.
Watson, Maud.
Waugh, Belle.
Waughan, Belle.
White, Catherine M.
White, Helen St. Clair.
White, Katherine Elizabeth.
Williams, Maysie Ellen.
Young, Anna Teresa.
Young, Rose Olga.

_England._

Anderson, Minerva Blanche.
Bain, Margaret Winnifred.
Barnes, Ellen Caroline.
Bentley, Olla May.
Clarke, Edith Esther.
Campbell, Annie May.
Campbell, D.
Coates, Dora Evelyn.
Cameron, Elizabeth Vena.
Cameron, Mary Lillian.
Cameron, Sarah Belle.
Colter, Bessie Long.
Connors, Florence Marguerite.
Cray, Bertha Geraldine.
Currie, Alice Margaret.
Desmond, Mary.
Davies, Margaret Emily.
DeWolfe, Annie Clark.
Dunlop, Laura Alice.
Ellis, Marion Dean.
Fife, Lillian Jessie.
Fraser, Lavinia Flora.
Fraser, Flora Mathilda.
Harrison, Eunice Knapp.
Hallisey, Catherine Martina.
Hillcoat, Anna Rebecca.
Hubley, Jennie Mable.
Hartling, Mabel.
Howard, Mary Munroe.
Jennex, Lenna (died).
Layton, Adrianna R.
LeDrew, Annie May.
Mack, Beatrice Helena.
Mombourquette, Katherine.
Morrison, Daisy Dean.
Mutch, Helen Frances.
Murray, Ann Elizabeth.
Murray, Emma Blanche.
McCarthy, May Charlotte.
McCuish, Harriet Mary.
MacDonald, Jessie.
MacDonald, Georgina Emily.
MacDonald, Margaret Catherine.
McInnes, Dorothy Jean.
MacIntosh, Margaret Isabel.
McLeod, Sadie Isabel.
McLean, Sadie Ethel.
McNeill, Margaret Blanche.
Morrison, Myrtilla Grey.
Morrison, Jean Augusta.
Payne, Sarah.
Smith, Mabel Eliza.
Sedgewick, F. M.
Skerry, Annie Adelaide.
Stewart, Margaret Wood.
Stevens, Annie Jane.
Thompson, Ethel Elaine.
Torr, Alice.
Tout, Dora Olivia.
Urquhart, Lottie.

_Canada._

Anderson, Roberta.
Andrews, Edith.
Barnaby, Agnes Gertrude.
Bearisto, Mary Kier.
Bissett, Barbara Beatrice.
Boland, Florence.
Bauld, Muriel.
Burton, Mary Elizabeth.
Campbell, Jean Marion.
Cook, Gertrude Pauline.
Coolen, Anasthasia Muriel.
Coolen, Mary Ellen.
Davies, Edith Maria.
Doull, Jessie Cameron.
Dunbar, Lillian Campbell.
Farry, Lucy.
Fitzgerald, Edith Maria.
Fraser, Florence Amelia.
Fraser, Frances Margaret.
Gates, Sarah Gladys.
Gilchrist, Marion L.
Gillis, Christine Anna.
Graves, Laura May.
Haverstock, Laura Grace.
Hayden, Mary Josephine.
Holloway, Eva.
Hunt, Minnie Hannah.
Hunt, Myrtle C. (died).
Keith, Gertrude.
Kennedy, Margaret.
LaPierre, Mary Ann.
Larking, Nora Evelyn.

Jarvis, Jessie (died).
LeJeune, Mary.
Lester, Olla Dell.
Logan, Caroline.
Manning, Myra Ayer.
Mills, Ethel Rosamund.
Morrison, Anna May.
McCrea, Theresa Ann.
MacDonald, Evangeline.
MacDonald, Harriet Helen.
MacDonnell, Mary Elizabeth.
McInnis, Ellephallie Carrie.
McKenzie, Helen Gertrude.
McKinnon, Ruth.
McLean, Josephine.
McManus, Laura.
McManus, Lila Theresa.
McNeill, Mary Eleanor.
O’Callaghan, Mary.
O’Leary, Catherine.
Prest, Violet Ella.
Ross, Vivian Russell.
Schaffner, Marion Parker.
Schaffner, Muriel Campbell.
Steeves, Ina Maud.
Sullivan, Mary Margaret.
Sutherland, Roberta.
Talbot, Frances Elizabeth.
Trivett, Jean Dorothy.
Urquhart, Susan Hope.
Whidden, Mary.
Young, Josephine M.

_Military Service—No Particulars Available._

Benjamin, Vera Louise.
Christie, Freda Hope.
Fraser, Elda Jean.
Fvfe, Hannah G.
Harrison, Jena Augusta.
Hill, Eliza Victoria.
Jones, Helen.
Kelley, Margaret Neill.
Mosher, Lydia T.
MacDonald, Anna Bula.
McKenzie, Jean Annie.
McLeod, Marion.
Perry, H. H.
Purcell, Mary Louise.

CHAPTER XXVII.
_THE CANADIAN ARMY DENTAL CORPS._

That Dental Services are a necessity in the army is one of the many
lessons taught us by the War and it has been amply proved that the
Canadian Army Dental Corps was responsible for placing at least 10 per
cent of the Canadian and British troops at the Front who, but for the
excellent dental services provided, would not have been there.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. B. L. NEILLY.]

Members of the dental profession in Nova Scotia were among the first to
offer their services, and in August, 1914, three of them, Drs. B. L.
Neilly, F. W. Bruce Kelly and H. L. Mitchener, were on duty at
Valcartier Camp. Drs. Neilly and Kelly proceeded Overseas and were the
first dental surgeons at the Front. So far as can be learned these were
the only dental surgeons with the Canadian troops at that date, Captain
Bentley of Ontario reporting early in September.

For eight years previous to the War a Committee of the Canadian Dental
Association on “Dental Services in the Army” repeatedly approached the
Federal Government with regard to a definite Army Dental Association to
be administered by the Medical Services or otherwise, but were finally
informed that the organization then existing, which consisted of
twenty-six Dental Officers attached to the Army Medical Corps as
Honorary Captains and Lieutenants, was quite satisfactory.

On the outbreak of the War members of the profession throughout Canada,
realizing the necessity of dental services for recruits, voluntarily
provided dental treatment for thousands of men who, otherwise, could not
have been accepted.

The attention of the Minister of Militia, Sir Sam Hughes, was directed
to the importance and value of this work by Generals Fotheringham,
Lessard, Loggie and others as well as by a sub-committee of civilian
dentists from Toronto, who proceeded to Ottawa early in 1915 under the
direction of Dr. George Kerr Thomson of Halifax, Chairman of the
Canadian Dental Association’s Committee on “Dental Services in the
Army,” with the result that the Minister immediately issued orders for a
Dental organization, similar to that of the Medical, but entirely
separate.

To this action by the Minister is due the fact that Canada was the first
country in the world to organize an Army Dental Corps separate and
distinct from other military organizations. Dr. Thomson was first
recommended by the Toronto Committee and the dental profession for
Director of Dental Services, but Dr. Armstrong of Ottawa received the
appointment, and in June, 1915, proceeded Overseas with thirty-five
officers, thirty-five N.C.O.’s and thirty-five privates. This
organization was increased from time to time until there were over one
thousand Dental Officers and other ranks on duty Overseas.

It was realized that while it was necessary to provide dental services
for men Overseas, it was even more important that they be made dentally
fit before sailing; and in October, 1915, the Home Service organization
was authorized with a Director at Ottawa and an Assistant Director in
each Military District together with a strength of one officer, N.C.O.
and private for each 1,000 men. This necessitated an organization of at
least sixty of all ranks in Military District No. 6, which at that time
included New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

Members of the dental profession in the three provinces responded
notably to the call of duty, and, while it does not come within the
scope of this history to mention the services of men in other provinces,
it is desirable to put on record great appreciation of the excellent
services rendered by members of the dental profession in New Brunswick
and Prince Edward Island who were on duty in Military District No. 6.
One of the most prominent practitioners in St. John, N.B., Dr. James M.
Magee, ex-President of the Canadian Dental Association and Dominion
Dental Council and a member of the Nova Scotia Dental Association, who,
before the War, was attached as Honorary Captain to the Army Medical
Corps, was one of the first to join the Home Service organization in
Military District No. 6.

[Illustration:

OFFICERS OF THE C.A.D.C., M.D. 6.]

Major Thomson was appointed A.D.D.S., Military District No. 6, on
November 1st, 1915. During his absence at Valcartier Camp in the summer
of 1916, Captain Magee acted as A.D.D.S. in Military District No. 6 and
later was appointed A.D.D.S. of Military District No. 7 when New
Brunswick became a separate Military District.

The C.A.D.C. in Military District No. 6 was administered on a most
economical and business-like basis, and at the Camp Hill Army Dental
Surgery, one of the finest and best equipped in the world, many
thousands of men were made dentally fit, not only before going Overseas,
but also on their return to Canada, when a great many of them needed
extensive restorative dental appliances.

For several weeks after the great explosion, which occurred on December
6, 1917, the Staff of the Camp Hill Dental Surgery rendered services and
co-operated with the medical officers, part of the dental surgery being
used as an operating room for the eye specialists. Some of the dental
officers on duty were severely but not seriously injured, and during the
first thirty-six hours after the explosion rendered valuable first aid
to the injured, with whom Camp Hill was overcrowded.

In 1916, at Aldershot Camp, two appendicitis operations were
successfully performed in the Camp Dental Surgery, which was completed
long before the Camp Hospital. These cases would probably have proved
fatal had it not been for the foresight of the dental Staff in
expediting the construction of this dental surgery.

Through the efforts of Dean Frank Woodbury arrangements were carried out
by the Dental Faculty of Dalhousie University for rendering dental
services to the men of the navy before the work was performed by the
Dental Corps.

The following is a list of dental officers who served Overseas and at
home:

CANADA.—Major G. K. Thomson, Major H. E. Mann, Capts. H. L. Mitchener,
H. G. Dunbar, W. W. Woodbury, G. Tingley, J. M. Magee, A. G. Wicks, J.
E. Sewell, J. B. Brown, J. E. Blanchard, F. C. Bonnell, I. K. Farrar, F.
A. Godsoe, F. E. Burden, W. H. Steeves, L. O’Leary (Q.M.), J. E. Jewett,
A. Gasson, R. I. Robertson, F. W. Johnson, H. S. Allen, G. R. Smith, F.
T. Bowness, Y. E. Gaudet, McIntyre, F. G. Mann, F. W. Barbour, R. I.
Irving, Lieuts. A. J. Cormier, H. Adamson, Guy Stultz, L. M. Finigan, A.
K. Wade, A. J. Couglin, F. W. LeFugery, A. B. Crowe, H. C. McIntosh,
Regtl. Sergt.-Majors, F. E. Fahie, I. K. Jackson, F. B. Miller,
Quartermaster Sergts. J. M. Blanchard, Laurie Blanchard, L. H. Jenkins,
G. Sommers, Staff Sergts. A. H, Churchill, J. H. McLaughlin, E. S.
Dexter, Sergts. A. W. Allen, L. M. Withrow, C. W. Burgoyne, Staff
Sergts. E. E. Hatfield, Neil Flannery, F. H. Phinney, Sergts. J. L.
Sears, R. H. Wilby, Cox, C. R. McLellan, R. C. Wall, J. St. C. Smith, C.
E. Cantelope, T. Ranford, W. Hazelwood, Percy Rennels, W. R. Gunn,
Quartermaster Sergt. L. McGuire, Company Quartermaster Sergt. W. H. D.
Bence.

OVERSEAS.—Lieut.-Col. B. L. Neilly, Major F. W. B. Kelly, Major C. E.
McLaughlin, Capts. R. J. McMeekin, Karl Woodbury, C. D. Desbrisay, S. S.
Harvie, E. A. Randall, H. Clay, E. S. Millett, H. O. Harding, Arthur
Viets, T. E. Robins, R. W. Frank, W. R. Fraser, Karl Damon, Otto Nase,
J. P. Gallagher, J. McDonald, McNeil, W. R. Wilkes, R. C. Crosby, E. A.
Randall, K. C. Dobson, H. C. McDonald, Staff Sergts. J. E. Fraser, C.
Garrett, R. B. Horton, Sergts. S. W. Hatfield, C. A. S. Carlow, H. O.
Lord, F. A. McGarrigle, G. Lowine, Phillips, G. A. Barter, W. Dyer,
Raymond King, W. Joy, J. McLean, McGibbon, J. L. Rogers, I. D. S. Ross,
G. E. McDonald, H. E. Grey, V. D. Crowe, Collier, Jones, Butterworth,
Doucette, Quartermaster Sergt. Richards.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
_CANADIAN ARMY PAY CORPS._

Before the outbreak of the War in 1914 the Canadian Army Pay Corps had
only sufficient Staff to deal with the small permanent force, of which
it was an integral part. When the Canadian Expeditionary Force was
organized, and troops mobilized for home defence, the C.A.P.C. was
called upon to undergo the same strain and expansion demanded of every
branch of the service. Outside of the army little is known of the
responsibilities suddenly thrust upon this department. It had to deal
with all finances, pay, separation allowance, assigned pay, civilian
employees, tradesmen’s accounts, etc., and, as will be seen by the
statement at the end of this article, No. 6 Detachment stationed at
Halifax alone disbursed $53,357,388.08 between August, 1914, and July,
1920.

In August, 1914, No. 6 Detachment, whose territory at that time
included New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as well as Nova
Scotia, consisted of the following officers and non-commissioned
officers: Lieut.-Col. S. J. R. Sircom (now retired with rank of
Brigadier-General), Capt. J. L. Regan, Sergt.-Major J. Turner,
Quartermaster Sergt. G. H. Saunders, Staff Sergt. G. T. Allum, Staff
Sergt. C. A. Chew, Staff Sergt. B. A. Spink, Sergt. E. R. Kelly,
Sergt. A. V. Chase, Sergt. W. A. Coyne, Sergt. F. A. Chew.

This Staff was increased until at one time 14 officers and 120
non-commissioned officers and men were employed. Some of these served in
No. 6 Detachment throughout the whole period of the War. Others were
transferred to various Units, went Overseas, or took their discharge.

Every soldier, from a Tommy to a full-fledged General, will admit that
as far as organization and administration were concerned the Canadian
Army Pay Corps was beyond criticism. As soon as a man enlisted he
received his pay regularly, no matter where he was—in Canada or in
England, in the Field, in hospital or on furlough; and when he returned
to Canada for demobilization the cheque for balance of pay due was
handed to him on the day he was discharged. In addition to this monies
were forwarded to his dependants on account of Separation Allowance, and
assigned pay, settlement made for clothing and equipment, which he
purchased from stores on repayment, for Victory Bonds which he purchased
during his services, remittances to his friends and other payments.

All this entailed an enormous amount of work. Ledger sheets had to be
kept up to date, pay books checked up, remittances looked after, cheques
written, documents made up and sent along with the soldier from one
place to another until he finally returned to Canada, bearing with him
like documents from England. Every officer, non-commissioned officer and
man knows the amount of detail work which this involved.

[Illustration:

BRIG.-GEN. S. J. R. SIRCOM.]

Of the original Staff, Col. S. J. R. Sircom, affectionately known to the
troops in this district as the “Grand Old Man,” endeared himself to all
ranks with whom he came in contact by his urbanity and kindly
consideration. Colonel Sircom commenced his military career early in
life. He joined the Halifax Garrison Artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant in
1878, and the 63rd Regiment, Halifax Rifles, in 1885. He transferred to
the Militia Staff with the rank of Major in 1905, and on January 1,
1907, was appointed to the C.A.P.C. with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel,
and became Paymaster of the 6th Divisional area. He was promoted to the
rank of Colonel on May 24, 1916. He proceeded to London as a
representative of the Paymaster-General the latter part of 1918, and on
his return from Overseas was retired to Pension with the rank of
Brigadier-General.

[Illustration:

COL. J. L. REGAN, C.M.G.]

Capt. J. L. Regan proceeded Overseas with the First Contingent as
assistant to Col. W. R. Ward, then Chief Paymaster Canadian
Expeditionary Force. Captain Regan was largely responsible for the
organization of the Canadian Pay Services in France and England. He was
later promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed Deputy
Paymaster-General. He was awarded the C.M.G., and on his return to
Canada became Director of Pay Services at Ottawa.

Quartermaster Sergt. J. Turner transferred to the Highland Brigade as
Captain and Quartermaster. He was seriously injured in the Halifax
explosion and is now invalided to Pension. Staff Sergeant G. T. Allum,
now Sergeant-Major, is retired to Pension. Quartermaster Sergeant G. H.
Saunders was promoted to the rank of Captain. Captain Saunders remained
with No. 6 Detachment during the whole period of the War, and the
admirable manner in which this Unit met all demands upon it,
particularly during the trying months of demobilization, was largely due
to his energy, efficiency and foresight.

Staff Sergts. C. A. Chew and B. A. Spink proceeded Overseas and both
returned with the rank of Captain. The former was discharged to Pension;
the latter is employed at Militia Headquarters. Staff Sergt. A. V. Chase
went Overseas with the Clearing Services Command and returned with the
rank of Captain. He will be remembered by all returning officers and men
who passed through or had dealings with the Clearing Depot, Halifax, as
a very efficient officer. Sergt. W. A. Coyne proceeded Overseas as
Captain Clearing Services Command and is now struck off strength. Sergt.
F. A. Chew proceeded Overseas with the 25th Battalion, returned as a
Captain in the C.A.P.C., and is now struck off strength to Pension.

Capt. G. C. Sircom, son of Brigadier-General S. J. R. Sircom, after
return from Overseas, was employed in the Pay Office, and now has a
commission in the Permanent Army Pay Corps.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. J.A.C. MOWBRAY, O.B.E.]

Lieut.-Col. J. A. C. Mowbray, when war was declared, offered his
services and was detailed as Paymaster to the 2nd Brigade, C.F.A.,
proceeding Overseas with that Unit. After serving in France for about
one year he was recalled to London to fill a post in the Pay Office
Headquarters. He became Deputy Assistant Paymaster-General, was awarded
the O.B.E., and later was transferred to Canada to fill his present
position, which is designated as Senior Pay Officer for Nova Scotia.

The following are a few of the officers who did good work in this
Division during the War, either before proceeding Overseas or returning
from Overseas on demobilization or as Paymasters of Units:—Major J.
Taylor, Major M. H. Morrison, Major R. H. Humphrey, Major J. D. Murphy,
Major Colin MacIntosh, Capt. H. Powis Herbert, Capt. G. C. Milsom, Capt.
W. W. Brignell, Capt. C. S. Simpson, Capt. R. Bartholomew, Capt. H. A.
MacDonald, Capt. J. L. Melanson, Capt. R. H. Hardwicke, Capt. A. A.
Cameron, Capt. Tait Scott, Capt. H. W. Ireland, Capt. Walter Ruggles,
Capt. W. C. L. Bauld, Capt. R. MacDougall, Lieut. H. S. Major, Lieut. W.
E. McDonald, Lieut. H. A. Allum, Lieut. H. S. Simpson, Lieut. W. J.
O’Donnell.

To show the vast amount of work carried out by this Detachment the
following statement of monthly expenditure is appended. This does not
include disbursements for clothing and equipment, horses, transports,
camp supplies, wagons, etc., but purely pay and allowance of troops and
their upkeep. Considering the amount of cash handled it is satisfactory
to know that not one cent was lost to the public by misappropriation or
otherwise.

CANADIAN ARMY PAY CORPS

1914. 1915. 1916. 1917.

Jan. $482,294 94 $896,549 00 $666,896 18
Feb. 470,046 71 976,053 25 644,126 11
Mar. 662,605 50 1,153,944 98 675,447 01
Supp. 287,295 99 868,515 21 5,506 91
Apr. 573,994 33 926,836 11 747,234 96
May 589,433 57 1,140,637 41 691,321 20
June 460,883 20 1,269,057 73 679,157 80
July 421,362 69 928,319 09 579,265 37
Aug. $161,021 38 418,878 19 911,739 50 571,727 69
Sept. 314,031 19 447,655 00 849,942 58 550,065 71
Oct. 307,412 29 533,383 39 819,436 00 745,190 00
Nov. 342,922 32 602,738 82 752,020 66 697,784 22
Dec. 459,147 34 867,574 05 683,957 09 535,004 98
————————————— ————————————— —————————————— —————————————
Total. $1,584,534 52 $6,818,146 38 $12,177,008 61 $7,788,728 14

1918. 1919. 1920.

Jan. $557,736 27 $683,909 27 $657,541 08
Feb. 518,971 86 872,284 08 402,801 20
Mar. 726,882 97 1,176,278 36 347,439 80
Supp. 18,643 78 26,683 87 60,765 01
Apr. 700,400 20 1,113,762 96 142,518 83
May 600,590 53 1,208,976 54 121,399 76
June 745,238 77 1,378,733 64 145,981 25
July 940,247 42 1,596,356 84 132,327 77
Aug. 709,107 18 1,638,684 02
Sept. 595,238 78 1,505,466 80
Oct. 614,166 48 1,727,033 48
Nov. 610,452 05 1,178,085 30
Dec. 671,840 28 862,424 00
————————————— —————————————— —————————————
Total. $8,009,516 57 $14,968,679 16 $2,010,774 70

Summary.

1914 $1,584,534 52
1915 6,818,146 38
1916 12,177,008 61
1917 7,788,728 14
1918 8,009,516 57
1919 14,968,679 16
1920 2,010,774 70
———————
Total expenditure to July, 1920 $53,357,388 08

CHAPTER XXIX.
_THE ROYAL CANADIAN GARRISON ARTILLERY._

Lord Kitchener once remarked—in reply to a question—“The Front is where
a soldier is ordered to be.” In accordance with this, those men whose
duties necessitated their being retained in connection with the Coast
Defences, were made to abide by the decision of those responsible for
the strategy of the defence of Canadian shores.

After the War, the Permanent Force, of which the R.C.G.A. form a part,
are the only persons in uniform; and the imputation of not being an
Overseas Unit is not a good advertisement to attract recruits. Moreover,
the imputation is not only unjust, but untrue, as the following will
show:

In July, 1914, relations between the British Empire and the Central
Powers were very strained, and on July 30th, four days before the War
was officially declared, the R.C.G.A. were ordered to man the most
important forts as a precaution, since it is an axiom in naval warfare
that, if possible, a surprise attack is the first and best declaration
of war.

On August 5th Fortress Orders contained the following:—“War having
broken out with Germany, the Halifax Defence Scheme comes into force
herewith.”

On the 6th August, the 1st Regiment, C.G.A., mobilized and proceeded to
the Forts to complete the manning, since the R.C.G.A. alone were too few
in number completely to man more than the two largest forts.

The first portion of the annual training for the year had just been
completed, and one can truthfully say that Halifax was as well able to
repel a raid as any other fortress in the Empire at that period.

It was thought by most people in the early days of the War that the War
would last only a few months, and the personnel of the Defences had to
find accommodation where they could, until well on into the winter; for
coast forts in peace time are not provided with accommodation for
lengthy occupation; consequently, both officers and men had a far from
comfortable time until wooden huts were constructed.

None of the Artillery Units allotted to the Fortress were for any length
of time up to full strength, so that barely sufficient men were
available to form the necessary reliefs for the guns.

Night and day, all through the War, from July 30th, 1914, until after
the signing of the Armistice, November 11, 1919, enough men to work the
guns had to be near them and alert, while on each gun was a sentry, who
was relieved every hour, and whose duty was to watch seawards for the
approach of any hostile craft. Not a very arduous task at first sight,
but enough to make most men long to be Overseas after a few months of
it.

Fortunately the Germans were not very enterprising, and considered that
the presence of the Coast Defences was too great a risk to run, so that
Halifax did not have to go through the horrors of a bombardment as well
as the explosion, though, had the city been undefended, it would, no
doubt, like several English towns, have received a few shells from time
to time.

In March, 1915, the 3rd Regiment, C.G.A., from St. John, N.B., came for
training, as St. John was about to be fortified, and a portion of this
Unit was retained to reinforce the Units already doing duty in the
Forts. In April, 1915, No. 4 Company, P.E.I., C.G.A., came for training.
Some of these men had already been on duty with heavy field guns at
Canso and Sydney. When trained they remained in Halifax, sending drafts
Overseas from time to time, and proved themselves efficient gunners.

In June, 1915, a number of N.C.O.’s and men sailed for the Front, but
all efforts of others to do so were in vain, though several N.C.O.’s and
men took their fate in their own hands and stowed away on transports
conveying infantry. Some of these got as far as France, but discipline
had to be maintained, and all were brought back. This incident will show
that the men of the R.C.G.A. did not remain in Halifax from choice.

In July, 1916, authority was at last obtained for the R.C.G.A. to form a
Siege Battery, and this was quickly done; in it were some of the best
N.C.O.’s and men in the Corps, and the whole Battery were of splendid
physique. This Battery left for Overseas in September, 1916, under the
command of Major S. A. Heward, R.C.A. It arrived in France on the 22nd
March, 1917, and took part in many big fights, including Vimy Ridge,
Hill 70, Passchendaele, Cambrai and Mons. Men of a Siege Battery get
plenty of heavy work and little chance of heroic deeds as individuals,
but the Battery has to its credit the following decorations:—Military
Cross, 2; Distinguished Conduct Medal, 2; Military Medals, 16;
Meritorious Service Medals, 3; while several other officers from the
R.C.A. in Halifax were awarded the D.S.O. and M.C.

As soon as the Battery left for Overseas, preparations for raising
another were immediately made, and those officers and men Who were
unable to go in the previous one vied with each other to get a place in
this, but it was not authorized, and drafts only were found as
reinforcements to the one already authorized. Moreover, it was deemed
advisable that certain specially trained officers and men were essential
for the efficient working of the Home Defence, and these could not go,
even in drafts, unless they had others to replace them.

It takes some time to make an artilleryman, particularly a garrison
gunner, who is expected to know every type of gun from a light field
piece to the heaviest coast defence gun, or siege howitzer, all of which
form part of the armament of a coast fortress, so that, although no
doubt if the War had lasted long enough all would eventually have been
replaced, these men had to remain.

A number of R.C.A. officers went over in charge of drafts of the
R.C.G.A. or other Units.

The 1st Regiment, C.G.A., sent over many officers and men in drafts to
infantry units and to an Ammunition Column.

The P.E.I. C.G.A. Detachment also formed an Ammunition Column.

Early in 1915 the British Government decided to re-arm St. Lucia, and
the Units at Halifax, with some additional personnel from Esquimalt and
Quebec, were called upon to furnish men for this purpose. The first
draft went in March, 1915. They had to mount the guns (some of which
were of French pattern and quite strange to them), and generally
organize the defences.

In the autumn of 1917 and spring of 1918 the enemy submarines raided the
Atlantic coasts of the United States and Canada, and it was very
essential that the important port of Sydney, N.S., should be more
strongly defended, so new guns of heavier calibre were sent from Halifax
and mounted there. This necessitated additional men, and drafts from
Toronto and British Columbia were detailed for this purpose.

These men, some of them called under the Military Service Act, were an
exceptionally good type and quickly made efficient specialists and
gunners. Some were sent for training as officers and would have relieved
those officers in the Forts who had been unable to get away.
Unfortunately for them the Armistice was declared and hostilities
ceased, so that this scheme did not materialize, though some of these
men obtained probationers’ certificates.

An important branch of the R.C.G.A. in Halifax is the Royal School of
Artillery (Coast Defence and Siege) and this School, the only Siege
Artillery School in Canada, was responsible for the training of most of
the Siege Artillery Officers and Specialists, as well as several
Batteries and Drafts that went Overseas after the First Contingent.

In addition to this, a gun practice at Halifax, Sydney and St. John was
carried out under the supervision of the R.S.A. Staff, while courses for
officers and specialists, Coast Defence Artillery, were also given.

The establishment of Instructors was one officer and three other ranks,
but as one N.C.O. Instructor was stationed at St. John, this was
increased by a N.C.O. from the 1st Regiment, C.G.A. Officers from the
C.G.A. were attached as assistants for varying periods.

In June, 1915, the I.G., now Lieut.-Col. W. G. Beeman, D.S.O., R.C.A.,
went Overseas, and in 1916 his successor, Major H. R. N. Cobbett,
R.C.A., went over with No. 9 Siege Battery. In 1918 one Warrant Officer
Instructor was permitted to go; he was immediately appointed Instructor
at the Canadian School of Gunnery, Witley, England, and it was only with
great difficulty that he managed to reach France, where he again was
utilized as an Instructor.

The rest of the Staff felt most keenly the fact that they had to be
retained in Canada, as their position after the War, when dealing with
classes who had seen Overseas service, would not be at all enviable. It
was very unfortunate that arrangements had not been made to replace
them, so that they might go to the Front even for a short time, because
although it is a fact that good teachers are born, not made, there is a
tendency to think that anyone with long experience in the fighting line
must be a good instructor.

Officers from all parts of Canada took courses at the R.S.A., and it
speaks well for the training which they received that on reaching
England further training, other than three weeks’ at Lydd, was
considered unnecessary in most cases, and at Lydd these officers usually
took first place in the examinations held there.

Many of them, who were unable to get positions in the C.E.F., were given
commissions in the British Artillery, and in several cases commanded
Batteries.

Owing to the smallness of Staff and limited demand for siege artillery
the actual numbers trained were not as large as those in other Artillery
Schools, but with small classes the training was naturally very
thorough.

Among the Units trained may be mentioned:—

Coast Defence.

1st Regiment, C.G.A
3rd Regiment, C.G.A.
P.E.I., C.G.A.
Drafts from Toronto and B.C.
And 10 courses for officers and specialists lasting two months each.

Siege.

2nd Montreal H’y B’t’y.
McGill Siege B’t’y and Drafts.
3rd C.G.A. Siege B’t’y and Drafts.
Halifax (10th) B’t’y and Drafts.
And 9 courses for officers and specialists lasting two months each.

Total number trained by R.S.A., exclusive of Batteries:

Coast Defence. Siege
Officers. Men. Officers. Men.
190 301 122 258

SUMMARY OF PERSONNEL WHO WENT OVERSEAS.

R.C.G.A.
Officers. Other Ranks. Sphere of Operations.
13 288 Western Front.
60 To St. Lucia.
1 36 To C.E.F., Siberia.
8 British Mission, Siberia.
—— ———
Total 22 384

1st Regiment, C.G.A.
Officers. Other Ranks. Sphere of Operations.
48 625 Western Front and St. Lucia.

P.E.I. C.G.A.
Officers. Other Ranks. Sphere of Operations.
-3 110 Western Front.

On mobilization these units had:

Officers. O.R.
R.C.G.A. 17 336
1st Regt., C.G.A. 20 230
4 Coy., P.E.I. C.G.A. 3 72
—— ———
Total 40 638

Altogether about 80 officers and 1,500 N.C.O.’s and men of the Artillery
Units (including 10th Siege Battery) stationed in Halifax were sent
Overseas, and the majority of those mobilized in 1914 who did not go
were unable to do so either through being specialists, over age or low
category.

When it is realized that these Corps had great difficulty in obtaining
recruits, owing to the fear that men would be retained for Home Service,
the numbers shown are considered very creditable.

CHAPTER XXX.
_THE CANADIAN ENGINEERS._

The Corps of Canadian Engineers has no local connection with any
Province in the same way that Infantry Regiments and Battalions have. At
the end of the War in France it consisted of some twelve Battalions,
together with other small Engineering Units with Administrative Staffs,
etc., which Units were recruited from all parts of Canada, and no
particular Engineering Unit was sent from the Province of Nova Scotia.

A great many individual officers and men were sent to the Engineers from
this Province, and did very excellent work, but were posted to various
Overseas Units, hence the impossibility of describing particularly the
work and services of Nova Scotia Sappers.

As far as service in Canada is concerned the defence of the Fortress of
Halifax was a very important matter, and the services of a very large
number of officers and other ranks of the R.C.E. Permanent Force and
Canadian Engineers, Active Militia, were employed at this Fortress
throughout the War. Their strenuous duties and long hours in connection
with the continual operation of electric lights and maintenance of
fortifications were carried out untiringly and most conscientiously.

Practically every officer and other rank in these two Corps not only
volunteered for Overseas service, but also took very strenuous measures
to get to France, by hook or by crook, and a great many of them were
successful. Others unfortunately were retained in Halifax for the
defence of that Fortress.

CHAPTER XXXI.
_MILITIA UNITS ON HOME SERVICE._

The following memorandum was prepared to bring to the attention of the
Minister of Militia and Militia Council some facts and figures
respecting the services of the Militia of Canada _in Canada_, and
particularly the Fortress of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic
Seaboard, who although they repeatedly volunteered for Overseas were not
allowed to go because their duties were held to be supremely important
by those in authority.

1st—Halifax has always been a Military and Naval Station of the Empire,
and confidential instructions have always been in existence and a
comprehensive scheme of defence in the hands of officers commanding
Units, to be put in force immediately on declaration of war. Therefore,
the following Halifax Fortress Order was issued by the G.O.C. M.D. No.
6, August 5, 1914:

No. 681. “War having broken out with Germany the Halifax defence scheme
comes into effect forthwith.”

In accordance with this order all Halifax Units were immediately
mobilized and remained on duty in defence of Halifax practically for the
duration of the War. The 94th Regiment was also mobilized for the
defence of the Canso cable station, Cape Breton wireless station, etc.,
and other detachments were placed on active service at various points in
the district.

2nd—The importance of Halifax as a Military and Naval Station in British
North America in the eyes of the Imperial and Canadian authorities is
borne out by the following facts:

(_a_) The immense amount of money spent in fortifications.

(_b_) The inauguration of an examination service, whereby all
vessels were examined before being allowed to enter the harbor.

(_c_) Halifax was the examination port for North America, and at
times there were upwards of 200 large ocean-going vessels lying at
anchor in the harbor.

(_d_) The manning of the Port War Signal Station, by which all
British and Allied warships were passed in under secret signals and
codes.

(_e_) All guns in the various forts were kept loaded, and the crews
were kept standing by day and night, ready for instant action.

(_f_) The infantry continually patrolled the coast, guarding the
approaches to the city, and protecting cable landings and wireless
stations.

(_g_) When orders were issued to reduce the strength of the defences
in September, 1914, the British Admiral on the Station informed
Headquarters that if this order were carried out he would withdraw
his fleet and mine the harbor, which would mean closing the harbor
to all shipping.

(_h_) A Hydroplane Station was established, and patrolled the coast
daily during the latter part of the War.

(_i_) Owing to the protection afforded by the defences of Halifax,
the authorities were enabled to dispatch from this port in the
vicinity of 300,000 Canadian troops, in addition to many thousand
Colonial and Allied troops, including Australians, New Zealanders,
Bermudians, Fiji Islanders, Americans, and some 50,000 Chinese labor
troops.

(_j_) By means of its defence Halifax afforded shelter for a large
number of merchant vessels that were driven in by German raiders
early in the War.

It should also be noted that submarines were frequently in the vicinity
of the harbor, and on one notable occasion a large oil tanker was sunk
two hours after she left her pier, and several fishing vessels were sunk
off the coast, and other large transports and cargo vessels were driven
ashore at the entrance of the harbor. The transport _City of Vienna_
became a total wreck. Preparations were made and orders issued to
provide against possible landing parties from German raiders. Stringent
orders were issued providing for the screening of all lights in the city
and prosecutions were issued for neglecting to carry out this order.

The foregoing is enumerated with the object of showing the importance of
Halifax Harbor as a War Station and the necessity of having it properly
defended by maintaining the Garrison at full strength.

CHAPTER XXXII.
_THE FIRST REGIMENT CANADIAN GARRISON ARTILLERY._

This Unit was organized in 1869 for the purpose of assisting the Regular
Forces of the Garrison of Halifax in manning the Forts. The Regiment has
always been at a high state of efficiency, due to the superior class of
men it has been able to attract to its ranks.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. A. W. DUFFUS.]

From the date of its organization the Regiment has been commanded by
many prominent citizens. The following is the list in order of service:
Lieut.-Col. A. G. Jones (late Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia),
Lieut.-Col. Wm. Creighton, Lieut.-Col. George Mitchell, Lieut.-Col.
Thomas Mowbray, Lieut.-Col. A. E. Curren, Lieut.-Col. F. H. Oxley,
Lieut.-Col. A. G. Hesslein, Lieut.-Col. H. Flowers, and, in 1914, at the
outbreak of war, by Lieut.-Col. J. A. Marshall, followed at the
completion of his term of service by Lieut.-Col. A. W. Duffus, who
commanded up to the cessation of hostilities.

On August 3, 1914, Capts. A. N. Jones, S. C. Oland, and George Brew were
detailed for duty at the examination Battery. On August 4th the
Commanding Officer received orders to mobilize, and on August 6th the
Regiment was detailed to and occupied its various posts in the Batteries
of the Fortress of Halifax. All officers and men in the city reported
for duty: those absent were summoned by wire and letter, and joined the
Unit within a few days.

The following officers remained with the Unit during the War, but did
not proceed Overseas, because the Department at Ottawa claimed their
services could not be dispensed with:

Lieut.-Col. J. A. Marshall, Lieut.-Col. A. W. Duffus, Major A. M. Bauld
(Q.M.), Capts. J. M. Allen (Adjt.), W. C. Bauld (P.M.), L. J. Donaldson
(Chaplain), Major H. E. Gates, Major P. O. Soulis (transferred to H.Q.
M.D. No. 6), Capts. C. Churchill, A. F. Haliburton, L. L. Harrison,
Lieuts. O. A. M. Wilson, G. B. Isnor, W. J. O’Connell, J. E. Rutledge,
A. H. Thomson, Leo Esther, G. W. Carmichael, W. E. Forsythe, C. R.
Hoben, H. C. Frame, P. L. Whitman, D. A. Forsythe, R. M. Fielding, F. A.
Grant, W. E. Stewart, E. K. Fielding, H. H. Miller, W. Mitchell, A. J.
Haliburton, C. H. Crosby, F. S. Thomson.

The Department of Militia and Defence at first ruled that no officer or
man of the Fortress could proceed Overseas, as his services were
required here and he could not be spared. Later on this ruling was
somewhat modified and officers and men were relieved as soon as they
could be replaced by new men and permitted to join various Units. Many,
however, were not accorded this privilege, much to their chagrin.

Six hundred and twenty-five men and the following officers were
permitted to go Overseas at various times and with various Units and
branches of the service, taking any chance that offered rather than
remain at home:

Lieut.-Col. E. V. Hogan, Major G. H. Maxwell, Major J. L. MacKinnon (now
Lieut.-Colonel), Major A. N. Jones, Capts. L. N. Seaman, E. L. Miller,
S. C. Oland, G. M. Brew, F. S. Burns, G. B. Oland, G. A. Medcalf, P. B.
Stairs, Lieuts. J. R. Curry, W. M. Ray, F. B. Sharp, G. A. Gaherty, R.
W. Churchill, D. J. Maxwell, E. P. Flowers, D. A. Guildford, E. A. Bell,
H. R. D. Lacon, R. F. B. Campbell, T. DeW. Farquhar, H. M. Stairs, E. S.
Thomson, F. H. Palmer, R. P. Freeman, C. H. Coll, J. D. Smith, W. P.
Potter, F. G. Hayden, H. W. L. Doane, W. M. Marshall, A. G. Wooten, H.
St. G. S. DeCarteret, E. G. Dickie, A. E. Horne, R. G. Crosby, F. M.
Blackett, R G. McAloney, W. R. Harris, M. B. Archibald, H. B. Bell, T.
H. Whelpley, O. R. Crowell.

And from the Reserve of Officers, Lieut.-Col. H. Flowers and Major
Allister Fraser, M.C. Of these Major G. H. Maxwell, Capt. Philip B.
Stairs, Lieuts. E. G. Dickie and R. G. MacAloney made the supreme
sacrifice.

[Illustration:

OFFICERS OF THE 1ST REGIMENT, C.G.A.]

It is impossible to give a list of the many non-commissioned officers
and men who were a credit to their Regiment on the fields of Flanders.
Their records appear with the records of the Units in which they served.

It is supposed by many that the troops of the Garrison lived in
comparative luxury, whereas the contrary was the case. Many hardships
were undergone and, apart from the fact that the Hun raiders gave
Halifax a wide berth, knowing that an attack would mean a waste of
ammunition, which could not be replaced this side of Zeebrugge,
conditions generally were often not so good as in France, owing to the
severity of our climate. The casements in which the men were supposed to
be quartered in time of war were entirely unfit for occupation as, owing
to long disuse, they were in a very damp and unsanitary condition. The
Unit was, therefore, placed under canvas, and it was late in December
before any attempt was made to provide proper and suitable winter
quarters. Owing to a fine distinction made between the Militia and
Overseas forces, which only an army man can understand, the men were not
provided with a full kit, even boots being denied them until many of
them were actually barefoot. Underclothing and other necessaries had to
be purchased by the men themselves, until at last the responsible
authorities awakened to the fact that there was a real war on.

About August 16, 1914, the first Canadian Contingent commenced
mobilizing at Valcartier, and orders were received calling for
volunteers from the Garrison. The 1st C.A. were to provide one officer
and twenty-five other ranks. Capt. George M. Brew proceeded to
Valcartier with the draft, and on arrival was told he was not wanted and
ordered to return to Halifax. This officer was so disappointed that he
resigned his commission and travelled to England at his own expense,
where he joined a Unit of the Imperial artillery and served with it
during the greater part of the War.

In September, 1914, it was considered unnecessary to keep the Units on
garrison duty at full strength, and a reduction was proposed. The naval
authorities, however, insisted that a fully garrisoned fortress was
necessary as a protection for the Naval Base, and no reduction was made.
Later on the artillery forces were increased. All of which shows the
importance placed on the Fortress by the Imperial authorities during war
time.

From time to time the Commanding Officer offered the services of the
Unit for Overseas, and asked permission to form Batteries of heavy and
field artillery, but without result. Small detachments were allowed to
volunteer as emergencies arose, such as artillery Units being short of
men, on account of casualties occurring, while passing through Halifax,
and then only on condition that men were found to replace them. It was
not until 1917 that permission was given to form an ammunition column,
and immediately on its completion a second one.

Much might be written of happenings during the war period which, while
of interest to the officers, non-commissioned officers and men, were all
in the day’s work and of no historical value. It is sufficient to say
that this Unit with the other Units of the Garrison performed their
duties well and satisfactorily.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
_THE 11th BRIGADE, C.F.A., AND COMPOSITE ARTILLERY COMPANY._

The 11th Brigade was the junior Artillery Brigade of the 6th Military
District. It comprised in addition to the Headquarters Staff, the 27th
(Digby) Battery, the 28th (Pictou) Battery and the 29th (Yarmouth)
Battery. Although the Brigade was not ordered out on active service, it
contributed possibly more than its original strength in personnel to the
prosecution of the Great War. Almost the first day of the War the
Commanding Officer (Lieut.-Col. T. M. Seeley, of Yarmouth, N.S.) wired
the offer of services to headquarters and the Battery officers busied
themselves with looking to the details of organization.

Capt. F. W. Pickles, O.C. 29th Battery (Yarmouth), joined the 17th
Battery of Sydney, one of the first Units on the march, with a
detachment of eighteen non-commissioned officers and men from his
Battery. Subsequently every artillery Unit and many of the Infantry
Battalions had on their strength representatives of the 11th Brigade.
This was made possible largely by the untiring efforts of a few senior
officers, who for some good reason or other, were unable to proceed
Overseas. Prominent among these were Majors H. S. Hamilton, of Pictou;
D. C. McKay, of Digby, and A. K. Van Horne, of Yarmouth.

The services of the officers of the 11th Brigade, summarily put, were:
Lieut.-Col. T. M. Seeley, O.C., was successful in organizing the 23rd
Battery, C.E.F.; a Company for guard duty at Barrington Passage, Radio
Station, and a Company in the 112th Battalion, C.E.F., under Colonel
Tremaine, with which the latter crossed the Atlantic. Capt. A. A.
Durkee, Adjutant of the Brigade, organized at Valcartier the first
Ammunition Unit in the C.E.F., and proceeded Overseas with the First
Contingent. He was early at the Front, and was promoted to Major and
Lieut.-Colonel, and commanded, in turn, a Brigade Ammunition Column, a
Battery, and a Brigade of Artillery. He was mentioned in dispatches and
was awarded the D.S.O. Lieut.-Col. Durkee is also a South African War
veteran. Capt. V. F. Connor, C.A.M.C., was on duty through the greater
part of the War, and rendered valuable service at the time of the great
explosion in Halifax, December, 1917.

The 27th Battery contributed to the C.E.F. Capt. Glidden Campbell, of
Weymouth, who went over with the 85th Battalion, and who was awarded the
M.C.; Lieuts. C. D. Shreve, M.C., killed in action in the artillery; K.
V. Schurman and H. A. Marshall.

The 28th Battery had to its credit in the C.E.F., Major J. K. McKay, of
Pictou, who went over in command of the 23rd Battery, C.E.F. He
commanded a Battery and a Brigade of Artillery at the Front, being
latterly promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. He was severely wounded
and received the D.S.O. From the 28th, Lieuts. C. E. Churchill, H. P.
MacKeen, J. E. Read, J. D. Hickman, H. P. MacKenzie, and possibly
others, entered the C.E.F. Capt. V. C. Johnson, Corps Reserve, was
Overseas.

The 29th Battery furnished (in addition to Adjutant Durkee, already
mentioned) Capt. F. W. Pickles, who commanded a section of a Divisional
Ammunition Column at the Front; Lieut. Ralph P. Harding, who rose to the
command of a Battery, with the rank of Major, and returned with the M.C.
and the D.S.O.; Lieuts. W. Arthur Porter, G. St. C. A. Perrin, E. J.
Vickery, G. O. Rogers, E. J. Stekelin, who became Major; H. E. Crowell,
who became Major; S. C. Hood, Jr., who became Captain, and M. B. Davis.
The 29th Battery claims the honor of having had in its membership at one
time Brig.-General W. O. H. Dodds, C.M.G., D.S.O., now of Montreal.

Composite Artillery Company

In April, 1915, detachments from the 27th Battery (Digby) and the 29th
Battery (Yarmouth) and No. 1 Siege Company (Mahone), were assembled at
Yarmouth, under Lieut.-Col. T. M. Seeley, for preliminary training, and
in May following proceeded to Barrington Passage for guard duty at the
Radio Station. Among their duties was the construction of a road three
miles long through a very difficult country. Practically the whole
strength of this Company transferred to Overseas Units. Officers, in
addition to the O.C: Capt. W. T. Ernst, and Lieut. C. Melvin.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
_THE 63rd REGIMENT HALIFAX RIFLES._

The 63rd Regiment, Halifax Rifles, was first organized as a Regiment in
1860, under the title of “The Halifax Volunteer Battalion.” The
Volunteer Companies which then composed the Regiment had previously been
acting as independent bodies. The first Colonel was Sir Willian Fenwick
Williams, of Kars, and on March 16, 1860, Capt. William Chearnley (late
of H.M. 8th King’s Regiment of Foot), who was in command of the Chebucto
Greys, was by an order from Adjutant-General’s Office appointed Captain
Commanding the Halifax Volunteer Battalion. This was the official date
of the organization of the Unit, better known as the 63rd Halifax
Rifles.

The Companies comprising the Regiment at its formation were the Scottish
Rifles, Chebucto Greys, Mayflower Rifles, Halifax Rifles, Irish Rifles,
and Dartmouth Rifles. In 1862 the Dartmouth Engineers joined the
Regiment, which mustered seven Companies.

On November 10, 1862, the Halifax City Council presented the Regiment
with its first set of colors. The presentation was made by the wife of
the Mayor, Mrs. P. C. Hill. On the same date, Lady Mulgrave, wife of the
Governor of Nova Scotia, in the name of the ladies of the City of
Halifax, presented the Regiment with a silver bugle, which was to be
shot for each year. This bugle is still in the possession of the
Regiment.

In January, 1865, Captain Chearnley was appointed Lieut.-Colonel and the
Battalion reorganized, two of the Companies, the Irish Rifles and
Dartmouth Engineers, disbanding. The Halifax Rifles, which was double
strength, took the place of the Irish Rifles—the muster now being six
Companies. This Regiment had its first call for service in 1866, doing
garrison duty during the alarm caused by the Fenian Raids into Canada.
The service lasted from June 6th to July 31st.

In 1868 the Regiment was transferred from the Volunteer Force to the
Active Militia, and was officially designated as the Halifax Volunteer
Battalion of Rifles, and on May 13, 1870, the Militia Department having
been regularly organized, the name changed to the 63rd Battalion of
Rifles, and later to 63rd Regiment, Halifax Rifles, which name it
retained up to and during the late Great War.

Successive Commanding Officers were as follows: Lieut.-Col. Chearnley,
1865 to 1871; Lieut.-Col. Andrew MacKinlay, 1871 to 1872; Lieut.-Colonel
Pallister, 1872 to 1879; Lieut.-Col. J. W. Mackintosh, 1879 to 1890;
Lieut.-Col. J. D. Walsh, 1890 to 1892; Lieut.-Col. T. J. Egan, 1892 to
1898; Lieut.-Col. John Crane, 1898 to 1903; Lieut.-Col. J. T. Twining,
1903 to 1908; Lieut.-Col. C. A. Gunning, 1908 to 1913; Lieut.-Col. I. W.
Vidito, 1913 to 1917; Lieut.-Col. C. A. Mumford, 1917 until demobilized
1918.

The 63rd furnished 109 officers and men for service during the Northwest
Rebellion. Major Walsh was in command, with Capts. Hechler, Cunningham
and Fortune and Lieutenants Silver, James, Twining, McKie, Fletcher and
Fiske. Captain Corbin was appointed Quartermaster of the Provisional
Battalion. They entrained for the West on April 4, 1885, and returned to
Halifax and rejoined their Unit July 24 of the same year. The Regiment
also furnished sixty-one officers, non-commissioned officers and men for
service in the South African War.

On the declaration of the Great War, August 4, 1914, the 63rd Regiment,
Halifax Rifles was ordered out for service in defence of the Fortress of
Halifax. One hundred men under the command of Capt. H. N. Clarke, with
Capt. J, W. Logan, Lieut. E. R. Dennis and Lieut. F. H. M. Jones,
proceeded at once to Wellington Barracks, and the remainder of the Unit
was at once mobilized and proceeded under command to the various war
stations assigned to it.

By August 5, 1914, the mobilization of the Unit being completed, the
Regiment paraded in full strength under Lieut.-Col. I. W. Vidito, with
Major W. E. Thompson Second in Command, and Capt. D. R. Turnbull,
Adjutant, and proceeded to their new quarters, Wellington Barracks,
where the Composite Company under Capt. H. N. Clarke was absorbed, the
officers and men rejoining their old Companies.

On August 12th “B” Company proceeded to McNab’s Island under the command
of Capt. C. A. Mumford, with Lieuts. C. N. Bennett and W. E. Doane. “D”
Company, under Capt. H. F. Adams and Lieut. C. J. Roche, proceeded to
York Redoubt. On August 18th “G” and “H” Companies proceeded to the
Eastern Camp Site, Dartmouth. These two Companies were under the command
of Major W. H. Conrod. “G” Company (Capt. E. A. Vossnack, Lieuts. G. S.
Kinley and G. C. Sircom) occupied York Farm; “H” Company (Capt. H. N.
Clarke and Lieuts. E. C. Phinney and J. W. Grant) occupied Kuhn’s Farm.
On August 25th “D” Company under Capt. H. F. Adams moved from York
Redoubt to Camperdown, and on the same date “A” Company (Capt. F. C.
Kingdon, Lieut. R. C. McDonald); “C” Company (Capt. H. G. DeWolfe,
Lieut. H. J. Stech) and “F” Company (Capt. J. W. Logan, Lieuts. G. M.
Sylvester and F. H. Jones) moved to McNab’s Island. “E” Company (Capt.
E. K. McKay, Lieuts. O. Vossnack and E. R. Dennis) moved to Lawlor’s
Island. The last four Companies were under the command of Major W. E.
Thompson. On August 30th headquarters and regimental details moved to
McNab’s Island.

Immediately on arrival at their stations each Company started the work
of digging trenches, placing wire entanglements, constructing
blockhouses, dugouts, etc. The men were driven at top speed at this
work, officers and men working all day as well as doing picquet duty at
night.

During the early days of the War H.M. ship _Suffolk_, then engaged in
hunting for the enemy cruiser _Karlsruhe_, called at Halifax in urgent
need of coal, and was coaled in record time by the 63rd Regiment.

On August 22nd the first Overseas draft was called for and twenty-four
non-commissioned officers and men under command of Lieuts. A. F. Major
and G. L. Stairs, proceeded to Valcartier Camp. On November 25, 1914,
forty-eight non-commissioned officers and men were transferred to the
25th Battalion, C.E.F., which was then being organized, and on December
6th Major W. H. Conrod, Lieuts. L. N. B. Bullock, G. C. Sircom and J. A.
Grant were transferred to that Battalion.

Major W. E. Thompson was called in by Headquarters Military District No.
6 in December, 1914, to take over the work of Inspector of Outposts and
Detachments throughout the district, with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.

On May 20, 1915, Capt. Wm. Taylor, Lieuts. C. J. Roche and J. A.
Watters, with thirty-three other ranks proceeded to Jamaica on military
duty. On August 13, 1915, thirty-six other ranks were transferred to the
40th Battalion, then in training at Valcartier. In September, 1915, an
Overseas Company was formed to which officers and men given permission
to go Overseas were attached for training. From this time, all drafts
from the 63rd for Overseas Units were taken from this Company.

An Overseas draft of 100 other ranks with Lieuts. W. D. Simpson, H. D.
Hilton and C. D. Llwyd were struck off the strength of the 63rd Regiment
on February 25, 1916.

Major H. F. Adams was appointed Officer Commanding Discharge Depot,
Halifax, from July 1, 1916. A draft of eighty-eight other ranks under
command of Lieuts. H. A. Creighton and Benj. Taylor embarked for
Overseas on July 15, 1916. The Regiment was inspected by Field-Marshall
H.R.H. Duke of Connaught on August 24, 1916.

The 63rd was placed on a four Company basis from November 1, 1917. The
Company officers were: “A” Company, Capt. F. C. Kingdon, Lieuts. J. A.
Watters, H. V. Wier, G. W. Churchill, H. S. Holloway. “B” Company,
Capts. H. J. Steck, D. W. Kennedy, Lieuts. F. A. Taylor, C. S. Innes, H.
R. McCaughin, G. R. Forbes. “C” Company, Capts. E. Ricketts, G. S.
Kinley, Lieuts. T. L. Parkman, J. E. Milsom, C. N. Innes. “D” Company,
Capts. O. F. Vossnack, W. Taylor, Lieuts. E. G. McMinn, W. R. R. Tayler,
H. H. Irwin.

Lieut.-Col. I. W. Vidito was transferred to the Reserve of Officers on
July 1, 1917, and was succeeded in the command of the Regiment by
Lieut.-Col. C. A. Mumford. On the morning of December 6, 1917, five
officers and 143 other ranks were detailed for relief work following the
explosion at Halifax. On April 16, 1918, the 6th Battalion Canadian
Garrison Regiment was authorized, and in May the 63rd Regiment was
relieved from duty. The following named officers were transferred to the
6th Battalion: Lieut.-Col. C. A. Mumford, Capts. E. Ricketts, H. J.
Steck, E. K. McKay, G. S. Kinley, Lieuts. H. V. Wier, J. A. Watters, E.
G. McMinn, G. W. Churchill, J. E. Milsom, H. R. McCoughin, G. R. Forbes,
R. J. Colwell.

The undermentioned officers were transferred to the 1st Nova Scotia
Depot Battalion: Lieuts. H. A. Wilson, W. R. R. Tayler, H. S. Holloway,
Majors A. R. McCleave and H. N. Clarke, Capts. F. C. Kingdon, J. D.
Monoghan and Lieut. T. Parkman were relieved from active service.

On the organization of the First Canadian Contingent the Regiment
volunteered for service Overseas, but much to the disappointment of all
ranks had to continue its allotted duties in the defence of the Fortress
of Halifax. Owing to the heavy demands on the Ordnance Department for
clothing and equipment needed by troops preparing for embarkation the
requirements of troops on Home Service could not be met until late in
1914, and for some time clothing was patched with flour sacks or any
other material available, and worn out soles of boots were reinforced
with shingles. In spite of all discouragements the 63rd faithfully
performed the tasks assigned it, and when at last it was permitted to
send drafts Overseas it became the ambition of all ranks to obtain a
transfer to the Overseas Company. Altogether the Regiment supplied 70
officers and 815 other ranks for service at the Front.

The following is a list of officers who served with the Regiment at
various times during the War. Those who went Overseas are marked *:
*Lieut. A. B. Anderson; Capt. H. F. Adams (now Lieut.-Col. R. O.);
*Lieut. A. A. Allenback; *Lieut. W. B. Arthur; *Lieut. H. P. Bell
(Captain C.E.F.); *Lieut. C. W. Bennett (killed in action); *Lieut. L.
N. B. Bullock (D.S.O. and Bar—Lieut.-Colonel C.E.F.); *Lieut. F. A.
Brewster (M.C.); *Lieut. G. A. Campbell (killed in action); *Major W. H.
Conrod; *Major H. N. Clarke; Lieut. J. H. Congdon; Lieut. G. W.
Churchill; *Lieut. W. L. Coleman; Lieut. H. J. Crosskill; *Lieut. R. J.
Colwell; *Lieut. T. F. Campbell; *Lieut. C. H. Colwell; *Lieut. A. H.
Creighton; *Lieut. H. A. Creighton; *Lieut. B. Currie (Captain C.E.F.);
Capt. H. G. DeWolf; Lieut. W. H. Dennis; *Lieut. E. R. Dennis (M.C.,
killed in action); *Major F. W. W. Doane; *Lieut. H. W. L. Doane;
*Lieut. W. E. E. Doane (killed in action); *Lieut. S. Downer; *Lieut. J.
S. Davie (M.C., Major C.E.F.); Lieut. R. F. Davison; *Lieut. A. C.
Delacroix; *Lieut. E. R. Eddy; Lieut. R. G. Forbes; *Lieut. W. G. Foster
(killed in action); *Lieut. P. W. Freeman; Lieut. L. A. Gastonquay;
*Lieut. G. H. Gillis (D.F.C., Captain C.E.F.); *Lieut. J. A. Grant;
*Lieut. W. P. Grant; *Lieut. R. J. Harris (died); *Lieut. J. A. Harris;
*Lieut. H. E. Hilton (killed in action); *Lieut. H. S. Holloway; *Lieut.
W. A. Hendry; *Lieut. E. J. Hallett (M.C.); *Lieut. E. A. Hartling;
Lieut. H. H. Irwin; *Lieut. C. S. Innes; *Lieut. Colin Innes; *Lieut. F.
H. Jones (M.C.); Capt. R. J. Huston; *Lieut. A. E. Jubien; Capt. F. C.
Kingdon; *Lieut. A. L. A. Kane; Lieut. D. W. Kennedy; Lieut. A. W.
Kidner; *Lieut. G. S. Kinley (Captain C.E.F.); *Lieut. G. H. Keeler
(M.C.); Lieut. J. H. LeBlanc; *Lieut. C. D. Llwyd (M.C., killed in
action); *Major J. W. Logan; *Lieut. G. R. Leslie; *Lieut. O. W.
Lingham; *Lieut. A T. Lewis (M.C., Captain C.E.F.); *Lieut. A. F. Major
(killed in action); Lieut J. E. Milson; Capt. R. A. Milson; Lieut.-Col.
C. A. Mumford; Lieut. J. D. Monaghan; Capt. A. R. McCleave; Capt. E. K.
McKay; *Lieut. R. C. McDonald; Lieut.-Col. J. W. McMillan (Chaplain);
*Lieut. Geo. O. McDonald (drowned); Lieut. E. J. McMinn; Lieut. H. R.
McCoughin; *Lieut. A. T. McDonald (Major C.E.F.); Lieut. T. L. Parkman;
*Lieut. P. R. Phillips (M.C.); *Lieut. E. C. Phinney (Lieut.-Col.
C.E.F.); *Lieut. G. C. Pickford; Capt. E. Ricketts; *Lieut. C. Roche
(killed in action); Lieut. G. B. Robertson; *Lieut. W. M. Rogers;
*Lieut. J. S. Roy; *Lieut. C. E. Scarfe; *Lieut. W. D. Simpson; *Lieut.
G. C. Sircom; *Lieut. W. J. Stairs; *Lieut. G. L. Stairs (killed in
action); Lieut. H. J. Stech; *Lieut. E. S. Smith; *Lieut. G. M.
Sylvester (killed in action); *Lieut. B. A. Taylor (killed in action);
*Major W. E. Thompson (Colonel D.O.C., Military District No. 6); Capt.
W. Taylor; Lieut. J. F. Taylor; Lieut. F. A. Taylor; Capt. D. R.
Turnbull; *Lieut. W. R. R. Tayler, Lieut.-Col. I. W. Vidito; Capt. E. A.
Vossnack; Capt. O. F. Vossnack; Lieut. J. A. Watters; Lieut. H. V. Wier;
*Lieut. H. A. Wilson; Lieut. P. J. Webb; Lieut. R. E. Wellard; Lieut. H.
H. Westbrooke; Lieut. A. B. West.

CHAPTER XXXV.
_THE 66th REGIMENT PRINCESS LOUISE FUSILIERS._

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. A. KING.]

Following Great Britain’s declaration of war against Germany on August
4, 1914, the 66th Regiment, Princess Louise Fusiliers, immediately
paraded at the Halifax Armories and the same evening sent an advanced
party of four officers and one hundred other ranks in command of Capt.
D. S. Bauld to Wellington Barracks, where the balance of the Unit under
its Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Col. H. L. Chipman, followed, and
established its headquarters on August 7, 1914. Preparations were
immediately made to place the 66th Regiment on a war footing, and
excitement ran high because it was felt by all ranks that, this being
one of the oldest Units in the Province, the 66th Regiment would be
among the first to see real service; but the fact that it was never sent
Overseas caused in the later years of the War a feeling of bitter
disappointment, particularly among those who were destined to carry on
tame and unattractive garrison duty throughout the War.

The “Halifax Defence Scheme” unfortunately condemned it to this
uninteresting work, and although the Regiment repeatedly volunteered for
service Overseas its requests were ignored. The defence of Halifax was
altogether a thankless task, and the often repeated assurance that the
Regiment was performing the duties required of it brought little
consolation to the officers and men whose sole ambition was to join
their comrades in the Field.

The personnel of the officers who turned out with the Regiment at the
time of the declaration of war was as follows:—

Lieut.-Col. H. L. Chipman Officer Commanding.
Major and Bt. Lieut.-Col. A. King Senior Major.
Major R. B. Simmonds Junior Major and Acting Adjutant.
Capt. F. L. Stephen Acting Quartermaster.
Lieut.-Col. M. A. Curry Medical Officer.
Lieut.-Col. W. J. Armitage Chaplain.
Major R. H. Humphrey Paymaster.

_Company Officers._

Capts. A. W. Weston, G. W. Murray, J. McFatridge, D. S. Bauld, H.
H. Bligh, R. W. Frost, C. E. Dowden, J. R. Glazbrook; Lieuts. W.
B. Medcalfe, G. W. Stairs, G. H. Liddell, C. A. Fages, J. C.
Stairs, J. R. Simmonds, G. Dwyer, W. C. Borrett, J. H. Crosskill,
B. H. Smith, R. F. Studd, F. H. Marr, F. R. Heuston, D. Stairs, G.
E. Creighton, L. E. VanBuskirk.

Later two officers reported for duty from the Corps Reserve, and during
the period of the War twenty-five additional officers were granted
commissions in the Regiment. The Regiment at the outbreak of the War was
on an eight Company basis, and it was not until December 6, 1915, that
the double Company system was adopted.

The first move of importance was the sending of a detachment, on August
11, 1914, of four Companies, B, E, F and G, and the Regimental Machine
Gun Section, all under command of Major R. B. Simmonds, to Chain and
Long Lakes, with instructions to prepare a system of trenches,
blockhouses, etc., and arrange generally for the defence of Halifax City
from any possible attack from the West. This force was designated the
“Chain Lakes Detachment,” and with interchanges of officers and other
ranks remained on duty at this post until January 15, 1917, when it
proceeded to York Redoubt.

The headquarters of the Regiment was moved from Wellington Barracks to
York Redoubt on August 29, 1914, and remained there until the
demobilization of the Unit on May 1, 1918. In January, 1915,
Lieut.-Colonel Chipman was seconded from the Regiment and took over
command of the Composite Battalion, which had been organized for
garrison duty, and Lieut.-Col. A. King was gazetted O.C. 66th Regiment,
and continued so until the Unit was relieved from active service in May,
1918.

About December 1, 1915, authority was granted for the Regiment to
organize a reinforcing draft, five officers and two hundred and fifty
other ranks. The South Barracks on Sackville Street were immediately
taken over, and recruiting and organization work in connection with the
draft was proceeded with. The draft finally sailed for England on
January 22, 1916. This draft was commanded by Capt. R. F. Studd, the
other officers accompanying it being Lieuts. T. F. Morrison, W. K.
Fraser, L. J. Atkinson, and W. S. Fielding.

During the War the 66th Regiment was inspected by His Royal Highness the
Duke of Connaught, His Excellency the Duke of Devonshire, Major-General
Gwatkin, Chief of the Canadian General Staff, Major-General Lessard,
Inspector-General of Eastern Canada, and by many other distinguished
soldiers, and was at all times most highly complimented on its excellent
state of efficiency.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. R. B. SIMMONDS.]

This Unit played a prominent part in the relief work following the great
explosion of December 6, 1917, which devastated a large portion of the
City of Halifax, caused the loss of some seventeen hundred lives and
entailed untold suffering among so many families for months following.
Lieut.-Col. R. B. Simmonds was in command of all military and naval
relief parties engaged in rescue work in the devastated area, and later
was placed in charge of a committee to procure relief for dependants of
all men who were serving at home or Overseas. It was the duty of this
committee to find food, clothing and shelter for the families of all
soldiers who had suffered in the explosion. A large number of mechanics
were placed under the direction of this committee and the work of relief
practically completed by May 1, 1918. That the duties of this committee
were all carried out it might be mentioned that it effected practically
permanent repairs to over one hundred and sixty houses, besides looking
after the needs of many suffering families, for which it was
complimented by the Minister of Militia and received the thanks of the
Halifax Relief Commission.

Notwithstanding that the Regiment was kept in Canada, it was,
nevertheless, called upon to perform various and arduous duties at all
times. That the Regiment also assisted in a very tangible way in winning
the War is proved by the fact that the 66th Regiment, Princess Louise
Fusiliers sent fifty-four officers and eight hundred and fifty men to
swell the ranks of various Overseas Units of the Canadian Expeditionary
Force, a large number of whom are now sleeping their last sleep in the
fields of Flanders, having upheld the honor of their Regiment and proved
their belief in its motto, “Fideliter.”

CHAPTER XXXVI.
_94th VICTORIA REGIMENT, ARGYLL HIGHLANDERS._

Much has been written of what was done by Canadian Units in France and
Belgium, but little has been said of the Units compelled to remain on
home service, which had to content themselves with performing garrison
duties and supplying reinforcements to the army in the Field.

The 94th Victoria Regiment, Argyll Highlanders, with Headquarters at
Baddeck, Cape Breton, was at the commencement of hostilities perhaps the
most distinctively Highland Battalion in the forces of the Empire,
inasmuch as the Gaelic language was the mother tongue of eighty per
cent. of its personnel. As a rural Battalion it is recognized as having
sent more officers and men Overseas than any other similar Unit in
Eastern Canada. All its original members, excepting those over age or
physically unfit, were transferred to C.E.F. Units; many of them paid
the supreme sacrifice, and a number of them were decorated for
distinguished service.

At 9.30 a.m., August 4, 1914, the Officer Commanding the Battalion,
Lieut.-Col. J. D. McRae, received mobilization orders. The marching-out
strength, including the Canso detachment, was 377 all ranks. The eight
Companies were commanded by the officers, and proceeded to their
different stations, on the dates named below:

“A” Co., Capt. D. P. McRae, Whitney Pier, Sydney 7th Aug.
“B” Co., Capt. D. A. McRae; Marconi Towers, Glace Bay 6th „
“C” Co., Capt. A. J. McNeil, North Sydney 5th „
“D” Co., Capt. M. A. McLeod, Marconi Towers, Glace Bay 6th „
“E” Co., Capt. M. D. McKeigan, Louisburg 5th „
“F” Co., Capt. R. Y. McKenzie, Lloyd’s Cove, Sydney Mines 7th „
“G” Co., Capt. J. G. Johnstone, Canso 5th „
“H” Co., Capt. W. D. McKenzie, Sydney 7th „
Regimental Staff to Headquarters, 33 Charlotte St., Sydney 7th „

_Regimental Staff._

Lieut.-Col. J. D. McRae Officer Commanding.
Major J. S. McLean Second in Command.
Major A. D. McRae Junior Major.
Capt. W. G. McRae Adjutant.
Lieut. A. J. McInnis Instructor of Musketry.
Lieut. G. M. McNeil Signalling Officer.
Major M. A. J. McDonald Quartermaster.
Major Dan McDonald Medical Officer.
Capt. M. H. Morrison Paymaster.

_Lieutenants._

“A” Co., P. W. Anderson and J. A. Kiley.
“B” Co., W. W. Nicholson and F. J. McCharles.
“C” Co., A. J. McDonald and J. A. McDonald.
“D” Co., N. J. McDonald and A. N. McKenzie.
“E” Co., J. L. McKinnon and D. McKenzie.
“F” Co., D. McKinnon and D. McKenzie.
“G” Co., K. L. McKay and J. McIsaac.
“H” Co., A. McKinnon and J. D. McRae.

Captain C. C. McIntosh was Chaplain of the Unit, but was not called out
for service with it.

During the years 1914 to 1918 the following officers, sixty in all. were
transferred to C.E.F. Units:

_Majors._

M. W. Morrison and J. G. Johnstone.

_Captains._

D. A. McRae.
K. L. McKay.
M. D. McKeigan.
J. McIsaac.
W. G. McRae.
W. W. Nicholson.
D. McKinnon.
A. McKinnon.

_Lieutenants._

A. J. McInnis.
G. M. McNiel.
J. D. McIntyre.
W. J. Brothers.
C. McDermid.
G. B. Morley.
J. W. Maddin.
J. H. McIvor.
C. F. Gallant.
A. E. Wilcox.
S. Schoefield.
J. A. McDonald.
David Neil.
P. W. Anderson.
J. D. McNiel.
D. H. McKenzie.
L. G. McCorrison.
J. A. McKinnon.
J. A. Rankin.
C. Campbell.
A. W. McLean.
W. A. Livingstone.
T. D. A. Purves.
R. A. Pertus.
G. D. Crowell.
C. R. McKenzie.
W. E. Beaton.
M. J. Dryden.
Alex. McDonald.
A. H. Walker.
C. Holland.
R. Flemming.
W. R. McAskill.
A. M. Fraser.
S. D. Morrison.
C. W. Sutherland.
D. N. McDonald.
W. H. McConell.
B. Campbell.
F. J. McCharles.
J. A. Holland.
M. W. McKinnon.
H. C. Verner.
T. C. King.
R. M. McDonald.
M. J. McRae.
A. S. Henry.
D. S. Carey.
J. B. Fraser.
Theodore Chisholm.

From a total of 344 other ranks who came out with the Battalion at the
commencement of the War, 311 volunteered for service Overseas. It took
time to train a sufficient number of recruits to replace these men, but
within six months all had been transferred to C.E.F. Units and were on
their way to France. Altogether the Battalion during its period of
service sent 3,632 men to the Front, and it was a difficult matter at
all times to retain a sufficient number of men to perform the necessary
duties.

The eight Companies of the Battalion were called upon to perform
Garrison Guard and Outpost duties at important shipping points, wireless
and cable stations, not only in Cape Breton but also at Canso. For
defence purposes the troops at Marconi Towers, Glace Bay, Louisburg and
Canso erected blockhouses and wire entanglements, built redoubts and dug
trenches, in addition to carrying into effect a syllabus of training
designed better to fit the men for their more strenuous work with the
Expeditionary Force.

The Battalion was demobilized June 29, 1918, and the following officers
were transferred to “F” Company, 6th Battalion, Canadian Garrison
Regiment, who assumed the duties previously performed by the 94th:—

Capt. A. J. McNiel.

_Lieutenants._

J. A. McDonald.
L. E. McDonald.
J. D. McRae.
A. J. McDonald.
Dan McKenzie.
Bert Campbell.
J. R. Fraser.

Major M. J. McDonald, Quartermaster, was employed as the representative
of the A.D. of S. & T. in Cape Breton, and Major D. McDonald, Medical
Officer, was attached to the A.D.M.S., Military District No. 6. The
undermentioned officers were relieved from duty and returned to their
homes:—

Lieut.-Col. A. D. McRae.
Major W. G. McRae.
Major J. Darke (attached from 4th P.E.I. Heavy Battery).
Capts. D. P. McRae, D. McKenzie, J. A. Kiley, J. L. McKinnon.
Lieuts. S. A. Reeves, J. D. Aucoin.

N.C.O.’s and men in Class 1 of the Military Service Act, and those who
were willing to be transferred, were handed over to “F” Company, 6th
Battalion, C.E.F., for duty in Cape Breton.

The following 94th officers transferred to C.E.F. Units were awarded
decorations:—

Major P. W. Anderson Military Cross.
Major M. D. McKeigan French Croix de Guerre.
Capt. W. A. Livingstone Military Cross and Bar.
Capt. G. B. Morley Military Cross.
Lieut. G. M. McNeil Military Cross.
Lieut. W. E. Beaton Military Cross.
Lieut. A. S. Henry Military Cross.
Lieut. J. D. McIntyre Military Cross.
Lieut. A. E. Wilcox Military Medal.

The following officers were killed in action or died of wounds:—

Major P. W. Anderson, M.C.
Capt. M. W. McKinnon.
Capt. W. E. Beaton, M.C.
Capt. Aubrey McKinnon.
Lieutenants A. H. Walker, W. R. McAskill, J. A. McDonald, J. H. McIvor,
J. A. Holland, A. M. Fraser, R. A. Pertus.

It is impossible at the present time to obtain a nominal roll of the
N.C.O.’s and men who fell on the field of honor. The list is a long one,
and in many Cape Breton homes, mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts
mourn with proud resignation the lads who will not return. Neither is it
possible to obtain a complete list of decorations awarded. The summary
that follows has been compiled from incomplete, unofficial sources:

D.S.O. 1
M.C. 14
Bar to M.C. 2
D.C.M. 15
M.M. 79
Bar to M.M. 10
M.S.M. 4
Despatches 3
Croix de Guerre 2

The undermentioned N.C.O.’s and men obtained commissions:

Sergt. G. McL. Matheson (Major, 25th Bn.) D.S.O., M.C., M.M.,
Despatches.
Pte. Jas. A. Anderson (Capt., 85th Bn.) M.C.
Corp. C. J. Oram (Lieut., 25th Bn.) M.C.
Corp. D. A. Livingstone (Lieut., 25th Bn.) M.M.
Corp. K. Morrison (Lieut., Can. Eng.) M.M. and Bar.
Pte. Thos. Toone (Lieut., Can. Eng.) M.C., D.C.M., M.M.
C. S.-M. R. Roberts (Lieut., 25th Bn.) D.C.M.
Pte. J. R. Burchell (Capt., 85th Bn.) M.C. and Bar.
Pte. H. N. McNeil (Capt., 85th Bn.) M.C.
Pte. W. V. McKinnon (Lieut., 25th Bn.) M.M.
Pte. M. Gray (Capt., Can. Eng.) M.C., M.M.

_94th VICTORIA REGIMENT, ARGYLL HIGHLANDERS_

Under the reorganization scheme of the Canadian Militia the 94th
Regiment is wiped off the slate and is succeeded by the 1st Battalion,
Cape Breton Highlanders (85th Battalion, C.E.F.). The officers, N.C.O.’s
and men of the old Regiment, who served in it for years before the
fateful summer of 1914, cannot view its passing without a certain
measure of sadness and regret. The spirit of comradeship that existed
among all ranks encouraged them to carry on through many difficulties in
years of peace and enabled them at a few hours’ notice to proceed in
full strength to their allotted stations, on the declaration of war.

Inspired by the Regiment’s ancient motto, “Dileas d’on Bhrataich” (“True
to the Flag”), every man who was physically fit, and many who were not,
volunteered for service Overseas. They did their duty nobly and gave
their country a full and overflowing measure of splendid service. The
memory of our comrades whose mortal remains sleep in the stricken fields
of France and Flanders will be held in affectionate recollection as long
as life lasts. Of them the soldier poet of Nova Scotia, Dr. J. D. Logan,
a sergeant of the 85th Battalion, who served with many officers and men
transferred to that Unit from the 94th, writes:

“They gave the All that men can give;
They gave themselves that men might live,
They are Christ’s heroes. Lo, on their brows Love’s diadem!
O God of Righteous Battles, let it be well with them.”

CHAPTER XXXVII.
_THE COMPOSITE BATTALION._

The Composite Battalion was formed at Halifax from Companies drawn from
the Militia Regiments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island to replace the Royal Canadian Regiment, which was transferred to
Bermuda shortly after the outbreak of hostilities.

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. H. L. CHIPMAN.]

Companies consisting of three officers and fifty-six other ranks were
supplied by the 67th, 69th, 71st, 74th, 75th, 76th, 82nd and 93rd
Regiments, and arrived at Halifax on September 8th and 9th, 1914, taking
over at once garrison duties from the 66th Regiment, P.L.F., which
proceeded to York Redoubt for outpost duty.

The following guards were furnished: Quarter Guard, Wellington Barracks;
Gun Wharf; King’s Wharf; Lumber Yard; Station Hospital; Grain Elevator;
North Ordnance; Dry Dock; Richmond Pier and Rockhead Hospital. Weekly
Guards were also mounted at Fort Clarence, Fort Cambridge, Fort Ogilvie
and Point Pleasant Battery.

The Battalion was commanded by Lieut.-Col. A. E. Carpenter, R.C.R., with
Capt. M. E. Roscoe as Adjutant:

The Company officers were:—“A” Company (67th Regiment)—Capt. C. G.
McLaughlin, later transferred to 64th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. C.
Rideout, 145th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. C. E. Williams, 55th Battalion,
C.E.F. “B” Company (69th Regiment)—Major Whitman, resigned and replaced
by Capt. M. S. Parker, 112th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. S. McNeil; Lieut.
J. C. Willett, 165th Battalion, C.E.F. “C” Company (71st Regiment)—Capt.
H. Woodbridge, 55th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. C. A. Good, R.F.C.; Lieut.
B. Wade, resigned and replaced by Lieut. F. Fitzpatrick, 55th Battalion,
C.E.F. “D” Company (74th Regiment)—Capt. S. S. Wetmore, 55th Battalion,
C.E.F.; Lieut. J. A. Sproul, resigned; Lieut. M. P. Gillis, 112th
Battalion, C.E.F. “E” Company (75th Regiment)—Capt. W. L. Whitford, 25th
Battalion, C.E.F.; Capt. A. Berringer, resigned; Lieut. C. C. Morash,
112th Battalion, C.E.F. “F” Company (76th Regiment)—Capt. H. Dickie,
resigned and replaced by Capt. W. H. J. Moxsom, 106th Battalion, C.E.F.;
Lieut. O. G. Heard, 106th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. C. Major, 40th
Battalion, C.E.F. “G” Company (82nd Regiment)—Major F. Boulter, later
transferred to 105th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. A. McLeod, 105th
Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. G. E. Full, 40th Battalion, C.E.F. “H” Company
(93rd Regiment)—Major G. R. Oulton; Capt. J. N. McDonald, 106th
Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. D. Anderson.

In addition to the duties already enumerated, Guard was mounted over
prisoners of war at the Citadel and at the Detention Barracks, Melville
Island. The prisoners were German officers and men captured on the high
seas, with a sprinkling of civilians, some of whom were found on
captured ships; others were residents of Canada whom it was found
necessary to intern.

In March, 1915, the Interment Station at Amherst was opened, and two and
one-half Companies under command of Major G. R. Oulton, with Capt. J. N.
McDonald, Lieuts. Davidson and Sproul, were sent there, and were
replaced by one Company from each of the following Regiments:—78th
Regiment—Capt. J. A. McKenzie, later transferred to 85th Battalion,
C.E.F.; Capt. J. R. Maxwell, 106th Battalion, C.E.F. 81st Regiment—Capt.
E. S. Doering; Lieut. J. H. Wallace, 64th Battalion, C.E.F., killed in
action; Lieut. W. W. Slack, 40th Battalion, C.E.F. 93rd Regiment—Capt.
J. A. McPherson, 106th Battalion, C.E.F.; Lieut. P. Boucher, 165th
Battalion, C.E.F.

Lieut. E. W. Joy reported for duty to replace Lieut. C. S. Major,
transferred to 40th Battalion, and assumed the duties of Fortress
Intelligence Officer. Other officers on duty were Major F. S. Heffernan
(93rd), Quartermaster; Lieut. Keith Rogers (C.S.C.), Signalling Officer;
and Lieut. R. Innes (81st), Musketry Instructor, afterwards O.C. 106th
Battalion.

Previous to July, 1916, each Company Commander had his own account with
the District Paymaster and was responsible for all payments to his
officers and men. When the Battalion was recognized as a Unit it was
allowed a Paymaster. Capt. H. B. Verge received the appointment and
retained it until transferred to the Nova Scotia Forestry Battalion in
June, 1917, when Capt. W. S. Brignell took over his duties.

The Battalion suffered considerably in the explosion of December 6,
1917, losing six men killed and 87 per cent. of the N.C.O.’s and men
injured. One officer and two N.C.O.’s died in hospital from injuries
received. The more serious injuries were received by men on guard at
Richmond Pier, North Ordnance and Dry Dock. All the men killed,
excepting one, who was killed in the barrack room, were members of these
Guards. A snowstorm with high wind which raged for thirty-six hours
after the explosion made the barracks almost untenable, as windows and
doors were gone and no fires could be laid until the chimneys were
inspected. The morale of the men was good during this period. Many
N.C.O.’s and men had their families living near the barracks, a large
number of whom were killed and injured.

The first draft of one hundred men from the Composite Battalion was sent
Overseas in January, 1916, under command of Lieuts. W. S. Brown and O.
Thorne. A second draft of fifty-six men, under command of Lieut. W. R.
Clark, sailed on June 26, 1916. A number of men were transferred to the
R.C.R. Base Depot from time to time and were included in Overseas drafts
sent by that Unit.

When the Military Service Act came in force in 1918, 125 men in the
Composite Battalion, who came under its provisions, were sent Overseas.
The remainder were transferred to the 6th Battalion, Canadian Garrison
Regiment. All the senior officers were transferred to their Militia
Units, with the exception of Major J. E. Morse, who was transferred to
the 6th Battalion, C.G.R. The junior officers were transferred to the
Depot Battalion, 1st Nova Scotia Regiment, excepting Lieut. W. H.
Whidden and Lieut. I. C. Banks, who were taken on the strength of No. 6
District Depot and appointed respectively O.C. Casualty Company and
Discharge Section.

The following officers were on duty when the Unit was
disbanded:—Lieut.-Col. H. L. Chipman, Officer Commanding; Major G. R.
Oulton, Second in Command; Major E. K. Eaton, R.C.R., Adjutant; Lieut.
W. B. Arthur, Assistant Adjutant; Capt. W. W. Brignell, Paymaster; Major
F. S. Heffernan, Quartermaster; Major D. G. Mossmain, O.C. “A” Company;
Major F. Boulter, O.C. “B” Company; Major J. E. Morse, O.C. “C” Company;
Capt. G. L. Whidden, O.C. “D” Company; Capt. S. L. McNiel, Lieut. W. L.
Coleman, Lieut. R. J. Colwell, Lieut. H. C. Crosby, Lieut. C. McLellan,
Lieut. J. R. Campbell, Lieut. W. E. Mitchell, Lieut. W. H. Whidden,
Lieut. I. C. Banks.

Other officers who had served with the Battalion in 1916 and 1917 were
as follows:—Lieut. C. A. Vaughan, later transferred to 106th and
resigned; Capt. A. Stirling, 145th; Lieut. W. Ross, 38th Battalion;
Lieut. S. Rogers, R.C.R.; Lieut. St. C. Stayner, unattached; Lieut. S.
Bradford, R.F.C.; Lieut. H. F. Arthur, R.N.A.S.; Lieut. R. Asher, R.F.C.

The following officers of the R.C.R. also served: As Adjutant, Lieut. G.
L. P. Grant Suttie, who replaced Capt. M. E. Roscoe, transferred to the
219th Battalion, being later relieved by Capt. V. W. S. Heron, who in
turn was relieved by Major Eaton.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
_THE 1st DEPOT BATTALION NOVA SCOTIA REGIMENT._

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. H. FLOWERS.]

This Unit was authorized on September 25, 1917, for the purpose of
looking after the draftees under the Military Service Act. Lieut.-Col.
H. Flowers, formerly of the 64th and 25th Battalions, C.E.F., was
appointed to command, with Lieut.-Col. D. S. Bauld, 25th, Second in
Command. The original officers of this Unit were all officers with
service at the Front in France, invalided home, and unable to return on
account of various disabilities. It was due to this experience that they
were able to handle this Unit, which eventually reached the proportions
of a Brigade with credit to the Province of Nova Scotia and themselves.

The strength of a Battalion is roughly 1,000 all ranks, and at times the
strength of the 1st Depot Battalion, Nova Scotia Regiment, reached over
5,000.

The original senior officers were:

Major F. L. Stephens 64th and 14th
Major O. G. Heard 106th and 87th.
Major W. McPherson 112th and 87th.
Major G. L. Mott 64th and 13th.
Major Stanley C.F.A.

Later the following were attached:

Major Inman 105th.
Major W. Grant 25th.
Lieut.-Col. N. H. Parsons 246th.
Adjutant, Captain Simpson 85th.
Paymaster, Capt. Geo. Farish 25th.
Quartermaster, Capt. W. St.C. Ingraham 25th.

From time to time new officers who had not seen Overseas service were
attached, and these were sent Overseas with drafts as soon as they could
be gotten ready.

The real work of the Unit commenced about February 1, 1918, because
quarters for mobilization were not available earlier, on account of the
destruction of property caused by the Halifax explosion in December,
1917. The work was carried on at the Armories, Halifax, under most
trying conditions. “A” Company was quartered at Charlottetown to take
care of the Prince Edward Island draftees, and remained there doing this
work until demobilized. “B” Company was moved to Amherst early in March,
1918, remaining there until May 16th, when it joined the Battalion at
Aldershot, Nova Scotia, the Companies in barracks at Halifax having
moved to Aldershot on May 13th.

From that date the work of the Unit was extremely strenuous. Draftees
were ordered in at the rate of 250 daily, and the Camp soon assumed the
appearance of a Brigade. The men were medically examined, inoculated,
vaccinated, and their dental troubles administered to. They were
clothed, trained, and when they had become sufficiently expert to form
fours, were equipped and sent to England to complete the training so
well begun here.

This Unit dealt with all men coming under the Military Service Act, who
were either ordered to report or were arrested for some default under
the Act, and in this way about 14,000 men passed through the files of
the Unit. Of course, there was considerable shrinkage, because many did
not come up to the necessary physical standard, and because others
became casualties. In all some 5,000 recruits were sent Overseas.

The largest draft was one of 1,700. This draft paraded at 8 p.m. on
August 3, 1918; the roll was called, documents checked, etc. The men
were then dismissed and ordered to parade and entrain at 4.30 a.m. on
August 4th. Every man of the 1,700 answered the roll call but one. He
was late for parade but in time to entrain. His excuse was that he had
been married after being dismissed the night previous. Under the
circumstances the O.C. forgave his tardiness. This was the last draft to
be sent. The War in Europe began to take on a more cheerful aspect; the
farmers and fishermen were required for harvesting, etc., and some leave
was given.

In September the Unit moved back to the Halifax Common for winter
quarters. November 11th the Armistice was signed, and almost immediately
the welcome order to demobilize was received. By March, 1919, all the
affairs of the Unit were a matter of history.

CHAPTER XXXIX.
_“B” UNIT, M.H.C.C._

In the spring of 1915, when the casualties of the Canadian Overseas
Forces commenced returning to Canada, the best methods of dealing with
them had to be considered. The first men to return were not for medical
treatment. They were dealt with by the Discharge Depots at Halifax and
Quebec. At these points the men received their discharge from the army,
their tickets to their homes, a suit of civilian clothes, and the
balance of pay due to them.

Towards the fall of 1915 the sick and wounded commenced returning, at
first in small numbers; and they were also dealt with by the Discharge
Depots. Those not requiring further medical treatment were discharged
and sent to their homes, with three months’ pay, paid in three monthly
instalments. Those who required further medical treatment were also
discharged, but were sent to the Convalescent Home nearest to their
homes. These Convalescent Homes were small, and most of them were placed
at the disposal of the Government by private individuals. They were all
equipped by the Red Cross, I.O.D.E., and other local societies organized
throughout Canada by the women of Canada. In the autumn of 1915 the
Military Hospitals Commission was created, with authority to accept and
administer these Homes. The powers of this Commission were almost
unlimited as to their control, administration, and creation of Hospitals
and Convalescent Homes for the treatment of Canada’s troops returning
from Overseas.

In the spring of 1916 the sick and wounded returned in great numbers,
and the Military Hospitals Commission having foreseen this, was well
prepared to receive them, having provided large Hospital and
Convalescent Home accommodation throughout Canada from coast to coast.

The question now before the Government was how were the men to be kept
under discipline in these Hospitals and Convalescent Homes when the men
were no longer soldiers, having received their discharge from the army
when passing through the Discharge Depots at ports of arrival. It was
finally decided that those who required further medical treatment would
not receive their discharge on arrival, but would be forwarded to the
Hospital or Convalescent Home nearest to their homes and these men would
receive their discharge from the army when their medical treatment was
brought to a finality.

[Illustration:

MAJOR J. F. TAYLOR.]

To take charge of the administration and discipline of these men, in the
various Hospitals and Homes throughout the country, the Military
Hospitals Commission Command was created in June, 1916, “B” Unit being
the Unit charged with the administration of the Hospitals and Homes
throughout the Maritime Provinces. The Officer Commanding this Unit
during the whole period of its existence—two years—was Major J. F.
Taylor, of Halifax, an officer who had done excellent service in the Pay
Branch, and who was selected to command the Maritime Province Unit on
account of his tact and business knowledge. Major Taylor organized and
administered the affairs of “B” Unit in a highly efficient manner at all
times, showing great sympathy to the men under his command. Owing to his
great tact and business ability, the Unit was second to none in Canada.

The duties performed by “B” Unit were manifold. Military discipline was
adopted to a certain extent in all M.H.C.C. Institutions, but had to be
administered with regard to circumstances. The officers saw only the
aftermath of the terrible cataclysm enacted “over there,” and their
hearts were absorbed in the work of repairing broken humanity.

The personnel of the Staff of “B” Unit on March 1, 1917, was as follows:

Major J. F. Taylor Officer Commanding.
Capt. C. M. Mosher Adjutant.
Capt. F. A. R. Gow Medical Officer.
Captain Clarke Quartermaster.
Capt. A. A. Peachy Paymaster.

On November 1, 1917, Capt. C. M. Mosher resigned as Adjutant and Capt.
Walter Whitford was appointed to that office and carried on until “B”
Unit was dissolved. In November, 1917, Capt. H. C. Sircom, a returned
officer, was appointed Paymaster to succeed Capt. Peachy, who had been
transferred to the Discharge Depot Command.

The Hospitals and Convalescent Homes that were turned over to “B” Unit
by the Military Hospital Commission consisted of the following:—

The Parks Convalescent Hospital St. John, N.B.
Ross Convalescent Hospital Sydney, N.S.
Clayton Convalescent Home Halifax, N.S.
Dalton Sanitarium North Wiltshire, P.E.I.

Ross Military Convalescent Home was presented to the M.H.C.C. by
Commander and Mrs. J. K. L. Ross, of Sydney, C.B., on June 1, 1915.

[Illustration:

CAPT. WALTER WHITFORD.]

The personnel in each of these Hospitals were transferred to the
M.H.C.C., and, with the exception of a few minor transfers, carried on
in the same efficient manner that had characterized them from the
organization of the M.H.C.C. By constructing and taking over other large
buildings, the M.H.C.C. soon made adequate arrangements for dealing with
the large number of soldiers returning from Overseas. Pier 2 having been
taken over by the Militia Department for a Clearing Hospital, it was
transferred to the M.H.C.C., February 15, 1917. Necessary alterations
delayed the opening of this Hospital until April 1, 1917. Its worth as a
Hospital was well demonstrated both while under the command of the
M.H.C.C. and later under the command of the Clearing Services.

Pine Hill Presbyterian Theological College, Halifax, was taken over by
the M.H.C.C. as a Convalescent Hospital on March 1, 1917, and Capt. M.
S. Hunt was placed in charge, with Major Philip Weatherbe, Senior
Medical Officer, and Capt. John Cameron, Resident Medical Officer. Capt.
Dexter McCurdy was also a member of the Medical Staff but was
transferred on Overseas service in August, 1918. This Hospital, situated
as it was, on the shores of the Northwest Arm, Halifax, proved a great
boon to the returned convalescent soldiers. Its location adjoining Point
Pleasant Park was an ideal one for the care and comfort of convalescent
soldiers. There was an abundance of pure air, shady trees, and pleasant
walks, and though quite removed from Halifax City and its noisy traffic,
it was still sufficiently near to permit men able to walk to get a tram
car running into the city, where they could enjoy a few hours with
friends at a theatre or elsewhere. At the rear of the Home the waters of
the Northwest Arm gave the men ample opportunity for boating, bathing
and various other water sports, of which they took full advantage during
the summer months. It is the unanimous opinion of the returned soldiers
that Pine Hill was the _Ideal_ Convalescent Hospital in Nova Scotia.

In May, 1917, the Moxham Convalescent Hospital at Sydney, C.B., was
opened, with Major F. O’Neil in command. Major O’Neil who had been in
command of the Ross Convalescent Home from December, 1916, was an
efficient officer and discharged his duties in a very satisfactory
manner.

During the latter part of July, 1916, an arrangement was made with Dr.
F. A. Miller, of the Kentville Sanitarium, to deal with tuberculosis
patients; for a great number of the men returning from Overseas were
pronounced tubercular. Within a very few days Kentville Sanitarium was
full of patients, and although from time to time large additions were
built to the Sanitarium, it was always taxed to its utmost capacity. In
fact during the summer of 1917, many hospital tents were erected on the
Sanitarium grounds, for the accommodation of tubercular patients, and
when autumn with its cold winds became too severe, many patients had to
be sent to their own homes, to be treated until room was available at
the Sanitarium, when they were recalled. Great credit is due to Dr.
Miller for the splendid manner in which he dealt with the patients under
his control. Capt. A. G. Forster, a returned officer, was in charge of
Administration and Discipline of the Kentville Sanitarium and was a
conscientious, hard-working officer.

On July 1, 1917, “B” Unit had on its strength 1,886 officers and other
ranks all receiving medical treatment. About 50 per cent. of this number
were out-patients, with home leave. These men were recalled to the
Hospital from time to time as their physical condition demanded.

About this time New Brunswick became a separate Military District, and
it was decided to organize a separate M.H.C.C. Unit for New Brunswick.
This was accordingly done, and the transfer of men and documents was
completed in July, 1917.

In the early spring of 1917 construction work was begun on a
Convalescent Hospital at Camp Hill, Halifax, and by October 1, 1917, the
building was completed sufficiently to receive patients. This hospital
was fitted up with all modern medical appliances and proved a Godsend to
the people of Halifax, when on December 6, 1917, the city was shocked by
the terrific explosion.

At the opening of Camp Hill Hospital, Lieutenant Blackwood was placed in
charge by the M.H.C.C. and Major (now Lieut.-Col.) C. Morris was Senior
Medical Officer. An efficient Staff was soon organized which carried on
until the Hospital was transferred to the A.M.C. on December 6, 1917.
Immediately after the explosion all patients able to walk were given
home leave and the Hospital and Staff complete was turned over to the
Medical Relief Commission for the purpose of dealing with the sufferers
of the explosion.

The writer of this article has visited Casualty Clearing Hospitals in
Flanders on “Clearing Day” but never has he seen such human suffering as
he saw at Camp Hill Hospital when he walked into the Hospital at 4 p.m.
on December 6, 1917. The Hospital at Pier 2, also the offices of the
M.H.C.C. were destroyed by the explosion. The Hospital was quickly
rebuilt, but the offices were removed to Leith House, Hollis Street,
Halifax, and these offices were retained until the Unit was disbanded.

On March 31, 1918, the Military Hospitals Commission Command was
disbanded by an Order-in-Council. The military end of the work was taken
over by No. 6 District Depot, and the civilian end by the D.S.C.R. Final
transfer of all equipment and records, etc., of the M.H.C.C. to No. 6
District Depot was effected on April 18, 1918.

CHAPTER XL.
_ACADIA UNIVERSITY AND THE WAR._

In common with other universities in the Empire, Acadia emptied her
halls when the call to duty came. Her ideals had always been those
directly opposed to war, but to carry out these ideals, it was necessary
to participate in it. Between six and seven hundred Acadia men and women
enlisted. There was no definite Unit formed by the Acadia men, but they
were found in all departments of the service. Sixty were in the Nova
Scotia Highland Brigade, mostly in “D” Company, 219th Battalion; and
their Platoon, number 13, won the Brigade trophy for efficiency. Ten
students left Acadia at one time with the 4th Universities Company
Reinforcements, Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. The
attendance at the University was cut down to about one half,
notwithstanding the fact that the number of young women remained
constant. The Freshman class was unusually large, but as soon as the age
of eighteen was reached, practically no fit man remained. Of the Acadia
students, sixty-three lost their lives in service, sixty-two young men
and one young woman.

We have no definite figures concerning honors, but about eighty were
conferred on Acadia men, one of which was the coveted Victoria Cross,
the only one awarded to a college man in the Maritime Provinces, and, in
fact, the only one awarded to a Maritime Province Unit. One of our
Acadia men had the distinction of being the youngest Lieutenant-Colonel
in the British Army, commanding the 10th Alberta when twenty-six years
of age. He received the D.S.O. and two Bars, the Military Cross, was
five times mentioned in dispatches, and was recommended for the Victoria
Cross. The only colored chaplain in the British Army was an Acadia man.
In addition to those who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force,
we had a number who enlisted with the Americans, and still others who
enlisted with the British, all of whom gave splendid account of
themselves.

When the War broke out, there was a branch of the C.O.T.C. at Acadia,
but it went out of business early because practically every member
enlisted. The officer in charge of the C.O.T.C. for Military District
No. 6 told me that a larger number of C.O.T.C. men went from Acadia than
from any other Maritime University. Since the War, many students have
returned to the University to complete their work, and, without
exception, they are making excellent records. Acadia has offered one
year’s free tuition to returned men, being the only university in Canada
to do that.

In 1919, the returned men at Acadia met, and, after consultation,
decided that something should be done in the way of a Memorial for those
who had given their lives in the War. The suggestion was made that this
memorial should take the form of a Gymnasium, typifying the splendid
physical condition, the manly vigor, and sporting spirit of the boys who
went Overseas.

In 1914 our Gymnasium had been destroyed by fire, and a committee of
eight young men had been appointed to raise funds for a new Gymnasium.
Of these eight, six had dropped the burden of responsibility of the
Gymnasium and had gone to war, one of whom was killed at Passchendaele.
It seemed most fitting that their work should be carried out by those
who were left, and the next of kin of all those who had given their
lives were consulted, and agreed to the proposal.

As a result, this Gymnasium is now in process of construction, and will
be a building in every way suitable as a Memorial for those boys who
have fallen. On May 26, 1920, General Sir Arthur W. Currie, G.C.M.G.,
K.C.B., D.S.O., formerly Commander of the Canadian Corps in France, laid
the corner stone of the new Gymnasium and delivered an address on that
occasion.

While we feel that Acadia’s part in the War was no more than it should
have been, we are justly proud of the willing sacrifice, the ready
response, and the splendid record made by our Acadia men.

CHAPTER XLI.
_DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY AND THE WAR._

The activities of Dalhousie University in connection with the Great War
may be considered under the following headings, (1) The Activities of
the C.O.T.C.; (2) The Dalhousie University Stationary Hospital No. 7,
C.E.F.; (3) Activities of the Staff; (4) Independent Undergraduate
Enlistment.

THE OFFICERS’ TRAINING CORPS.—Great Britain was forced to declare war on
Germany on August 4, 1914; so that when the University session of 1914
opened, it was under war conditions. The earliest corporate war effort
of Dalhousie University was a mass meeting in the Law Library, held on
October 16, 1914, for the purpose of taking steps to form an O.T.C. The
chair was taken by Earle C. Phinney, at that time President of the
Council of Students. The meeting, which was most enthusiastic, was
addressed by President Mackenzie, G. S. Campbell, Chairman of the Board
of Governors, and by Major W. E. Thompson, Secretary of the Board. It
was ultimately agreed to ask Major Thompson to organize an O.T.C.; and
all those willing to co-operate were invited to sign the roll.
Ninety-two names were given in at once on the conclusion of the meeting;
of these, five were whole-time Professors. Drill began at once in the
South End Rink, Sergeant-Major Graham of the Permanent Staff being
instructor.

Some of the original officers were:

Major W. E. Thompson, O.C.
Capt. D. Fraser Harris, Adjutant.
Capt. Murray MacNeill.
Capt. D. A. MacRae.
Capt. George Henderson.
Capt. A. W. Cogswell.

Each was in command of a Platoon.

Alumni and business men interested were permitted to join, and there was
so much activity in the autumn of 1914 that by the middle of December
the Corps was ready to be inspected by General Sir Sam Hughes, Minister
of Militia. The inspection took place on December 18th in the South End
Skating Rink. The maximum strength during the first winter session was
close on 200. On May 4, 1915, the Corps was inspected by General
Rutherford, commanding the Garrison. Lectures continued well on into the
summer of 1915.

By the session of 1916 Professor John Cameron, of London, had been
appointed to the Campbell Memorial Chair of Anatomy in Dalhousie
University, and having had a considerable amount of military experience
both with the Volunteer Artillery in Scotland and with Infantry
Volunteers in England, was well qualified to take command of the O.T.C.,
Major Thompson, as Lieutenant-Colonel, having been appointed to the
Headquarters Staff as A.A.G. of Military District No. 6. This Professor
Cameron did with the rank of Major, and retained the command and gave
most of the systematic instruction during the remainder of the existence
of the Corps. By arrangement with Colonel Papineau, commanding the
R.S.I., candidates for commissions were examined at Wellington Barracks.
In this way a considerable number of members of the O.T.C. obtained
commissions and were enabled to proceed Overseas with the various Units
which were being formed as the War progressed. No less than seven
officers who had passed through the D.U.C.O.T.C. went Overseas with the
219th Battalion of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. Practically every
able-bodied male student was a member of the O.T.C. during the first
winter session; and no less than twenty-five members of it were students
from the affiliated Presbyterian College at Pine Hill.

The session of 1916–17 was a very strenuous one. Drill took place in the
evenings at the newly-erected Market Building at the head of Duke
Street, Major Cameron superintending the drill and also giving lectures
either there or in the rooms of the Board of Trade. During each winter
firing practice was systematically carried out at the miniature ranges
erected in the Engineering Laboratory of the Technical College. In
March, 1917, the Corps was inspected in the Market Building by Major
Cooper of the R.S.I. The O.T.C. is still in existence ready to become
active again as soon as the University is in possession of a drill hall.

STATIONARY HOSPITAL UNIT.—The origin of No. 7 Stationary Hospital was
the desire of the Medical Faculty of the University to serve their
country in the Great War. Early in September, 1914, an offer was made to
provide the personnel of a Casualty Clearing Station; this offer was
renewed in the spring of 1915, but the Federal Government was not at
that time in a position to accept it.

It was very generally felt that the only School of Medicine in the
Maritime Provinces ought to have a representation on the Canadian
Expeditionary Force. Those who were the most active in renewing the
offer were Major George M. Campbell, Major C. V. Hogan, and Capts. J. R.
Corston, M. A. MacAulay, L. M. Murray and F. V. Woodbury. The Government
accepted the offer on September 27, 1915. On November 1st, the old
Medical College building was occupied as rooms for headquarters, and
enlistment and training began. On December 16th the Unit was inspected
by General Benson, G.O.C., and by Col. J. A. Grant, A.D.M.S., Military
District No. 6. On December 31st the Hospital sailed from St. John,
N.B., on _H.M.S. Metagama_, arriving at Plymouth on January 10, 1916. On
February 5th the Unit took over Shorncliffe Military Hospital, and on
June 18, 1916, embarked for France.

The personnel of the Dalhousie Hospital Unit was made up as follows:
O.C., Lieut.-Colonel John Stewart, Majors E. V. Hogan and L. M. Murray,
Capts. M. A. MacAulay, V. N. MacKay, K. A. MacKenzie, E. K. MacLellan,
S. J. MacLennan, D. A. MacLeod, J. A. Murray, John Rankine, Frank V.
Woodbury, Karl F. Woodbury, Lieut. S. R. Halcom, Lieut, and
Quartermaster Walter Taylor. The Matron was Miss L. M. Hubley, and there
were twenty-six nursing sisters. Of all other ranks there were one
hundred and twenty-three men. Sixteen additional men were taken on at
Shorncliffe, England.

The Unit arrived home from active service early in the morning of St.
George’s Day, 1919, on the _S.S. Belgic_; in the evening they were
entertained at dinner at the Green Lantern in Halifax. Col. John Stewart
who returned a little later was entertained at a dinner given in his
honor on June 20, 1919.

ACTIVITIES OF THE STAFF: I. _The Faculty of Arts and Science._—The only
full-time Professor in the Senate to go Overseas on active service was
Professor James Eadie Todd, M.A., who saw service with the B.E.F. in
India and in Mesopotamia. Professor Todd, who remained with the troops
until the end of the War, did not return to Dalhousie University.
Professor Howard Murray, LL.D., during the first year of the War, was a
member of the O.T.C. Professor MacNeill during the first year of the War
had command of a Platoon in the O.T.C. Professor J. N. Finlayson, M.Sc.,
entered the O.T.C. at its formation and qualified for a commission in
the infantry. Mr. J. W. Logan, M.A., went Overseas as Captain in the
25th Canadian Infantry Battalion, attained his majority in June, 1916,
and.saw service in France until the end of the War. The Rev. H. A. Kent,
M.A., D.D., having passed through the O.T.C. obtained his Captain’s
commission on March 1, 1916, and went Overseas as a combatant in the
219th Battalion of the Nova Scotia Highlanders. Captain Kent saw service
until September, 1917, when he was transferred to the Chaplain Service,
in which he acted as Adjutant. He was also engaged in educational work
in London until he returned to Canada in May, 1919. Mr. Harry Dean,
Examiner in Music, had command of a Platoon in the O.T.C., and qualified
for a commission in the infantry.

II. _The Faculty of Law._—The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor D.
A. MacRae, Ph.D., joined the O.T.C. and had command of a Platoon during
the first session. Mr. John E. Read, B.C.L. (Oxon.), B.A. (Dal.), Rhodes
Scholar, Lecturer on Real Property, enlisted in the 25th Battalion in
November, 1914, but was immediately transferred to the Canadian Field
Artillery, and took an officer’s training course at the Royal School of
Artillery, Kingston. In February, 1915, Mr. Read joined the 23rd Battery
of the C.F.A. at Fredericton and immediately proceeded Overseas. In July
he was transferred to the Divisional Artillery (1st Canadian Division)
and served in the 4th, 8th and 26th Batteries as Lieutenant, being
promoted to the rank of Captain in July, 1916, on his transference to
the 27th Battery. While Captain Read was Acting-Major he was wounded in
January, 1917. From May, 1917, to March, 1918, he was Senior Gunnery
Instructor at the Canadian School of Gunnery, being invalided to Canada
in April, 1918. Captain Read was mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s
dispatches in June, 1917.

III. _Faculty of Medicine._—After Professor Cameron relinquished the
command of the O.T.C. he reverted to the rank of Captain, and entering
the C.A.M.C. became Resident Physician of the Military Hospital which
had been installed in the Presbyterian College at Pine Hill, Halifax.

Professor A. G. Nicholls, who attained the rank of Major, entered the
C.A.M.C. as Captain and discharged the duties of Chief Bacteriologist,
Serologist and Sanitary Officer for the Halifax Garrison. Dr. W. H.
Hattie, with rank of Captain, saw service with the C.A.M.C. in Halifax.
Professor Fraser Harris, with rank of Captain, acted as Adjutant to the
O.T.C. as long as that Corps remained in activity. The governors could
not see their way to granting his request for leave of absence for
Overseas service. Besides addressing recruiting meetings, Professor
Harris gave courses of instruction in First Aid, under the auspices of
the St. John Ambulance Association, to large classes of men, both in the
service and to civilians, to women students and to cadets.

The following members of the Staff gave their services in the C.A.M.C.
in connection with the Halifax Garrison: Colonels George M. Campbell and
M. A. Curry; Capts. W. Bruce Almon, M. J. Carney, J. S. Corston, J. F.
Lawlor, G. A. Macintosh, Philip Weatherbe and Hugh Schwartz.

IV. _The Faculty of Dentistry._—Although the health of the Dean of this
Faculty, Dr. Frank Woodbury, precluded him from entering military
service, both his sons were able to go Overseas. The elder, Frank
Valentine, who at the outbreak of the War was already acting D.A.D.M.S.
in Military District No. 6, with the rank of Captain, was immediately
mobilized. This appointment he resigned to become Adjutant in the No. 7
Stationary Hospital, C.E.F., in 1915.

In August, 1916, Captain Woodbury was appointed to No. 3 Canadian
Intrenching Battalion, and in August, 1916, proceeded to the Front at
Ypres with that Unit. Later he was posted to the 9th Canadian Field
Ambulance, and saw service at Ypres, on the Somme, at Vimy and at Loos.
Having been promoted, Major Woodbury was recalled to headquarters at
London for Staff duty. He was ultimately appointed A.D.M.S. with the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, returning to Ottawa for duty in November,
1919.

Dr. A. W. Cogswell, Professor of Dental Pathology and Therapeutics,
joined the O.T.C. in November, 1914, and as Captain had command of a
Platoon.

Dr. George Kerr Thomson, Professor of Crown and Bridgework and Ceramics
and Oral Hygiene, at the outbreak of the War, held the rank of Captain
in the 63rd Halifax Rifles. Later he was transferred to the C.A.D.C. and
appointed Assistant Director of Dental Services in Military District No.
6. When, early in 1915, Sir Sam Hughes ordered the organization of the
C.A.D.C. Major Thomson was made First Director of Dental Services. In
1916 the Dental Services at Valcartier Camp were organized by Major
Thomson with the assistance of Captain F. H. Bradley of Military
District No. 4. Dr. W. W. Woodbury, Professor of Orthodontia, who had
been appointed Captain in the C.A.D.C. in May, 1918, proceeded to
Aldershot Camp, where as A.D.D.S. for the Camp he had charge of all the
Dental Services there. In October, 1918, Dr. Woodbury was posted for
special duty at McNab’s Island, where he remained until January, 1919,
when he was appointed to Camp Hill Hospital, to superintend the dental
treatment of returned soldiers. He remained at this centre until general
demobilization on November 15, 1919.

_Undergraduate Enlistment._—From the very first hour of the War, the
attention of the undergraduates had been directed to joining the
Canadian Expeditionary Force. Up to the date of the Armistice five
hundred and eighty members of the University had enlisted for military
or naval service, either Overseas or in Canada. Of these, sixty-seven
are known to have lost their lives, and forty-four to have received
decorations for distinguished service. Of those who were decorated, five
lost their lives. The decorations are as follows:

D.S.O. 3
D.C.M. 3, 1 with Bar
O.B.E. 2
M.M. 4
M.C. 32, 2 with Bar
Croix de Guerre 1

These do not include decorations awarded to members of the Staff.

The names of those winning the D.S.O. are: John Keeller MacKay of Pictou
(Law ’13–’15), Colonel and O.C. 22nd Battalion 6th Howitzer Brigade,
B.E.F. J. Layton Ralston (Law ’02–’03) Amherst, Colonel and O.C. of the
85th Battalion, C.E.F. Barry Wentworth Roscoe, of Kentville (LL.B. ’04),
Major 5th C.M.R., C.E.F.

At the outbreak of the War the University had on its books 398 students,
of whom 90 were women. Of the 308 male students of the session 1914–15
by the end of the session practically every third man had enlisted for
military service.

So many students left the Presbyterian Theological College, Pine Hill,
Halifax, as to make it only the shadow of its former self. In the
session of 1914–15 as many as twenty-five students from Pine Hill were
drilling with the O.T.C.; thirteen men from this College ultimately saw
service Overseas.

Of students of Engineering in the session of 1914–15, twenty-one were
enrolled in the O.T.C.

Of Law students twenty-two were on the roll of the O.T.C. during the
first session.

One cannot write of what Dalhousie University did in the War without a
few words as to what she suffered. The only son of the Chairman of the
Board of Governors, Mr. G. S. Campbell, LL.D., Lieut. George Henderson
Campbell, was killed near Ypres in May, 1916. He had graduated B.A. in
the previous May, and was within only two days of his 21st birthday. Two
Rhodes Scholars lost their lives in the Great War, namely: Walter
Melville Billman (B.A. ’13), Lieut. 1st Middlesex Regiment, B.E.F.; and
Harry Austin MacCleave (B.A. ’16), Lieut. 13th Montreal Highlanders,
C.E.F. While the accidental death of the young, the healthy and the
brave is always a poignant sorrow, the passing of those who are also the
finest products of the academic culture of their day is a catastrophe of
the first magnitude.

CHAPTER XLII.
_KING’S COLLEGE AND KING’S COLLEGE SCHOOL IN THE WAR._

The University of King’s College at Windsor, N.S., has always been small
in numbers, but always big in the spirit it has displayed and in the
type of men it has fostered.

It was founded in 1789—the oldest University in the British Dominions
beyond the Seas—by United Empire Loyalists, by men who readily gave up
all they possessed in a material sense rather than forsake their
allegiance to an ideal. It is not surprising then that at all times
there have been King’s men ready to answer the King’s call and that the
names of men such as Inglis and Welsford are held in special reverence
by their _Alma Mater_.

The spirit of loyal service and sacrifice that has actuated King’s men
was at once evident in her sons when the Great Call came in 1914, and
King’s has every reason to be proud of her record of loyalty and
devotion in the Great War. More than four hundred of her sons were at
the King’s side during that fierce struggle for freedom.

In 1914 there were at least twelve King’s men, including seven Generals,
holding commissions in the Imperial Army and the Canadian Permanent
Forces.

Fourteen volunteers sailed with the First Contingent of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force, four of whom were killed in action. The first
King’s man to make the Great Sacrifice was Capt. G. L. B. Concanon, who
was killed in the Dardanelles Campaign while serving with the 2nd
Battalion of Australian Infantry.

In the Second Contingent were some thirty-five students and graduates of
the College and a number of “Old Boys” of the School.

Amongst the notable enlistments from College during the War were the
nine who volunteered for service in the Cycle Corps of the 2nd
Contingent, and some twenty, mostly students, who enlisted together in
the 193rd Battalion, Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. This latter
represented an enlistment of about 50 per cent. of the student body then
in residence at King’s College and included one of her Professors.

During the period of the War the largest number of male students in
attendance at King’s College was forty-eight, and this number was
reduced to a few physically unfit men in 1917, and yet sixty-seven
students actually enlisted from the College, and ten of them made the
supreme sacrifice. In all twenty-three King’s men fell in action on the
Field of Honor.

So reduced was the student body that when the Military Service Act came
into effect there was not one physically fit student left to come under
the provisions of that Act.

Early in 1915 a contingent of the Canadian Officers’ Training Corps was
organized at King’s College under Professor Sturley as Officer
Commanding, and did very useful work not only amongst the students at
College, but also amongst the young men of Windsor, the seat of King’s
College. Its active life, however was short, for within about twelve
months of its organization practically the whole of the personnel of the
Corps had enlisted for Overseas Service.

Amongst the honors gained by King’s men during the War were:

O. B. Jones D.S.O.
J. P. Silver D.S.O., C.B.E.
C. Hill D.S.O.
C. R. E. Willets D.S.O.
H. A. Kaulback O.B.E.
A. E. Andrew M.C.
G. D. Campbell M.C.
R. H. Morris M.C.
C. V. Strong M.C.
C. Campbell M.C.
W. G. Ernst M.C. and Bar.
G. B. Murray M.C.
R. H. Tait M.C.
D. L. Teed M.C.
P. L. Parlee D.C.M.
W. E. Warburton D.C.M.
G. L. Jones D.C.M.
C. Blanchard M.M.
T. W. Maynard M.M.
H. R. Poole Legion of Honor.
R. H. Stewart Order of St. George of Russia.
G. F. Mason Croix de Guerre.

Of the many who distinguished themselves by gallant service, whether
officially recognized or not, the record of a few of the younger
generation must suffice as typical of all.

Two of the first students to enlist were Edward Jeffery and George
Mason. They enlisted together in the ranks of the First Contingent, 17th
Battalion, and went over to France together with the 14th Battalion, 1st
Canadian Division. For sixteen months they fought side by side—all
through the terrible winter of 1914–1915 in the Ypres Salient—and came
through that fiery ordeal unscathed. They returned to England together
for their commissions, training together at Crowborough. Mason returned
to France almost immediately after the course, but Jeffery was taken ill
and was operated on for appendicitis; and it was not till April, 1918,
that he was again sent to France. In June, 1918, he joined his new
Battalion, 16th Canadian Scottish, and found himself posted to a Company
commanded by Mason, now a Captain. So they were together again in
France. On the night of the 26th September Jeffery received his first
wound, but it proved fatal, and the next day he was laid to rest at
Ligny St. Frochel, near St. Pol. Only four days later, on October 1st,
his great chum followed, and so these two, who for four long years had
borne the burden and strife of the Great War with what seemed charmed
lives, were reunited once more in that land where there is no more
parting and no more strife.

Arthur Leigh Collett, B.A., had left King’s for Oxford as a Rhodes
Scholar, but at once forsook his work at Oxford and enlisted in the
Imperial Army. He served in France as a Lieutenant with the 8th
Gloucesters, and in the autumn of 1915, in the Battle of Messines Ridge
he was reported missing and later believed killed. Others from his
Battalion reported missing at the same time were later reported as
prisoners of war in Germany. There is little doubt that Collett fought
gallantly facing the odds and choosing to meet death rather than to
cease for a moment, while life lasted, from striving for the ideals of
justice and righteousness.

A. B. C. Hilbert was one of the most popular students and one of the
best athletes at King’s. Enlisting with the Cycle Corps he transferred
to the Royal Naval Air Service on reaching England. In July, 1917, he
wrote: “I am at present resting after a twenty-two weeks’ illness due to
a little ducking I got in the North Sea. I am flying again in August.”
In October came the news that he had fallen a second time in the North
Sea, and now there he rests with many other gallant sons of Britain.

Of the others who enlisted with him in the Cycle Corps, Turnbull and
McCormick rest in soldiers’ graves in Flanders; Crawford died in
hospital ere he saw the foe; Foster and Parlee are back with us at
King’s, and though Parlee has lost a leg, his breast is adorned with
that proud emblem of bravery, the Distinguished Conduct Medal; Brittain
has recovered from his serious wounds and is serving the King of Peace;
Harley, Hallett and the rest are giving the same good account of
themselves that they always gave as loyal sons of King’s.

George Stewart Burchell was one of that little band who enlisted
together with the 193rd Battalion, Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, and
joined the 85th Battalion in France. He was one of the most promising of
the younger sons of King’s, a clever, manly, gentlemanly young fellow.
He fought for the cause of liberty and right and now rests in a
soldier’s grave in France.

In the records of the King’s College Advance Movement is the entry,
“George Stewart Burchell, killed at the Front, his pay at his request,
$100.” May King’s never cease to honor the memory of this loyal and
gallant son.

W. B. Ernst enlisted as a private in the 193rd Battalion, rose to the
rank of Captain in the 85th Battalion, and was awarded the Military
Cross and Bar. Ernst has not rested on his laurels, and since his return
here has shown that in the field of scholarship, too, he will take no
second place, and has captured the Rhodes Scholarship from the Province
of Nova Scotia. King’s will ever have reason to be proud of the records
of Ernst, so affectionately known as “Bill.”

Of others whom King’s will always delight to honor may be mentioned
Capt. D. L. Teed, M.C., and Gunner L. Wilkinson, who fell gallantly
serving their guns, Lieut. W. E. Warburton, D.CM., rewarded for his
bravery in the Dardanelles, Lieut.-Col. C. R. E. Willets, D.S.O., the
gallant and popular Commanding Officer of the R.C.R. in France, and now
commanding the famous “Princess Pats,” Cecil Blanchard, M.M., who was
too young to enlist except as a bugler, but not too young to show that
he came of loyal fighting stock; and the Campbell brothers, six of whom
saw active service, and two of whom, Colin and Kenneth, lie “out there,”
somewhere in France.

Though these records are brief and unworthy may they suffice to show
that the true spirit of King’s still lives in her sons, and that they,
as of old, have upheld nobly her best traditions and realized in some
measure her ideals of service,

_“DEO, LEGI, REGI, GREGI.”_

CHAPTER XLIII.
_ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY AND THE WAR._

In the Great War students, past and present, of St. Francis Xavier
University served in every branch of the Forces of Canada, and in the
armies and navies of Great Britain, France and America. But it is the
especial pride of St. Francis Xavier to have furnished a complete Unit,
if a small one, of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. The Unit was
officially known as No. 9 Stationary Hospital, C.A.M.C.

This Unit was organized in November, 1915, and was for some time
quartered in the University itself. It left Canada for the United
Kingdom in June, 1916, and proceeded to France in November of the
following year. Till April, 1918, it was stationed at St. Omer, but the
great German offensive of that spring made necessary its withdrawal to
Etaples, where it became part of the hospital system of the main British
base.

In the notorious bombardment of May 18, 1918, No. 9 was the first
hospital to be attacked, and suffered severely. Its premises were
completely destroyed, and more than forty per cent. of its personnel
became casualties. Towards the end of 1918, the status of the St.
Francis Xavier Unit was raised to that of a General Hospital. It
returned to Canada in July, 1919, and upon the reorganization of the
Military Forces of Canada, was preserved as an integral part of the
Active Militia.

More than three hundred and fifty Xavierians joined the colors.
Thirty-three were killed, or died on active service. The following
decorations were won by students or alumni of the University:

C.M.G. 1
D.S.O. 4
M.C. 11
First Bar, M.C. 1
Second Bar, M.C. 1
O.B.E. 1
D.C.M. 3
M.M. 5
M.S.M. 1

Three professors of the Faculty of the University saw active service in
the Canadian, Imperial and American Forces respectively; two were
severely wounded and one received the Military Cross.

In Canada during the War St. Francis Xavier took a becoming part in the
forefront of every patriotic activity. A contingent of the Canadian
Officers’ Training Corps was gazetted in April, 1915. Training had
hardly been begun when the Corps lost the majority of its officers by
enlistment and with the numbers of students continually dwindling—at one
commencement a single individual presented himself for graduation—it
became impossible to continue parades.

In every branch of war work pursued in the neighborhood of Antigonish,
the locale of the University, the lead was taken by members of the Staff
of St. Francis Xavier. The chairman of the local committee for the
Patriotic Fund, the Antigonish County Organizer of the Victory Loan
Campaign, and the Director of the re-establishment activities of the
Knights of Columbus over a wide area of Eastern Nova Scotia, were
professors of the University. In connection with the patriotic work of
the Knights of Columbus, it may be mentioned St. Francis Xavier did its
full share in the launching of the Dominion-wide campaign, which made it
possible for this body to perform its splendid services to our troops at
the scene of war. In brief in St. Francis Xavier, as in all the
universities of the land, it was the aim of all compelled to “carry on”
at home to become, by patriotic endeavor and sacrifice, not unworthy of
those who went from it to fight their country’s and the Empire’s
battles.

_Editor’s Note._—No. 9 Stationary Hospital Unit is more fully dealt
with in Chapter xxvi.

CHAPTER XLIV.
_THE PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE AND THE GREAT WAR._

Ministers of the Gospel are the avowed ambassadors of the Prince of
Peace; and it is so constantly their task to allay the passions of the
human heart and to preach universal love, particularly in their appeals
for foreign missions, that many people felt that their ideal was at
variance with the spirit of war and were prepared to find students for
the ministry offering for other forms of patriotic service than fighting
in the line. The extraordinary response of theological colleges and of
sons of the manse all over the Empire showed how mistaken this idea had
been. The message of the Cross and the call to self-sacrifice had quite
the opposite effect. Young men who were going to be preachers
experienced a new sense of responsibility; they knew that they could not
consistently call others to a life of service and suffering, if they
were not prepared themselves to lead the way. This is the attitude that
prevailed among the students at Pine Hill, which is the oldest
Presbyterian Theological College in Canada, and which will celebrate in
1920 its centenary.

The intensity of this conviction surprised every one on the parade
ground of the South End Rink, Halifax, when Col. W. E. Thompson
organized the O.T.C. of Dalhousie University. The large majority of the
students in residence at Pine Hill were there. The Divinity classes open
late, and thus many had been in the city only a few days when this call
came in the beginning of November, 1914. Colonel Thompson has on several
public occasions paid a fine tribute to these theological men; and they
in return frankly acknowledge how much they were moved by the frank and
earnest appeal of the Colonel himself.

The O.T.C. was but a voluntary and preliminary phase of the grave
decision; but it had a most stimulating effect, and nearly all the
students who joined its ranks found themselves ultimately in active
service. Right on the heels of the O.T.C. came the formation of a small
Cycle Corps Unit, to which three from Pine Hill were admitted, the first
to enlist for Overseas. This Unit was almost entirely made up of
students, and its advent in Halifax was celebrated by a dinner given in
the residence at Pine Hill. The dining hall was crowded. Colonel
Thompson and Colonel Grant, A.D.M.S., spoke; the impression made was
very deep; and probably at that hour a large number made up their minds
to join the colors. The impression was intensified by the dramatic
announcement in the course of the dinner of the splendid sea victory at
Falkland Islands, the news of which had just come over the wire.

Before the year was out there came an urgent appeal for an Ambulance
Corps, and fifteen responded. Few of them stayed long in the Army
Medical Corps after they got across, but asked for transfers to fighting
units, in which they played their part nobly, and where some of them
laid down their lives.

Early in 1915 the 6th Mounted Rifles were formed and eight more joined,
going to England in July. In the summer four others enlisted in the No.
7 Overseas Hospital (The Dalhousie) Unit; and in the winter, 1915–16,
five enlisted in the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade and five in the
artillery. By the second anniversary of the War the great bulk of the
Divinity students had entered the army, and most of these were already
Overseas.

Below is given a list of the names and of the Units to which they were
eventually attached, and henceforward their history becomes identified
with their Units and is told elsewhere. There were forty-eight in all,
including the Principal and Professor H. A. Kent, who were ultimately on
the strength of the Chaplain Service. Two received the Military Cross
and one the Military Medal; seven paid the supreme sacrifice; and many
were wounded or gassed. All but seven of those who survived continued
their studies for the ministry on their return.

Following is the roll of honor:

John Ross, a Scotch lad, who, in the beginning of the War, joined
the fleet, and went down with the _Indefatigable_ in the Battle of
Jutland.

Arthur P. MacIvor, from Cape Breton, joined the C.M.R., and was
killed at Mount Sorel, on June 2, 1916.

Earl Lockerby, from P.E.I., in the 42nd R.H.C. Killed at
Courcellette, September, 1916.

Ralph B. Clarke, B.A., from New Brunswick, joined the 26th, and was
killed at Courcellette, on September 17, 1916.

Stephen Dick, from New Brunswick, joined C.F.A., and survived until
the final offensive in 1918.

Lieut. Harold A. Smith, B.A., M.C., from Cape Breton; served in 5th
C.M.R.; wounded first on the Somme, and killed in May, 1918.

Cyril Hyde, Lieutenant in the Royal Air Service; killed over the
German lines.

PINE HILL STUDENTS WHO SERVED OVERSEAS.

(Those marked with an asterisk were killed.)

FACULTY.

Capt. Principal C. Mackinnon, D.D., LL.D. Chaplain Service, O.M.P.C.
Capt. H. A. Kent, D.D. Chaplain Service, O.M.P.C.

STUDENTS FOR THE MINISTRY.

Lieut. B. C. Salter, B.A. 42nd R.H.C.
Lieut. D. A. Guildford, M.A. C.D.A.
*Earl Lockerby 42nd R.H.C.
*Lieut. R. B. Clarke, B.A. 26th Can. Infantry.
L. B. Campbell, B.A. 3rd Can. Field Ambulance.
Lieut. J. K. Murchison, B.A. R.F.A.
R. A. Patterson, B.A. C.A.M.C.
G. D. MacLeod, B.A. C.H.A.
D. J. Morrison. C.A.M.C.
P. B. Fox, B.A. C.A.M.G.C.
Capt. A. D. Archibald, B.A., M.C. 85th N.S. Highlanders.
Lieut. J. G. Paterson, B.A. R.F.A.
*Lieut. Cyril Hyde R.A.F.
Neil Macdonald 85th N.S. Highlanders.
Capt. Geo. Murray, M.C. 85th N.S. Highlanders.
Victor B. Walls C.A.M.C.
J. S. Nickerson, B.A. C.A.M.C.
Colin U. McNiven 25th Can. Infantry.
*J. S. Ross H.M.S. _Indefatigable_.
*A. P. McIvor, B.A. 5th C.M.R.
*Lieut. H. A. Smith, B.A., M.C. 5th C.M.R.
Lieut. McI. McLeod 5th C.M.R.
Norman A. MacKenzie 85th N.S. Highlanders.
D. P. MacLeod 4th C.M.R.
W. J. V. Tweedie 4th C.M.R.
Lieut. John Craigie B.E.F.
Capt. R. E. G. Roome R.F.A.
Cadet P. C. Lewis R.A.F.
Wm. Matheson 85th N.S. Highlanders.
J. D. MacLeod 13th R.H.C.
H. H. Blanchard, B.A., M.M. 85th N.S. Highlanders.
R. H. Scott 85th N.S. Highlanders.
Lieut. E. S. Smith, M.A. R.A.F.
Lieut. McLaren Keswick 25th Can. Infantry.
Neil M. Rattee, B.A. 7th Overseas Hospital.
John A. Nicholson, B.A. C.F.A.
Lieut. T. H. Whelpley 87th Can. Inf. G.G.
*Stephen J. Dick C.F.A.
A. M. Gillis 10th Siege Battery.
Lieut. A. E. Kerr R.A.F.
John Mackay 10th Can. Siege Battery.
A. B. Simpson 19th C.F.A.
D. F. Marshall, B.A. 15th R.H.C.
F. Yates 10th Can. Infantry.
J. S. Bonnell, B.A. 8th Siege Battery.

CHAPTER XLV.
_RECRUITING IN NOVA SCOTIA._

The number of men of military age in Canada at the outbreak of the War
was approximately 1,720,000, and of this Nova Scotia’s quota was 53,500.
As the War progressed it was decided that Canada’s contribution would be
500,000 and Nova Scotia’s proportion 30,000, which was attained.

At first no particular effort was made by the public to raise the
various Units, the matter being left entirely in the hands of the
Military. The 1st Field Ambulance and the 17th Field Battery proceeded
to Valcartier as Units, and thence Overseas with the First Division. The
17th, Nova Scotia’s first Battalion, to our lasting disgrace, was left
to paddle its own canoe to the rocks in Salisbury Plains, where it
eventually became the 17th Reserve Battalion, supplying reinforcements
to the Nova Scotia Units in the Field.

The 25th was the first Battalion in which the public evinced any
interest. This was mainly recruited from Militia Units, a large
proportion coming from the Island of Cape Breton and from Halifax. The
40th Battalion and the 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles, authorized in
February, 1915, were recruited with comparative ease, the 40th entirely
from Nova Scotia and the 6th C.M.R. from the three Maritime Provinces.
At this time the 25th had not proceeded Overseas, and it was not until
May that this Battalion, which in France earned for itself the title of
the “Fighting 25th,” sailed from Halifax, taking as its final complement
part of the 40th Battalion.

The 40th was then sent to Aldershot, N.S., for training, and was almost
immediately called upon to supply a draft of 5 officers and 250 men.
About this time recruiting slackened. The strength of the 40th dwindled,
due to casualties from sickness and other causes, and it seemed that
unless a special effort were made by the public this Unit would share
the fate of the 17th, or worse. Mr. G. S. Campbell, whose son was among
the officers of this Unit, brought back from Valcartier the news that
unless the Battalion was quickly brought up to strength it would be
absorbed into a Battalion of another Province, and Nova Scotia would
lose it. A strong Committee of prominent citizens was immediately
formed. Money for advertising was subscribed, and a campaign launched,
the effect of which never ceased during the period of the War. The 40th
was brought up to full strength, and in October proceeded Overseas.

As a result of the efforts of this Committee it was thought by
Headquarters M.D. No. 6 that the work of recruiting throughout the
Province should be inspected and reported on. Lieut.-Col. H. Flowers was
selected to undertake this duty. Every important town in the Province
was visited except in Cape Breton, which was supplying many men through
the energetic work of the Rev. E. Watering Florence. The prominent
people in each town were induced to lend their assistance, forming such
organizations as they in their wisdom deemed best. All the assistance
that headquarters and the Halifax Committee could give was supplied at
the request of the other centres.

This proved most successful and when the 64th was authorized in August,
1915, to be recruited from the three Maritime Provinces, so great was
the enthusiasm in Nova Scotia that in three weeks the full complement
was supplied by that Province alone, and later the men from New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island became the nucleus for the 104th New
Brunswick Battalion. Lieut.-Colonel Flowers went to the 64th as Second
in Command, and Major W. B. A. Ritchie was appointed Officer in Charge
of Recruiting. He was followed in December, 1916, by Major G. B. Cutten,
of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. These officers were assisted by
Capt. F. W. Micklewright and Capt. F. T. DeWolfe. Apart from Capt. E. W.
Florence, Captain Micklewright probably recruited more men personally
than any other officer.

The 64th Battalion being over strength, the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia
Highlanders, authorized some time previously, was ordered to proceed
with recruiting. Numbers flocked to join its ranks. Men of responsible
positions and lucrative salaries offered their services. In less than a
month the Battalion was over strength and a large number of applicants
were turned away.

In the gloomy closing days of 1915, when the withdrawal of the Gallipoli
Expedition was announced, and many cherished expectations were again
doomed to disappointment, the whole British Empire was profoundly
stirred, and began to take its grip with characteristic bulldog
tenacity. All its resources were demanded, every available man must go.
Consequently in January of 1916 the question was mooted, why should not
Nova Scotia give a whole Highland Brigade, and those who applied too
late for admission to the 85th be afforded another and more liberal
opportunity of going to the Front? Perhaps no idea ever suggested in the
Province was taken up with more hearty enthusiasm.

During the first few weeks of 1916 organization was developed with great
assiduity. It was decided to make use of the popular 85th in the work of
recruiting. Every soldier who believed he could recruit another man was
given six days’ leave to do so; and if he succeeded in recruiting more
than one he was granted an additional six days. Officers who volunteered
to raise a Platoon were given charge of the territory in which it could
be recruited. The results were in some instances amazing. Lads who
seemed unlikely enough brought in recruits by the score.

In preparation for this great “drive” a publicity campaign was organized
on an extensive scale. Pulpit, press and schoolroom were commandeered,
and gave themselves up generously to the work. Religious services were
arranged at which moral issues of the War were brought home forcibly to
the people. Military uniforms appeared in the pulpits and unwonted
martial strains, even from the bagpipes, were heard in sacred precincts.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the campaign was the use made of the
public schools. The Union Jack was widely displayed. The children were
drilled in patriotic songs. Books were laid aside and mass meetings held
at which prominent citizens delivered addresses until to the
impressionable mind of the little children it was incredible that anyone
should stay at home. A letter was addressed by Lieut.-Colonel Borden to
the boys and girls of Nova Scotia. In simple language he explained the
meaning of the War, and converted every child into an irrepressible
recruiting agent among his big brothers at home, or in the circle of his
friends.

When the country had thus been duly prepared, and public feeling was
running high, the master-stroke was given, which resulted in the raising
of “three Battalions in three weeks,” a feat unsurpassed in the
recruiting efforts of Canada. This was a series of meetings, held in
every town, village and country hall, crowded to the doors, and
characterized by the intense fervor of a religious revival. Notable
among those who took part in the campaign for the 193rd and 219th
Battalions were Lieut.-Colonel Borden, Lieut.-Colonel Guthrie (invalided
home from the Front), President Cutten of Acadia University, Dr.
Clarence McKinnon, and a score of other public men, who gladly gave time
and talent to the task. The band of the 85th Battalion accompanied the
speakers in their tour through the counties of Lunenburg, Queens,
Shelburne, Yarmouth, Annapolis, Digby, Kings, Pictou and Antigonish.

Cape Breton had already contributed the 17th and 36th Batteries (the
latter Unit was raised in a single day), a large proportion of the 25th
and 40th Battalions, six hundred men to the 64th, three hundred men to
the 85th, three hundred men to the 106th, besides keeping at full
strength its Militia Regiment, the 94th Argyll Highlanders, which had
been on active service from the outbreak of the War. Not satisfied with
this the Island asked for and received authority to recruit a purely
Cape Breton Infantry Battalion, to be included in the Nova Scotia
Highland Brigade. Under the supervision of Major Gordon S. Harrington
(later appointed Deputy Overseas Minister and promoted to the rank of
Colonel) Cape Breton officers and men of the 83th Battalion returned to
their former homes and engaged in active recruiting. Meetings were held
in every town and village, and addresses made by Mayor Richardson, F. A.
Crowell, A. D. Gunn, D. A. Cameron, Dr. C. E. McMillan, Stuart McCawley,
the late D. A. Hearn, and many other prominent people. As a result of
their work, and in spite of the restrictions placed upon them by the
G.O.C. M.D. No. 6, who forbade the enlistment of employees of the
Dominion Coal Company and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company, the 185th
Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders was recruited to full strength within
three weeks.

In April, 1916, Mr. F. A. Crowell was requested to act as Chief
Recruiting Officer for the County of Cape Breton. In a civilian capacity
and without remuneration he accepted the position, and, assisted by
Lieutenant Chirgwin and Sergt. A. Johnstone of the 94th Regiment,
carried on the work until January, 1917. Up to the time the Military
Service Act came into force the Island of Cape Breton contributed over
seven thousand volunteers, including, in addition to the Units already
named, 100 men to the 246th Battalion, 200 men to the Composite
Battalion, besides a large number to the several Artillery Units
mobilized at Halifax, to the 165th, 169th and 239th Battalions, the Army
Service Corps, Forestry Units, Railway Troops and Army Medical Services,
with a lower record of rejection than in any other district in Canada—in
the case of the 185th only three per cent.

It would have been impossible for the Chief Recruiting Officer and his
Staff of paid officers and men to have made the success they did had it
not been for the valuable services rendered by the voluntary recruiting
officers all over the Province. These men worked faithfully throughout
the War without remuneration, and not infrequently labored under
misrepresentation.

CHAPTER XLVI.
_OCEAN TRANSPORT._

The importance of the work done in Military District No. 6 during the
period of the Great War is doubtless not realized by the public, other
than those who were directly interested in the work. Aside from Halifax
being a fortified port, and the Naval Base of the Atlantic Fleet during
the War, it was the point of embarkation of the Canadian troops for
Overseas, with the exception of the First Contingent, which was sent
Overseas from Quebec. Therefore the work, devolving on District No. 6,
in handling the enormous number of Canadian, American, Australian and
New Zealand troops that passed through here was a matter of considerable
responsibility and care, not only in checking the men going on board
ship, but also in providing accommodations, rations, etc., while they
were held ashore at Halifax from a day to three or four weeks, awaiting
the arrival of their transports. In addition it was necessary to make
preparations for emergencies, of which there were several, including
such things as the stranding of a troopship near the mouth of Halifax
Harbor, which necessitated the safe removal, landing and caring for the
troops by other than the regular methods.

The detail work in connection with these duties was great and varied.
For instance, the Department at Ottawa would arrange the date for the
sailing of transports and the allotment of troops for each. The
Department would then notify this district accordingly. The troops
allotted to each ship would arrive by special trains, often before their
transport reached port. During this period of waiting many casualties
would occur, either through absentees, sickness, or from other causes,
necessitating extra accommodation at the local quarters or in hospital.
On the arrival of the ship these men would have to be checked on board
individually, all casualties accounted for, complete returns made out,
such as marching out state, lists of officers, inspection of all
documents, and many other details. After that particular ship was loaded
she would pull away from the pier and remain in harbor awaiting the
loading of the other transports. Very often these transports would lie
in the harbor for some days before sailing, awaiting the completion of
the convoy, a result being that additional casualties would occur daily
on each ship during that period. These had to be taken off the ship, in
turn, all documents corrected to date so that when the ship sailed from
the harbor an accurate record of every man on board was complete and
thus enabled the Government to check the proper charges of the Steamship
Companies for transportation. In the early stages of the War transports
to the number of forty would sail from Halifax in one convoy, but
towards the latter end of the War the Naval Authorities provided for
convoys not exceeding seventeen ships at one time.

In all there were 284,455 Canadian troops embarked from Halifax. Some
50,000 Chinamen, and a large number of American troops also embarked
from this port. In addition, ships with New Zealanders and Australians
on board called at this port to join the convoys, and often were allowed
to land for route marches and given shore leave. This also entailed much
work on this district, due to the necessity of looking after casualties,
absentees, etc.

Of all the casualties occurring during these embarkations a careful
record had to be kept, and in due course, that is, as soon as possible
after they became fit or were apprehended, they were sent Overseas on
later transports.

Many complicated questions arose during this period, as, for instance,
men arriving on troop trains under arrest for misdemeanors of various
kinds, and thus necessitating this district dealing with such cases.

Following is a summary of the Canadian troops that embarked at Halifax
during the war period:—

Date. Ship. Embarked Halifax. Monthly Total.
1915.
Jan. 8 Zeeland 346
————— 346
Feb. 23 Megantic 40
23 Missinabie 13
28 Scandinavian 23
————— 76
Mar. 6 Grampian 8
15 Northland 130
21 Corsican 40
22 Orduna
26 Hesperian 15
26 Chaleur 68
28 Missinabie 321
————— 582
Apr. 4 Scandinavian 12
6 Georgia 76
9 Chignecto 48
10 Metagama 641
12 Manchester Corporation 73
17 St. George 414
18 Northland 1,711
18 Grampian 1,660
24 Missinabie 440
————— 5,075
May 2 Hesperian 154
20 Saxonia 2,282
20 Halifax 37
————— 2,473
June 14 Herschell 523
15 Caledonia 1,833
————— 2,356
Aug. 8 Italia 1,211
8 Caledonia 994
9 Metagama 1,615
26 Caledonia 1,087
————— 4,907
Oct. 23 Lapland 2,319
27 Orduna 1,095
————— 3,414
Nov. 19 Chignecto 88
22 Saxonia 2,494
23 California 1,909
27 Lapland 2,281
————— 6,772
Dec. 3 Chaudiere 98
6 Orduna 1,121
8 Italia 430
————— 1,649
1916.
Jan. 22 Missinabie 1,591
————— 1,591
Feb. 10 Caraquet 24
————— 24
Mar. 13 Lapland 2,127
13 Baltic 2,606
30 Empress of Britain 3,542
31 Adriatic 2,440
————— 10,715
Apr. 1 Olympic 5,787
18 Missinabie 1,717
21 Chaleur 20
23 Empress of Britain 4,020
24 Lapland 2,201
29 Olympic 5,583
————— 19,328
May 6 Chignecto 61
12 Baltic 2,612
19 Adriatic 2,325
20 Empress of Britain 3,788
26 Grampian 692
31 Olympic 5,794
————— 15,272
June 18 Empress of Britain 3,420
19 Missinabie 1,663
28 Olympic 5,755
————— 10,838
July 8 Lapland 2,208
15 Empress of Britain 3,778
23 Olympic 5,290
28 Caraquet 162
————— 11,438
Aug. 6 Scandinavian 1,351
7 Cameronia 1,430
8 Metagama 1,581
8 Scotian 1,235
14 Empress of Britain 3,704
15 Grampian 1,471
21 Olympic 5,109
————— 15,881
Sept. 11 Scandinavian 1,396
11 Cameronia 1,412
12 Metagama 1,491
12 Northland 1,473
18 Olympic 5,486
23 Lapland 2,042
25 Southland 1,379
25 Corsican 1,426
26 Laconia 2,230
26 Tusconia 2,360
————— 20,695
Oct. 2 California 1,1 61
3 Missinabie 1,708
3 Saxonia 2,417
11, 12 & 13 Olympic 5,988
17 Cameronia 1,401
17 Metagama 1,721
17 Northland 1,662
24 Grampian 1,673
25 Mauretania 3,089
25 & 26 Corsican 1,351
30 Lapland 2,196
Oct. 31 Caronia 4,251
31 Empress of Britain 3,796
————— 32,414
Nov. 1 Southland 1,700
13 Olympic 5,909
23 & 24 Mauretania 3,123
27 Metagama 1,609
————— 12,341
Dec. 16 Olympic 5,999
27 Northland 36
————— 6,035
1917.
Jan. 23 Scandinavian 1,350
24 Canada 1,244
26 Grampian 1,525
————— 4,119
Feb. 16 Southland 1,749
16 Missinabie 1,727
————— 3,476
Mar. 4 Canada 1,241
4 Ansonia 1,049
25 Metagama 1,641
25 Lapland 1,637
25 Southland 892
26 Missinabie 1,595
26 Saxonia 2,357
————— 10,412
Apr. 9 Carpathia 2,341
9 Canada 1,282
17 Scandinavian 1,194
18 Ansonia 1,102
18 Northland 1,572
18 Grampian 1,654
27 Olympic 5,605
30 Megantic 1,141
————— 15,891
May 1 Metagama 1,696
3 Justicia 4,445
28 Olympic 5,823
————— 11,964
June 22 Justicia 4,160
————— 4,160
Aug. 6 Olympic 100
10 Grampian 1,500
11 Missinabie 1,402
————— 3,002
Sept. 5 Megantic 1,854
————— 1,854
Oct. 4 Metagama 1,276
20 Scandinavian 925
————— 2,201
Nov. 20 Scotian 1,352
24 Megantic 1,637
27 Metagama 1,182
————— 4,171
Dec. 21 Missinabie 1,700
21 Grampian 1,638
28 Canada 11
————— 3,349
1918.
Jan. 19 Kursk 50
27 Orita 320
28 Scandinavian 1,290
————— 1,660
Feb. 5 Grampian 1,607
5 Missinabie 1,678
5 Canada 826
13 Lapland 1,815
21 Megantic 1,822
21 Meletia 1,830
21 Saxonia 2,138
28 Metagama 1,692
28 Kasmala 111
————— 13,519
Mar. 1 Justicia 155
8 Scotian 23
8 Toloa 819
13 Chaleur 29
17 Saturnia 100
25 Missinabie 1,656
25 Scandinavian 1,293
25 Grampian 1,591
————— 5,666
Apr. 9 Metagama 1,672
9 Tunisian 1,318
9 Ulua 949
17 Scotian 1,324
17 Toloa 1,108
17 Melita 1,906
————— 8,277
May 11 Tierisias 1,252
11 Runic 394
16 Ajana 1,435
16 Valacia 1,020
23 C. of Marseilles 55
————— 4,156
June 17 Pannonia 853
24 Wiamana 389
24 Gloucestershire 512
24 Ionic 27
————— 1,781
July 2 Oxfordshire 390
3 Valacia 185
————— 575
———————
Total 284,455

CHAPTER XLVII.
_MUNITIONS._

A brief history of the work of the Shell Committee, its organization,
and the part played by the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company in
producing munitions during the first two and a half years of the War.

On September 8, 1915, Col. Alex Bertram, Thomas Cantley, and George W.
Watts were summoned by the Federal Minister of Militia, Sir Sam Hughes,
to Valcartier. On meeting the Minister he stated that the British
Secretary of State for War had advised the Canadian Government that the
War Office were desirous of having shrapnel shells made in Canada, that
the Canadian Government had decided to entrust the matter to a Committee
of Manufacturers, and had so advised the War Office. It was understood
that the advice of the Minister had been accepted, and that the names of
the three gentlemen above referred to had been approved by the War
Office as a Committee to carry on the work on their behalf. The men
above named were then asked to serve as such Committee, without
remuneration, which they agreed to do, and were requested to select one
of their number as Chairman. On the suggestion of Thos. Cantley, Colonel
Bertram was appointed Chairman, the Minister confirming the appointment
of the Committee by a memorandum initialed “For Action.”

Later, Mr. E. Carnegie, of Welland, was added to the Committee, and at
their request the Minister agreed that Colonel Benson, Master General of
Ordnance; Colonel Lafferty, Superintendent of the Dominion Arsenal; and
Colonel Greville Harston, Inspector of Arms and Ammunition, should be
added as Technical Members.

The first meeting was held the same evening (September 8th) at the
Chateau Frontenac, Quebec. The second meeting was held the following day
at the office of the Superintendent of the Dominion Arsenal. The
Committee were accorded the privilege of dissecting the manufacturing
costs of the various operations involved in making shells of this type
at the Dominion Arsenal, which at that time had an out-turn of about 200
per day.

From the data there available and their experience as manufacturers the
Committee advised the War Office that 200,000 shrapnel shells could be
produced by the Committee and supplied to the War Office at a price of
$8.30 for the 15–pounder, and $8.55 each for the 18–pounder. On this
information being cabled to London the Committee were at once instructed
to proceed with the order.

[Illustration:

COL. THOMAS CANTLEY.]

After the order was in process of execution a contract was presented by
a representative of the War Office to the four civilian members, viz.,
Messrs. Bertram, Cantley, Watt and Carnegie, under which contract they
were obligated to supply the War Office with these shells at the prices
stated. This contract was duly executed, the Honorable Minister of
Militia signing on behalf of and representing, the War Office, the
civilian members signing on their own behalf.

While the first order was for 200,000 shells, additional orders were
placed by the War Office with the Committee at various times between
September, 1914, and November, 1915, aggregating in all $345,222,870.24.
The contract prices were in most cases named by the War Office. In some
cases the prices were the result of compromise arranged by cable between
the Committee and the War Office. In other cases the prices were those
suggested by the Committee and were accepted by the War Office.

As already stated, every order was covered by a contract between the War
Office on the one hand and the four civilian members of the Committee on
the other, for the carrying out of which the civilian members were
collectively and individually responsible. When they resigned office a
statement, which was prepared and duly audited showing the total cost,
together with the surplus based on prices agreed upon and covered by
contracts between the War Office and the four civilian members, showed
that the contracts entered into amounted in all to $345,222,874.34.
Approximately 87½ per cent. of these orders were then completed, and the
surplus—the difference between the contract price and the cost of
production—was $42,097,584.57, less overhead charges, cost of
inspection, guages, etc., of $737,400.31. If 12½ per cent. be added to
this overhead charge to meet similar expenses incidental to the
completion of the contracts, $92,175.03 would require to be added,
making the total overhead expenditure $829,575.34, or a total net
surplus to the credit of the Committee on November 30, 1915, of
$41,268,009.23. The total overhead cost, covering inspection, cost of
guages, accounting, and office expense of the Committee, worked out
at .17, or less than one-fifth of one per cent. of contract prices.

In this connection it may be stated that the prices paid by the War
Office to American makers in many cases were considerably higher than
those paid in Canada for shells and other material. In other cases,
where the prices were approximately the same, the volume of orders
entrusted to the United States makers were very much greater than the
corresponding orders placed with the Canadian Shell Committee, and the
American prices should have been considerably lower. Further, the orders
placed in the United States were entrusted to an agent, who is reported
to have received a handsome commission, whereas the services of the
Canadian Shell Committee were freely given.

In the early stages the executive work of the Committee was carried on
by General Bertram, whose time was largely taken up in co-ordinating the
machining of parts, and the placing of orders for components among
Canadian manufacturers, while Thomas Cantley undertook to carry out
experiments, both chemical and physical, looking to the production of
open hearth basic steel to meet the specifications and tests called for
by the War Office. Experiments were also carried out later in regard to
steel discs, base plates, nose plugs, alloy steel armor plating, etc.
Later Colonel Bertram, Thos. Cantley and G. W. Watts collaborated in
fixing prices for component parts and machining and assembling of the
different size shells. Later they devised a complete system of records,
inspection sheets, transfer and shipping forms, store and stock forms,
and a complete system of accounting was worked out and inaugurated by
them.

Late in September the Minister of Militia, on the suggestion of the
Committee, approved the appointment of David Carnegie as Ordnance
Adviser to the Committee, in view of the fact that he had had
considerable experience in munition work at Woolwich Arsenal.

When the War Office first appealed to Canada for assistance in supplying
munitions, little was known of shell manufacturing in Canada. This being
the case the Canadian Government decided that a Committee of
Manufacturers could better serve the War Office than could the
Government through any of the Departments; and then followed the
formation of the Shell Committee as originally outlined. The Committee
had before them three problems: First, that of securing steel of the
requisite character; secondly, the forging of the steel into shell
bodies, together with the supply of other component parts, comprising
brass, copper, tin, zinc and antimony; and thirdly, the machining and
assembling of these various component parts.

Up to the time that the request came from the War Office practically no
men in Canada, with the exception of those employed at the Dominion
Arsenal, knew anything about the manufacture of shells, or the material
required for same. The steel hitherto used at the Dominion Arsenal had
been supplied by the Crucible Steel Co. of America, and the War Office
had stipulated that only Acid Open Hearth Siemens-Martin steel could be
employed in shell forgings. As no Siemens-Martin steel was produced in
Canada, and if the War Office adhered to their stipulation in that
respect the entire steel supply would have to be obtained in the United
States, the American makers, feeling sure that this would be done,
promptly advanced their prices approximately forty per cent.

At this juncture the Minister of Militia appealed to Thomas Cantley,
then President and General Manager of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal
Co., as to whether the Scotia plant could not produce steel which would
meet not only the chemical but physical requirements of the War Office
shell specifications. He at once expressed the belief that they could do
so, and immediately proceeded to carry out exhaustive experiments, both
chemical and physical, which proved conclusively that the Scotia Company
could produce steel as called for by the War Office, and offered to
supply it at a price as low as the original price asked by the American
works, and indeed below the American price. Within a few days of receipt
of the first order by the Shell Committee from the War Office, the
Scotia Company supplied the Committee with steel for 200,000 shrapnel
shells. The difference in price paid to the Scotia Company and the price
asked by the American Co. for the steel supplied on this small order
amounted to over $40,000.

As regards forging of shells, the cost of producing the various
component parts, the labor involved in finishing and assembling
these—the Committee were supplied with the cost of these various
operations as carried on at the Dominion Arsenal, but the difficulty
involved was that the work, having been done there by a class of machine
not in general use in Canada, and with the comparatively small order in
hand, manufacturers could not be found who would purchase and install
plant for this work and turn out shells within a reasonable time and
price.

Manufacturers throughout the country were invited to visit the Dominion
Arsenal at Quebec, where they would be shown the various operations
involved, and given all information _re_ cost, methods employed, etc.
Quite a number responded to this invitation. Some offered to undertake
the work; others declined to undertake it on any basis whatever.

Colonel Bertram volunteered that the John Bertram & Sons Co. would do a
certain amount of machining and assembling, and Thos. Cantley, through
his Company, the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Co., undertook to supply the
steel and forgings, while Mr. Watt, of the Canadian General Electric
Company, agreed to make some of the component parts. Sir Thomas
Shaughnessy, on being appealed to by the Committee for assistance,
instructed the Superintendent of the Angus Shops to take on some of the
work, and generously promised that the Angus Shops would take up their
share of the enterprise.

With the start made by these firms to encourage them, a few other
manufacturers were induced to take up a share of the work, and thus the
supply of components parts and machining of same for the first 200,000
shells was finally placed, and this initial order was shipped complete
and to the entire satisfaction of the War Office some considerable time
before the contract date.

So soon as the work involved in the first trial order had been accepted
by the manufacturers referred to, the Committee took up the organization
necessary for the co-ordinating of the work on a larger scale; and as
large orders were received in rapid succession from the War Office,
contracts were made with different manufacturers for component parts,
which were bought outright by the Committee. A full set of component
parts for each shell was supplied by the assembly contractors, by whom
these were finished and returned as completed shells, they being paid a
fixed price on the shells which were completed, and which passed all the
tests demanded by the War Office, and were certified as such by the
Government Inspection Bureau. The component parts before being accepted
by the Committee and delivered to the finishing contractors were
inspected and certified by the Committee’s inspectors. Any component
parts spoiled by the assembly manufacturers had to be paid for by them
at the actual cost of same.

The first experiences of the forging and finishing contractors alike
were disappointing. It was an entirely new business to everybody engaged
in the work, and the usual initial difficulties were met and overcome
with varying success.

It is safe to say that as far as the first order of 200,000 shells was
concerned, the companies engaged, either as makers of component parts or
as assembly contractors, received little, if any, profit for their work.
They had only the usual reward that comes to pioneers in any new work.

When the new and larger orders came in, both the material and the work
were thrown open to competition. The Dominion Steel Corporation, the
Steel Company of Canada, and other smaller steel producers were asked to
supply steel and forgings. The same thing applied to manufacturing
establishments, which were in a position to supply other component parts
or to take on the work of machining and assembling. By the early part of
1915 the work was distributed throughout the entire Dominion.

Those who had done the pioneering work, and who won their position
through dearly-bought experience, and by venturing in where others
lacked courage to do so, came under criticism from others who had not
hitherto undertaken any of the work. To overcome this difficulty and to
assure hearty co-operation in the production of the largest amount of
munitions possible, the Committee adopted the principle of naming a flat
price for each component part, as well as for the machining and
assembling of each size shell.

All the orders placed thereafter, from time to time, were placed at a
uniform price, both for the component parts and for the finishing of the
shells. The instant effect of this was that the accumulated experience
of the pioneering firms was placed at the disposal of the other
manufacturers. Both forging and finishing shops were thrown open, their
methods of working and costs were fully explained, and shown to other
manufacturers. The newcomers thus saved the heavy cost of experimental
work.

New methods, improvements of great value in connection with the
execution of the work, the outcome of the initiative adaptability of
Canadians, wrought a revolution in the methods of production. All these
improvements were in every case put within the reach of other
manufacturers. Many of these have been adopted, not only by Canadian
shell makers, but by shell makers in the United States and Great
Britain.

During the organization period from September, 1914, to April, 1915,
more than one member of the Committee worked from ten to seventeen hours
per day, Sundays and holidays not excepted, and none of the members then
appointed received one dollar by way of remuneration.

The part played by the New Glasgow works of the Nova Scotia Steel and
Coal Company in the Great War is an interesting one. At the beginning of
hostilities in August, 1914, there were only two Steel Companies in the
United States who had either the plant or experience to produce either
shells or armor plates, while none of the Canadian steel plants had any
experience whatever.

The first production of munition material, by way of shells and shell
steel, was undertaken in Canada by the Shell Committee, and the story of
the experiments carried on in the early days of September, 1914, which
resulted in convincing the British War Office that basic steel, as made
in Canada, would meet all the requirements of both shrapnel and high
explosive shells, and which resulted in very large orders for munitions
coming to Canada, is well known to all Nova Scotians, and has become a
matter of history.

Between October, 1914, when the Scotia plants produced 22,000 shell
forgings, and the signing of the Armistice, November 11, 1918, the New
Glasgow plant had made more than 15,000,000 shells—these ranging in size
from the 15–pounder shrapnel to 12–inch high explosive, the local plant
being the only one in Canada which made the latter size. The total
tonnage of forged shells produced at New Glasgow amounted in round
figures to 180,000 tons. In addition to this a very considerable tonnage
of shell and other munition steel was shipped to be worked up in other
shell forging establishments in Canada and Great Britain. A further
considerable tonnage was worked up into marine forgings. British
shipyards about this time experienced great difficulty in obtaining
heavy marine forgings to meet Lloyd’s specification and tests. The
Scotia forges had long been on Lloyd’s list as approved makers of Marine
Forgings. The British shipbuilders’ difficulty was now met by Scotia,
which supplied to various yards on the Clyde, the East Coast, and other
yards complete sets of marine forgings of all classes for both
mercantile and other vessels of large tonnage. The total quantity of
marine forgings supplied Great Britain since the outbreak of war
amounted to 9,000 tons.

Most Nova Scotians are probably entirely ignorant of the considerable
amount of what might be called “research” and experimental work carried
out at the New Glasgow plant for the Government, and while this did not
produce the tangible results brought about in connection with the
manufacture of shells, not a little of the data and knowledge
accumulated, contributed in a very considerable degree to the successful
development of both the offensive and the defensive equipment of the
Allied forces.

While this work was being done secrecy was essential, nothing was said
and but little known of the work carried on along these lines. Now that
the War is over the necessity for secrecy appears to be past.

In February, 1919, the firm of William Beardmore and Co., of Glasgow,
Scotland, in their works magazine, told the story of the evolution and
development by them of bullet-proof material for the protection of
armored cars, trench shields, armor-plate for the celebrated “tanks,”
and other work of a like character. The story, as told by the Beardmore
people, in many important particulars runs on all fours with the
experiments and results obtained at New Glasgow during the latter weeks
of 1914 and the early part of 1915, when a series of exhaustive
experiments were carried out at New Glasgow, first in connection with
the production and testing of bullet-resisting steel plate.

This matter was first brought to the attention of the writer by General
Sir Sam Hughes in connection with the shield shovel, of which a good
deal was heard during 1915 and 1916. This spade, as supplied by the
American makers, was formed with a sharp cutting edge, and a loophole
for a rifle, but had no handle. When deliveries began to be made by the
American manufacturers, a certain quantity was collected at random and
turned over to the writer for testing. This was carried out at the rifle
range, of the Fifth Royal Highlanders in the basement of the Bleury
Street Armory, Montreal. It was then found that while practically all
would stand Mark Six British Service Ammunition, they failed to
withstand the much greater impact of Mark Seven Ammunition. Mark Six had
a muzzle velocity of about 1,800 feet per second. Further investigation
showed that the difference in bullet resisting power in the plates
submitted was due to lack of uniformity.

No handles had been supplied with the shovels, and no apparent effort
had been made by the manufacturers to supply one which was suitable.
Scotia’s engineers were asked to meet the difficulty, which they did,
and finally offered one which was adopted, weighed eight ounces, and was
secured by a single rivet passing through a square slotted hole in the
body of the shovel below the base of the tang.

At this time the question of supplying our army with armored machine-gun
automobile trucks had become a pressing matter. The question had been
turned over to a Toronto Committee. Great delay was experienced in
securing sufficient suitable bullet-resisting plate, and serious
confusion resulted. The experiments in connection with the shovel had
thrown great doubt on the efficiency of the steel being supplied by the
Americans, and again the Scotia Company were asked to carry out tests
and advise as to the matter.

From hints which had filtered through from the army in France and
Flanders it was known that the German Spitzer bullet was much more
effective than the British new Mark Seven, and while the armor-plating
contracted to be supplied by the Americans for these cars was guaranteed
to withstand Mark Seven British Ammunition at 300 yards, the rumors in
regard to the penetrating powers of the German Spitzer ammunition were
most disquieting, and could not be ignored.

At that time the United States were neutral, but were making ammunition
for the Allies and others. By methods, which it is not necessary here to
refer to, or explain, the General Manager of the Scotia Company was able
to obtain a German Mauser Service Rifle, and by an expenditure out of
all proportion to the real value, 1,000 rounds of German Mauser Spitzer
service ammunition was also secured. An improvised range was set up on
the ice on the East River, Nova Scotia, at a point where, protected by
steep banks, firing tests could be carried out, when it was demonstrated
that .311 Spitzer German ammunition, which, carefully chronographed,
gave a muzzle velocity of 2,915 feet per second, easily penetrated the
armor plate which resisted Mark Seven British Ammunition fired from
either the Lee-Enfield or Ross Rifle.

The effect, of course, was to call a halt to the manufacture of these
plates, and at the same time to push forward experiments then under way
in the production by the Scotia Company of bullet-resisting alloy armor
plates. Within a short time New Glasgow was able to offer the Department
of Militia alloy steel, heat-treated plates, not exceeding 3–16th of an
inch thick, which successfully withstood point-blank impact at one yard
from Mark 7 ammunition fired from the latest model Ross rifle. In one
case two shots had struck the plate within less than one-half inch of
each other, and they neither penetrated nor cracked the plate.

Plates somewhat thicker were later supplied which withstood German
Mauser ammunition at point blank range, and the result given by these
plates when tested at the Proving Station in Toronto were so
satisfactory that the Artillery Proving Officers, after the tests,
placed them on exhibition outside the Camp, and later reported that the
men felt the utmost confidence with the protection afforded them by this
plating, which later was supplied and fitted to a proportion of the
machine-gun trucks then being equipped. Later the British Government
asked the Scotia Company to tender for similar protective plating for
armored trucks.

CHAPTER XLVIII.
_DEMOBILIZATION._

Demobilization, following a war of such length and intensity as that of
the Four Years’ War from August, 1914, to November, 1918, is not a mere
problem of repatriation, it is a problem of reconstruction—a gigantic
one at that—desiderating the undivided efforts of every organization in
the nation and the assistance of every citizen.

Consider for a moment what had happened in the industrial world. During
the four years of war, Governments were the chief employers of men, the
chief purchasers of raw materials, and the chief sources of revenue for
an overwhelmingly large portion of the population. To retain the ideals
of democracy Governments were given unlimited power—power which was
utilized in organizing practically the entire life of the belligerent
nations into a vast machine for turning out implements of war. Not only
was this war-time industry mobilized under unified control, but the
market for which its product was turned out could not be flooded.
Indeed, it continually called for greater and greater production
regardless of cost. The expansion of business, and the building up of a
huge army of war workers, the scarcity of labor and raw materials, the
shifting of markets, the meteoric rise of prices, the less rapid rise of
wages, Government control of prices, raw materials and exports, the
inflation of currency, the huge increase in national debts—these were
some of the phenomena which characterized the period. They justify the
assertion that a revolution in the economic and industrial life of the
nations had occurred. Even in Canada, remote from the scene of actual
strife, a generation’s changes were compressed into four short years.

Then suddenly, on November the eleventh, the object for which the vast
war machine had been built up was attained. The necessity for its
existence vanished over-night, and the world found itself face to face
with the task of scrapping the industrial machine which had so
effectively served the requirements of war, and of rebuilding one which
would serve just as effectively the entirely different requirements of
peace. The new task was more difficult than the old, and had to be
accomplished in a much shorter period—a few months, instead of four
years. Again, the problems themselves were more delicate and intricate;
largely problems of human psychology, not of mechanics, requiring for
their solution not compulsion, but education, persuasion and
co-operation. The world has learned that it is much easier to make war
than to make peace.

The early days of 1914 and 1915 were days of mobilization problems, and
they were problems indeed. The provision of arms, equipment and food had
to be undertaken on a scale unheard of before. It was necessary to
provide transportation for vast bodies of troops and great quantities of
stores, to say nothing of the construction of training camps, rifle
ranges, and all the paraphernalia of war. The human element, fresh and
easily responsive to patriotic appeal, presented few difficulties at
that time.

There are, however, certain conditions inherent in military life which
go far towards unfitting the soldier for civilian occupation. Without
entering into a discussion of the reasons for these conditions, two of
them at least may be enumerated. In military life individual liberty is
impossible, but it is of supreme importance in civil life. Further, in
military life ambition or self-interest, which may be considered a
fundamental motive in human action, becomes of secondary importance.
Self-interest is, in fact, disciplined into complete abeyance. The
moment the soldier becomes a civilian the restraints upon his individual
liberty are more or less removed, and it is entirely in keeping with the
impulses of human nature if he should, for a time, go to the opposite
extreme. Then again, he finds it no easy task to awaken the ambition
lying dormant within him, and it frequently happens that it is only from
bitter experience that he learns it is necessary to rely, in the first
instance, upon himself. These two conditions alone emphasize how
different are the various problems of demobilization and mobilization.
The success or failure of the work of reconstruction depends, not so
much on the highly-developed organization as on the amount of personal
service, whole-hearted sympathy and understanding brought to the work by
those who, together with the soldier, must face the many obstacles
confronting him in the first stages of his return to citizenship.

Without the active co-operation of the soldiers themselves the work of
reconstruction could not be a success. Undoubtedly our present
stability, in comparison with many other parts of Canada is, in a large
measure, due to the initiative and strength of purpose with which our
soldiers have met, and are meeting, the tasks of a humdrum every-day
life. It would, no doubt, be surprising to the average citizen were he
to know how many men in Nova Scotia have re-established themselves
without assistance from the Government.

It was not until the closing days of 1915 and the return of casualties
gassed and wounded from Ypres, Festubert, and Givenchy, that the
problems of demobilization began to press for attention. The country was
sadly lacking in proper hospital accommodation and equipment, especially
for the treatment of surgical cases. The disabled man was finding it no
easy matter to re-establish himself and the provision of industrial
training or suitable employment for him was an urgent need. In many
other ways the necessity for a radical change made itself apparent.

The actual work of getting the soldiers home and out of khaki was in the
hands of the Department of Militia and Defence; but the methods of peace
and war are as far removed as day and night, and it was soon recognized
that the re-absorption of returned soldiers into civil life, with the
least disturbance of economic conditions, could not be best performed by
an organization of the military type. The first step in the direction of
providing a suitable organization was taken when the Military Hospitals
Commission was formed in the same year. The duties of this Commission
eventually embraced almost every phase of the problem of demobilization,
from the provision of hospitals, convalescent homes and treatment, to
vocational re-education for those who, through a disability were unable
to return to their former occupation.

Not all the emergencies were, of course, foreseen; and from time to time
changes for the better were made in the regulations. Shortly after the
formation of the Commission a conference of representatives from the
various Provincial Governments was called at Ottawa, and the suggestions
there adopted involved an extension of the work by the appointment of a
sub-committee of the Federal Commission in each Province, to assume the
responsibility of finding employment for discharged soldiers.

Immediately following this conference the Returned Soldiers’ Employment
Committee of Nova Scotia, or, as it was afterwards known, the Nova
Scotia Returned Soldiers’ Commission, was appointed. The importance of
this work at the time could not be overestimated, for is not
reconstruction fundamentally a problem of employment and employment
conditions? This function, however, by no means exhausted the activities
of the Provincial Commission. On executive questions of a local nature
it was the advisory body of the Federal Commission at Ottawa, and its
scope was extended as the need arose, until it embraced practically all
matters dealing with returned men. On certain occasions the Commission
maintained an early and aggressive stand on problems which were not
merely of a local character, but which affected the economic life of the
Dominion.

When the Military Hospitals Commission was formed, it was found
necessary to operate Interviewing Departments in conjunction with the
Clearing or Discharge Depots at Halifax, St. John and Quebec, in order
to secure information from which to compile records. Each returning
soldier on the ship’s nominal roll was questioned regarding his pre-war
occupation, his future prospects and intentions, as well as other
general information required. In the case of casualties the proceedings
of the last medical board were also secured. At Halifax a Staff of
returned men were engaged in this work under the supervision of W. B.
MacCoy, Secretary of the Provincial Commission. As the interviewing for
the whole of Canada was performed at the ports, it can be appreciated
what a vast amount of work this entailed, particularly when handling
hospital ships. The severely disabled men were, of course, unable to
visit the Interviewing Department. Consequently it was not possible to
proceed as rapidly as in the case of ordinary transports.

Another detail of the disembarkation which involved a great deal of work
on the part of the Commission was that of notifying the next-of-kin of
returning soldiers. A copy of the Nominal Roll prepared on the voyage
across, was secured immediately after the ship had docked and the
Secretaries of the Returned Soldiers’ Commissions in the various other
Provinces were telegraphed a complete list of the men going forward with
the names and addresses of their relatives or friends.

The Nova Scotia men were, of course, dealt with first, as in many cases
they would arrive home within a few hours. Their names were either
telegraphed or telephoned to the Secretaries of the Town Reception
Committees who, in turn, notified the relatives and aided in providing a
suitable reception.

During the War, Nova Scotia was exceedingly fortunate in the matter of
employment. The number of unemployed soldiers seldom averaged more than
ten per cent., and was usually between two and seven per cent. However,
the abnormal conditions prevailing after the signing of the Armistice
rendered the number of placements by the Commission, for a time at
least, almost negligible. Numbers of men were suddenly thrown on the
labor market by the closing of war-time industries, while at the same
time our soldiers were being returned in thousands. This was by no means
the critical period. Many of the men returning after years of service
Overseas felt the need of a well-earned vacation more than they did of a
job, while those who had dependants and who were anxious, but unable, to
secure immediate employment, were temporarily provided for by the war
service gratuity. For the majority, the most anxious time arrived during
the succeeding fall and winter months. It is not the intention, however,
to deal with the employment activities of the Commission. Attention must
be confined to work of a more general nature.

As previously stated, the country, particularly Nova Scotia, was sadly
lacking in hospital accommodation. In the spring and early summer of
1915, nearly all returned soldiers either came through the Port of
Quebec, or, if disembarked at Halifax, were forwarded to the Discharge
Depot there. Save in a few instances, such as severe casualties, these
men as soon as medically examined were given transportation to their
homes. Discharge Certificates were usually not issued for months after
their return, and a great deal of confusion resulted. Indeed, few of the
men were aware of their status, and it not infrequently happened that,
instead of the longed-for piece of parchment, they received a letter
from their Military District instructing them to report for duty,—this
after having perhaps accepted civilian employment. The uncertainty of
their future added to the difficulties of obtaining a satisfactory
position, for after a few experiences, employers generally hesitated to
engage a man who was not in possession of a certificate releasing him to
civilian duties. As time went on, too, pay complaints began to pour in
by the score, due no doubt to an antiquated system of handling
documents, and the poor working facilities afforded the District Pay
Staffs.

About the end of the following year the Provincial Commission advised
the erection of a hospital, but although the officials of the Military
Hospitals Commission apparently concurred in the Provincial Commission’s
views, the conditions remained unchanged. Repeated reports were made by
the Secretary and concrete cases submitted, showing the necessity in
certain instances for providing treatment. The situation became so acute
that at a meeting of the local Commission, held on February 21, 1917,
certain members, feeling that the existing state of affairs might be
construed as reflecting upon them, tendered their resignations to the
Chairman. These resignations were, however, held in abeyance for a few
days, and a strongly-worded resolution was passed and forwarded to Sir
James Lougheed. Several days later a special meeting was called at the
request of the Director of the Military Hospitals Commission, at which
were present two officials of that body with full authority to take what
steps were deemed necessary in order to relieve the situation. The
writer, who has had access to the correspondence and records, can state
without fear of contradiction, that it was wholly due to the efforts of
the Provincial Commission that Camp Hill Hospital was erected in 1917.
Readers who are familiar with conditions both then and during the period
following the Halifax disaster must realize what a boon it was to have
had this splendid institution awaiting any and all emergencies.

The subject of Vocational Training was one in which the Commission took
a deep interest from the very first. One of its early steps was to
institute a careful survey of all existing educational facilities
throughout Nova Scotia, which could be used for the re-education of
disabled men. The re-training of this class was of the utmost
importance, and the Commission successfully fought for the enactment of
several regulations tending to broaden the scope of the Vocational
Department.

One of the most persistent efforts was made in the interest of the
physically fit “boy soldier.” Aside from the minor who had been
disabled, no provision existed whereby these young boys could be
afforded the opportunities of re-education or re-training. The need for
this was foreseen by the Provincial Office some two years before the
close of the War and no opportunity was lost in the furtherance of their
proposal to place them on the same footing as the disabled man. It was
most desirable to provide facilities for the education of these young
soldiers who enlisted in the Forces at an immature age. Their decision
was made at a time when they could not probably measure the consequences
of their act, and for this reason the public was responsible for any
disadvantages accruing to them. The years spent in the army were just
those during which they should have been fitting themselves to win a
position of self-support and independence; and it is not only an
advantage to themselves, but to the country, that they have been
assisted in preparing for the earning of a livelihood rather than having
been forced into the ranks of unskilled labor. The step taken by the
Government in the early part of last year was indeed satisfactory in
consideration of the initial and continuous efforts of the Provincial
Commission.

The Soldier Settlement Act, passed in 1917, has proved to be one of the
most satisfactory measures of re-establishment provided by the
Government. As originally framed, however, it was of very little value
to a man who desired to go on the land in the Maritime Provinces. The
free grants provided by the Act were restricted to Dominion Lands, while
here any land of value for agricultural purposes is privately owned.
This was clearly placing under a handicap the Nova Scotian soldier who
wished to stay in his native Province, inasmuch as the maximum amount
which could be borrowed under the Act was only $2,500. The Provincial
Commission urged very strongly that the benefits to be derived should be
equally distributed and enjoyed by soldiers wishing to go on the land in
any Province. At the 1918 yearly meeting of Provincial Secretaries, held
at Ottawa, the other Provinces were unanimous in supporting the Maritime
representatives, and a resolution was passed petitioning the Federal
Government to extend the provisions of the Act. This was done some time
afterwards, and to-day we have in Nova Scotia some three hundred and
fifty farms producing, and as many soldiers re-established in this way.

[Illustration:

W. B. MACCOY, K.C.]

The months which followed the erection of Camp Hill Hospital brought
many changes. The Military Hospitals Commission ceased and was succeeded
by the Department of Soldiers’ Civil Re-Establishment. New organizations
arose, and new methods were inaugurated in old ones to meet the
constantly increasing needs and changing problems. But space will not
permit to deal with all the phases of this many-sided and deeply
interesting work. At best details can only be touched upon, and the
three instances quoted of the Commission’s connection with the larger
problems of reconstruction by no means exhausts an interesting store of
past events. The part taken by W. B. MacCoy, K.C., Secretary of the
Commission, is deserving of the fullest public recognition. No man has
been more sincere or more zealous in safeguarding the interests of the
Nova Scotian soldiers. His work was not undertaken without a sacrifice,
but the appreciation of thousands of soldiers and dependants expressed
in the letters of thanks contained on the fyles of the Commission, and
in many other ways, has doubtless repaid him in full.

Victory was the reward of loyalty and co-operation and the willingness
of each and every soldier to subjugate self in the welfare of the whole,
and play the game as best he could. Demobilization has required no less
devotion, energy, and co-operation than did the War itself and the
measure of success attained through the sympathy, tact, and ability
displayed by however humble a servant in the great work of
reconstruction will be reflected in the national life of Canada for the
next generation.

CHAPTER XLIX.
_VOCATIONAL TRAINING._

The aftermath of the Great War, which virtually ended with the Armistice
on November 11, 1918, should be historically different from the social
and economic muddles and messes which have succeeded other prolonged
struggles. Human nature has not changed, but society is more
enlightened, more highly organized, and more averse to waste.

The soldiers who returned to Canada from the Boer War were paid small
Imperial pensions for disabilities incurred and were rewarded by grants
of land in the great Canadian West, which almost all of them realized on
immediately, selling them to “land sharks” for ridiculously small cash
sums. It has been stated that most of the British veterans of the Crimea
died in the workhouses.

Just as the last War was fought with more highly developed death-dealing
machines and apparatus, and consequently evolved entirely new means of
counter-offensive and protection, so the Allied nations employed
entirely new methods to compensate the disabled fighting men for the
incapacities they suffered through service. The aim was to develop all
of the remaining abilities and aptitudes of the crippled soldier so that
he might be able to retain his place in civilian life as an active,
independent, self-supporting citizen.

Nova Scotia can justly claim the credit for starting the plan of
vocational re-training developed in Canada. In July, 1915, Miss I.
Matthews, who was assisting her sister, Mrs. J. K. L. Ross, in preparing
the residence of the latter in Sydney for use as a convalescent home for
soldiers, secured a pamphlet describing the early efforts of France in
rehabilitating war cripples. She brought it to the attention of Hon. G.
H. Murray, who asked Principal F. H. Sexton, of the Technical College,
for some concrete practical suggestions. The latter prepared a careful
report on the methods which the Dominion might use to organize this
work, and this was submitted to the Premier of Canada, Sir Robert
Borden.

[Illustration:

DR. F. H. SEXTON,
Principal Nova Scotia Technical College.]

Just before this there had been created the Military Hospitals
Commission to control the treatment in Canada of wounded and disabled
men returning from Europe. The report on vocational re-training was
submitted to the Commission for consideration and action. The subject
was regarded of such importance that a conference of Provincial Premiers
and other representatives was called to consider this and some other
questions affecting returned men.

Principal Sexton was sent as a Nova Scotian delegate to this conference
and explained his ideas. He asserted that nearly all maimed and crippled
men could be put on their feet again as wage-earners by a short,
practical, intensive course in vocational training. The men were adults
who had already had some industrial experience and consequently would
not need as much or as long training as youths being apprenticed in
trades. During the last twenty-five years industry had been sub-divided
into many specialized occupations, in many of which little physical
effort was required. Advantage could be taken of the vocational
experience of the soldier previous to enlistment and, in most cases, he
could be trained for some occupation in the same industry where his
disability would not be a handicap. That is, the crippled men could be
moved side-wise in industry to some parallel occupation or, by means of
a little education, could be lifted up higher and fitted for some
supervisory position as boss, foreman, or superintendent. Thus, a
structural steel worker, with some physical deficiency, would be trained
for a position of draftsman. The coal miner, who was disabled, so that
he could no longer dig coal at the face could, in a comparatively short
time, be trained for the position of shot-firer, fire boss, mine
examiner, overman, underground foreman, or mine manager.

There were endless opportunities for fitting men for occupations that
required more technical knowledge, more skill, and more mental capacity.
Most of the Canadian soldiers had not much opportunity for vocational
education in their youth, and the great majority could be prepared for
better jobs with their disability than they had been able to qualify for
before they enlisted. It was pointed out that technical schools could
offer some courses for disabled men, and that the rest of them could be
given intensive short apprenticeships in industry. The disabled men and
their families should be supported in respectability during the course
of training. It was emphasized that the soldier in the hospital should
begin to do some work as soon as possible, so that he would not lose his
habits of industry by too prolonged an idleness during treatment. This
method of technical education would be expensive, but it would more than
repay the country by making almost all the disabled men competent to
maintain themselves as wage-earners for the remainder of their lives,
and eliminate the great proportion of indigent, idle pensioners that had
succeeded other great wars.

The conference in September, 1915, enthusiastically recommended that the
Military Hospitals Commission proceed to develop vocational training of
disabled soldiers along the lines proposed. Soon after this steps were
taken to put the suggestions into actual practice. Principal Sexton was
appointed, under the Commission, as Vocational Officer for Quebec and
the Maritime Provinces, which office he has held for four and one-half
years.

When the convalescent hospitals were first opened in Canada, it was
thought at first that all the men needed was the necessary medical
treatment and a rest and then most of them would naturally return to
work. People who had not had army training, and who had not endured the
terrible experiences in the front line trenches, did not understand the
psychological reversal most of the soldiers had suffered. The ordinary
Canadian was noted for his power of initiative. In times of peace he had
developed resourcefulness and individuality. From thousands of
occupations our men donned the khaki uniform. The first great lesson for
the new soldier was that of implicit obedience to his superior officers.
He was instructed that others would do his thinking for him. The
responsibility of providing food, shelter, and raiment for himself and
his dependants, which had been his constant effort in waking hours, was
lifted from his shoulders. His habits were regularized to conform to a
single standard,—that of the well-disciplined soldier. In action he was
forced into a condition of personal dirtiness that would have been
absolutely repellent to him in ordinary life. He was subjected to the
nerve-racking, soul-splitting ordeal of continuous fire of high
explosives. Death lurked at his elbow continuously in a thousand hideous
forms. He lived like a worm, and the taking and giving of human life
became an hourly experience. He forgot what a normal mode of living was
like, and his tours back and forth to the trenches seemed the whole of
existence, with only a ghastly way out of it. Then came his “blighty,”
and the long, painful period of hospital experience where willing and
loving hands ministered to every need. He was doctored, nursed and
entertained lavishly. Is it any wonder that he found himself in an
abnormal mental state, and that ordinary civilian life seemed petty and
cold and humdrum? Is it surprising that he found himself slow to rouse
himself and prepare to take up again some civilian task in the treadmill
of industry which would reward him with only food, clothing and lodging?
After the glorious comradeship with his fellows in facing death, the
competitive system in a life of routine duties seemed dull and deadly.

It seemed evident from the first experience that work was the only
panacea. Definite, interesting occupation alone offered the means of
making the man forget himself, and of wrenching him around into the
footpath of peace. Self-imposed routine duties of an absorbing nature
provided the necessary attraction and distraction to enable the man to
prepare himself again for a useful life in industry. Therefore
interesting work of all kinds was provided to suit different abilities
and disabilities.

Three divisions of the work of re-training the disabled soldier
developed as progress was made with this task, viz.: (1) Ward
Occupations; (2) Curative Workshops; (3) Industrial Re-training. These
will be taken up in the order named.

1. WARD OCCUPATIONS. Basketry, weaving, leather work and other
handicrafts were taught to the men in hospital right in the wards, as
recreational activity, during the time of convalescence when the
soldiers, as patients, are not advanced far enough in their recovery to
leave their beds or to take up serious education.

2. CURATIVE WORKSHOPS. Every hospital had either a separate vocational
building or a portion of its space set aside for curative workshops.
Here were held a variety of classes for men taking treatment who were
able to leave their wards and who wished to study some subjects which
would be of advantage to them when they were discharged from hospital
and would re-enter civilian life or take up training for a new
occupation.

3. INDUSTRIAL RE-TRAINING. This was the most important division of the
work and, in fact, constituted the main activity of the Vocational
Branch of the Department of Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment. All
soldiers who received a disability in military service through disease,
accident or wounds which prevented them from returning to their old
occupations, were entitled to industrial re-training. Any man who
enlisted under the age of eighteen, and whose apprenticeship or training
for some useful occupation was seriously interrupted by the War, was
also entitled to an industrial re-training course. Thousands of men had
to be intensively trained for hundreds of different occupations in the
shortest possible time. During their courses they and their dependants
received pay and allowances to support themselves. Every kind of
institution which offered definite vocational training was utilized, but
a great proportion of the men were placed in industry itself to learn
their new occupations. Special trade classes and schools had to be
organized and equipped by the Department of Soldiers’ Civil
Re-establishment to meet the new need. The main aim was to train the
disabled soldiers and minors in six to ten months, so that they could
earn the prevailing wage in suitable vocations. This aim was realized
with results that have amply justified the predictions of experts in
industrial education and the enormous expenditure of money necessary.
The development of the three main divisions of the vocational work in
Nova Scotia is interesting and illuminating, and promises much for the
future in pointing the way to further developments in our hospital
treatment and the reclaiming of the productive power of our men who have
been or will be crippled by accident or disease.

It was very evident from the first experience with returned disabled
soldiers in Canadian convalescent hospitals, that they needed some
definite work to engage their attention just as soon as they were able
to do it. After a prolonged illness their morale was very low, and many
were convinced that they were so badly disabled that they would never be
good for anything again. Nerves, muscles, and tendons which had been
seriously damaged by wounds, could be healed and brought back to part of
their former power by operative treatment, massage, electric therapy,
etc., but at a certain stage further improvement could take place only
through the action of the _will_ of the patient. At this point the
soldier will try to make his damaged body function properly if he is
absorbed in some interesting task.

Consequently, handicraft work was introduced into the hospitals under
the title of ward occupations. In the summer of 1917 volunteers from the
V.A.D. of the St. John Ambulance Association were trained in different
handicrafts at the Nova Scotia Technical College, and gave their
services to the patients at Camp Hill and Pine Hill Hospitals. The value
of the work soon became apparent, and a central training school for ward
aides, as the handicraft teachers were called, was opened in Toronto.
Young women of education, character, and aptitude were carefully
selected for this work, and as soon as they had been given training,
they were placed in every military hospital and sanitarium. They
co-operated with the medical officers and nursing sisters in every
particular, and a combined effort was made to get every patient busy at
some kind of work just as soon as he was able to do anything. Basketry,
weaving, embroidery, leather tooling, raffia work, toy-making, wood
carving, art craft, metal work, and other forms of occupation were
provided. The chief difficulty was in first getting the individual
interested; and this task took an immense amount of tact and persuasion
in some instances.

The underlying motive was to divert the man’s mind from its morbid state
and to give him a mental stimulus back toward civilian life. In the
majority of cases, the patient would make artistic objects for his
relatives and friends. If he wished to keep the articles he merely paid
for the cost of the material, but if he did not want them the Vocational
Branch offered them for sale at a fair commercial value, deducted the
cost of raw materials and gave the balance to the patient. There was no
idea of instructing the men in gainful trades Which they could follow
after their discharge.

Too high a tribute cannot be paid to the high character and ability and
the unflagging devotion of the Nova Scotia Ward Aides. They gave the
same high form of unselfish, patriotic service that was characteristic
of the best groups of women workers. The ward occupations were of
enormous benefit in making the weary hours of the days pass quickly, in
improving the discipline in the institutions, and in materially
shortening the time of treatment in many cases. The handicraft work has
been specially developed for insane patients, and helps to fill the
pathetic lives of the soldiers confined in the Nova Scotia Hospital for
the Insane.

A large proportion of the men in the institutions were not confined to
their wards. Their disabilities were such, or they had reached such an
advanced stage in their treatment, that they were able to move about and
to perform light work. For these cases there was only a half-hour a day
of treatment, and the rest of the time might be spent in playing cards,
in reading magazines, or in sheer idleness. There was great danger that
the men might become “hospitalized” and unfitted for the stern tasks of
industrial life. Therefore, curative workshops were provided, where a
wide range of classes was held for six or seven hours a day. Practical
and accomplished instructors were in charge of the various branches, and
nearly every soldier, physically fit to pursue such studies, could find
something of interest and value. Many of the patients had never had a
fair chance to get a good education, and a goodly number who had had
such an opportunity had not availed themselves of it. A few of the
soldiers did not even know how to read and write. As mechanics, most of
the soldiers had acquired such skill as they possessed in a careless and
haphazard manner and were not thoroughly competent. To suit the general
needs and tastes of the patients, instruction was offered in business
English, practical arithmetic, practical algebra, geometry and
trigonometry, bookkeeping, stenography and typewriting, telegraphy,
mechanical and architectural drafting, gardening, woodworking, shoe
repairing, automobile driving and repair, etc.

These adult students made amazing progress in their studies. Those who
had forgotten all their mathematics, except the first four rules,
covered years of school work in a few months, and in going over it the
second time would never again forget it. Foreigners and men who were
illiterate learned the rudiments of arithmetic and the English language
in a surprisingly short time. Others were absorbed in the work of the
different classes, and gained valuable knowledge according to their
ability and the length of time they stayed in the hospital. For some of
them, who were not entitled to industrial re-training after discharge,
it was their only opportunity to get general or vocational education.
For those who were so disabled that they could not return to their old
occupations, the curative workshops offered a trying-out ground where
they could test their aptitudes and often lay a solid basis for further
training. It was a pathetic as well as an inspiring sight to see some
grizzled hero bringing back muscular power to a scarred and withered arm
in planing a piece of wood to make some piece of furniture for his home.
The workshop offered practically the only method of treatment to the
neurasthenic or “shell-shocked” patient. No medicine or massage or
operation could help him, and only the stimulation of his self-interest
in class work could get him to forget himself and thus gradually bring
him back to normal.

The first curative workshop classes to be opened in the Dominion started
at the Ross Convalescent Hospital in Sydney, on April 4, 1916. They were
rapidly developed in every hospital and sanatorium throughout Canada,
and proved of immense benefit in helping to re-establish our disabled
soldiers who received treatment in Canada.

By far the most important division of the vocational work of civil
re-establishment, however, was the industrial re-training. France and
Belgium showed the way in which crippled men could be trained for future
usefulness in suitable trades; and practically every belligerent country
evolved a system of human rehabilitation for maimed soldiers. Canada had
the advantage of time to plan and develop her methods of dealing with
this problem before she was swamped with numbers, and consequently was
able to establish a uniform system with centralized authority. The basis
of the whole work was to give suitable training for every soldier who,
through some disability incurred in military service, could not
efficiently resume the occupation which he followed prior to enlistment.
In addition to this class, all men classed as minors, who had enlisted
under the age of eighteen, were later given training if their war
service had seriously interfered with their preparation for their chosen
occupation, whether they were disabled or not.

Every effort was made to place the disabled man in the right position.
He was interviewed by a sympathetic and competent official and
counselled intelligently about the important choice of a new trade. The
soldier already had industrial experience and, in the majority of cases,
had some definite idea of what he wished to do. If his conceptions of
the duties, remuneration, conditions of work, chances for promotion,
stability, etc., in the new occupation, were wrong, he was reasonably
and patiently advised to make another choice. The disabled man, however,
always made the decision about his own future. His own wishes were
followed as far as possible, because he would make a failure of his
training and of his new occupation if he himself was not satisfied and
enthusiastic.

The queer trait of human nature that considers “distant fields as ever
green” was much in evidence. During his former experience, the disabled
soldier had always had a conviction that some other job completely
outside of his own vocation was easier and better paid, or that some new
development of industry was holding out its arms and screaming for
workers. Consequently, there was a common tendency to enter some
vocation wholly outside of his former experience. Most of the men were
extremely reasonable and when all the facts were put before them they
made wise decisions. Every definite effort was made to keep the man as
close as possible to the industry in which he was employed before
enlistment. If they had all tried to crowd into a few of the highly
skilled occupations, there would not have been vacancies enough to give
them all employment. So the training was made as wide as business and
industry. Schools and classes were organized and equipped for those
vocations which needed preliminary education under skilled instructors,
and for which comparatively large groups of men were preparing. In cases
where men were deficient in general education, and needed some
fundamental knowledge of English and arithmetic in order to succeed,
they were given intensive preliminary instruction for one, two or three
months before starting specialized vocational training. Every
educational institution which offered intensive practical courses
leading to wage-earning power, was made use of to the fullest extent.
Industry itself, however, offered the widest opportunities, and a great
proportion of the students were placed directly in industry to learn
there how to fill the job acceptably under working conditions, so that
at the end of their period of training they could slip over on the pay
roll of the employer without any break. Other men, who had preliminary
training in the special trade classes established by the Department of
Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment, were placed in industry for the latter
part of their period of education so that they would get accustomed to
workshop conditions, and in order that there would be no appreciable
hiatus between training and employment.

In order to provide ample means for the training and employment of the
thousands of men the War produced, it was necessary to secure the
closest co-operation of the employers, trade unions, and the general
public. It is a pleasure to chronicle the fact that everybody gave
active help without stint. The Dominion Steel Corporation and the Nova
Scotia Steel and Coal Company, the largest single employers of labor in
Nova Scotia, announced publicly that they would find a suitable place
for every one of their former employees who had gone into military
service and who desired work after his discharge. They carried out their
promise, and also provided every possible facility for re-training
disabled men. Trade unions also gave generous assistance, and waived all
restrictions regarding apprenticeship where these might be detrimental
to maimed and crippled soldiers who were learning new trades. Without
all this splendid co-operation, the results achieved in Canada in
re-training the disabled soldiers for future usefulness would have been
impossible.

The usual period of time that was found necessary to put the discharged
soldiers on their feet so that they could earn the prevailing wage in a
new occupation, was seven or eight months. During the War, when all
labor was very scarce, employers would accept men and give them full
wages after about six months’ training, but when competition became
keener and more workers became available in 1919, eight months was found
to be necessary in most cases, and sometimes even a whole year. During
the period of learning a new vocation, the soldier’s pension was
suspended, and he and his dependants received a uniform scale of pay and
allowances as follows:—

Single man $60 00 per month.
Married man and wife 85 00 „ „
Married man with wife and one child 95 00 „ „
Married man with wife and two children 103 00 „ „
Married man with wife and three children 110 00 „ „
For each additional child above three 6 00 „ „

If training caused the man to live apart from his dependants, an extra
allowance of $16.00 per month was granted. Owing to the increased cost
of living, these rates were advanced on September 1, 1920.

All classes carried on by the Department of Civil Re-establishment in
Nova Scotia were conducted for eight hours per day in order to get the
men accustomed to the conditions prevailing in industry. Where men were
sent to educational institutions, or were apprenticed in industry, they
were subject to the rules and regulations in force at the place where
they were learning.

The scope of the work widened rapidly as it progressed until men were
being re-trained for more than 300 different occupations. It is not
necessary to give a list of these occupations, but the comprehensive
field covered may be imagined if only those classified under the letter
“A” were mentioned:—

Accountant.
Adding Machine Operator.
Adding Machine Repairer.
Advertising Agent.
Aeroplane Manufacturing Worker.
Agriculture—Bee Keeping.
Dairying.
Farm Tractor Operating.
Farm Mechanics.
Floriculture.
Fruit Raising.
General Farming.
Horticulture.
Market Gardening.
Poultry Raising.
Seed Testing.
University Course.
Air Brake Mechanic.
Architectural Draftsman.
Armature Winder.
Artificial Limb Maker.
Art Lead Glazer.
Art Metal Worker.
Assayer.
Auctioneer.
Automobile Mechanic.
Automobile Painter.
Automobile Salesman.
Automobile Storage Battery Repairer.
Automobile Tire Vulcanizer.
Automobile Truck Driver.
Automobile Upholsterer.

The man who was placed in industry for training or employment was kept
under constant supervision and visited every two or three weeks to
ascertain his progress. If he was not securing proper treatment or
opportunity to learn, he was moved to some other position. If his choice
of occupation had not been wise, he was tried out in some other line of
work. After he had finished his course, he was visited at least once a
month for four months to see that his re-establishment was complete and
his progress satisfactory.

The first group to receive industrial re-training in Canada consisted of
a number of unfortunate members of a British West India Regiment. A
large number were landed in Halifax in February, 1917, from a transport
and were sent to hospital to be treated for severe frost bite. Nine of
them had to have both legs amputated and eight of them lost one leg or a
portion of a leg. Previous to enlistment these Jamaicans had been
“cultivators” or agricultural laborers, and had very little education.
When their hospital treatment was completed they were re-trained by the
Vocational Branch in Halifax. Mr. W. J. Clayton gave over his whole
residence and the Provincial Branch of the Red Cross Society fitted it
up completely for a convalescent hospital and re-training centre. The
men were given instruction in three trades suitable to their disability,
viz., tailoring, shoe repairing, and tin-smithing. At the end of five
and one-half months they were sent back to Jamaica able to earn at least
fifty per cent. more in their new occupations than they had received
before as laborers.

The work of re-training disabled Nova Scotian soldiers began seriously
in the spring of 1917. A centre was established at the Technical College
in Halifax. It was fortunate, indeed, that the Province had embarked on
its scheme of technical education before the War, and that this splendid
institution stood ready with all its equipment and trained Staff to
render service to the men disabled in war. The Provincial Government
turned practically the whole establishment over to the Dominion
Government for this work. Classes in garage mechanics, automobile tire
vulcanizing, electricity, mechanical, architectural and ship drafting,
land surveying, machine tool operation, stationary engineering,
oxyacetylene welding, shoe repairing, etc., were organized. The
institution became a busy hive of industry. The numbers grew until
larger quarters had to be secured for part of the classes. In the summer
of 1919 a large group of demobilization barracks on Cunard St., Halifax,
was taken over and specially fitted and equipped for educational
purposes. This was called the Borden Re-training Centre, and the main
portion of the work has been done there since that time. A number of the
classes are still maintained at the Technical College, and this service
will be rendered by the College until the whole task is completed.

The number of re-training students in Nova Scotia increased rapidly in
1919 until it reached its peak with a strength of about 2,300 in March,
1920. From this number it has rapidly declined. Altogether, in the
Province, about 4,000 returned men have been granted courses to this
date. When one considers that they were training for nearly 300 trades,
and that they were being admitted to and discharged from courses every
day, that they and their dependants must be paid twice a month, that
employment must be found for them, that they must be followed up for
four months after completing their training, and thousands of their
difficulties smoothed out, the magnitude of the task can be appreciated.

A centre for re-training men in agriculture was established at the Nova
Scotia Agricultural College at Truro. Here again this advantage of
having a fully equipped institution, with a Staff of highly-trained
specialists ready to render service to the discharged soldiers, cannot
be overestimated. All the re-training students from the three Maritime
Provinces were sent here, because it was the only place in this area
competent to meet their needs. Special courses adapted for the purpose
were provided, and the regular Staff of the College gave unstintingly of
their time and knowledge. Like the Technical College, the Agricultural
College allowed discharged soldiers to attend all regular courses
without any tuition fees. The number of men applying for re-training in
agricultural branches was small because most forms of farming demand
physical fitness, and the army experience of the soldiers tended to make
them wish to stick to industries in the towns.

Contrary to the expectations of the public, very few men were blinded in
the army. Wounds that would deprive a man of his sight usually killed
him. Out of our forces of about a half million men, only 130 have had
their vision impaired to such an extent that they require re-training.
The Canadian authorities arranged with Sir Arthur Pearson that the blind
men should all be trained in that splendid institution, St. Dunstan’s
Hostel, in London. In the early days of the War, however, a few blinded
men drifted back to Canada without training. These were collected and
about a dozen sent to Halifax, where they were given special instruction
under the Military Hospitals Commission at the School for the Blind.
They were taught Braille reading and writing, typewriting, Braille
stenography, massage, and shoe repairing. Most of the men made
remarkable progress, and are successfully earning their own livings
to-day.

Altogether Canada has granted about 53,000 courses of re-training. From
the very first she has followed a sane, practical policy, and has
enjoyed the advantages of uniformity and centralized control throughout
all the Provinces.

The results speak for themselves. In Nova Scotia 65 per cent. of the men
who have completed their courses are successfully re-established in the
occupation for which they were trained. Another 20 per cent. are earning
satisfactory wages in other lines of work than those for which they were
specifically prepared. These men have changed because they saw better
opportunities for themselves, individually, in another vocation, or they
may have felt fit enough, after their course, to return to their old
occupation. Their training will not be lost, because they are so much
more competent because of having it. Ten per cent. of the men have gone
out of the Province and cannot be traced. It is safe to conclude that
most of these are successfully re-established. Two per cent. of the men
are reported as unemployed, but it is not known to what extent this is
due to lack of temporary opportunity or disinclination on the part of
the man. Three per cent. of the men are reported as still ill and
temporarily under treatment.

This high salvage among war-wrecked men can be accepted with great
satisfaction by every patriotic Canadian. Without the loyal co-operation
of every section of society and the unflagging devotion to duty on the
part of the large Staff of returned men who were engaged in
administration and instruction, these results would have been
impossible. Canada’s record of reconstruction and her efforts to
rehabilitate the brave soldiers who gave of their youth and strength in
the service of the country, stand on a par with her military
achievements.

CHAPTER L.
_THE PATRIOTIC FUND._

The Nova Scotia Branch of the Canadian Patriotic Fund was organized in
Halifax, September 2, 1914, with the late Lieutenant-Governor Hon. James
D. MacGregor as Chairman of the Provincial Executive. On completion of
his term of office as Governor, he was succeeded by Hon. David McKeen as
Chairman, who acted to the time of his death, November 13, 1916. On
appointment to the office of Lieutenant-Governor, His Honor MacCallum
Grant became Chairman of the Executive. Other members of the Executive
who have continued in office from September, 1914, to date, are:—Hon. G.
H. Murray, M.P.P., Premier and Provincial Secretary; Hon. Chief Justice
Harris, Hon. E. N. Rhodes, M.P., the Chairman of County Branches; H. A.
Flemming, Treasurer; and Arthur S. Barnstead, B.A., LL.B., Secretary.

The total amount raised and remitted to the Honorary Treasurer to March
31, 1919, was $1,847,883.31, and to March 31, 1920, was $1,862,431.80.
The total amount disbursed was to March 31, 1919, $1,628,177.04, and to
March 31, 1920, $1,726,520.30.

The Central Executive arranged for the collection of the amounts
allotted to the Province in connection with the various campaigns, and
county committees co-operating. With but one exception, every county
municipality contributed to the Fund, and practically every town of the
Province made grants. In two or three towns, private individuals made
collections for the Fund where no grant was made by the Town Council.

The distribution of relief was supervised by the Provincial Executive,
requisitions being drawn by the treasurer of every county for the money
required, the list of beneficiaries being carefully checked before the
money was placed to the credit of the local treasurer. The result of
co-operation between the Provincial Executive and the various relief
committees was so beneficial that very little difficulty arose and the
rules and regulations of the Fund were very carefully observed.
Complaints by the families of soldiers themselves were very few, and all
complaints were readily adjusted. The expense of both collections and
disbursements was kept at a low figure, there being only one or two paid
officials in the larger counties, and these but part time. In addition
to that, some small grants were made for stenographic and clerical
assistance.

CHAPTER LI.
_VICTORY LOAN, 1919._

Provincial Executive Committee.

G. S. Campbell Chairman.
S. A. Heward Secretary.

R. H. Metzler.
P. R. Jack.
W. B. Milner.
A. F. Mackintosh.
H. M. Bradford.
R. W. Elliott.
B. G. Burrill.
W. F. Mahon.
W. I. MacDougall.
H. C. Coughtry.

Bankers’ Committee.

D. Macgillivray Chairman.

H. A. Flemming.
A. E. Nash.
F. St. C. Harris.
F. O. Robertson.

Publicity Committee.

Chairman J. R. McLeod.

Special Names Committee.

Chairman B. G. Burrill.

Provincial Press Committee.

Chairman Dr. J. D. Logan.

Chairmen.

County. 1917–18. 1919.
Annapolis Hon. S. W. W. Pickup. Hon. S. W. W. Pickup.
Antigonish Rev. J. T. Tompkins. Rev. R. S. Macgillivray.
Cape Breton John E. Burchell. Walter Crowe, K.C.
Colchester A. J. Campbell, K.C. A. J. Campbell, K.C.
Cumberland J. R. Douglas. Percy C. Black.
Clare E. L. Comeau. E. L. Comeau.
Digby H. B. Short. H. B. Short.
Guysboro E. C. Whitman. E. C. Whitman.
Hants Rev. Dr. T. S. Boyle. Rev. Dr. T. S. Boyle.
Inverness Rev. A. L. McDonald. Rev. A. L. McDonald.
Kings W. H. Chase. George E. Graham.
Lunenburg J. J. Kinley, M.P.P. J. J. Kinley, M.P.P.
Pictou East R. M. McGregor. John D. McDonald.
Pictou West R. M. McGregor. J. Ed. McDonald.
Queens A. W. Hendry. George S. McClearn.
Richmond D. H. Campbell. D. H. Campbell.
Shelburne R. Irwin, M.P.P. R. Irwin, M.P.P.
Victoria Hon. W. F. McCurdy. Hon. W. F. McCurdy.
Yarmouth E. K. Spinney, M.P. E. K. Spinney, M.P.
Halifax County Hon. G. E. Faulkner. Hon. G. E Faulkner.
Halifax City W. A. Black. W. A. Black.

[Illustration:

GEORGE S. CAMPBELL.]

[Illustration:

WILLIAM BLACK.]

1917 and 1918 Victory Loans—Final Returns.

County. No. No. Volume Volume Objective
Sub. Sub. 1917. 1918. 1918.
1917. 1918.
Halifax City 7,656 9,918 $4,592,500 $9,314,050 $5,000,000
Halifax County 1,472 2,402 533,200 1,003,950 615,000
—————— —————— ——————————— ——————————— ———————————
City and County 9,128 12,320 5,125,700 10,318,000 5,615,000
Annapolis 1,418 1,357 497,950 623,750 500,000
Antigonish 1,218 1,369 430,000 554,050 430,000
Cape Breton 11,251 17,551 4,208,100 6,631,900 4,000,000
Colchester 2,294 2,693 1,003,500 1,374,130 1,000,000
Cumberland 3,605 3,388 2,137,800 3,080,350 1,500,000
Digby Municipality 844 927 292,850 463,100 500,000
Clare Municipality 152 124,250
Guysboro 1,079 1,258 377,900 425,850 375,000
Hants 1,460 1,873 527,300 793,100 650,000
Inverness 920 922 324,900 399,700 325,000
Kings 1,817 2,305 586,150 847,060 650,000
Lunenburg 1,236 2,880 570,250 1,462,600 1,000,000
Pictou 5,679 7,661 2,073,750 4,044,500 2,000,000
Queens 628 634 258,150 343,400 300,000
Richmond 638 564 164,500 200,650 175,000
Shelburne 679 896 317,400 411,150 350,000
Victoria 429 504 161,600 178,400 160,000
Yarmouth 1,115 1,505 457,450 767,760 600,000
—————— —————— ——————————— ——————————— ———————————
Total 45,438 60,759 $19,515,250 $33,043,700 $20,130,000

Unofficial objective, $25,000,000, being Nova Scotia’s proportion of
$500,000,000.

Nova Scotia Victory Loan Campaign, 1919.

County. Objective. Subscribed. No. of Subs.
Halifax City $4,750,000 $6,896,900 6,781
Halifax County 475,000 1,521,000 2,421
——————————— ——————————— ——————
City and County 5,225,000 8,417,900 9,202
Annapolis 350,000 628,250 1,008
Antigonish 300,000 453,200 786
Cape Breton 3,500,000 4,936,200 8,801
Colchester 700,000 1,182,000 1,843
Cumberland 1,250,000 3,199,650 2,266
Digby (Clare Municipality) 175,000 180,350 144
Digby (Digby Municipality) 175,000 339,350 458
Guysboro 275,000 490,000 893
Hants 500,000 618,000 1,147
Inverness 225,000 399,100 711
Kings 550,000 932,800 1,523
Lunenburg 750,000 1,247,750 1,789
Pictou 2,000,000 3,174,700 2,812
Queens 245,000 335,000 453
Richmond 100,000 201,850 295
Shelburne 275,000 376,100 628
Victoria 100,000 229,700 358
Yarmouth 450,000 1,180,000 1,281
——————————— ——————————— ——————
Total $17,145,000 $28,521,900 36,398

CHAPTER LII.
_RED CROSS SOCIETY, WILLING WAR WORKERS, GREEN FEATHER SOCIETY, AND
CATHOLIC LADIES SOCIETY._

The Red Cross has been the Angel of Mercy to the soldier lying on his
fevered couch in hospital, for it brought to him succor and a message of
hope and cheer. But coming in contact with it at a time when he was
least able to apprehend the efforts which brought the help so sorely
needed, he is apt to regard the Red Cross as a field institution and
fails to appreciate the labor and sacrifice of the women at home who
made its work of mercy possible.

The work of the Nova Scotia Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society has
been the raising of money, manufacturing and distribution of goods,
visiting and supplying the needs of hospital ships, trains, military and
convalescent hospitals, and arranging concerts, drives and
entertainments at private homes for returned men. Its work did not
terminate with the declaration of peace but still goes on in almost as
great a measure as in time of war, and will continue to do so as long as
one returned soldier remains in our hospitals.

Many Nova Scotians, as well as returned men, do not appreciate the
magnitude of the task accomplished by the Nova Scotia Branch of the
Canadian Red Cross, and it is only possible here to give a brief outline
of its activities. The women of every city, town and village in the
Province gave the best of their thought, substance and action in order
that the citizen soldier of Nova Scotia, whether in the fighting line or
in hospital convalescing from wounds might have every possible comfort.
At the end of 1915 the Province had thirty-one chartered and two hundred
and sixty-eight auxiliary branches of the Red Cross. Every village and
hamlet had its workers who contributed a steady stream of supplies and
an enormous amount of labor devolved upon the Provincial Branch at
Halifax, which acted as a Clearing House for all branches throughout the
Province.

The officers of the Provincial Branch during the War, with slight
changes of office but not of personnel, were as follows:

_Patrons._

His Honor Lieutenant-Governor and Mrs. Grant.

_President._

Mrs. William Dennis.

[Illustration:

MRS. DENNIS.]

[Illustration:

MRS. CHARLES ARCHIBALD.]

_Vice-Presidents._

Mrs. F. H. Sexton.
Mrs. F. B. McCurdy.
Mrs. Chas. Archibald.
Mrs. Hector McInnis.
Mrs. M. A. Curry (Hon.)

_Hon. Secretary._

Miss Margaret Brown.

_Hon. Treasurer._

H. E. Mahon, Ess.

_Executive Committee._

Mrs. T. Benson.
Mrs. A. W. Jamieson.
Mrs. G. S. Campbell.
Mrs. F. Woodbury.
Mrs. W. J. Armitage.
Mrs. E. A. Kirkpatrick.
Mrs. N. Duffus.
Mrs. A. Costley.
Mrs. W. E. McLellan.
Mrs. F. B. McCurdy.
Mrs. H. W. Cunningham.
Mrs. L. J. Donaldson.
Mrs. G. A. MacIntosh.
Mrs. W. R. Foster, Dartmouth.
Mrs. A. P. Scarfe, Dartmouth.
Mrs. Crathorne, Dartmouth.
Mrs. W. S. Munnis.
Miss Jean Forrest.
Miss Constance Bell.
Mrs. Sedley Thompson.
Miss Ella Ritchie.
Mrs. McKay McLeod, Sydney.
Mrs. M. A. Curry.
Mrs. T. S. Rogers.
Mrs. Frank Hope.
Mrs. J. A. Clark.
Mrs. I. B. Schaffner.
Mrs. P. J. McManus.
Mrs. W. T. Allen.
Mrs. J. W. Longley.
Mrs. Geoffrey Morrow.

Also the President of each Chartered Branch.

_Provincial Representatives on Central Council at Toronto._

Mrs. William Dennis.
Mrs. Charles Archibald.
J. L. Hetherington.
H. E. Mahon.

_Advisory Board._

Mr. J. L. Hetherington, Chairman.
Mr. J. A. Neville.
Mr. H. E. Mahon, Treasurer.
Mr. C. C. Starr.
Mr. Chas. V. Monoghan.
Mr. Emil Gaboury.
Mr. R. Corbett.
Mr. H. McF. Hall.
Mr. W. H. Dennis.
Mr. F. A. Gillis.

The annual report of the Provincial Branch for the year ended October
31, 1916, shows a balance on hand at first of year of $10,961.26 and
receipts for the year of $52,667.62. Disbursements amounted to
$56,584.89, of which the principal items were:

Remittances to Head Office, Toronto $29,278 38
Remittances to endow 50 cots in Princess Patricia Hospital 2,500 00
Material for surgical dressings and garments, and wool for
socks 18,163 17
Office maintenance and expenses at Shipping Pier 1,388 12
Clayton Military Convalescent Home 1,993 67
Contributions to Special Objects 1,141 21

The sum of $9,405.25 was collected for Prisoners’ Relief Account and
$8,800 sent to England for expenditure. In addition to the above amounts
the people of Nova Scotia subscribed $1,500 to the Duchess of Connaught
Prisoners’ Fund and $78,433.03 to the British Red Cross.

Two thousand four hundred and seventy cases of goods were sent Overseas
during the year, including 78 cases furnished No. 7 (Dalhousie)
Stationary Hospital, 112 cases to No. 9 (St. Francis Xavier) Stationary
Hospital, 11 cases to Serbia and 60 to France.

During the year ended October 31, 1917, the following amounts were
collected:

For General Purposes $62,179 80
For Prisoners’ Fund 18,790 22
For French Red Cross 21,897 63
British Red Cross Collection 100,000 00
———————————
$202,867 65

The principal items of expenditure were:

Purchase of materials, hospital supplies, etc. $39,674 84
Sundry supplies 1,318 60
Marine and Fire Insurance 2,351 50
Contributions to Special Objects 4,706 51
Tobacco, fruits and comforts at Pier 2 and City Military
Hospitals 3,963 05
Remittance to Head Office, Toronto 32,020 70
Office Expenses 2,055 66
Forwarded to England for support of prisoners 12,000 00
Forwarded to Toronto 2,000 00
Forwarded to England for books for prisoners 100 00

Two thousand and ninety-nine cases of goods were sent Overseas, and a
greatly enlarged demand for goods was made on this side of the water
owing to the increasing number of returned men and the opening of the
new convalescent hospitals as well as the arrival and departure of
hospital ships and trains. The following institutions were supplied with
goods on their requisitions:

Clayton Military Convalescent Home.
C.E.D. Corps.
Discharge Depot.
Hospital at Pier 2.
Pine Hill Convalescent Home.
Rockhead Hospital (Soldiers’ ward).
Infectious Hospital.
Military Hospital, Cogswell Street.
Hospital Ships.
Hospital Trains.
Kentville Sanitarium.
Dalton, P.E.I.
Camp Hill Hospital.
Truro Military Hospital.
Aldershot Field Hospital.

[Illustration:

MRS. F. B. M‘CURDY.]

Visitors were always on hand on the arrival of hospital ships and the
departure of hospital trains to welcome the returning men and to see
that they had every comfort necessary for the remainder of their
journey. A room was given to the Red Cross Society for the storing of
supplies at Pier 2. This was found most useful, as boats and trains were
despatched as soon as possible—only a few hours’ notice being given for
the filling of requisitions, which work, however, was speedily and ably
done by Mrs. Sexton and her committee, Mrs. F. B. McCurdy and Mrs. W. T.
Allen, the latter of whom carried on the work to the termination. Many
returned men were detained for days at Pier 2 until they went before
their medical board. For these, concerts and entertainments were
provided every evening by the Y.M.C.A., the Red Cross Society and the
Churches. A special Y.M.C.A. Musical Club was formed in this connection
which gave entertainments at a few hours’ notice.

Two exhibitions of Red Cross work were held during the year, one at the
Nova Scotia Provincial Fair, and another at the Exhibit of War Trophies,
held in the Armories.

A Committee on Sphagnum Surgical Dressings, under the able supervision
of the Secretary, Miss Margaret Brown, was appointed. Dalhousie
University very kindly gave the use of a fine laboratory, where boxes of
sphagnum, collected from various points along the sea coast of the
Province were prepared for use.

[Illustration:

MISS MARGARET BROWN.]

[Illustration:

MISS JEAN FORREST.]

Miss Jean Forrest was appointed Superintendent of Supplies at the
Technical College and distributed parcels of yarn and cut-out work at
wholesale prices, to some one hundred and thirty branches who found it
difficult to obtain supplies locally.

The cost of maintaining a prisoner of war at this time was $15 per
month. The Nova Scotia Red Cross assumed the burden of two-thirds, or
$10 per month for 270 men, the Canadian Red Cross paying the additional
$5. The monthly sum required from Nova Scotia for the support of
prisoners was therefore $2,700.

Receipts for the year ended October 31, 1918, amounted to $408,482.66,
of which $334,176.40 was raised by a Provincial Red Cross drive for
funds during the second week in July.

The Canadian Red Cross Society at their Annual Meeting, held in Toronto
in 1917, decided to ask the different Provinces to raise certain sums of
money during the year. Two hundred thousand dollars was named for Nova
Scotia, but the Finance Committee knowing full well that the people of
the Province would gladly contribute to the Red Cross War Fund raised
the objective to $250,000, and then started to work under the able
direction of Mr. J. L. Hetherington and Mr. H. E. Mahon. Committees of
citizens were formed in all the counties, and a complete organization
arranged, with the result that every county “went over the top,” and the
total amount contributed was $343,701.77. From this was deducted
$9,525.37 for expenses in connection with the campaign, leaving the net
amount of $334,176.40 to the Red Cross Society. Never did men and women
from one end of the Province to the other work more enthusiastically,
and never did our people contribute more liberally than to this appeal
from “the Greatest Mother in the World.”

The following amounts were raised in the several counties:

Counties—

Annapolis $9,713 54
Antigonish 5,598 33
Cape Breton 42,150 29
Colchester 20,444 29
Cumberland 20,196 46
Digby 4,464 04
Guysboro 5,521 24
Halifax (City) 110,416 87
Halifax (County) 15,425 31
Hants 10,340 00
Inverness 2,903 67
Kings 10,650 00
Lunenburg 14,446 47
Pictou 40,235 27
Queens 6,341 61
Richmond 2,332 47
Shelburne 7,500 00
Victoria 2,463 38
Yarmouth 11,510 36
Special 1,048 17
———————————
Total $343,701 77
Expenses 9,525 37
———————————
Final Total $334,176 46

The expenditure for the year 1918 included:

Purchase of materials, hospital supplies, etc $38,700 04
Sundry Supplies 1,218 32
Comforts to City Military Hospitals and Hospital Ships 9,331 67
Special objects designated by remitters 4,158 53
Remittances to Head Office, Toronto 325,931 70
Office Expenses and wages at Pier 2 2,746 49

During the year 1918 the public maintained their interest in the
Prisoners of War Department of the Red Cross. The amount collected was
$20,943.01, of which $19,013.00 was forwarded to headquarters in London,
England, for the support of prisoners. The food rations of each prisoner
of war were despatched regularly three times every fortnight, which,
considering there were 270 men on the list, was no light undertaking. In
addition to the food supply the prisoners received two complete outfits
of clothing, including everything from shoes and socks to overcoats.

After the signing of the Armistice the work of repatriating prisoners
went steadily on, and each steamer brought men who had spent many weary
months in the prison camps, and they all testified to the value of the
work done by this Society and declared that it was solely due to this
that they were enabled to return to their homes. This department of Red
Cross work has been most ably conducted by Mrs. Charles Archibald, nobly
assisted by Miss Ritchie and Mrs. Longley.

The beginning of this year was marked by the terrible Halifax explosion,
by which 1,635 persons lost their lives and 10,000 people were rendered
homeless. Much generous help was received by the stricken city. Everyone
knows the splendid aid sent by the American Red Cross, and the people
and Government of the United States in despatching to Halifax train
loads and boat loads of supplies, together with surgeons and nurses.
Their neighborly kindness will never be forgotten.

But the help rendered by our own Canadian Red Cross is perhaps not so
widely known. The Chairman of the Executive in Toronto wired to the
shipping agent in St. John to render every assistance possible in money
and goods. The agent, Mr. Milburne, immediately requisitioned a special
train, and brought with him all the Red Cross goods he had ready for
shipment Overseas, making two car loads in all. This train was the first
assistance from outside the Province to reach Halifax. Hearing that some
of the injured had been conveyed to Truro, Mr. Milburne put off cases of
hospital necessaries for their use at that station. A medical supply
committee of the Canadian Red Cross Society was immediately formed with
the sanction of the Halifax Relief Committee, Mr. Milburne being
appointed Chairman, and Mrs. Sexton, Vice-Chairman, with a Staff of
forty-four voluntary workers. Twice daily all the emergency hospitals
were visited and their wants noted and supplied the same day. The number
of these hospitals, dressing stations, etc., amounted to sixty-two.

At the same time, gifts of clothing, food and money poured in from Red
Cross Branches all over Canada. Ottawa Branch shipped in one day eight
carloads of clothing. The Nova Scotia Branch, under its President, Mrs.
Dennis, co-operated heartily, practically every Branch and Auxiliary in
the Province sending substantial and generous aid.

Special mention must be made of the work of the President of the Windsor
Red Cross, Mrs. P. M. Fielding, who organized a special train which
arrived the evening of December 6th, bringing doctors and nurses from
Kentville, Windsor, Truro and neighboring towns. The Windsor Red Cross
alone spent $422.74 on Red Cross supplies and provisions for this trip,
Hantsport and other Branches also providing hampers of food, so that the
doctors and nurses had their meals en route and arrived in Halifax ready
to go to work without an instant’s delay, thereby saving many lives.
Mrs. Fielding remained in the city, established and equipped three
dormitories, which accommodated in all seventy-five nurses. What this
meant to the stricken city will never be computed, and the Red Cross
feels that all who helped can never be sufficiently thanked.

It was not until the end of March that the Red Cross was able to resume
its work for returned invalided soldiers. By that time the hospital on
Pier 2, wrecked by the explosion, had been repaired. The hospital ships
once more made their trips, and the Red Cross storeroom on the pier was
re-stocked. Large requisitions were filled each month; sometimes only a
few hours’ notice was given to get the supplies on board—sometimes only
a few minutes’ notice in the case of a hospital train. On one trip the
ship docked in the morning, landed her men and went out again with her
new supplies in the afternoon. At another time 1,400 shipwrecked men
from _S.S. City of Vienna_ were visited and supplied with filled kit
bags, containing toilet necessaries, pipes and tobacco. Directly after,
the Committee were called upon to minister to 300 influenza contact
cases. This necessitated the workers going into quarantine for two days,
very busy days, too, the telegrams alone requiring upwards of 300
telephone calls. The Y.M.C.A. and the Knights of Columbus Musical Club
were always at hand to cheer up men who were detained by the Medical
Board, arranging for their benefit concerts, entertainments, motor
drives and teas at private houses.

One thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight cases of goods were sent
Overseas, and the distribution of supplies on this side grew very
greatly during the year owing to the increasing number of returned men
and the opening of new convalescent homes.

The financial statement for the year ended October 31, 1918, shows
receipts of $36,848.65. Expenditures amounted to $41,804.01, including
the following items:

Purchase of materials, City and Provincial Hospitals $12,172 04
Kentville Sanitarium 1,014 42
Soldiers’ Reception Committee 9,000 00
Cigarettes 2,456 51
Soldiers’ Comforts 2,260 23
Libraries 319 79
Nurses 378 10
Furnishings 2,201 36
Clayton Hospital 175 00
Rental and Expenses at Headquarters, 314 Barrington St. 3,858 89
Office Expenses 1,789 85
X-Ray Machines, Kentville 2,396 43
Hospital Ships 823 63

No salaries whatever were paid to officers of the Red Cross Society. The
only persons connected with the work who received anything for their
services were the shipper at Red Cross warehouse at Pier 2, who was
responsible for the receiving and sending forward of our boxes, and the
Office Secretary who took charge of the correspondence, kept the books,
etc. She was assisted by a large corps of voluntary workers.

With the signing of the Armistice great changes naturally took place in
the daily work of the Nova Scotia Red Cross. Workers decreased in
number, and those who remained faithful had to work extremely hard, as,
although it was considered that the stores already sent would be
sufficient for all Overseas demands, the reserve stock of stores for use
in the hospitals in our own Province had to be kept up.

At the time of the Armistice the surgical sphagnum dressings were still
very greatly needed. Special efforts were put into this work, which
continued till free transportation ceased on March 31st. Forty-five
boxes of the dressings were sent Overseas. An eminent Surgeon-Colonel in
one of the Overseas hospitals gave it as his opinion that sphagnum
dressings had saved the situation.

Work for refugees of the devastated area of France was then taken up,
sanctioned by the Head Office in Toronto, who provided samples and gave
permission to use Red Cross materials for this good work. The patterns
were duplicated in our office and distributed to Branches throughout the
Province. The work was carried on for two months and 217 boxes of
garments were sent over.

Change of quarters for the Red Cross became imperative. The Technical
College, which had sheltered Red Cross workers during the four years of
the War, and had so generously allowed them the use of valuable
equipment of every kind, was now overcrowded with its own work for
returned soldiers. It was therefore decided to take over the lease of
No. 314 Barrington Street from the American Red Cross, which had
occupied it for the last year.

It was thought best to continue the Canteen which the American Red Cross
had established until such time as the Y.M.C.A. should take up this
work. This Canteen, under the management of Mrs. Sexton, had a wonderful
success, becoming a happy and home-like centre for returned men and
greatly appreciated—especially the hot Sunday dinners served by devoted
workers. Much regret was expressed when, at the end of three months, it
was closed and the work handed over to the newly-opened Red Triangle Hut
next door.

The principal work throughout the year was supplying the needs of the
hospitals. Mrs. Munnis, who worked so faithfully as the Convener of the
Hospital Committee resigned and was replaced by Mrs. Sexton. An enlarged
committee was formed and a large staff of visitors began their duties,
each having a special ward assigned to them.

Twelve sun parlors at Camp Hill Hospital were furnished for the use of
convalescents and made as comfortable and home-like as possible. The
estimated cost was $500 each, subscribed for by the following Red Cross
Branches: Amherst, Windsor, Wolfville, Westville, Trenton, Glace Bay,
Halifax, Truro, Hazel Hill, Joggins Mines, New Glasgow and North Sydney.
A brass plate, bearing the name of the donor, was affixed to the wall of
each parlor. The cost exceeded the estimate by $240 each, which excess
was paid from the central treasury.

From November 11, 1918, until September 30, 1919, 220,000 men passed
through the Port of Halifax, and 92 ships were met and as far as
possible these men had the use of the Red Cross rooms at the pier. The
Port Committee was on hand day and night to help make their landing on
Canadian soil (many of them after years of service) a great home-coming.

In the first days of disembarkation all men for Canada were held at
Halifax for documentation. Later the military authorities changed their
plan and it became their ambition to disembark and entrain these men in
the shortest possible time so that only Maritime men waiting for local
trains or men held for hospital treatment came under the care of the
Committee.

Later on the Repatriation Department of the Canadian Government
requested the Red Cross to undertake the care of the returning soldiers’
families. About 5,000 soldiers’ dependants passed through Halifax and a
fully trained nurse was placed on each train containing soldiers’ wives
and children.

Hospital equipment was provided at Pier No. 2 for any women and children
who were unfit to travel after landing from boat, or whose husbands were
military patients and could not proceed. Often their luggage was not
obtainable, and the Red Cross was called upon to supply such necessaries
as infants’ outfits, women’s pyjamas and bath robes, towels, soap,
combs, hot water bottles, medicines, etc.

In March when the Canadian Government decided to send the hospital ships
to Portland, Maine, instead of Halifax, Col. Noel Marshall requested
that a Committee of our Port Workers should inaugurate the work at the
new port. Mrs. W. T. Allen, Mrs. J. L. Hetherington and Mrs. F. B.
McCurdy accordingly proceeded to Portland and very satisfactory
arrangements were made whereby the Canadian Red Cross continued to fit
ships with hospital stores, while the American Red Cross very
courteously and generously provided canteen facilities and served
refreshments to all the wounded.

Perhaps no department of the Red Cross has developed more enthusiasm or
been more splendidly supported than the work of Prisoners’ Relief. From
a very small beginning it grew to be work of great importance, and one
in which the people of Nova Scotia have abundantly shown their practical
interest. It did not draw upon the general Red Cross Funds but appealed
for a special offering from the public or from friends of men who were
prisoners of war and found a most gratifying response, no less than
$41,448 having been contributed for this special purpose.

Approximately 270 Canadian prisoners of war in forty-one different
internment camps in Germany were maintained wholly or in part through
the kindness of the people of Nova Scotia, at a cost per head of $10 per
month. Almost all these men were “adopted” by friends or societies; that
is, such persons or societies agreed to pay a certain sum per month
towards their maintenance, two dollars and fifty cents having been fixed
as the minimum amount. The name and address of the adopted was given to
the man, and his name, number and prison address to the adopter, and
letters and cards were exchanged between them, often arousing a deep
personal interest on the one hand and a sense of gratitude and
appreciation on the other.

Mrs. Archibald and Miss Ritchie were brought in close contact with the
homes and families of prisoners of war. The amount of correspondence was
very considerable, and the system used entailed a lot of bookkeeping.
The name and number of each man, date of capture, prison camp and any
details that could be gathered were registered on a card index. The name
of the “adopter” was also registered both here and with the Prisoners of
War Department in London.

[Illustration:

MRS. W. M‘K. M‘LEOD.]

[Illustration:

MISS CLARA DENNIS.]

Close touch was kept with the Department of “Missing Men,” conducted in
London and in a few instances it was possible to convey reassuring news
to sorrow-stricken friends of the “missing men,” although, too often, it
became necessary to deprive them of the hope they so touchingly clung
to. Yet even the bad news was softened somewhat by details of the death
or capture of a man, obtained under the system inaugurated by Lady
Drummond of “Searchers” in hospitals who sought out wounded men of the
same Platoon or Battalion of the person enquired for. These men, if able
to write, would themselves send a few words telling when and where they
had seen their less fortunate comrades. Even these meagre details were
of some comfort to the mourning ones. Some of the heart-broken letters
received were very hard to reply to, but when news was good and food
parcels arrived safely showers of “acknowledgment cards” flowed in; and
when, as often happened, the mail brought a personal letter from some
grateful mother or a few words from some of the poor boys behind barbed
wire “somewhere in Germany,” or when a rapturous letter came from some
poor fellow transferred from his prison as “totally unfit” and sent to
the free air of Switzerland, the ladies conducting this Department felt
more than happy in being permitted to participate in such a work of
mercy. Mrs. Archibald, Miss Ritchie, and their co-workers possessed in
no small degree the confidence of the prisoners’ friends throughout the
Province and deeply appreciated their attitude toward them and their
loyalty and patience with the many unavoidable delays and mistakes.

During the last two years of the War, as the work became heavier, this
Department had associated with it Mrs. W. McK. McLeod, who acted as
Secretary for Cape Breton, and Miss Almon. Special mention must also be
made of the work of Miss Clara Dennis in meeting and welcoming home
repatriated men who had been prisoners of war. During 1918–19 one
thousand and eight of these men were met and greeted by Miss Dennis. To
each man was handed a card of welcome from the Red Cross and a box of
confectionery. He was asked to record his name, regimental number,
German prison camp, and his home address in a book specially prepared
for the purpose. That the men appreciated this informal but hearty
welcome home is abundantly proved by the fact that Miss Dennis has since
received from them hundreds of letters of thanks.

It is impossible to give in detail the names of the many thousands of
devoted and faithful voluntary workers throughout the Province of Nova
Scotia who sought no reward for their labors but the joy of knowing that
the Society achieved its aim—the alleviation of the sufferings of our
fighting men.

_Red Cross Chartered Branches._

Place. President.
Amherst Mrs. W. R. Fishleigh.
Arichat Mrs. C. D. Terrio.
Antigonish Mrs. D. G. Kirk.
Baddeck Mrs. F. W. McCurdy.
Barrington Mrs. Wilson Crowell.
Berwick Mrs. Alex. Anderson.
Bishop’s Mountain Mrs. C. O. Downie.
Brass Hill Mrs. F. Nickerson.
Brule Mrs. A. C. Cook.
Barney’s River Mrs. Wm. McDonald.
Boulardarie Mrs. J. Fraser.
Canso Mrs. C. O’Donoghue.
Cape North Miss Grace Gwynn.
Chester Dr. C. O. Hebb.
Dartmouth Mrs. W. R. Foster.
Dominion No. 6. Mrs. Anna B. Wight.
Goldboro Mrs. Edgar Silver.
Glace Bay Mrs. P. E. Ogilvy.
Halifax Mrs. Wm. Dennis.
Hazel Hill Mrs. Dunning.
Hantsport Miss Marcia Braine.
Lawrencetown Mrs. D. M. Balcom.
Lawrencetown S.S. Mrs. J. F. Brown.
Moser’s River Mrs. Walter Smith.
Mulgrave Mrs. L. C. Dixon.
New Glasgow Mrs. P. A. MacGregor.
North Sydney Mrs. J. J. Pallen.
Pictou Mrs. A. S. Stalker.
Port Morien Miss C. Macaulay.
Port Bickerton Mrs. George Taylor.
Point Tupper Mrs. James Swaine.
St. Peters Mrs. J. Kemp.
Sydney Mrs. H. A. Nicholson.
Sydney Mines Mrs. B. Archibald.
South Berwick Mrs. G. R. Nichols.
Tancook Island Miss Beulah Wilson.
Trenton Mrs. C. W. Stromberg.
Truro Mrs. Harold Putnam.
West Quoddy Mrs. Alex. Gamnon.
Westville Mrs. R. Fraser.
Windsor Mrs. P. M. Fielding.
Wolfville Mrs. Harold Barss.
Woodlawn Mrs. Jane Nauffts.
Westchester Station Mrs. W. O. Webb.
Yarmouth Mrs. W. D. Ross.

_Red Cross Auxiliaries._

Avondale Miss Bertha Crossley.
Advocate Harbor Mrs. L. L. Hill.
Athol Mrs. J. W. Boss.
Aylesford Mrs. C. N. McIntyre.
Apple River Mrs. E. Slocum.
Billtown Mrs. C. R. Bill.
Bayhead Mrs. James Johnson.
Baxter’s Harbor Mrs. Fred Ells.
Bayfield Mrs. F. C. Gass.
Bedford Mrs. E. Butler.
Blandford Mrs. C. Woods.
Bear River Mrs. L. J. Lovitt.
Bridgetown Mrs. O. T. Daniels.
Baccaro Mrs. G. L. Crowell.
Barney’s River Mrs. (Rev.) McDonald.
Barronsfield Miss Nettie Baker.
Beacon Hill Mrs. E. H. Langille.
Big Baddeck Mrs. Alex. Anderson.
Birch Grove Mrs. D. B. McDonald.
Brooklynn (Queens) Mrs. W. P. Godfrey.
Brandford Mrs. C. Woods.
Broughton Miss Ida McLeod.
Centre Burlington Mrs. F. G. Brown.
Clarke’s Harbor Mrs. George Phillips.
Central New Annan Miss A. McIntosh.
Cherry Brook Mrs. Mary Grosse.
Chignecto Mines Mrs. F. M. Blenkhorn.
Clam Harbor Mrs. J. B. Homans.
Collingwood Mrs. Davies.
Cook’s Brook Mrs. Warren Cook.
Caledonia Mrs. B. Lempton.
Canaan Miss Bessie Shipley.
Central Grove Mrs. Byron Melaney.
Centre Gore Mrs. N. Grant.
Centre Rawdon Mrs. J. E. Wood.
Centreville Rev. H. M. Manzer.
Clementsport Miss L. Hicks.
Cleveland Mrs. D. A. McLeod.
Conquerall Bank Mrs. Angus Weagle.
Dalhousie East (Kings) Mrs. M. Oickle.
Dalhousie East (Annapolis) Mrs. John Long.
Dean Mrs. Campbell Brown
Deep Brook Mrs. G. Marsters.
Diligent River Mrs. W. W. Lamb.
Digby Mrs. Eber Turnbull.
Durham Miss Janet Blaikie.
Ellershouse Mrs. H. D. Archibald.
Elmsdale Mrs. Chas. Thompson.
East Walton Mrs. Levi Lake.
Economy Mrs. P. Huntley.
Five Islands Mrs. Calvin Corbett.
Fenwick Mrs. F. B. Dickinson.
Freeport Mrs. Egar Ring.
Five Mile River Mrs. H. Hennigar.
Fraserville Mrs. Gaius Fraser.
Glenville and Claremont Mrs. C. A. McCabe.
Grand River Mrs. McDonald.
Guysboro Mrs. G. E. Buckley.
Glengarry Miss Christine Fraser.
Granville Ferry Mrs. W. Patterson.
Giant’s Lake Miss K. A. McLean.
Goldenville Mrs. L. Fraser.
Goshen and Argyle Mrs. J. A. Sinclair.
Great Village Mrs. C. B. Spencer.
Greenwood Mrs. Chas. Neilly.
Hammond’s Plains Miss S. Schmidt.
Hubbards Mrs. Bessie McLean.
Harmony (Kings) Mrs. C. S. Spinney.
Hemsford Mrs. James Falconer.
Inverness Mrs. E. Brassett.
Joggins Mines Mrs. R. J. Bell.
Kingston Station Mrs. G. G. Power.
Karsdale Mrs. G. W. Chisholm.
Lake Ainslie Mrs. M. A. McKay.
Louisburg Mrs. A. L. Bates.
Liverpool Mrs. John More.
Lunenburg Mrs. Emily Smith.
Lower Selmah and Sterling Brook Miss Lena Spicer.
Lochaber Mrs. John Brown.
Latties Brook Mrs. W. J. Macdonald.
Liverpool Mrs. John More.
Lockhartville Miss F. McInnes.
Londonderry Mrs. J. G. R. Smith.
Lower Granville Mrs. George Anthony.
Lyons Brook Mrs. A. Hogg.
Lockeport Mrs. Churchill Locke.
Mosherville, Stanley and Clarkeville Mrs. H. B. Smith.
Milford Station Mrs. Pooley.
McPhee’s Corner Mrs. James McPhee.
Margaretsville Mrs. A. B. Coulstan.
Marriott’s Cove Mrs. Rupert Millett.
Middle River Mrs. Mary MacDonald.
Mabou Mrs. E. S. Bayne.
Maccan Mrs. (Dr.) Forbes.
Mahone Miss Nettie Zwicker.
Malagash Mrs. Jacob Treen.
Malagawatch Mrs. Hudson.
Manchester and Port Shoreham Mrs. W. Bruce.
Mapleton Mrs. G. E. Fletcher.
Margaree Harbor Mrs. A. R. MacDougall.
Melvern Square Mrs. E. F. McNeil.
Merigomish and Piedmont Mrs. T. B. Olding.
Middleton Mrs. W. Gwillim.
Mill Village (Hants) Mrs. Hattie Wallace.
Mira Gut Mrs. J. J. Philips.
Moose Brook and Tennycape Mrs. W. F. Stevens.
Millsville Mrs. R. MacKay.
Mount Uniacke Miss Sadie Robinson.
Nappan Mrs. Robert Donaldson.
Neil’s Harbor Mrs. Ed. Dowling.
New Annan Miss Agnes McIntosh.
New Port Mrs. J. F. Rathburn.
North Dartmouth Mrs. C. V. Vernon.
New Campbellton Mrs. W. McKinnon.
New Germany Mrs. H. P. Chesley.
N.E. Margaree Mrs. J. H. Tulston.
Noel Shore Mrs. E. S. Main.
North Kingston Mrs. H. J. Neily.
Oxford Mrs. J. R. Gilroy.
Owl’s Head Mrs. J. E. Parker.
Oxford Junction Mrs. S. Colburne.
Port Maitland Mrs. E. H. Porter.
Port Greville Mrs. R. S. Kerr.
Pleasantfield Mrs. Charles Arnburg.
Paradise Mrs. H. P. Layte.
Port Medway Mrs. Grace Andrews.
Parrsboro Mrs. F. A. Rand.
Pentz Miss Alberta Smith.
Port Dufferin Mrs. E. W. Dunlop.
Port Hawkesbury Mrs. D. Gillis.
Port Hood Mrs. Daniel McLennan.
Port La Tour Mrs. D. Snow.
Port Hilford Miss Isabella Reid.
Parker’s Cove Mrs. H. Anderson.
Plainfield Mrs. W. A. Graham.
Princedale Mrs. Forman Wright.
Ragged Island, East Side Mrs. Chas. Matthews.
Richmond Mrs. A. G. McIntosh.
River Herbert Mrs. T. Shipley.
Rockingham Mrs. W. J. Clayton.
Rodney and Windham Mrs. M. Y. Boss.
River John .Mrs. C. W. MacKintosh.
River Philip Mrs. G. L. King.
Rossway Mrs. Bessie Crowell.
Sandy Point Mrs. Anzo Long.
Sandy Cove Mrs. E. D. Morehouse.
Shag Harbor Mrs. N. C. Nickerson.
Shelburne Mrs. Martha C. Morton.
Ship Harbor Lake Mrs. Alvin Webber.
Shubenacadie Mrs. A. E. Culton.
Smith’s Cove Mrs. Edward Winchester.
Southampton Mrs. Victor Brown.
Spencer’s Island Mrs. Edmund Spicer.
Sackville Mrs. Robinson.
South Athol Mrs. L. D. MacKeen.
Seal Island Mrs. John Smith.
St. Croix and Sweet’s Corner Mrs. J. F. Rathburn.
Stake Road Dr. Barbara McKinnon.
Sutherland’s River Mrs. Dwight Burns.
South Side Cape Sable Island Mrs. E. C. Nickerson.
South Farmington Mrs. Wilkins.
Springhill Mrs. David Stewart.
Stellarton Mrs. George Gray.
Stewiacke Mrs. Rachel Pollock.
Stony Island Mrs. S. L. Brannen.
Sydney River Miss Sarah McDougall.
Selmah Mrs. Cyrus Weldon.
South Rawdon Mrs. W. H. Lawson.
South Bay Mrs. T. A. Young.
Torbrook Mrs. A. B. Payson.
Tupperville Mrs. L. H. Chipman.
Tatamagouche Mrs. D. A. Cunningham.
Upper Burlington Mrs. Harry B. Sandford.
Upper Lakeville Mrs. Margaret Webber.
Upper Musquodoboit Mrs. W. B. Hutchinson.
Upper Economy Mrs. C. F. Lewis.
Upper Rawdon Mrs. J. E. Weatherhead.
Upper Port La Tour Miss Rosa Snow.
Wallace Mrs. A. S. Murphy.
Wilmot Mrs. J. B. Kilton.
West New Annan Mrs. W. Wilson.
Westport Mrs. E. C. Bowser.
Wallace River Mrs. Chas. Fisher.
Waterville Mrs. D. R. Pineo.
Waverley Mrs. E. Fauchea.
West La Have Mrs. Clarence Wambolt.
Welton’s Corner Mrs. P. A. Smith.
West Apple River Mrs. Robert McWhirter.
West Berlin and Eagle Head Mrs. B. Conrod.

THE WILLING WAR WORKERS, GLACE BAY.

An organization that blazed a new and unique track in the War, and
accomplished great results, especially in the colliery districts of Cape
Breton, was the Willing War Workers of Glace Bay.

[Illustration:

MRS. G. S. HARRINGTON.]

A number of the mothers, sisters, wives and sweethearts of the boys
“over there,” finding that other Societies lacked the personal touch,
banded themselves together to send parcels every week to their own home
boys in France, and kept up the good work enthusiastically until
Armistice Day, when they disbanded.

Mrs. Gordon S. Harrington, wife of Colonel Harrington, Deputy Overseas
Minister, was the first President, and Mrs. Stuart McCawley, of Glace
Bay, the Secretary-Treasurer.

Mrs. Harrington went to England in November, 1916, and became actively
interested in war work for Canadian soldiers in that country,
particularly at the Beaver Hut, Strand, London, and St. Dunstan’s Hostel
for blinded soldiers.

THE GREEN FEATHER SOCIETY LADIES’ AUXILIARY OF THE 185TH BATTALION.

The Society was organized on March 9, 1916. The aim of the Society was,
first, to aid recruiting; second, to look after the comfort of the men
while quartered at Broughton, and as far as possible after they had gone
Overseas; third, to assist in every possible way the wives and families
of the men enlisting.

OFFICERS ELECTED:

Mrs. E. J. Johnstone, _President_.
Mrs. J. A. McLellan, _Vice-President_.
Mrs. O. Leiers, _Treasurer_.
Miss Daniels, _Secretary_.

From the time of the Society’s organization until the 185th Battalion
was disbanded, the Society raised the sum of $2,075.36, which was
devoted entirely to the use and comfort of the Battalion. In addition to
this, Mr. Walshaw, of the D.T.S. Co., collected the sum of $70.00, and
the North Sydney Branch of the Green Feather Society also donated the
sum of $43.00. These amounts were sent to England for the purpose of
procuring Christmas dinners for the men.

The visiting committee of the Society did very good work in looking
after the wives and children of the men who had gone Overseas.

At the close of the War there was the sum of $12.00 in funds, which was
presented to the G.W.V.A. after their organization.

THE CATHOLIC LADIES’ PATRIOTIC SOCIETY, SYDNEY.

This Society was organized the second year of the War by the ladies of
the Sacred Heart Parish, Sydney, and was intended to supply the
religious needs of the Cape Breton soldiers and Chaplains, and to send
comforts direct to the soldiers in the trenches. However, as the War
went on, the Society enlarged its scope and embraced all kinds of
patriotic work. The work of the Society was carried on by packing tin
boxes with fruit cake, candy, cigarettes, socks, khaki shirts, and other
things too numerous to mention. These were addressed to each soldier and
acknowledged in due time.

The success of the Society was in no small measure due to the activity
of the President, Mrs. V. F. Cunningham, who held that office during the
four years of the Society’s existence.

The following short statement will give some idea of the work of the
Society:

RECEIPTS.

Total amount received from general city collections $2,058 89
Amount from other sources 975 80
—————————
$3,034 69

EXPENDITURE.

Paid supplies for boxes sent Overseas $2,153 79
Paid Chaplain’s supplies 250 00
Paid Catholic Hut Fund 200 00
Paid Hospital supplies 305 90
Paid Local Hospital, Khaki Club, etc., etc. 125 00
—————————
$3,034 69

CHAPTER LIII.
_THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS._

Until the spring of 1918, the war work of the Knights of Columbus in
Nova Scotia consisted in aiding the work carried on at St. Mary’s Army
and Navy Club at Halifax, and in sending money Overseas to aid the
Catholic Army Huts in England and at the Front. The work done by these
Huts became more and more extensive as the War went on, and the amount
of money that each council could send from its own funds became wholly
inadequate to enable these Huts to give efficient service.

In May, 1918, His Lordship the Right Reverend James Morrison, Bishop of
Antigonish, addressed a letter to the Knights of Columbus of the
Maritime Provinces, setting out the needs of the Catholic Army Huts and
the slender financial resources at their disposal. “Accordingly,” he
says, “I feel it a pressing duty to ask the Knights of Columbus to
organize a general public campaign for funds to provide our Catholic
soldiers Overseas, or wherever they may be assembled, with Catholic
Huts, Club Rooms and accessories thereto, in which the Army Chaplains
may be enabled more efficiently and more conveniently to minister to
their religious welfare, and where the soldiers themselves, irrespective
of denominational affiliations, may have at their disposal such
accommodations in social life as may be a proper safeguard for their
moral welfare.”

On the receipt of this letter the Knights began the work of organizing a
campaign which extended throughout the whole of Canada. More than one
million dollars were raised in the Dominion, to which sum the various
counties of Nova Scotia contributed as follows:—

Halifax $56,621 95
Cape Breton 28,562 80
Pictou 9,509 63
Antigonish 6,635 49
Cumberland 5,337 73
Inverness 4,802 46
Guysboro 3,330 05
Yarmouth 2,877 97
Colchester 2,475 29
Kings 2,405 57
Hants 1,961 66
Richmond 1,723 25
Digby 1,542 67
Victoria 1,144 25
Queens 1,102 20
Lunenburg 669 50
Annapolis 444 55
Shelburne 68 50
———————————
Total for the Province $131,215 52

The “Drive” by which this money was raised took place during the week of
August 19–24, 1918. The whole of the amount raised was intended for work
in England and France but, with the signing of the Armistice, the
returned soldier problem demanded the attention of the Knights, and Huts
were opened in Halifax and the other dispersal areas in Canada. The work
in Canada and Overseas was under the supervision of Lieut.-Col. Clarence
F. Smith, of Montreal, Comptroller. Large sums of the money were sent
Overseas and the balance was devoted to the work of serving the returned
men.

Following are the names on the Executive Committee of the Knights of
Columbus War Activities:—Messrs. John A. Neville, John F. O’Connell,
Jas. D. O’Connor, Walter M. Godsoe, Thos. W. Murphy, Frank A. Gillis,
Dan. T. Lynagh, Wm. A. Hallisey, Jno. P. Quinn, Hon. Judge Chisholm, and
Mr. William R. Wakely.

The Knights of Columbus Catholic Army Hut, at No. 372 Barrington Street,
was opened December 1, 1918, and Halifax may be regarded as the
birth-place of the work of the Knights of Columbus Catholic Army Huts in
Canada. All men of the Allied Armies and Navies were welcome,
irrespective of race, creed or color. The Knights of Columbus’ slogan,
“Everybody Welcome, Everything Free,” was carried out to the letter,
with the exception that a charge of 25c. was made for beds, although of
the total number of beds used about half were donated, inasmuch as many
of the guests were in need of funds. Men arriving in transports were
also given a bed free of charge. Mr. J. D. O’Connor was Chairman of the
Hut Committee, and associated with him were Mr. John F. O’Connell, Mr.
D. T. Lynagh, the late W. A. Monoghan, Mr. W. J. Williams, Mr. E. J.
Scanlon, Mr. W. A. Hallisey, Mr. W. T. Murphy, Mr. W. E. Donovan, Mr. J.
K. Kelleher, and Mr. W. R. Wakely. There was an average daily attendance
at the Hut during December, 1918, January, February and March, 1919, of
1,300 to 1,500, and a total attendance of 177,060 from December 1, 1918,
until the Hut closed on September 13, 1919.

Mr. W. E. Donovan, Chairman of the Entertainment Committee, arranged for
weekly entertainments. The men in uniform were always most appreciative
of the class of entertainment given at the Hut under the direction of
the Chairman. He had the happy faculty of selecting the very best
artists, and had the Columbus Musical Club to draw from as well as other
local clubs.

Refreshments were always served. Mr. W. E. Donovan never failed to have
a number of young ladies in attendance, and they saw that every guest
was generously supplied. The Hut was open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.,
and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., and the men had free use of the
reading, writing and billiard rooms. Canadian and American newspapers
and magazines were supplied; writing paper and envelopes and all
billiard and pool games were free. 12,983 games of billiards and pool
were played from December, 1918, to September 13, 1919. May 10, 1919, a
dormitory of fifty beds was opened, and from that date to September 13,
1919, 2,725 beds were used. Of that number 1,279 were supplied free of
charge.

Space in the building would not permit of the Knights of Columbus War
Activities having a cafeteria, but there was a canteen from which the
following supplies were given away free, from December 1, 1918, to
September 13, 1919:—

Soft Drinks (bottles) 6,684
Apples (barrels) 32
Cigarettes (packages) 27,872
Cigars 2,000
Tobacco (pounds) 830
Gum (packages) 1,605
Coffee (cups) 55,175
Oxo (cubes) 3,783
Biscuits (pounds) 2,389
Chocolate Bars 7,668
Matches (boxes) 8,304

LETTERS MAILED.

Canadian 27,121
British and Foreign 6,042
American 8,067

It was not until after the Armistice was signed that a Pier Committee
was organized under the able leadership of Mr. John P. Quinn as
Chairman. His associates were Messrs. John Neville, Henry T. Kline,
Harry C. Murphy, John D. Campbell, E. J. Murphy, John Fry, J. J. Penny,
P. J. Hanifen, R. J. Flinn, Geo. A. Gauvin, and W. E. Donovan.

The Returned Soldiers’ Reception Committee, made up of twenty-five men
selected from the various clubs and organizations of Halifax City, with
an Auxiliary Committee of five ladies, was organized in November, 1916.
From that date the Committee received troop and hospital ships, and
raised by voluntary subscription $9,178.96. It also received $3,000.00
from the Halifax Victory Loan canvassers. Mr. John P. Quinn waited upon
Mr. W. S. Davidson, Chairman of the Returned Soldiers’ Reception
Committee, and informed Mr. Davidson that the Knights of Columbus were
prepared to spend an amount of their funds toward the reception of the
troops returning from Overseas, either in conjunction with the Returned
Soldiers’ Reception Committee, or alone. This brought in the Red Cross
and the Y.M.C.A., and an agreement was made by each of the three
organizations to contribute to the funds of the Returned Soldiers’
Reception Committee to the extent of one-third each of the amount
required by the Returned Soldiers’ Committee. From January 1, 1919,
until the last troopship arrived, $9,000.00 was contributed from each of
the three organizations—a total of $27,000.00. These funds were used for
the purpose of purchasing cigarettes, fruit, chocolate bars, matches,
flowers, newspapers, welcome cards, and for postage and telegrams.

From the time the work began, one hundred and thirty-eight troopships
disembarked about 305,655 men. In the distribution of supplies at the
pier, the work was divided among seven teams of twelve each, each team
having a captain and an equal number of representatives from the Knights
of Columbus, the Red Cross, Y.M.C.A., and the Returned Soldiers’
Reception Committee. Mr. Felix P. Quinn, of the Knights of Columbus, was
a captain of one of the teams.

WORK AT THE VARIOUS MILITARY HOSPITALS.

[Illustration:

MRS. JOHANNA M. TERNAN.]

There existed what was known as the Knights of Columbus Hospital Comfort
Bureau. The following are the names of those serving on that Committee:
Rev. John Quinan, Capt. M. Ryan, Jas. J. Bates, T. J. Burke, E. J.
Griffen, Geo. J. Lynch, Jas. P. Mulcahy, Frank A. Gillis, and O. G.
Burke.

Mrs. Johanna Mary Ternan was appointed Secretary.

Daily supplies were sent to Camp Hill Military Hospital and Cogswell
Street Station Hospital and weekly visits were made. On these visits
fruit, candy and cigarettes were distributed by the following committee
of ladies: Mrs. Geo. Metzler, Miss Nita Gauvin, Miss Fannie Clark, Miss
Metzler, Mrs. M. Foley, Miss Mary Neville, and Miss Frances Chisholm.

In addition to the above Hospitals, supplies were sent to Pine Hill
Convalescent Home, Rock Head Military Hospital, Kentville Sanitarium,
Naval Hospital, County Jail, Victoria General Hospital, Lawlor’s Island,
Quarantine Station, Air Station, U.S. Flying Corps and H.M.S. Hospital
Ship _Essequibo_.

Weekly visits were made to the Kentville Sanitarium by Mrs. W. S.
Rothburn, of Kentville, and a committee of ladies, Miss McCormack, Miss
Farrell, and Miss Kearney, under the supervision of Mrs. Johanna M.
Ternan, of Halifax.

At Christmas, 1918, there were:

Patients.
Camp Hill Hospital 440
Naval Hospital 38
Cogswell St. Hospital 300
Kentville Sanitarium 200
Nova Scotia Hospital, Dartmouth 70
Pine Hill Convalescent Home 125
Rock Head Military Hospital 60
———
Total 1,233

It was decided by the Hospitals Committee on Thursday, December 19,
1918, that candy and smokes should be sent to Kentville for the 200
patients. Four hundred boxes were prepared containing three packages of
cigarettes and a half-pound of candy for each patient. This work was
done by a voluntary committee of three little girls and one little boy
(the Misses O’Connor and Master O’Connor, daughters and son of Mr. J. D.
O’Connor), and by little Miss Elliott. Provision was made for Rock Head
and Cogswell Hospitals.

December 18, 1918, 328 stockings were made and filled by a committee of
ladies at the Knights of Columbus Club Rooms, Hollis Street. The
stockings were all of different shades, and each contained fourteen
articles, consisting of the following: One box of notepaper, one lead
pencil, one cube of tooth paste, one tooth brush, three packages
cigarettes, two boxes of matches, one small comb, one pocket
handkerchief, one ash-tray, two chocolate bars, collar buttons, one
pipe, one package tobacco and one tobacco pouch.

Two hundred and three of these were sent to Camp Hill and one hundred
and twenty-five to Pine Hill. As there were a number of very sick
patients at Cogswell Street Station Hospital, it was requested that
fruit be sent, and three cases of oranges, four cases of grape fruit and
one keg of grapes were supplied. To the Nova Scotia Hospital, Dartmouth,
one hundred and forty parcels were sent containing three packages of
cigarettes and a half-pound of candy. Stockings were sent to four
soldiers in the County Jail, and nine stockings to soldiers in the
Victoria General Hospital. To the N.S. Naval Air Station were sent two
cases of oranges, two hundred packages cigarettes, two hundred cigars
and two hundred chocolate bars.

CHRISTMAS, 1919.

Christmas boxes were sent from the Head Office in Montreal, specially
made for the Knights of Columbus Catholic Army Huts for distribution on
this day to all Military Hospitals in the Dominion. Each box contained
one package gum, one Durham Duplex Safety Razor, one package razor
blades, one shaving stick, one shaving brush, one package cigarettes,
one box matches, one chocolate bar, one tooth brush, one tube tooth
paste, one handkerchief, and short stories. In addition twenty-six
quarts of ice cream were distributed, also five hundred apples, fifty
pounds of assorted kisses and fifty pounds of frosted cake.

Many picnics were given patients who were convalescing during the summer
of 1919, and entertainments given to special wards in Camp Hill and
Cogswell Street Hospitals.

From January 1, 1919, to April 30, 1919, no fewer than 125,466 personal
requests for comforts were granted by the Knights of Columbus Hospital
Comfort Bureau.

CHAPTER LIV.
_THE YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION._

For years previous to the Declaration of War, the Y.M.C.A. carried on
its work in the summer Militia Camps; consequently the War did not find
the Association without some idea of the requirements of troops, and
from the early days of the first big concentration at Valcartier, the
“Y” tried hard to measure up to each new phase of war activity.

In 1914 about 5,000 men were served in the camps of the Maritime
Provinces. During the succeeding winter Y.M.C.A. work was established in
the various barracks, and in 1915 the work on the piers at the points of
embarkation was started. All this work was carried on continually from
this time with increasing efficiency, not only in camps, barracks, and
hospitals, but also on board transports and on troop trains carrying
returning men. It consisted of the erection of large recreation
buildings, giving assistance with the equipping of recreation rooms in
barracks; the provision of free writing and reading materials, games,
athletic goods, music, pianos, gramophones and records, moving picture
machines and films; the organizing of concerts on land and on board
ships; social evenings in homes, churches, barracks, hospitals and
otherwise; athletics, religious services; supplying free hot drinks and
doughnuts or biscuits at the disembarkation points and demobilization
centres.

The first large financial appeal was made to the people of the Maritime
Provinces in the spring of 1916, when approximately $34,500 were raised
for home and Overseas’ military work. During that year Association
service was rendered to troops in eighteen different places in these
Provinces. Each succeeding year saw most successful campaigns for larger
sums of money, until 1918, when requirements began to decrease.
Altogether about $679,600 were raised in the Maritime area and spent on
military work at home and Overseas.

Large recreation buildings, which were much needed, were erected at
Aldershot and Sussex Camps, each capable of accommodating close to 1,000
men. These were used to capacity, and were practically the only adequate
recreation centres. A large hut was erected in the Naval Dockyard,
Halifax, for the men of the navy and the merchant marine. It was
destroyed by the explosion, but was replaced by a larger structure, and
was the great social centre for the men of the navy and the merchant
marine.

The large Red Triangle Hut, on Barrington Street, Halifax, was erected
as a demobilization service to offset the inadequate housing facilities
in Halifax, to provide meals and beds for returning men who had to
remain in the city while waiting for trains or demobilization, to assist
returned men to become re-established in civil life by providing them
with wholesome meals and beds at prices within their means, to help men
taking Government re-training courses and drawing barely enough money to
live on, and to provide them with a clean, attractive recreation centre.

Other recreation huts were built and equipped at St. John, New
Brunswick, and Cogswell Hospital, Halifax. A large building was leased
and equipped as a Red Triangle Club at St. John, N.B. Clubs on a smaller
scale were operated in Sydney, Windsor, Kentville, Nova Scotia, and
Fredericton and Sussex, New Brunswick.

Work was carried on among the German prisoners of war at Amherst in
return for which the German Government permitted the Y.M.C.A. to carry
on work in certain camps in Germany where Canadians were confined. Only
the work in the Internment Camps in Canada made this concession
possible.

Co-operating with the Sailors’ Comforts’ Committee, Halifax, the
Y.M.C.A. workers visited many ships of the merchant service and supplied
the men with reading and writing materials, games, mufflers, sweaters,
socks, gloves, mitts, underwear, etc. Concerts were frequently arranged
for the crews on shore.

Uniform reports of activities and the attendance were not kept in the
early days of the War, and it is impossible to arrive at anything like
accurate estimates of the extent of some of the services rendered. The
report of a few activities for the _two years of maximum efficiency_ may
serve to indicate, however, the great extent to which the men patronized
the Y.M.C.A. military services.

Activity. Number. Attendance.
Concerts 694 84,550
Social evenings 815 112,800
Moving Picture Shows (free) 1,365 210,800
Religious Services 1,108 88,100
Theatre parties arranged and conducted through
courtesy of theatre managers, without charge
to patients 356 12,619
Illustrated Lectures 98 18,050

Supplies Used.
Magazines 162,685
Sheets of writing paper 1,511,000
Sex and health education booklets 39,000
Athletic goods large quantities
Pianos in continual use 22
Billiard tables in continual use 31
Gramophones and records supplied continually 50
Moving picture machines in continual use 9
Reels of picture films per week provided, no charge
made 40

At the disembarkation piers, in co-operation with various women’s
organizations, the Creche in Halifax, and the combined organizations in
St. John, free hot or cold drinks and mixed biscuits were provided. At
the Demobilization Centre, Halifax, co-operating with the G.W.V.A.
Ladies’ Auxiliary, drinks and doughnuts or mixed biscuits were supplied
free, and a six months’ membership ticket in any Y.M.C.A. was given to
each man.

A “Y” representative accompanied each troop train to its destination and
carried a standard stock of equipment, gramophones, portable organs,
music, song sheets, games, fruits, chocolate, and cigarettes. He
rendered personal services in every way possible, such as wiring ahead,
mailing letters, and carrying on a programme of concerts and games.
These representatives were principally business men, and all gave their
services voluntarily. In all 449 representatives accompanied troop
trains.

Further assistance was given returned men to re-establish themselves by
Red Triangle Clubs at Halifax and St. John, where bed and board could be
had at reduced rates. During the first year of the Halifax Club. 147,713
meals were served, and 38,855 beds occupied for one night or more. This
work is still going on. The rate for bed and board was $1 per day. The
food was far above the average meal at similar prices. A programme of
entertainments, athletics, moving pictures, religious services, and
educational lectures and discussions was carried on. The Association’s
hospital service will be continued as long as necessary, and funds are
available.

CHAPTER LV.
_THE HALIFAX CITIZENS’ RECEPTION COMMITTEE._

[Illustration:

W. S. DAVIDSON.]

The splendid service performed by the Halifax Citizens’ Returned
Soldiers’ Reception Committee had its inception in the fall of 1916,
when Mr. P. F. Martin, at that time Mayor of the city, called a number
of representative citizens together at the city hall for the purpose of
forming a committee to extend a welcome to the men returning home. The
matter did not take definite form, however, until a little later on,
when a score of energetic citizens selected by the various National
Societies, the Board of Trade and other organizations of the city, met
at the Board of Trade Rooms in November, 1916, at the call of Mr. W. S.
Davidson, Vice-President of the Board. At this meeting the Committee was
organized, as also an Auxiliary Committee of the following ladies:—Mrs.
G. McGregor Mitchell, Mrs. Geoffery Morrow, Mrs. T. Sherman Rogers, Mrs.
Norwood Duffus, and Mrs. (Dr.) Ryan. Mr. W. S. Davidson was elected
Chairman, Mr. Arthur B. Mitchell, Secretary, Mr. A. M. Smith,
Assistant-Secretary, and Mr. W. A. Major, Treasurer. The excellence of
the choice of this Executive was amply proven by the fact that the
personnel remained unchanged from the night the Committee was formed
until the last transport docked, and the work was finished.

The following gentlemen composed the original Committee: Messrs. W. S.
Davidson, W. A. Major, H. H. Marshall, C. H. Mitchell, J. McL. Fraser,
Felix P. Quinn, C. E. Creighton, W. A. Hart, A. M. Smith, Paul
Creighton, W. E. Hebb, C. H. Climo, W. L. Kane, J. P. Quinn, P. T.
Strong, and R. B. Colwell, representing the North British Society, St.
George’s Society, the Charitable Irish Society, the Canadian Club, and
the Citizens of Halifax in general.

These gentlemen, who became known as “the originals,” carried on through
fair weather and foul, night or day as occasion required from start to
finish. The only exception was Mr. H. H. Marshall, who, to the great
regret of his friends and fellow-workers, was ordered by his physician
to seek a change of climate, his health having broken down, but
nevertheless, he was with the work in spirit, always keeping in touch,
sending greetings and material aid from time to time.

In addition to those above-mentioned, the following gentlemen joined the
movement later, entering into the spirit of the work with energy and
enthusiasm: Messrs. E. J. Murphy, G. J. Allen, Cyril Gorham, A. W. Robb,
W. R. Morton, H. C. Murphy, Hugh Fraser, Chas. Waterfield, R. A. Wood,
W. S. Munnis, John D. Campbell, P. J. Hannifen, Geo. M. Wood, F. M.
Guildford, R. K. Elliott, George Ritchie, G. W. Perry, J. A. Neville, H.
T. Kline, J. A. Reid, V. B. Faulkner, J. L. Wilson, E. M. McLeod, Geo.
T. McNutt, John Fry, J. J. Penny, J. M. Davison, George Robinson, W. R.
Scriven, Wm. Wilson, Capt. W. F. Mitchell, W. E. Donavon, G. A. Smith,
J. F. Roue, Walter Black, R. J. Flinn, G. A. Gauvin, George Winters,
Howard Lawrence, W. Cyril Smith, Cyril Stairs, Sedley E. Thompson, J. L.
Hetherington, H. E. Mahon, C. H. Wright, the late Professor Eben McKay,
F. A. Marr, Allen Patrick, and H. R. Price.

A number of ladies, Mrs. W. T. Allen, Mrs. M. R. Morrow and others,
joined the original Auxiliary Committee of five above-mentioned, doing
splendid work in connection with the cot cases, etc., but unfortunately
a complete list is not available. Two young ladies deserving of special
mention who became associated with the General Committee are Miss Edna
Davison and Miss Helen Creighton. Their work was admirable, being here,
there, and everywhere when required, untiring in their efforts, having
the capacity to perform, as well as zeal to undertake. It is safe to say
that the soldier boys who landed at Halifax will never forget the ladies
connected with this Committee; for their bright kindly faces, apart from
their work, gave them a welcome home which is hard to express in words;
and it was not only on fine days when the sun was shining that they were
to be seen on the pier when transports were expected, but in all kinds
of weather, night as well as day, and only those who worked there know
how cold it sometimes was at Pier 2 on a winter night. However, the
welcome given the boys was warm enough to take away the chill of the
weather.

During the period in which this Committee carried on its work, 138
transports disembarked some 200,000 Overseas men at Pier 2, and of this
number very few indeed missed the kindly attentions of the Committee.

The amount expended was as follows:—

Paid for Cigarettes, Tobacco, etc $14,473 51
„ Fruit 7,931 82
„ Postage, telegrams, telephones, etc. 462 42
„ Welcome Cards, badges, printing, etc. 1,294 49
„ Newspapers 1,813 62
„ Taxi service conveying local returned men to their
homes 118 80
„ Music 15 00
„ Baskets, equipment and sundries 278 66
„ Matches 4,782 25
„ Chocolate bars, cakes, etc. 7,157 21
„ Deficit exchanging money 9 50
„ Flowers (for cot cases) 34 50
Money refunded Provincial Recruiting Committee 9 00
——————————
Total $38,380 78

A word or two in connection with these figures which are from the
Treasurer’s report. The item for postage, etc., would have been much
larger but through the representations of the Committee, after the work
had been carried on for a considerable time, the Government was induced
to allow letters from returned men, on arrival, to be posted free, thus
conserving the funds for other purposes. The item $15 for music does not
mean that this was the extent of the music by any means; for the
Commanding Officers of local military units very cheerfully permitted
their bands to play on the pier on arrival of transports.

Of the above total amount, the sum of $9,178.96 was received in
voluntary subscriptions, and $3,000 from Halifax Victory Loan
canvassers, which came in spontaneously and entirely unsolicited.

As the end of the War approached and the number of returning men became
greater, it became apparent that the funds would require to be largely
augmented, and in order to cope with the good work, the Y.M.C.A., the
Red Cross Society, and the Knights of Columbus very generously
contributed equal amounts of $9,000, less a refund to each of these
organizations of $266.06, being the balance or surplus left over at the
close of the work.

It was not long after the work began until a splendid system was evolved
which worked with almost clock-like precision. The usual procedure was
as follows: Immediately a transport was docked a certain number of the
Committee were told off to go on board with the latest newspapers,
collect telegrams and letters which were, as mentioned above, sent off
free of charge, thus doing away with the inconvenience of hunting up
stamps, etc. Whenever it happened that a ship had to drop anchor in the
stream while waiting for a berth to dock at the pier—and as these were
busy days in shipping circles in Halifax, this very frequently
happened—a tugboat was promptly secured by the energetic Chairman, and a
contingent landed on board with newspapers, cigarettes, matches, fruit,
etc.; and, in most cases, if the ship was to remain at anchor
over-night, a concert party was always ready to join their efforts with
those of the Committee in extending a hearty welcome to the boys, many
excellent entertainments being given on board transports waiting to
dock. The very best musical talent in Halifax was always ready and
willing to respond at a moment’s notice to calls of this nature. Mr.
Davidson being one of the principal members of the large shipping firm
of Messrs. G. S. Campbell and Co., of course always knew where to locate
one of these tug-boats, as they own and operate a number of them, and
although in the forefront as business men, and blessed with good
memories, they must have forgotten to render any bills or charge for
this excellent service.

When the men left the ship and were entrained, a sufficient number of
Committee-men having in the meantime been told off and sub-divided,
allowing an equal number to look after each car, the cars being
designated by letters “A,” “B,” “C,” and so on, beginning with the car
nearest the engine, and each party knowing the particular car it had to
look after, confusion or oversight was practically nil. The first
Committee-man went through the car with baskets of apples and oranges,
being followed by another with cigarettes and matches, a third and
fourth bringing up the rear with chocolate bars, welcome cards,
newspapers, and collecting any letters or postal cards the boys had
scribbled while waiting for their train to back in. Oftentimes when
large steamships like the _Olympic_, _Mauretania_, or _Aquitania_
arrived, fifteen or twenty trains would be dispatched with an average
time between of twenty or twenty-five minutes; so that the necessity for
system was evident, or otherwise only a portion of the boys would be
looked after; but in the way in which the work was handled every man
received attention; and usually a few minutes were left over, before the
conductor called “All aboard,” in which to chat with them, give them a
hearty handshake and wish them “Bon voyage” and a safe journey to their
destination.

This sketch of the work of the Halifax Citizens’ Returned Soldiers’
Reception Committee is necessarily short. It does not begin to express
the scope or extent of the work carried on by this Committee, but the
boys who returned home no doubt still remember the way they were
received and treated.

Letters of appreciation were received from all parts of Canada and
points in the United States. Such evidence of appreciation amply
rewarded the Committee for any efforts they had made to ensure a hearty,
and pleasant welcome home to those splendid men, who made the name of
Canada for ever respected and glorious.

CHAPTER LVI.
_ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE OVERSEAS
and
THE CRECHE AT PIER 2, HALIFAX._

The first branch of the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas established
in Nova Scotia was organized in June, 1916, as the Halifax Central
Nursing Division No. 17, with Mrs. Bowman, Superintendent of the
Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, as Lady Divisional Superintendent.
This division, besides being the first in the Maritime Provinces, was
the largest in Canada. Most of the officers were graduate nurses, and
all of the members had received their instruction in First Aid and Home
Nursing through classes lheld in Halifax by the sister organization, the
St. John Ambulance Association.

On Mrs. Bowman’s removal from Halifax, Mrs. G. A. MacIntosh was
appointed Superintendent (April, 1917). Owing to greatly increased
membership, and for the purposes of more efficient administration, the
division was divided in July, 1918, into two Units, A. No. 17 and B. No.
47, Mrs. MacIntosh being promoted at the same time to be Lady District
Superintendent in charge of the Women’s Aid Department (Military
District No. 6). In January, 1920, a reorganization of the two divisions
was made effective by which all active officers and members were
assigned to Division A. 17, and the inactive members, or those in
reserve for emergencies, to B. 47. The active division continues as one
of the most efficient and effective in Canada under the able
superintendence of Miss E. M. Pemberton, of the Victoria General
Hospital.

The war work in Nova Scotia of this organization falls under four heads:

(_a_) Its work in Military Hospitals as auxiliary to the Army Medical
and Nursing Service.

(_b_) Its work in Nova Scotia in connection with the Red Cross
Society, Y.M.C.A. Canteens, and other voluntary patriotic
organizations.

(_c_) Its work of ministration to women and children returning from
England.

(_d_) Its emergency work on the day of the Halifax Disaster and in the
relief work and hospital service for the weeks and months following
the disaster.

(_a_) HOSPITAL SERVICE.

Hospital duties performed by the members of the Halifax Divisions during
the War include:—

(_a_) Eleven members who went Overseas, serving with great credit in
hospitals in England.

(_b_) Local hospitals.

We believe Pine Hill was the first Military Hospital in Canada to
recognize or use the services of the Brigade members. Three pioneers
served for two years and were followed by others.

In the latter part of 1918 the Women’s Aid Department was formed in
Canada in co-operation with the military authorities, the Lady District
Superintendent furnishing to the A.D.M.S. of each Military District the
following personnel, the number given below being that of those who
served in M.D. No. 6:—

1. _Volunteer Section_:—

(_a_) Nursing service of Brigade members, eight of whom served at Pine
Hill Military Hospital.

(_b_) Function Trainers, also Brigade members trained at Hart House,
Toronto, two of whom served at Camp Hill.

2. _Special Service Section_:—

Masseuses, trained at Hart House, Toronto, members of St. John
Ambulance Brigade, and serving at Camp Hill, Moxham Ross, Prince
Edward Island Military Hospitals.

_Section 3_:—

General Service Section consisting of a General Service Superintendent
Assistant Superintendent, bookkeepers, domestics and many there not
Brigade members, but for a short time recommended by the Women’s Aid
Department of the Brigade.

(_c_) Before the Women’s Aid Department came into effect five members
had served at the Nova Scotia Sanatorium in the tent Colony for
tubercular soldiers.

(_d_) During the Influenza epidemic of 1918 six members assisted the
depleted staffs in the Victoria General, the Dartmouth Emergency for
two months, two members at Infants Home for two months, also for two
months in the homes of the sick, at the Emergency Hospital,
Hazelwood Hospital, St. Mary’s Emergency Hospital, and for three
weeks at Brocton Field Hospital, Mass. During the epidemic in the
spring of 1919 a diet kitchen was organized and conducted and proper
nourishment prepared and delivered to all asking for it, in the
majority of cases no charge being made. The Brigade responded to
requests for diet from the Victorian Order of Nurses, City Board of
Health, Social Welfare Bureau, etc.

(_e_) The hospital work performed after the explosion is mentioned
separately.

(_f_) Miscellaneous duties performed in hospitals include mending each
week at the Station Hospital, emergency bedmaking at Camp Hill and
hospital train service.

(_b_) MISCELLANEOUS WORK

At the Clearing Depot, Pier 2, a splendid work was accomplished. Over
13,000 beds were made for soldiers disembarking at this port. At very
short notice members in sufficient numbers quickly responded to a call
from the C.O. to prepare the beds required (at times as many as 800 beds
were needed) in readiness for the men.

An important work carried on at Pier 2 was the serving of meals three
times daily for over a week to 150 men.

Boats were met by the Lady District Superintendent, who, assisted by the
members, welcomed and assisted when necessary any V.A.D.’s returning to
Canada from Overseas duty.

A very interesting and important service rendered by the organization
was in connection with the vocational re-education of the soldiers. For
eight months two members read daily to blinded soldiers, assisting them
in this way with their study. Four other members also performed like
service for five and a half months. Ten members took a special two
months’ course in weaving and basketry, nine of whom were able to
instruct patients at Camp Hill Hospital for from one to seven months.

Truly patriotic work has been performed under the Y.M.C.A. At their Red
Triangle Hut a team of eight members have given one day each week and
every sixth Sunday for one and a half years to serve meals to returned
soldiers taking vocational courses in the city. Members have also served
refreshments on trains to soldiers recently discharged and entraining
for their homes. At the Armories members have responded at all hours,
sometimes working all night to serve refreshments to soldiers just
disembarked and awaiting their discharge.

The Red Cross has been ably assisted by the making of numerous garments,
surgical supplies, sphagnum moss dressings, and the raising of funds
during campaigns.

The following “drives” have been given willing and able support:—

Navy League, Patriotic Fund, Knights of Columbus, Children’s
Hospital, Victorian Order, Salvation Army, Maternity Hospital, and
the Canadian Red Cross.

For two years a rest and refreshment room has been conducted at the city
market and has been of great benefit to the market people who often
drive long distances.

For two years the Halifax Dispensary has had the assistance daily of a
member for clerical work.

The Halifax Welfare, Victorian Order of Nurses, and many other
organizations have had assistance, and many kindnesses have been
performed, such as assistance given at orphans’ picnics.

First aid booths have been conducted at exhibitions, Wanderers’ Athletic
Grounds, and first aid rendered during public processions and
individually in the every-day life of the members.

All service rendered except that required in the last two sections of
the Women’s Aid Department has been voluntary and performed quietly and
systematically in times of emergencies, and in war as in times of peace
for the public good.

THE DISASTER WORK

It is unnecessary here to refer to the causes and disastrous results of
the great explosion on the morning of December 6, 1917. As nearly as can
be ascertained more than 1,500 people lost their lives, approximately
5,000 people were injured, of whom about 1,000 received more or less
serious injuries. With hundreds of other citizens the members of the
Halifax Divisions of the Brigade responded at once to the calls for
assistance, and within an hour more than 140 members were on duty in the
devastated area; on the Common, in improvised aid stations, and in the
various emergency hospitals rendering first aid to the injured, the very
object for which they had all been trained.

Later in the afternoon and through the two or three days following they
added to their duties those of material relief, and until a few days
later the citizens’ organization was established when the Brigade
workers were fitted in under their Lady Superintendent as part of the
medical relief work.

About sixty of the members remained on duty as V.A.D.’s in Camp Hill
Hospital, the Y.M.C.A., Morris Street, and the various other hospitals
for from one to five months following the explosion. For a short period
following the disaster eight members of the St. John (N.B.) Division
assisted the local division in providing personnel for the various
hospitals.

The total of the services rendered during the period December 6th to
31st shows 1,098 days of hospital work, 217 cases of district relief
followed up, 140 missing children located, as well as other missing
persons traced, food distributed, and first aid service rendered.

An official report forwarded through regular channels to the
headquarters of the Brigade in England was referred by headquarters
to the parent organization, the Ancient Order of the Hospital of St.
John of Jerusalem in England, and in the spring of 1920 selected
members of the Halifax Division and various citizens who co-operated
with the Brigade in its invaluable work, were presented by the
Lieutenant-Governor with the beautifully engraved certificates of
thanks of the Order for their services rendered on the occasion of
the disaster.

THE CRECHE AT PIER NO. 2, HALIFAX.

In the spring of 1917, when the German submarines were trying to starve
Britain into surrender, the Canadian Government thought it wise to bring
home the dependants of our soldiers who were not actually engaged in war
work in the United Kingdom. The _Olympic_ arrived in Halifax Port one
morning with 1,000 women and children aboard, as well as her usual
number of invalided soldiers. Many hours passed before the last
travellers entrained for their homes, and one may imagine the scene at
Pier 2 where these tired women waited for long hours with no shelter or
food and no comforts for their little ones.

It was felt that something must be done to welcome those soldiers’
dependants who had left their loved ones in England or France, and who
could not surmise what the future held in store for those from whom they
were separated. A committee of ladies was formed to look after all
soldiers’ dependants on their arrival in Canada. Spacious rooms, with
kitchen, dining-room, rest-room, nursery and bath-rooms were provided by
the Government at Pier 2, together with a sum of money sufficient to
furnish necessaries.

For three years a band of ladies under the presidency—first of Mrs.
Benson, wife of General Benson, and later of Mrs. J. G. McDougall—met
all boats and cared for all travellers with the most wonderful devotion.
As soon as the gangway was secured their work began. It mattered not
whether the ship was docked at 7 a.m., or at midnight, on a summer
morning, or on a cold winter evening, the workers were always there. Two
of the Committee went on board to see if there were any special cases to
be looked after and to notify those aboard of the Creche Committee’s
willingness to help them in every possible way.

Some stood at the gangway to welcome tired mothers and relieve them of
their tiny but very heavy burdens. Others led them to the warm and
comfortable quarters provided for them. In the kitchen busy hands had
been at work, and sandwiches and fragrant hot coffee were not wanting;
while in the nursery many young girls were preparing beds with cool
white sheets in which to lay Canada’s young and welcome immigrants.

Although the railway authorities were wonderfully expeditious in getting
the trains despatched, still many hours had to be spent at the
Creche—days sometimes—and, once or twice, even nights. The scenes when a
boat arrived with many hundreds of women and children defy description.
Parties were constantly being brought to the rooms by willing and
helpful guides. If husband or father was there, he saw his dear ones
safely housed, and he himself returned to look after the tickets and
baggage. If the mother was in charge, she accompanied her little ones to
the Creche, and after seeing them safe and happy, was assisted in
collecting her baggage and procuring transportation. Kind hands
undressed the babies, washed, warmed and fed them and laid them to sleep
in comfort. The older children were also fed and then amused by toys and
picture books. Older travellers, completely tired out by the long and
often rough voyage, found indeed a warm and steady bed a source of joy.
Times and movements of trains were called in the waiting rooms, and to
the outgoing trains the travellers were finally escorted, as comfortable
and as happy as it was possible to make them.

The Red Cross placed a most efficient trained nurse at the disposal of
the Committee, and it is not possible to tell how much her services were
appreciated by those who, though not fit for hospital and anxious to
complete their journey, were still much in need of care. In a general
way, as well as in her professional capacity, the trained nurse rendered
services of a very high order. Space does not permit to tell of all the
various activities carried on at the Creche—money was exchanged, hotel
accommodation secured for those remaining over in Halifax for a few
days, telegrams were sent, meal tickets given to those who needed them
on the trains, babies were supplied with necessaries for travelling, and
money was many times given to those who through stress of circumstances
had not the wherewithal to complete their journey.

The returned men were always eager to assist in any way they could, and
the bands of the Canadian Battalions gave all great pleasure by their
delightful music.

Arrangements were made for any needing hospital care; and they were
continually visited by members of the Committee while in Halifax City.
The military authorities placed an ambulance at the disposal of the
Committee for such cases. The Committee had the fullest support and
co-operation of the military authorities. They also had the assistance
of a hundred workers who gave up all engagements and pleasures when it
was known that a boat was expected.

The Creche Committee deeply regretted the departure from Halifax of Mrs.
Benson and Mrs. McKelvey Bell, under whom they began their work. The
ladies who carried on to the close of operation were:—

Mrs. McCallum Grant _Hon. Chairman._
Mrs. J. G. McDougall _Chairman._
Mrs. Hector McInnes _Vice-Chairman._
Mrs. W. A. Henry _Secretary._
Mrs. W. E. Thompson _Treasurer._

Mrs. David McKeen.
Mrs. G. S. Campbell.
Mrs. Clarence MacKinnon.
Miss Jessie MacKenzie.
Lady Townshend.
Mrs. M. A. Curry.

The Creche closed on 31st December, 1919. Since the 18th November, 1918,
the Committee and its helpers met 120 ships laden with returning
Canadian soldiers, their wives and families. On one steamship alone, the
_Megantic_, were 600 women and children, 180 of the children being under
twelve months of age. On several occasions there have been as many as
900 women and children on a steamer, and, in one instance, the _Olympic_
brought 1,000. All were sent on their homeward journey rested,
refreshed, and cheered; and the kindly welcome they received has made
the name of the Atlantic Gateway dear to the hearts of thousands of
people the Dominion over. Countless letters bear testimony to unfeigned
appreciation and gratitude. One newspaper extract may be permitted.

The _Ottawa Journal_ of December 28, 1918, says: “While this work, and,
to a large extent, its financial obligations have been borne almost
entirely by the citizens of Halifax, as the benefits accrue to the
country as a whole the gratitude of the people of Canada is due to the
small band of workers who for the past eighteen months have generously
and patriotically assumed the burden for the whole Dominion.”

Those were busy days at Pier 2; and although much sacrifice was demanded
of the Halifax Creche Committee, it is not too much to say that it was
willingly and joyfully given by those who wished to have some small
share in the work of the Great War.

[Illustration:

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT—MRS. J. G. M‘DOUGALL, MRS. HECTOR M‘INNES, MRS. W.
A. HENRY, MRS. M‘CALLUM GRANT.]

CHAPTER LVII.
_ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH AND THE WAR._

[A description of the work done by each of the churches in Nova
Scotia would require a book in itself. The following article on the
activities of St. Matthew’s Church, Halifax, is typical of the
manner in which the churches of all denominations throughout the
Province watched over the spiritual and material welfare of men of
the Overseas’ Units.—EDITOR.]

Early in the War, as soon as it became evident to the citizens of
Halifax that the struggle against “Might” would endure for some time,
and that this station would become again and remain an important
rendezvous for the army and navy while hostilities lasted, the question
of showing some tangible appreciation to the volunteers who were
rallying to the colors became paramount in many minds. Noticing the
presence of many of these men at the regular church services in St.
Matthew’s the minister (Rev. J. W. Macmillan, D.D.) conceived the idea
of having special receptions so that they, while in Halifax, should find
a real church home and get sociably acquainted with members of the
congregation.

Such receptions were held at the close of the usual Sunday evening
services. Many of the men were met thus and later welcomed at various
homes during the week. It was later found expedient for these hosts to
join forces so as to be able to entertain larger numbers than could be
accommodated at the houses, and it was thus that the Thursday evening
entertainments originated in the schoolroom of St. Matthew’s Church
during October, 1914. These gained immediately in popularity until
crowded houses with S.R.O. signs continued for five winters without
intermittence, except for a few weeks following the great explosion of
December, 1917.

The ladies of the congregation were from first to last the chief motive
power at all these meetings, and the secret of their success. Some were
not publicly in evidence but worked “behind the scenes” in supplying and
providing the refreshments that formed a most important part of these
functions and did yeoman service. The work was quickly organized into a
perfect system, everybody being assigned to a task that suited the
particular attitude of the worker, with plenty of eager helpers always
on hand as reserves.

This organization was not any premeditated system nor was it arranged on
the basis of any other movement, but being almost impromptu formed
itself with a naturalness according to the needs as they developed until
it appeared to become as perfect as is humanly possible and so it
continued with an earnest patriotic zeal on the part of the people
anxious to help but unable to go to the field of war because of their
sex or their age limit. Some distinguished themselves as caterers,
cooks, coffee makers, waiters or waitresses and even as dishwashers.
Others at the doors as welcoming committees or indoors as cartoon
makers, lantern manipulators, contest managers, leaders of choruses and
accompanists or “masters of ceremonies” and chairmen. Others again found
work in advertising the meetings at the various ships and barracks until
it became the rule that every new Regiment or warship arriving at
Halifax was promptly advised of these Thursday evening meetings.

The entertainment itself evolved into a systematic method by natural
causes too, rather than by design. Noting the crowds of soldiers and
sailors on the streets at an early hour the doors were opened at 6.30
p.m. and immediately the hall began filling. To entertain the early
arrivals a magic lantern displayed reproductions of recent war cartoons
and cheery messages, while various popular songs and choruses thrown on
the screen by the same method with a good accompanist at the piano got
every one settled down for a hearty sing-song. Each week the cartoons
were supplemented with additions and new songs added, along with items
of current interest and latest news, more pictures of local topics and
jokes that were fully appreciated. These opening features proved
attractive and were followed with some contest varying weekly in their
style and nature, for which prizes were awarded—always two at the least
and sometimes as many as twelve, most of them being made and given by
the ladies of the congregation—that were keenly contested for by the men
in uniform. This first portion of the meeting soon became an essential
part of the entertainment and was usually controlled by a “master of
ceremonies,” who between 7.45 to 8 o’clock would surrender his position
to the chairman of the evening, and he in turn would call the meeting to
order with the singing of the National Anthem, and after a few words of
welcome the concert proper was conducted.

In this respect all the best and cleverest artists, without distinction
of class or creed, responded willingly and enthusiastically to the
committees having charge of the programmes. These committees rotated in
their work and there arose a healthy competition between them in
acquiring special performers and singers to assure successful concerts.

At nine o’clock an adjournment for refreshments took place. This
half-hour provided an opportunity for conversation as well as for
eating; the lantern threw cartoons and pictures, jokes and songs on the
screen so that good humor continued to prevail. During this interval
some committee members moved among the audience seeking for impromptu
items for a programme that was continued along with choruses from 9.30
to 10 o’clock and even later for the benefit of such as had special
“late leave.”

The interest in these entertainments did not wane. It never flagged at
any period of the five winters. The workers never tired of their tasks,
nor was there ever any difficulty noticed in obtaining a bountiful
supply of musical talent or refreshments to ensure success.

The secret of any extra degree of popularity for these Thursday evenings
cannot be attributed to any one cause but rather to a combination of
circumstances. To a great degree the down-town position of St. Matthew’s
made a strong appeal. The early start of these concerts caused them to
be better known perhaps, and the fact of their regularity and continuity
helped matters greatly, and yet, perhaps more than all, the ladies of
St. Matthew’s were a greater factor than all these. This can be stated
without in any degree disparaging the great work done by other churches
and institutions or of ladies who were equally active in other places,
and yet these ladies as a body were able to greet all the men in uniform
with a heartiness that was promptly felt and without at any time the
semblance of that familiarity that breeds contempt or of a patronizing
air to which soldiers and sailors especially are most sensitive, and at
no time was there anything but the most respectful and kindly feeling
shown on either side.

No smoking was indulged in at these gatherings, and none appeared to
wish the privilege. The men refrained out of their natural respect to
the ladies in the audience. Later on some “No Smoking Allowed” signs
were placed in the ante-rooms, where some were wont to indulge in a few
puffs during the intervals, but this was done on account of the fire
risks in the older part of the structure and did not occasion much if
any comment.

To the credit of the men themselves it can be recorded now that though
between 125 and 150 of these meetings were held and the average
attendance was well over 400 men in uniform at each, only two men were
noticed to be the worse for liquor, and one of these occasioned the only
instance of a disagreement over any contest that took place on those
evenings, and in his case the offender came back to the following
meeting and apologized for his own unseemly behavior. This is a record
for our soldiers and sailors of which the people of St. Matthew’s feel
particularly proud. In itself it repays them fully for any efforts that
were undertaken and leaves them ready to entertain such men whenever an
opportunity occurs.

The Sunday evening services of song were in some respects even more
successful than the Thursday night concerts. A better chance to meet and
know the men was afforded, and a better opportunity provided to
intermingle and converse. The strangers invariably seemed to meet people
from their own home towns or provinces, and the men from Britain found
enthusiasts from Scotland, England, Ireland or Wales ready to greet them
on mutual racial grounds.

The addresses on these occasions always had a more serious, religious or
sentimental strain than was noticeable on week nights, and the Rev. Dr.
Clarke, who succeeded Dr. Macmillan in 1916 as minister of the
congregation was always ready to tell a good story and point a moral
with good effect. The lantern was used for throwing the words of
well-known hymn tunes on the screen, and the singing often had the
fervor of a revival meeting. As each Unit or Regiment was known to be
embarking for the Front, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” was
invariably sung and often that hymn, “Eternal Father Strong to Save” and
various war-time versions thereof were prayerfully sung. Besides the
hymn singing there were always solos, duets or quartettes rendered by
the church choir and other artists. Refreshments were served before
dispersing, but were plainer than the fare dispensed on Thursdays, being
confined to tea and biscuits so as to lessen the labor in deference to
the Sabbath. These however, were greatly appreciated by men who had
eaten their suppers at 4 p.m. with no other meal in prospect until the
next day.

Some thousands signed their autographs in visitors’ books that were
frequently passed around for signature, and among them are those of
hundreds who now lie in Flanders fields or gave their lives for God and
King and Country in other spheres of the War zone. Many appreciatory
letters were received from boys and men after they left Halifax,
expressing their appreciation of these receptions, some of them
comparing the wintry nights in the trenches or on the North Sea with the
peaceful hours spent at St. Matthew’s. Many wives and mothers in all
parts of Canada have heard of St. Matthew’s and Halifax and have shown
their thankfulness in many ways for the attention given their husbands
and sons while here. The work of the Halifax Churches combined with the
activities of the Citizens’ Reception Committee and the Y.M.C.A. work at
Pier 2 throughout the War have made the name of Halifax well and
favorably known throughout the land. Even now that the War is over the
duty of the churches towards the strangers within their gates should be
continued—the need is great though the boys and men may not be in
uniform and many of these could enjoy and appreciate as the soldiers and
sailors did, a warm and kindly welcome from a Christian community.

SPECIAL SKETCHES

PROMINENT NOVA SCOTIANS

SOME KILLED IN ACTION—OTHERS “CARRYING ON”

[Illustration:

COL. W. E. THOMPSON.]

To the organizing ability, and more especially the extraordinary
genius for administration, of Col. W. E. Thompson must be given
the chief credit for the splendid achievement and unsullied record
of Military District No. 6. Second in Command of the 63rd Halifax
Rifles at the outbreak of the War, he was, in December, 1914,
called in by headquarters to assume the duties of Inspector of
Outposts and Detachments throughout the district, with the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel. In March, 1915, he was appointed Assistant
Adjutant-General and Officer in Charge of Administration of
Military District No. 6. In May, 1916, he was promoted to the rank
of Colonel; and during the summer of that year, in addition to his
duties as Assistant Adjutant-General, was Commandant of the Camp
at Aldershot. In December, 1918, Colonel Thompson succeeded to the
command of Military District No. 6.

The effect of his personality and of his genius for organization and,
more particularly, administration, on the whole service of Military
District No. 6, as well as on its morale, was extraordinary. He was
regarded by Headquarters Staff, even by the three General Officers
Commanding, before he succeeded to the command, as the authentic
administrative “Mind” of the district. No other military district had
such varied and great administrative problems and such heavy
responsibilities as Military District No. 6, and yet the War was
concluded with not a single mark against the administration and not a
breath of scandal on its personnel and their conduct of the various
Departments. For that splendid achievement Colonel Thompson was chiefly
responsible.

In heart, however, he was eminently the soldier. Repeatedly he
volunteered for active service Overseas, and even specially appealed to
Ottawa for permission to go Overseas with a Unit, but the Canadian
Militia Department was obdurate, declaring that his genius for
organization and administration was of such a character that he could
not be spared from headquarters Military District No. 6. Strict, firm,
and soldierly at headquarters, Colonel Thompson, notwithstanding,
exemplified democracy in the most undemocratic of institutions, the
army. His genuine democracy, his tempering of justice with mercy, and
his fine kindliness won for him the high respect and admiration of all
ranks.

* * * * *

Col. Gordon S. Harrington, K.C., is a son of the late C. S. Harrington,
K.C., of Halifax, N.S. He was admitted to the Bar on October 19, 1904,
and practised his profession at Glace Bay, N.S. He was one of the
original Company Commanders of the 85th Battalion with the rank of
Major, and, on the formation of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade,
returned to Cape Breton and supervised the recruiting of the 185th
Battalion. He was transferred to that Unit with his rank of Major and
proceeded Overseas with it. When the Brigade was broken up he was sent
to the Imperial First Senior Infantry School at Bedford, where he passed
the qualifying examination with the highest marks ever attained at that
institution. On reporting to the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot at
Bramshott he was posted to the 17th Reserve Battalion, of which he was
successively Second in Command and O.C. In May, 1917, he was transferred
to the Staff of the Overseas Minister, London, and a short time later
was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister. In 1918 he was appointed Deputy
Minister and promoted to the rank of Colonel. He served in the field on
Corps Headquarters.

[Illustration:

COL. GORDON S. HARRINGTON.]

* * * * *

Having in mind the fact that at the sudden outbreak of war, August,
1914, the permanent military force of Canada only numbered 3,075, it
will be readily understood that the Department of Militia and Defence
was at once compelled to grapple with an enormous task for which no one
could expect it to be prepared. The situation had to be met. The work
had to be done. It had to be done quickly, and it is to the everlasting
credit of Canada that we had men of outstanding ability and energy to
cope successfully with the urgent situation.

[Illustration:

HON. F. B. M‘CURDY,
Secretary of Department of Militia.]

By July, 1916, our military force was 312,844. Of these 136,185 were in
Canada and 176,659 were Overseas. The number was daily increasing; and
only those who were in close touch with the tremendous work of
organizing, equipping, supplying and despatching such an army can
realize what that meant in comparison with the work of administering
affairs in regard to about 3,000 men during times of peace.

In these circumstances, and in view of the further fact that the
exigencies of affairs frequently called the Minister of Militia away
from Ottawa for the purpose of visiting recruiting centres and military
camps in Canada, as well as Canadian Headquarters in England, the
Government decided that it was necessary to have a Parliamentary
Secretary of the Department of Militia and Defence; and, accordingly, on
July 16, 1916, by an Order-in-Council the office was created endowing
the holder with general authority in regard to administration of the
Department, and directing that during the absence from Ottawa of the
Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary should also preside at all
meetings of the Militia Council and report to the Privy Council through
the Prime Minister.

Fortunately, the services of a man of wide experience in business
affairs, of well-known executive ability and withal energetic in
discharge of duty, in the person of Mr. F. B. McCurdy, M.P., was
available, and the Prime Minister wisely asked him to take up this very
important work.

Mr. McCurdy willingly agreed; but with one stipulation. The salary
affixed to the office was $5,000. Mr. McCurdy was past military age, but
he believed that every man should, as far as was in his power,
contribute to national duty. He, therefore, stipulated that his services
as Parliamentary Secretary of the Militia Department would be a free
contribution to the country, and he so served.

Immediately after Mr. McCurdy’s appointment, Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of
Militia and Defence, went Overseas; and from that time, which, it will
be remembered, was a very active and critical period of the War, until
the creation of the Ministry of Overseas Military Forces of Canada, Mr.
McCurdy played a very important part in the vital work of building up
and strengthening Canada’s great army.

Naturally Mr. McCurdy while discharging his weighty duties with due and
patriotic regard to the national interests of the whole country, had a
sympathetic ear for his fellow Nova Scotians; and it is well known that
his good judgment and influential voice prevailed in regard to
irritating questions as to the representation of Battalions at the
Front, with results that afforded great satisfaction to the people of
his native Province. It is sufficient to say that Mr. McCurdy’s eminent
record as Parliamentary Secretary proved the unerring judgment of the
Prime Minister in selecting the right men for responsible positions.

At the election of December, 1917, Mr. McCurdy was returned by
acclamation for Colchester, his native county.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

MAJOR-GENERAL G. L. FOSTER, M.D., F.R.C.S., LL.D., C.B.]

Son of George and Elmira Foster. Born at North Kingston, Kings County,
Nova Scotia, May, 1874. Graduated M.D. 1896, University of New York,
U.S.A. First appointment, Canadian Militia, August 4, 1897, Lieutenant
and Assistant Surgeon, 68th Regiment, Kings County, Nova Scotia. Served
with Yukon Field Forces as P.M.O., March, 1898, to July, 1900. April,
1913, appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services, Military
District No. 2, with headquarters at Toronto, Ontario. September, 1914,
sailed from Quebec with First Canadian Contingent and appointed A.D.M.S.
1st Division Canadians, with the rank of Colonel. Served in France from
February, 1915, to September, 1915, as A.D.M.S. 1st Division Canadians.
September, 1915, appointed Deputy Director of Medical Services, Canadian
Corps, on its formation and served with Canadian Corps in France until
February, 1917, when appointed Director-General of Medical Services,
Overseas Military Forces of Canada with the rank of Major-General,
headquarters in London, England. March, 1920, appointed Acting
Director-General of Medical Services, Canadian Militia, with
headquarters at Ottawa.

_Medals and Decorations._

1914–15 Star.

General Service Medal.

Victory Medal with Leaf.

_Decorations, Military._

Companion of the Order of the Bath.

Knight of Grace, St. John of Jerusalem.

Officer Legion of Honour.

Civil Honors received as Head of the Canadian Medical Service during
the Great War, 1914–15.

October, 1919, Edinburgh University conferred the degree of F.R.C.S.

June, 1920. McGill University, conferred the degree of LL.D.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. CHARLES E. BENT, C.M.G., D.S.O.]

Lieut.-Col. Charles E. Bent was a Captain in the 93rd Cumberland
Regiment at the outbreak of the War. He immediately volunteered for
active service and, as Adjutant of the 17th Battalion, accompanied the
First Division to England. On the breaking up of that Unit he took a
draft over to the 13th Battalion, arriving in France April, 1915. He
reported for duty with the 15th Battalion and was given command of a
Platoon. He became a Company Commander immediately after the fighting of
Festubert, 1915; Second in Command December 31, 1915; and Officer
Commanding the 15th Battalion in May, 1916. He took part in all fighting
with the First Division until wounded August 9, 1918, near Caix, east of
Amiens. He rejoined his Battalion on October 1st, and after the
Armistice proceeded with the Army of Occupation to Germany. He acted as
Brigade Commander on several occasions and was in command of the 3rd
Brigade from October 20 to November 24, 1918. He took part in the
following battles:

Festubert 1915
Givenchy 1915
Messines 1915
Ypres 1916
Ploegsteerte 1916
Ypres 1916
Hill 60 1916
Sanctuary Wood 1916
Somme 1916
Vimy Ridge 1917
Hill 70 1917
Passchendaele 1917
Telegraph Hill 1918
Amiens 1918
Drocourt-Queant Line 1918

and others up to the signing of the Armistice, November 11, 1918.

_Decorations._

C.M.G.
D.S.O. and Bar.
1914–15 Star.
Colonial Auxiliary Forces’ Long Service Medal.
Seven mentions in despatches.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. J. A. M‘DONALD.]

Lieut.-Col. J. A. McDonald started his military career by enlisting in
the 17th Sydney Field Battery in 1896, receiving first-class certificate
from the R.S.A., Quebec, winter of 1897–98, enlisted for service in
South Africa 1899, served in “E” Battery and 4th C.M.R., obtained
commission in the 17th 1906, qualified and promoted through the various
stages until he took command of the Battery in 1913, was still in
command at outbreak of the War in August, 1914, when he volunteered the
Battery for Overseas service through the then Brigade Commander,
Lieut.-Col. H. G. McLeod. August 8, 1914. On arrival at Valcartier he
was posted as Captain to the 5th Westmount Battery, 2nd Brigade, C.F.A.,
promoted in Field to rank of Major May, 1915, and took command of 7th
Battery, promoted to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel April, 1917, and was
posted to command the 3rd Brigade, C.F.A., commanded this Brigade until
it was demobilized in Canada in May, 1919, except for period of three
months, during which time he was attached to the 4th Canadian Division
Artillery Headquarters, acting as C.R.A.

During the above period of four years and ten months on active service
he went through every engagement in which the Canadian Corps took part
from the day the First Canadian Division landed on French soil (February
12, 1915) up to the day of the Armistice, November 11, 1918.

Decorations are as follows:—

Queen’s South Africa Medal, Three Clasps.
D.S.O., _London Gazette_, 1–1–17.
Mentioned in despatches, _London Gazette_, 4–1–17.
Mentioned in despatches, _London Gazette_, 28–5–18.
Mentioned in despatches, _London Gazette_, 31–12–18.
Mentioned in despatches, _London Gazette_, 11–7–19.
Awarded Bar to D.S.O., _London Gazette_, 1–2–19.
1914–15 Star, _London Gazette_, 3–5–19.

Total period of service, twenty-three years, of which six years and
four months were spent on active service.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. T. HOWARD MACDONALD, C.A.M.C.]

Went Overseas January, 1915, unattached, with the rank of Major. He was
first attached to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Bearwood Park.
From there he went to Bath, thence to Moore Barracks Hospital, and was
later appointed Medical Examiner of the Pension Board, London. He went
to France as Medical Officer of a Labor Battalion. He was promoted to
the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and received the appointment of
Commanding Officer of the medical personnel of the Hospital Ship
_Llandovery Castle_. This ship was torpedoed by an enemy submarine on
June 27, 1918, and Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonald was drowned. Out of the
entire ship’s company there were only twenty-four survivors, and of the
hospital personnel of ninety-seven only one officer and five other ranks
escaped. In spite of their appalling circumstances the conduct of all on
board was in fitting keeping with the proudest traditions of the British
Army and the mercantile marine. And throughout nothing was more marked
than the coolness and courage of the fourteen Canadian Nursing Sisters,
every one of whom was lost. Two of the nursing sisters—Pearl Fraser and
Minnie Follette—were Nova Scotians.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

MISS MARGARET MACDONALD, LL.D., R.R.C.,

Matron-in-Chief of Canadian Nursing Sisters.]

Miss Macdonald was born at Bailey’s Brook, Pictou County, and is a
daughter of the late D. D. Macdonald. She is a sister of Col. R. St.
John Macdonald, who was in command of the St. Francis Xavier Unit. Miss
Macdonald served in the Spanish-American War, in the South African War,
and later in the Canal Zone at Panama. In November, 1906, she was
appointed a Nursing Sister in the Canadian Army Permanent Medical Corps,
and after taking a course in England received the appointment of
Matron-in-Chief and was in command of three thousand Canadian Nursing
Sisters during the Great War. She has been decorated with the Royal Red
Cross and the Florence Nightingale medal.

* * * * *

Lieut. M. F. Gregg, a graduate of Acadia University, Wolfville, won the
Victoria Cross while serving with the Royal Canadian Regiment. The
following is the official record as published in the _London Gazette_:

“On September the 28th, when the advance of the Brigade was held up by
fire on both flanks and by thick, uncut wire, he crawled forward alone
and explored the wire until he found a small gap, through which he
subsequently led his men and forced an entry into the enemy trench. The
enemy counter-attacked in force and through lack of bombs the situation
became critical.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. M. F. GREGG, V.C.]

“Gregg, although wounded, returned alone under a terrific fire and
collected a further supply, then rejoined his party which was now much
reduced. Despite a second wound he reorganized his men and led them in
the most determined way against the enemy trenches, which he finally
cleared. He personally killed or wounded eleven of the enemy and took
twenty-five prisoners, besides capturing twelve machine guns in this
trench. Remaining with the Company, despite his wounds, he again, on
September 30th, led the men in attack until severely wounded. The
outstanding valor of this officer saved many casualties and enabled the
advance to continue.”

* * * * *

[Illustration:

PTE. JOHN CROAK, V.C.]

Pte. John Croak, V.C., was born in Newfoundland and came to Glace Bay
with his parents at four years of age. He attended St. John’s School,
New Aberdeen, Glace Bay, and afterwards worked as a miner in No. 2
Colliery, Glace Bay (the biggest in the world). He volunteered for
Overseas service in the 55th Battalion and was transferred to the 13th
Battalion. He died of wounds received in action on August 8, 1918. His
father, mother, two sisters and two brothers are living at Glace Bay.

The official notice from the War Office announcing the award of the
Victoria Cross was as follows:

“On August 8, 1918, during the attack on Amiens Defence System, after
being separated from his section, Private Croak encountered a
machine-gun nest in Ring Copse, which he dealt with by first bombing
unassisted and then jumping into the post, taking the gun and crew
prisoners. Shortly afterwards he was severely wounded in the right arm
but refused to desist.

“In a few minutes his Platoon, which this soldier had rejoined, again
encountered a very strong point, containing several machine-guns and
they were forced to take cover. Private Croak, however, seeing an
opportunity, dashed forward alone, and was almost immediately followed
by the remainder of the Platoon in a brilliant charge. He was the first
to arrive at the trench line, into which he led the men, capturing three
machine-guns and bayoneting or capturing the entire garrison.

“The perseverance and courage of this gallant man were undoubtedly
responsible for taking the strongest point in the whole day’s advance.

“Private Croak was again severely wounded in the knee and died in a few
minutes.”

On November 23, 1918, Lieutenant-Governor Grant formally presented the
Victoria Cross to his mother, Mrs. James Croak, of New Aberdeen, Cape
Breton. The Lieutenant-Governor complimented the parents and a sister
who accompanied them on the fact that their son and brother had so well
demonstrated that he came of good stock and was a good soldier, a brave
man, and a hero.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

MAJOR CECIL VERGE STRONG, M.C.]

Major Cecil Verge Strong, M.C., son of Percy T. Strong, Esq., of
Halifax. He was O.C. 15th Field Company, Royal Engineers, and the
youngest Commanding Officer in the British Army. He was killed in action
March 10, 1917, aged 23 years. Buried Piney Post Cemetery, Maurepas,
near Peronne. Mentioned in despatches five times.

[Illustration:

MAJOR J ARNOLD DELANCEY, M.C.]

[Illustration:

MAJOR EDWARD W. JOY.]

Major J. Arnold Delancey, M.C., joined the 40th Battalion and
transferred to the 25th Battalion as machine gun officer. He was
Adjutant of the 25th in France and attained his majority in October,
1916. He was killed at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917, while leading his
Battalion, of which he was in temporary command. He was decorated with
the Military Cross. He had a distinguished career and was rapidly
promoted on account of his good work at the Front.

Major Edward W. Joy went Overseas with 106th Battalion. Transferred to
78th Battalion in France. Killed in action at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917.

* * * * *

Lieut. Kennet Stairs. Born 1889. Killed in action September 30, 1918,
while serving with 60th Battery, C.F.A., near Cambrai.

Lieut. Philip Boyd Stairs, D.S.O. Born 1895. Wounded while serving with
5th Canadian Division, T.M.B. Died of influenza at Valenciennes,
November 21, 1918.

Capt. George W. Stairs. Born 1887. Killed at St. Julien, April 24, 1915,
while serving with the 14th Battalion.

Capt. John C. Stairs. Born 1891. Killed at Courcellette, September 15,
1916, while serving with the 25th Battalion.

Capt. Gauvin L. Stairs. Born 1896. Killed at Moquet Farm, near
Courcellette, September 7, 1916, while serving with the 14th Battalion.

Pte. Graham Stairs. Born 1894. Died of pneumonia at Halifax, December
10, 1915, while serving with the 85th Battalion.

“One by one Death challenged them. One by one they smiled in his
grim visage and refused to be dismayed.”

* * * * *

THE STAIRS FAMILY.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. KENNET STAIRS.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. PHILIP R. STAIRS.]

_Sons of Mrs. Edward Stairs, Halifax._

[Illustration:

CAPT. GEORGE W. STAIRS.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. JOHN C. STAIRS.]

_Sons of George Stairs, Halifax._

[Illustration:

CAPT. GAUVIN L. STAIRS.]

[Illustration:

PTE. GRAHAM STAIRS.]

_Sons of Gauvin L. Stairs, Halifax._

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. E. J. DWYER.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. L. RAY CUTTEN.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. EDGAR S. SPURR. M.C.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. GEORGE COLLINS PARISH, YARMOUTH, N.S.]

Capt. E. J. Dwyer was Second in Command of “C” Company, 85th Battalion.
He left the Battalion shortly after it arrived in England to join the
25th Battalion in France. After serving with the latter Unit for six
months he was detailed to proceed to Mesopotamia, and sailed on the
_Nyanza_. This ship was torpedoed and Captain Dwyer was drowned.

* * * * *

Capt. L. Ray Cutten, an officer in the 93rd Cumberland Regiment. He
volunteered for service Overseas at the outbreak of war and was
Assistant Adjutant of the 17th Battalion. He transferred to the 15th
Battalion and again to the 2nd Battalion, in which he was a Company
Commander and was recommended for the Military Cross. He was killed at
Maple Grove, near Hill 60, June 5, 1916. Buried near Poperinghe.

* * * * *

Capt. Edgar S. Spurr, M.C., obtained his commission in 112th Battalion.
Promoted to rank of Captain July 24, 1916. Reverted to go to France,
where he served with the 25th Battalion. Awarded the Military Cross and
regained the rank of Captain. August 15, 1917. Killed in action, June
14. 1918.

* * * * *

Capt. George Collins Parish, Yarmouth, N.S. Immediately after the
outbreak of the Great War, was appointed Lieutenant in the 81st Regiment
Canadian Infantry.

Commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 40th Battalion, C.E.F. Recruited a
Platoon in Yarmouth for that Unit, took them to Valcartier. After a
period of training he was sent Overseas in command of a reinforcing
draft of 250 men.

He was attached to the 17th Reserve Battalion at Bramshott for a period,
when, in 1916, he was posted to the 25th Battalion, and sent to Belgium,
was severely wounded and invalided home. On his partial recovery he was
posted to the 1st Nova Scotia Regiment, Depot Battalion, as Paymaster,
with the rank of Captain. He contracted influenza and died October 28,
1918. Was interred at Mountain Cemetery, Yarmouth.

* * * * *

Six sons of G. Douglas and Kate G. Campbell, of Weymouth, were
volunteers in August, 1914.

* * * * *

COLIN, the youngest, enlisted first and served at McNab’s Island. He
joined the 23rd Battery at Fredericton in November. Proceeded Overseas
in March, 1915, and arrived in France the following June. Severely
wounded at La Bassee, June 19th. On discharge from hospital he joined
the Imperial Service and obtained his commission. Returned to the Front
during the winter of 1915–16. Received multiple wounds July 19th and was
awarded the M.C. After discharge from hospital he was decorated by the
King and again returned to the Front. Passed examination for aviation
during the summer, but returning to the artillery was killed in action
near Passchendaele, October 10, 1917.

* * * * *

TOM, also joined the 23rd Battery and proceeded to England with Colin.
He was transferred to the 3rd Battalion and served at the Front from
June to December, 1915. Trench life and its filthy conditions undermined
his health, and in December he was shell-shocked and sent to hospital.
He returned to Canada in 1916.

* * * * *

KENNETH, began his training for active service at Halifax, later going
to Valcartier. He was sent to Weymouth to assist in recruiting the 85th
and 219th Battalions. He proceeded Overseas in August, 1916, and joined
the 42nd Battalion. He became Bombing Officer of that Unit, and was
killed at Vimy Ridge, January 18, 1917, and buried at Mount St. Eloi.

* * * * *

JOHN DUNCAN, joined the 106th Battalion at Truro in January, 1916.
Arrived in England, July, 1916, and at the Front in December, 1916.
Wounded in hand and thigh at Vimy Ridge, April 8, 1917. Returned to the
Front and served until shell-shocked at Rochmont. Returned to Halifax,
June, 1918.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

THE SIX CAMPBELL BROTHERS.]

GLIDDEN, the eldest, was already in the Militia when the War broke out,
his commission being dated June, 1914. He was in command of the Digby
Detachment of the Garrison Artillery at Barrington, N.S., and joined the
85th Battalion in October, 1915, as Machine Gun Officer. He proceeded
Overseas with that Unit, arriving in France in time for the Vimy show.
He was appointed to the command of “B” Company in October, 1917. He led
his Company at Passchendaele, wiping out over a dozen machine gun nests
and capturing a pill-box single-handed. Was blown into the air by a
shell and, although wounded, refused to leave the line. He was awarded
the M.C. He carried on with the Battalion until June, 1918, when, after
an attack of trench fever and suffering from the effects of gas, he was
sent to the South of France to recuperate. He later transferred to the
Forestry Corps, taking command of the 79th Company and was promoted to
the rank of Major.

* * * * *

ALBERT MUNGO, volunteered in 1914, but as his five brothers had left his
father’s business, it was decided that he should remain at home. He was
so anxious to join up, however, that he was reluctantly permitted to do
so, and in the early spring of 1916 enlisted in the 58th Battery, C.F.A.
He went to the Front with that Unit and remained with it to the finish.
He was the last of the four surviving brothers to arrive home.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. H. A. MURRAY.]

Capt. H. A. Murray joined the 24th Battalion as Lieutenant during the
winter of 1915 from the McGill C.O.T.C., and served as Transport Officer
until May, 1916. Promoted to Captain in July, 1916, and to Acting-Major
while in command of a Company in September, 1916. Was Company Commander
of “D” Company, 24th Battalion, when killed in fighting for Regina
Trench, near Courcellette, on October 1, 1916.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. EDWARD C. CLAYTON, M.C.]

Capt. Edward C. Clayton, M.C., son of W. J. Clayton, Halifax. Appointed
Lieutenant 85th Battalion, December 28, 1916. Promoted to rank of
Captain, August 9, 1917. Awarded Military Cross, Eleudit Leauvette.
Although not his turn to lead his Company in the attack on Passchendaele
Ridge he urged his reasons for doing so upon his Commanding Officer so
strongly that permission was given him. He was killed by a piece of
shell just as his Company advanced in the attack, but he had made his
preparation so carefully that they carried on, annihilated the enemy,
gained their objectives, dug in, and held their position intact until
the Battalion was relieved.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. HARRY ELTHAN HILTON.]

Capt. Harry Elthan Hilton, only child of Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Hilton, of
Kingston, Nova Scotia. Born September 16, 1894. When war broke out was
on the Staff of the Bank of Nova Scotia. He enlisted in the 63rd
Regiment on August 14, 1914, gazetted Lieutenant the following month and
sailed for England with a draft of the 63rd on March 1, 1916. Went to
France, June 14, 1916, and was attached to the 42nd Battalion. He fought
at Courcellette and various other engagements throughout the Somme
campaign. Later was transferred to the 7th Trench Mortar Battery and was
killed at Vimy Ridge. Gazetted Captain, January 13, 1917.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. A. S. ALLEN, M.C.]

Capt. A. S. Allen, M.C., son of Mr. Arthur E. Allen, of Yarmouth, N.S.
Born at Glenwood, Yarmouth County, July 23, 1895. At the age of sixteen
he entered the service of the Bank of Nova Scotia, and in 1913 was
transferred to the Barrington Street Branch, Halifax. He qualified as
Lieutenant in the 81st Regiment and proceeded Overseas with the 40th
Battalion. In March, 1916, he joined the 18th Battalion in France. He
was later gazetted Captain and awarded the Military Cross. In November
he transferred to the R.F.C. On April 30, 1917, while reconnoitering
over Gouzeaucourt his plane was attacked by six enemy machines. Captain
Allen was hit by a machine-gun bullet and was dead when his plane
crashed. Lieut. D. Mactavish, Inverness, Scotland, who accompanied him
on this flight, writes:

“I can never forget him as I saw him at the last, calm and collected to
the end, sighting and firing until his strength gave out and he was
overcome by exhaustion. It is given to a few men to live greatly, but to
be able to die as he did is a gift of God. Truly he won—_Per ardua ad
astra_.”

* * * * *

[Illustration:

CAPT. J. E. ALMON.]

Capt. J. E. Almon, son of the late Dr. Thomas Almon, of Halifax. Killed
in action at Passchendaele, while serving with the P.P.C.L.I.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT. CYRIL M‘LELLAN MOWBRAY.]

Lieut. Cyril McLellan Mowbray, only son of Lieut. Col. J. A. C. Mowbray,
O.B.E., Senior Pay Officer, Military District No. 6. Killed in action,
November 10, 1917, at Passchendaele, aged nineteen years, while serving
with the 5th Canadian Battalion.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

SECOND LIEUT. JOHN STRUAN ROBERTSON.]

Second Lieut. John Struan Robertson, son of Lieut.-Col. Struan G.
Robertson, of Pictou. Born in Westville, Pictou County, November 17,
1896. Got his commission from the Royal Military College, Kingston,
Ont., in 1917. Attached to the R.F.A., B. 46th Brigade, 14th Division,
5th Army. Killed near Benay, in the neighborhood of St. Quentin, March
21, 1918.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT. GEORGE MACDONALD SYLVESTER.]

Lieut. George Macdonald Sylvester. Went Overseas with 40th Battalion as
Assistant Adjutant. Transferred to 14th Battalion and was killed at
Regina Trench, September 26, 1916.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

LIEUT. WALTER MELVILLE BILLMAN.]

Lieut. Walter Melville Billman. At Oxford at outbreak of war. Joined
Officers’ Training Corps, Oxford. Appointed Second Lieutenant 6th
Battalion 1st Middlesex Regiment. Died of wounds received at Battle of
Somme, November 5, 1916.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. HOWARD CHARLES DAWSON.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. JOHN. H. FIENDAL.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. THOMAS LOUIS BRENNAN.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. G. H. CAMPBELL.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. F. P. H. LAYTON.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. ALFRED S. CHURCHILL.]

* * * * *

Lieut. Howard Charles Dawson, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Dawson, of
Truro, N.S. He was killed while on scout duty at Ablain, St. Nazaire, on
January 12, 1917, at the age of 22 years. He was buried in Sucrerie
Cemetery, near Lens. He enlisted in January, 1916, in the 106th
Battalion and transferred to the 26th Battalion in October, 1916. He was
scout officer of this Battalion when killed.

* * * * *

Lieut. John H. Fiendal went Overseas as a Sergeant in No. 1 Casualty
Clearing Hospital. Was given a commission and joined the 25th Battalion
in 1916. He was killed at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917.

* * * * *

Lieut. Thomas Louis Brennan trained at Aviation School, Toronto, and
went to England December, 1915. Completed his training there and went to
France early in 1916. Was wounded, and after being discharged from
hospital was employed as an Instructor, and returned to Canada early in
1918. Up to the time of his death was attached to the Aviation School in
Toronto. He died of influenza October, 1918.

* * * * *

Lieut. G. H. Campbell, son of George H. Campbell, Esq., of Halifax,
joined the 40th Battalion with the rank of Lieutenant. He proceeded
Overseas with that Unit, and was later transferred to the 1st Canadian
Pioneers. He was killed at Battersea Farm, Ypres, May 16, 1916, aged 22
years.

* * * * *

Lieut. F. P. H. Layton, only son of George A. Layton, Esq., of Truro.
Born April 13, 1888. Educated at King’s College School and Dalhousie
University. Admitted to the Bar in 1912. When war broke out was
practising in Vancouver. He obtained a commission in the 40th Battalion
and transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was killed in
action July 23, 1916.

* * * * *

Lieut. Alfred S. Churchill. Killed in action April 9, 1917, at Vimy
Ridge, while serving with the Royal Canadian Regiment.

[Illustration:

LIEUT. ALBERT F. MAJOR.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. W. T. BECK.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. T. PROBERT, M.C.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. GORDON M. HEBB.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. HAROLD ARCHIBALD SMITH, M.C.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. GERALD. E. CRAGG.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. W. S. FIELDING.]

* * * * *

Lieut. W. T. Beck. Served in Egypt with Royal Air Force. Killed November
15, 1918.

* * * * *

Lieut. Harold Archibald Smith, M.C. Born at Londonderry May 13, 1893.
Educated at Sydney Academy and Dalhousie University. Graduated B.A. 1913
and went to Labrador as missionary. At Pine Hill College autumn of 1914.
Enlisted in 6th C.M.R. January, 1915. Wounded at the Somme, September
15, 1916. After convalescence went to Bexhill and rejoined his Unit as
Lieutenant. Awarded Military Cross August 26, 1918. Two days later at
Monchy Heights was severely wounded. Died September 14th at Prince of
Wales Hospital, London, and buried in Brookwood Cemetery.

* * * * *

Lieut. Albert F. Major, son of F. G. Major, Esq., of Halifax. Went
Overseas with 14th Battalion of Montreal. Killed in action at Zillebeke
Heights June 3, 1916.

* * * * *

Lieut. Gordon M. Hebb, son of Levi Hebb, Esq., of Bridgewater, N.S.
Killed in action near Courcellette while serving with 78th Battalion.

* * * * *

Lieut. W. S. Fielding, son of George H. Fielding, Esq., Stipendiary
Magistrate, Halifax, N.S. Called out for service with his Regiment, the
66th Princess Louise Fusiliers, at the outbreak of war. Proceeded with a
draft from that Regiment to England in January, 1916. He was transferred
to the 7th British Columbia Battalion in France. He was twice wounded.
Killed in action at Passchendaele.

* * * * *

Lieut. J. T. Probert, M.C. Before the War Lieut. Probert was an
accountant in the service of the Intercolonial Railway at Halifax. He
was attached to the Royal Canadian Regiment in France, and was killed in
action at Cambrai, September 30, 1918.

* * * * *

Lieut. Gerald E. Cragg, son of C. J. Cragg, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
Killed in action June 3, 1916, aged 22 years, 4 months, near Ypres,
Belgium, while serving with the 3rd Toronto Regiment.

* * * * *

Lieut. Jas. O’Neill Fitzgerald, M.C., enlisted in the 40th Battalion,
was transferred to 25th Battalion in France, May, 1916, and served till
April, 1917, when he was promoted to commissioned rank. He rejoined his
Battalion in October, 1917, and was wounded at the Battle of Amiens,
August 9, 1918, and awarded the Military Cross.

* * * * *

Cadet H. S. Simson enlisted in the 2nd Canadian Divisional Cyclist
Company on April 19, 1915. He accompanied his Unit to France on
September 15, 1915, and was wounded October 8, 1916, during the Somme
offensive. He was awarded the Medaille Militaire (French) on July 6,
1917, for work on the Somme. Joining the Royal Air Force in July, 1918,
he served until the signing of the Armistice.

* * * * *

Lieut. Walter O. Barnstead joined the 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles at
Halifax, February 11, 1915, and proceeded to France with his Unit in
October, 1915. He was transferred to the 5th C.M.R., promoted to
commissioned rank in April, 1917, and served with his Unit until the
Armistice. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre at Amiens, 1918.

* * * * *

Capt. G. M. Drew was called out with his Regiment, the 1st Canadian
Garrison Artillery, on August 22, 1914, and left for Valcartier early in
September. From Valcartier he proceeded to England, joining the Royal
Garrison Artillery. He proceeded to France with the 1st Siege Battery in
September, 1915, and served with this Unit and various Trench Mortar
Batteries until June, 1916, when he was invalided to England suffering
from trench fever. After service in England, Capt. Drew returned to
France in May, 1917, with the 259th Siege Battery, and served in the
Ypres Salient and Nieuport areas till the signing of the Armistice.

* * * * *

The four boys mentioned above are all in the employ of the Furness Withy
Company, Limited.

[Illustration: LT. W. D. BARNSTEAD LT. JAS. O’NEIL FITZGERALD H. S.
SIMSON CAPT. G. M. DREW]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. JAS. BLAIR.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT.-COL. CHARLES J. T. STEWART, D.S.O.]

[Illustration:

CAPT. N. P. FREEMAN.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. C. SUTHERLAND.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. J. G. LAURIER FRASER.]

[Illustration:

EMILE GABOURY.]

[Illustration:

LIEUT. IAN C. M‘GREGOR.]

* * * * *

Lieut.-Col. Charles J. T. Stewart, D.S.O., was the son of the late
Lieut.-Col. C. J. Stewart, of Halifax. He went Overseas with the
P.P.C.L.I. Was awarded the D.S.O. and French Croix de Guerre. He was
killed in action September 28, 1918.

* * * * *

Lieut. J. G. Laurier Fraser, son of the late Lieut.-Governor D. C.
Fraser. Enlisted at Moose Jaw in the 229th Battalion and sailed for
England in September, 1916. Transferred to the 16th Battalion. Killed in
action March 6, 1918.

* * * * *

Lieut. Jas. Blair, son of Lieut.-Col. H. C. Blair, of Truro. Killed in
action.

* * * * *

Lieut. J. C. Sutherland. Killed in action.

* * * * *

Lieut. Ian C. McGregor. Went Overseas November, 1916. Trained in England
with Royal Flying Corps. Went to France as pilot, April, 1917, attached
to Squadron 56, and later transferred to Squadron 60. Wounded September
21, 1917, and was eight months in hospital in France. Died at Saranac
Lake, N.Y., March 5, 1920. Officially credited with eleven machines.

* * * * *

Capt. Nelson P. Freeman, of Bridgewater, stricken with paralysis while
on service in England, was invalided to Canada, and died.

* * * * *

Emile Gaboury, son of Dr. T. C. Gaboury, the late representative of the
County of Pontiac, Quebec. Came to Halifax in 1911 as Manager of the
Nova Scotia Branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada, Limited,
and after war broke out was appointed French Consul. Notwithstanding his
many duties, Mr. Gaboury took an active interest in the Victory Loan,
Red Triangle, Knights of Columbus, and the Salvation Army. He was a
particularly strong and active member of the Red Cross, and played a
large role in the welcoming of returned soldiers at Pier 2. During the
War he appealed for the Red Cross in all the theatres of Halifax as well
as throughout the Province, and organized Red Cross branches in many of
the smaller towns.

[Illustration:

COLWELL FAMILY.]

Garnet James Colwell, Lieutenant 66th Halifax Regiment. Served in Canada
1915–1918. Sent Overseas May 16, 1918.

Cyril Henry Colwell, Lieutenant 63rd Halifax Regiment. Served in Canada
1915–1917. Sent Overseas September 5, 1917.

Ray John Colwell, Lieutenant 63rd Halifax Regiment. Served in Canada
1916–1918. Sent Overseas August 3, 1918.

* * * * *

[Illustration:

MRS. MAY B. SEXTON, B.SC.]

Mrs. May B. Sexton, B.Sc., Vice-President, Canadian Red Cross Society,
Nova Scotia Branch. Ex-Municipal Regent for Halifax, I.O.D.E.
Ex-Chairman Halifax Playgrounds Commission, Ex-Vice-President Local
Council of Women.

LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE ROYAL BANK WHO ENLISTED FROM BRANCHES IN NOVA
SCOTIA.

Andrewes, F. L.
Annand, C. D.
Anthony, L. F.
Atkinson, C. H.
Aucoin, J. D.
Austen, G. A.
Banks, C. N.
Barry, J. R.
Bezanson, G. A.
Blair, R. G.
Boudreau, L. P.
Bowers, C. C.
Boyd, R. J.
Browne, A. S.
Bryson, W. E.
Buckley, W. A.
Butler, J. K.
Cain, C. L.
Cairns, J. A.
Cameron, J. A.
Cameron, N. P.
Campbell, J. A.
Campbell, J. A.
Campbell, R. B.
Chisholm, A. D.
Chisholm, J. D.
Chapman, P. T.
Cornwall, H. A.
Cosman, E. A.
Cotter, J. G.
Coumans, R. G.
Crowell, A. L.
Crowell, C. L.
Cunningham, H.
Curll, M. H.
Daniel, G. H.
Demers, J. C.
DesBrisay, A. S.
Dexter, R.
Dickie, E. C.
Dickie, K. R.
Dickie, L. W.
Dickson, G. M.
Dodge, C. M.
Doucette, H. H.
Douse, G. A. P.
Durham, E. B.
Dustan, S. B.
Embree, D. T.
Ernst, W. A.
Farnell, A. H.
Flannery, C. G.
Flinn, G.
Forsythe, J. S. G.
Fraser, A. Elmer.
Fraser, A. Ernest.
Fraser, A. M.
Fraser, L. G.
Gage, L. G.
Gass, C.
Gorham, E. R.
Goudrey, K. H.
Grant, B. E.
Gregory, H. S.
Haines, R. S.
Hains, A. P. R.
Hall, H. L.
Hanna, V. M.
Harding, C. E.
Hatfield, A. W.
Hawkins, G. S.
Henderson, H. F.
Herman, R. R.
Johnston, J. L.
Johnstone, G. H.
King, D. A.
King, J. J. W.
Kirk, J. H.
Kierstead, A. L.
Knowles, J. E.
Kyte, S. E.
Kinnie, E. F.
Knowles, J. E.
Langille, L. H.
LeLievre, P.
Lordly, E. F.
Longley, E. G.
Love, H. A.
MacDonald, D. W.
MacDougall, J. I.
MacDougall R.
MacKenzie, W. K.
MacKay, J. W.
MacLean, C. W.
Mann, C. H.
March, J. E. R.
Matthews, C. F.
Melvin, W. D.
Merriam, S. G.
Merritt, F. G.
Milner, C. H.
Millett, J. N. L.
Moore, A. J.
Morrison, W. H.
Morrow, J.
Morash, J. R.
Mosher, A. T.
Mosher, W. A.
Mulcahey, T. J.
Murray, B.
McAlpine, A. F.
McCallum, H. M.
McClafferty, J. K.
McDonald, A. H.
McDonald, D. A.
McIntyre, J. A.
McKenzie, H.
McKenzie, K.
McLaren, A. F.
McLean, M. A.
McLeod, H. H. D.
McRobert, J. A. V.
Neville, E. V.
Newell, A. D.
Newell, E. D.
Nickerson, E. C.
Noonan, P.
O’Connell, J. F.
O’Keefe, T. P.
O’Toole, A. G.
Page, E. H.
Peers, R. H. C.
Peters, W. H.
Pickard, H. J.
Pitman, M. R.
Power, M. L.
Poirier, W. P.
Price, E.
Prince, W. S.
Rafuse, S. A.
Redding, R. E.
Rhind, C. E.
Richardson, R. B.
Ripley, L. W.
Risser, W. A.
Roche, G. E.
Ross, C. S.
Ross, J. K.
Ryan, A. M.
Scriven, J. A.
Shaw, H. J.
Shields, D. D.
Smith, A. R.
Smith, G. J.
Snell, L. L.
Spence, C. M. V.
Spence, R. E.
Stanley, F. A.
Sterns, H. E.
Stephens, A. E.
Stewart, W. I.
Strople, H. G. A.
Stubbs, H. C.
Stewart, D. J.
Tanner, H. R.
Troy, L. T.
Tupper, M. L.
Turnbull, G. A.
Turnbull, G. V.
West, C. F.
Whidden, E. L.
Wicks, W. E.
White, G.
Wickwire, L. H.
Wilmot, A. J.
Wallace, H.
Wilson, J. L.
Wilson, W. M.
Winters, G. W.
Withrow, C. A.
Zinck, A. M.
Zinck, H. A.

[Illustration:

MRS. G. S. CAMPBELL.

One of Nova Scotia’s Leading Patriotic War Workers.]

[Illustration:

MISS MARION DOULL, V.A.D., MISS MADELINE SCOTT, V.A.D., MISS EDITH
PIKE, V.A.D.

“The Three Shining Lights” of Pine Hill Military Convalescent
Hospital.]

[Illustration:

NURSING SISTER MINNIE. FOLLETTE.

Drowned at sea, _Llandovery Castle_, June 27, 1918.]

[Illustration:

NURSING SISTER PEARL FRASER.

Drowned at sea, _Llandovery Castle_. June 27, 1918.]

[Illustration:

J. G. M‘DOUGALD. M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S.

Especially noted for his Surgical Work following the Great Explosion,
December 6, 1917.]

[Illustration:

SONS OF A. B. WISWELL, HALIFAX.]

“Felt Dawn”

By Stuart McCawley

We were sitting on the beach at Mira. Just a lovely Cape Breton
moonlight night. The youngsters were singing and telling yarns. One kid
recited McCrae’s great poem, “In Flanders Fields,” and one of the boys
who had been “over there” asked us if we knew what McCrae meant when he
wrote the phrase, “Felt Dawn.” Nobody seemed to be entirely clear on the
question, and we asked our friend, the veteran, to describe it for us.
Here are his words:

A cold, drizzly rain that is eating through your khaki into your
very heart.

A sea of mud—black, slimy, sticky, stinking mud.

The duck boards floating in ooze.

Your feet wet and heavy, and your toes squichy.

Not a sound of any kind.

The nearest human ten yards away—just around “the bay.”

Darkness supreme. Not even an enemy flare.

You strain your eyes over the parapet to the barbwire.

Your battalion’s life depends on your keeping awake.

Oh, the strain! Oh, the funk that is trying to grip your very soul!

Would to God something would happen! This eternal watching is
fearful.

Then a rustle in the grass; a wave of movement first like the ripple
you hear when a stone is “skipped” on a quiet pond; then an extra
chill in the air: then a glow to the east—’Tis Dawn.

You let loose your “clip” and you fire like mad towards the Hun.
Other sentries fire, and the salvo to dawn gets the whole line.
Thousands of men all along the front start a strafe—a crazy, aimless
strafe—which lasts for only minutes. Then, as if some great unseen
General had whispered a command, men regain their “morale,” and the
rifle fire quietens, and dies away.

The sun struggles up.

A bird on a shattered stump whistles, “Coo, Coo.”

Your blood warms again. You have “felt dawn.” Another day has had
its birth. The rations will soon be up. Relief is coming. The war is
still on, and the bird has showed you that, after all, it is better
to smile than to worry.

God is still in command!

-----

Footnote 1:

Killed in action or died of wounds.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

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Queen St., Opposite Kent, Halifax, N.S.

Equipped with the most modern machinery, we are in a position to do all
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W. McL. Robertson, Manager

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

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Copper Plate, Steel Die and General Engravers

[Illustration:

_85th Battalion Buttons, 65c. each_]

IN THE NEW
BIRKS BUILDING

493–495–497 Barrington Street

HALIFAX
NOVA SCOTIA

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

LUXURIES

should be paid for, but at the prices we charge for

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you can fit yourself out and be affected very little by Luxury Tax.

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* * * * *

CAPE BRETON’S
LEADING NEWSPAPER
THE
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the biggest wage-earners in Canada.

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* * * * *

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

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* * * * *

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

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* * * * *

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* * * * *

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Average sworn circulation
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* * * * *

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

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* * * * *

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* * * * *

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* * * * *

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* * * * *

The McDONALDS did their bit in the
war. So did

Alex. McDonald

The leading Tailor of North Sydney by furnishing the best Clothing to
the boys.

He is still on the job at the old stand in the McDONALD BLOCK, Corner
Main St.

NORTH SIDNEY, N.S. Tel. 191.

* * * * *

LeMOINE BROTHERS

Wholesale and Retail Dealers in

MEATS, FISH, GROCERIES,
PROVISIONS, and all kinds of
COUNTRY PRODUCE

North Sydney - N.S.

* * * * *

When in town make it a
point to visit

BALAH’S
VARIETY STORE

North Sydney - N.S.

* * * * *

Compliments of

W. H. CUZNER

STRAND THEATRE

Sydney Minis and North Sydney
Cape Breton

* * * * *

H. G. HAGEN & CO.

LIMITED

PLUMBING AND
HEATING

Sydney, N. S.

* * * * *

Accessories
Supplies
Ford Parts
Service

THOMAS TOOMEY

Dealer in Canadian Ford Cars

FORD SERVICE STATION

Sydney Mines, N. S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Dominion Iron and Steel Company

Limited

HEAD OFFICE AND WORKS, SYDNEY, N.S.

Manufacturers of

PIG IRON, Basic and Foundry Grades,
BASIC OPEN HEARTH STEEL,
BLOOMS, BILLETS and SLABS.

STEEL RAILS-All sections up to and
including 100 lbs. per lineal yard.

STEEL BARS, ROUNDS, FLATS, SQUARES.;
Reinforcement Bars, Plain or Twisted.

WIRE RODS-All qualities, in Gauges No. 5 to 21–32″.

WIRE-Plain, Annealed, Galvanized, Coiled Spring and
Barbed Fence.

WIRE NAILS-All standard and special patterns.

AMMONIUM SULPHATE. SULPHURIC ACID.

Benzol, Toluol, Solvent Naphtha. Bengas (Motor Fuel).

SALES OFFICES:

Sydney, N.S. 112 St. James Street, Montreal, P.Q.

SPECIFY DOMSTEEL PRODUCTS

* * * * *

Dominion Coal Company

Limited

GLACE BAY, NOVA SCOTIA

19 Collieries—Output, 5,000,000 tons annually.

“Dominion” Coal-Screened, run of mine and slack.
“Springhill” Coal-Screened, run of mine and slack.

Collieries at Glace Bay, C.B., and Springhill, N.S.
Shipping Ports-Sydney and Louisburg, C.B., and Parrsboro, N.S.

FOR PRICES AND TERMS APPLY TO

ALEXANDER DICK, GENERAL SALES AGENT

112 ST. JAMES STREET, MONTREAL

or at the offices of the Company at 171 Lower Water Street, Halifax,
N.S., and to the following agents: R. P. & W. F. Starr, St. John, N.B.;
Buntain, Bell & Co., Charlottetown, P.E.I.; Hull, Blyth & Co., 1 Lloyds
Ave., London, E.C.; Harvey & Co., St. John’s, Nfld.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

McDougall & Cowans

Members Montreal Stock Exchange

HEAD OFFICE, MONTREAL, CANADA

BRANCH OFFICES:

TORONTO, ONT.
34 King Street West

ST. JOHN, N.B.
38 Prince William St.

OTTAWA, ONT.
211 Union Bank Bldg.

QUEBEC, QUE.
116 Mountain Hill

WINNIPEG, MAN.
218 Portage Ave.

HALIFAX, N.S.
185 Hollis St.

H. C. COUGHTRY
Manager

PRIVATE WIRES TO ALL OFFICES AND NEW YORK

* * * * *

[Illustration]

Irresistible Styles in

READY-TO-WEAR
APPAREL

Are on Display at All Seasons
in Our Extensive Ready-to-Wear
Department

Ladies’ and Gents’ Wearing Apparel of every
description. See our stock before you buy
elsewhere

All Mail Orders Receive Our Best Attention

We are expert Ladies’ and Gents’ Tailors and Furriers
Electric Passenger Elevators to All Departments

MERCHANT’S
Charlotte St.
SYDNEY

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

MAC’S LIMITED

Real Estate and Insurance
Brokers
Railway and Steamship
Ticket Agents

Possessing unexcelled facilities for
effecting all classes of Insurance
in some of the strongest British,
Canadian and American
Companies

Commercial Street
Glace Bay, N.S.

Charlotte Street
Sydney, N.S.

* * * * *

J. A. Marven
LIMITED

Halifax Moncton St. John

Manufacturers of “WHITE LILY”
BRAND BISCUITS.

We mention here only a few of our regular lines:—

Arrowroot
Social Tea
Fig Bars
Coco Taffy
Fancy Wine
Hydrox
Assorted Sandwich
Marshmallow
Graham Wafers
Ginger Snaps
Apricot Wafers
Graham Sandwich

Ask for and insist on

Marven’s “White Lily” Cream Sodas

Sold in tins, boxes, packages and barrels

NOVA SCOTIA BRANCH

670 Barrington Street, Halifax

* * * * *

Petrie Manufacturing
Co., Limited

Manufacturers

Aerated Waters

Distilled Waters

Mineral Waters

SYDNEY - N.S

* * * * *

Isnor Bros.

Stores where men like to come for their Clothing—Why?

“Honest Values”
(that’s the answer)

MAIN STORE

69 Gottingen Street

Agricola Street
(Cor. Bloomfield Street)

Isnor Bros.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

This Store’s Policy

To represent goods exactly as to their quality; to sell to those who
know and to those who don’t know values at a uniform fair price; to
fulfill all guarantees and cheerfully correct all mistakes: to deserve
your confidence by always giving you satisfaction.

G. T. MUNN

Jeweler and Optician

New Waterford - N.S.

* * * * *

JOHN McCORMICK

Dealer in

Dry Goods, Clothing, Carpets, Furniture, Men’s Furnishings, Crockery,
Shoes, Groceries and Provisions

SYDNEY MINES - N.S.

* * * * *

CONTRACTORS BUILDERS

Chappell Bros. & Co.
Ltd.

Brookland Street,

SYDNEY, N.S.

LUMBERMEN WOODWORKERS

* * * * *

McKinnon & Cameron

Merchant Tailors

344 Esplanade Sydney, N.S,

* * * * *

BRENNAN & CO.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
MERCHANTS

Groceries, Flour, Feeds and Produce

North Sydney - N.S.

* * * * *

R. H. McLEAN

Dealer in
Confectionery, Fruits, Tobaccos,
Cigars, Etc.

Photo Studio in connection. Our
enlargements are the best

NEW WATERFORD - N.S.

* * * * *

Donald J. Buckley

“The Druggist”

Buckley’s Busy Bend

Prince and Charlotte Streets

SYDNEY - C.B.

* * * * *

Eastern Jewellery Co.

Phone 121 S. PORTE, Manager

EVERYTHING UP TO DATE

Green Block, Charlotte Street

Sydney - N.S.

* * * * *

C. & G. MacLEOD

Booksellers and Stationers

Sydney and Glace Bay, N.S.

* * * * *

Have your home wired now

Let us do the wiring in your home, and you will receive the best
material and workmanship. Call us for estimates on your work; telephone
number is 696.

E. D. MURPHY

Charlotte Street - Sydney

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Acadia Coal Company
Limited

Stellarton, N.S.

Miners and Shippers of the
Celebrated

ACADIA COAL

Unexcelled for Steam Purposes
Popular for Domestic Use

Manufacturing, Steamship, and Railway
Companies give it high endorsements.

Shipments by water from Pictou Landing, N.S.

Shipments by rail, via Intercolonial Railway.

For Prices and all Information,
address General Offices:

STELLARTON, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Systematic Saving Made Pleasant and
Profitable

¶ Here is the plan under which many of our clients, setting aside sums
as small as $10 monthly, have accumulated $5,000 and upwards with annual
additions of more than $300 to their incomes.

¶ You buy through us a security of recognized merit, yielding 6% or more
for municipals, 7% or more for Corporation bonds.

¶ You pay $10 a month for each $100 and are charged with 6% interest on
unpaid balances but are credited immediately with the full interest on
your investment, as paid.

¶ As you proceed with your payments the difference of interest in your
favor increases, adding to your income, and as time goes on the purchase
of one security after another brings you nearer to independence

Write for further details

J. C. MACKINTOSH & CO.

Members Montreal Stock Exchange

207 HOLLIS STREET, HALIFAX

* * * * *

Thompson & Sutherland Limited

_Dealers in_

SUPPLIES FOR CONTRACTORS
PLUMBERS AND PAINTERS

_Wholesale and Retail Stores at_

NORTH SYDNEY, SYDNEY MINES, GLACE BAY
NEW GLASGOW, STELLARTON
WESTVILLE, SYDNEY

7====STORES====7

_The Hardware Men_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

John R. Francis
& Son

GENERAL HARDWARE STORE

Dealers in

General Shelf Hardware,
Glass, Paints and Oils,
Enameled and Tinware

also

Undertakers and Licensed
Embalmers

Strict attention given
to day and night calls.

Phone connections day and night

Main St., Sydney Mines, N.S.
P. O. Box 486

* * * * *

For the Veterans of the
Great War—in all
Branches of the
Service

THE BEST

is none too good, every time and all
the time

in Halifax, for instance

The
Halifax Hotel
Hollis Street

Which was the “Stamping Ground” for H. M. Overseas Forces passing
through Halifax.

Come in and see us again when you are in town.

* * * * *

Returned Men

can buy their outfitting most advantageously at this store.

Crowell’s standard goods—complete from head to foot—will appeal to your
good business judgment, on account of their reliable quality and their
fair prices.

We show you the way to better outfitting values.

LET US SERVE YOU

Crowell’s Ltd.

Sydney, C. B.

* * * * *

If you Shop at

McArels

you’ll get value for your money

Stylish Dress Goods and Silks, Dress Trimmings, Gloves, Hosiery, House
Furnishings and Furniture, Men’s and Boys’ Furnishings, Good Footwear.
We carry an up-to-date stock to fit all. Choice Groceries.

All at lowest prices

McArel Bros.

Glace Bay, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Francis Book Store

Newspapers, Magazines and Latest Books, School Supplies—Wall Papers,
Etc. Stationery—the very best

W. J. Francis

SYDNEY MINES, N.S.

* * * * *

When in North Sydney do not forget to
visit

THE TOGGERY

H. E. WHITMAN

“_The House of Quality_”

* * * * *

Drawer 814 Tel. 193

The
Home Bottling Company Ltd.

Manufacturers of
High Grade Aerated
Waters

Wholesale Dealers
in Cigarettes,
Cigars, etc.

The up-to-date Bottling Plant of Eastern
Nova Scotia

D. R. Mancini, President

Main St. - - North Sydney, N.S.

* * * * *

R. H. DAVIS & CO., LTD.

Wholesale and Manufacturing Stationers Branch Warehouse and Office, 542
George St., Sydney, N.S. Head Office and Plant, Yarmouth, N. S.

Scholars, ask your retailers for Davis’ 10c. series of Exercise Books
and Davis’ Writing Tablets. The best values on the market; made in Nova
Scotia from “Made in Canada” raw material.

* * * * *

McKenzie & Company

Norman McKenzie, Manager

Heavy and Shelf Hardware, Stoves,
Ranges, Kitchen Furnishings,
Plumbing and Repairs

Masonic Block—Commercial Street
P.O. Box 784 - Telephone 167

GLACE BAY, N.S.

* * * * *

HOUSE OF QUALITY

J. M. MacLEAN, Prop.

High Class Tailors
Gent’s Furnishings
Boots and Shoes

NEW WATERFORD, C.B.

* * * * *

Manchester Meat Market

Harry Samuels, Prop.

SAUSAGE MAKERS
- BACON CURERS -
PROVISION DEALERS

Main Street - Glace Bay, N.S.

* * * * *

“In the Health of the People
Lies the Wealth of the Nation”

Angus A. Macdonald

DRUGGIST

“The Medical Hall”

NEW WATERFORD, N.S.

* * * * *

THOS. L. BOLDON

JEWELER DR. OF OPTICS

Remember we specialize in
Complicated Prescriptions

Plummer Avenue

NEW WATERFORD

* * * * *

SYDNEY MILLING COMPANY

Limited

J. W. Smith,
President

A. J. Morrison,
Secretary

MILLERS and MILLERS’ AGENTS

Wholesale Flour, Feeds, Oats, Etc.

Phone 18 SYDNEY, N.S.

CANADA FOOD BOARD.

License Nos. 12–79, 6–797, 9–8829

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

C. E. Choat & Co.

_GROCERY BROKERS_

CONFECTIONERY A SPECIALTY

_Agents for_

Sussex Dry Ginger Ale
Weston’s Biscuits
Pascall’s English Sweets

Pickford and Black’s Wharf

HALIFAX, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

C. W. ENGINEERING CO.

_ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS_

_We specialize on Commercial Fireproof
Structures, Design and Construction_

Also Reinforced Concrete Bridges

The present high prices on lumber and allied products have created
conditions under which a fireproof building will cost no more and in
certain instances less than a so-called brick or concrete building.

CONSULTATION IS FREE

_Room 1—Post Building_

_Telephone 761 SYDNEY, N.S._

* * * * *

LUMBER OF ALL KINDS

Brookfield Bros.

LIMITED

Halifax, N.S.

BUILDING MATERIAL OF ALL KINDS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Willis Pianos

{ TONE
Prefect as to { TOUCH
{ DURABILITY

An instrument with these essential qualities that distinguish it as an
ideal piano for the home.

Prices as low as consistent with quality—Convenient terms.

Willis Piano & Organ
Company

50 Granville Street

Halifax, N.S.

* * * * *

P. O. Box 690 Telephones 233
234

We always carry complete stocks for General Groceries, Flour and Feeds.

We Specialize in Drug Sundries and Stationery.

Cape Breton Wholesale
Grocery Co. Limited

Cornet George, Townsend
and Bentinck Streets

SYDNEY, N.B.

* * * * *

J. C. Larder

WHOLESALE FRUITS

SYDNEY - NOVA SCOTIA

* * * * *

Hillis and Sons
Limited

STOVES
AND
RANGES

HALIFAX

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Ashby Corner Grocer. Phone 81

JAMES A. CLARK

Groceries, Provisions, Fruits
Confectionery, Crockery and
Tinware, Bakery.

Sydney

* * * * *

GEO. E. BOAK & SON
LIMITED

Wholesale and Retail
Coal Dealers

HALIFAX - - N. S.

* * * * *

F. W. BISHOP & CO.

Exclusively
Fine Shoes

SYDNEY & GLACE BAY

NOVA SCOTIA

* * * * *

C. P. MOORE
LIMITED

:::: HARDWARE ::::

Paints and Glass

Automobile Supplies

:::: o o ::::

SYDNEY Nova Scotia

* * * * *

WRIGHT’S LIMITED

HOME FURNISHERS

Importers of

FURNITURE
and CARPETS

Warerooms: CHARLOTTE STREET

SYDNEY - Nova Scotia

* * * * *

The Cape Breton boys, who beat the “Bosche” now wear

Fashion Craft

CORBETT & MACKENZIE CO.
LIMITED

Opposite Y. M. C. A.

SYDNEY - - N. S.

* * * * *

ANDREW H. RUDOLF

Dry Goods, Millinery,
Ladies Ready-to-Wear,
Garments, Carpets, Etc.

LUNENBURG - - - N. S.

* * * * *

Hudson & McEachen

“The Big Store with the Small Prices”

Groceries, Meats, Provisions

SPECIALTIES—Fresh and Salt Fish, Butter, Eggs. Etc.

GASOLINE TANK—Capacity 500 gallons. Get your Supply from us.

TELEPHONE 350

Corner Victoria Road and Prince Street.

SYDNEY

* * * * *

Compliments of

A. H. MUNN

JEWELER and SILVERSMITH

Repairing of Fine
Watches a Specialty

Bishop Block, Charlotte St.

SYDNEY. N. S.

* * * * *

Our Part is the Great Work of helping to supply the demand for
Chinaware, Glassware, Earthenware, Enamelware, Tinware and
Aluminum-ware, and Toys and Fancy Goods

We can meet your requirements.

Our Stock is complete and prices will stand comparison

EVANS & YOUNG

83 Gottingen St. Phone Lorne 221

HALIFAX, N. S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Cable Address:
Halship

Direct Telegraphic Communication:
Western Union and Great North Western

HALIFAX SHIPYARDS LIMITED

HALIFAX - CANADA

[Illustration]

SHIPBUILDERS, ENGINEERS AND
SHIP REPAIRERS

Builders of Passenger and Cargo Vessels up to 15,000 tons.

Drydock—Halifax, N.S. Marine Slips—Dartmouth N.S.
Dimensions—550 ft. long.
100 ft. wide 4 Cradles—Capacity up to 3,000
30 ft. depth on sill. tons.

NOTE-Four ships are now on the way being built for the Canadian
Merchant Marine.—2 of 8,100 tons D.W. and
2 of 10,500 „

30 per cent. of the men now employed on new ship construction have
served their country during the late war. These men are now assisting in
rounding out Canada’s National Policy, by building ships which will
carry Canadian exports to all parts of the world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Cable Address: “NATFISH”

License No. 1–036

ARTHUR BOUTILIER

President and General Manager

National Fish Co.
LIMITED

Wholesale Fish
Merchants

P. O. BOX 1104
HALIFAX - N.S.

Owners of the Steam Trawlers
“Lemberg” and “Venosta”

Branch at

Port Hawkesbury - N.S.

* * * * *

Established 1863 Incorporated 1901

Christie Trunk & Bag
Co., Limited

Manufacturers of

TRUNKS, TRAVELLING
BAGS AND SUIT CASES

Sample Trunks and Cases
a Specialty

Amherst, N.S. Canada

* * * * *

The
FRANK A. GILLIS
Company, Limited

Contractors’ Supplies of
All Descriptions

Fireproof Materials
a Specialty

Office:

PICKFORD and
BLACK’S WHARF

HALIFAX - N.S.

* * * * *

SCRIVEN’S
BREAD

[Illustration]

IT IS THE
BEST

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

MILES’

Sydney’s Leading Grocery

The largest variety at right prices

Fresh fruits and vegetables a specialty

251 Charlotte Street

Phones 90 and 91

FREE, PROMPT DELIVERY

* * * * *

The Eternal Question

It will be simple work to choose an exquisite Engagement Ring for the
best girl in the world if you look over Ross’s line. Show your good
taste in ring as well as girl. Please her.

A. M. ROSS

Jeweller, etc.

NORTH SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

ROSS & McVICAR
LIMITED

Wholesale Dealers in

Flour and Feed, etc.

Corner Townsend and
Douglas Streets

SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

City Meat Market

Dorchester Street
SYDNEY, N.S.

Dealers in all kinds of

Fresh and Cured Meats, Poultry
in season; also, a full line
of Vegetables

Opp. Post Office. B. W. Pearce, Mgr.

* * * * *

Glace Bay Cycle &
Motor Co., Ltd.

Ford Dealers and Service Station

Garage Sales Rooms and Workshops

Main Street

GLACE BAY, N.S.

* * * * *

G. A. Coleman, D.V.S.

(Graduate Toronto University)

Veterinary Surgeon

North Sydney

Nova Scotia

* * * * *

The Store That Treats
You Right

FADER’S MARKET

Choice Groceries, Fruits and Produce

Beef, Lamb, Pork, Veal, Game and Poultry

112 Gottingen Street, HALIFAX

George W . Fader, Manager

Lorne 994

* * * * *

RICE’S

The Exclusive Ladies’ and
Children’s Wear Store

“When in doubt buy at Rice’s”

Commercial Street
NORTH SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

When in Sydney
Buy Your Drugs
from

MANSON

“The Reliable
Druggist”

“If you get it at Manson’s it’s good”

* * * * *

FRIED BROS.

Commission Merchants

Real Estate

Scrap Metals, etc.

P.O. Box 45 Phone 102–2

GLACE BAY, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

WHITE STAR
DOMINION LINE

Regular Sailings HALIFAX-LIVERPOOL in Winter
MONTREAL-QUEBEC-LIVERPOOL in Summer

[Illustration]

Ex-members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force will find the steamers
of this Line old friends

For sailing dates and rates apply

A. G. JONES AND CO.

HALIFAX, N.S.

General Agents for Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
or to Local Agents

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

P.O. Box 119 Phone 1418

General Engineers and Contractors

KING’S ROAD, SYDNEY, CAPE BRETON

STRUCTURAL STEEL—Bridges, Frames and Fire Escapes, Fabricated and
Erected

BOILER REPAIRS—Patching, Re-tubing and General Repairs by Expert Men

EXCAVATION (By Steam Shovel) Cellar, Sewer and Water Trench Excavating

PUMPING—Centrifugal Pump for Cellar, Trench and Ship Work

MARINE WORK—Floating Plant, Electric and Oxy-Acetylene Welding and
Cutting, Re-tubing, Pumping, and General Repairs

SHOP WORK—Machine Work, Forging and General Repairs

We are situated with ideal transportation arrangements, having side
tracks and water shipping points. Good attention on outside jobs.

“The Rotary High Speed Steam Engine”

BURNS CRUDE OIL, KEROSENE

USED IN

Automobiles, Auto
Trucks, Factories and Machine Shops

Steamers, Motor Boats
and Machine Shops

“SIMPLICITY IS ITS GREATEST FEATURE”

Canada’s Sole Manufacturers Send for Booklet

* * * * *

ASK THE MEN who wore “Kelly-Halifax” made Leggings, S. B. Belts, Kit
Bags, Purses, Money Belts, or other Military Equipment, or who travelled
with “Kelly” Luggage, and you’ll understand why “Kelly-Halifax” on
Leather Goods is all the guarantee required by those who know

PRICES ARE MODERATE

KELLYS LIMITED, 116–118 Granville Street, HALIFAX

MANUFACTURERS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

CAPE BRETON’S LARGEST
DEPARTMENTAL STORE

Vooght Brothers

North Sydney
Nova Scotia

IMPORTERS and EXPORTERS

Daily importations from Europe of Dress Goods, Tapestries and Ladies’
Wear.

BOOT DEPARTMENT

Contains the largest assortment of High Class Footwear and at most
reasonable prices.

GROCERY DEPARTMENT

Carries a full and complete range of the best that money can
buy—efficiency being our watchword.

Vooght Brothers

North Sydney’s Old Business Establishment

* * * * *

THE
Queen
Hotel

HALIFAX, N.S.

WM. MOMBOURQUETTE
Manager

A Modern Hotel operated for your comfort and safety and favorably
located in the heart of interesting things—shops, parks, theatres,
churches, forts, navy yard and historical points.

Accommodation for 300
Guests

AMERICAN PLAN

* * * * *

[Illustration: Tom McCartney _Billiards and Pool_]

* * * * *

[Illustration]

WELL SET UP

are the men whose clothes we tailor. The fit of the shoulders is one of
the strong points of our tailoring. Our work attracts attention for the
elegant lines we give to this part of the Garment.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

tailor made and ready made garments is one of cut and finish. Not stock
patterns, but individual lines are used and the garment fits the wearer
and not clothiers’ models.

J. L. MacKINNON,

FOWNES BLOCK, MAIN STREET,
SYDNEY MINES, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

Established 1889 Phone 81

SYDNEY MINES
BOTTLING WORKS

A. R. MacDOUGALL, Prop.

Wholesale Manufacturers and Bottlers of

The Celebrated Red Seal Brand
Aerated Waters

P.O. Box 149 Factory—Clyde Ave.

SYDNEY MINES, N. S.

* * * * *

E. G. HIGGINSON, Prop.

LEARMENT HOTEL

OPPOSITE C.N.R. STATION

TRURO - NOVA SCOTIA

* * * * *

THE MAYFLOWER
BOTTLING CO.
LIMITED

Manufacturers of the Finest Class of
AERATED BEVERAGES

SYDNEY - - N. S.

Telephone 399

* * * * *

Telephone
Lorne 40

Estimates
Furnished

W. F. SPRUIN

ELECTRICIAN

Cor. Cornwallis and Gottingen Sts.

HALIFAX, N.S.

* * * * *

Wood & McConnell

LIMITED

Wholesale Grocers

Telephone 541 P.O. Box 159

SYDNEY, N. S.

* * * * *

Go to

ISAAC GREENWELL

For STOVES, RANGES,
REPAIRS FOR SAME AND
KITCHEN FURNISHINGS

329 Charlotte Street, Sydney, N.S.

* * * * *

The old reliable SINGER stands the test as our Veteran Boys stood the
test in France. When buying a Sewing Machine get the SINGER and you will
not be disappointed. Sold on easy terms. Big discounts for Cash.

Singer Sewing Machine Co.

346 Charlotte St. SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

John B. Morrison

FASHIONABLE TAILOR

403 Charlotte Street

SYDNEY. N.S.

* * * * *

For Satisfaction in
Men’s and Boys’ Outfitting try

[Illustration: _Fanjoy’s_ GOOD CLOTHING]

338–340 Charlotte St. SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

Royal Household (Spring Wheat) Flour.

Canada’s Best (blended) Flour.

All lines Cereals, Feeds. Grains.

Lipton’s Teas, Coffee, Cocoa, Jelly Powders, etc.

WHOLESALE ONLY

Ingraham Supply Co., Ltd.

SYDNEY, N.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

IF you had a building which brought in to you $5,000 a year, would you
have it sufficiently insured?

YOU are a valuable property, producing thousands of dollars a year and
that revenue will cease at your death. Are you sufficiently insured?

_How long should a man support his wife?_

Some men say “As long as he lives.”

Most men will say “As long as she lives.”

That support can be made sure by Income Policies of the Mutual Life.

J. LESLIE McDUFF

Manager for Nova Scotia

191 HOLLIS ST., HALIFAX, N.S.

* * * * *

KIRK & TOREY

A good place to buy

LADIES’ SUITS, COATS
FURS, WAISTS and WATERPROOF
COATS

KIRK & TOREY

No better Shop to buy

VOILES, PLAIN and FANCY,
GEORGETTE CREPE and
CREPE DE CHENE, GLOVES,
HOSIERY, CORSETS,
DRESS GOODS, SILKS,
LINENS and COTTONS

Everything required from an up-to-date
Dry Goods House.

KIRK & TOREY

SYDNEY

* * * * *

27 Men Enlisted

2 Paid the Supreme
Sacrifice

Let us who remain perpetuate their memory, not by blare of horns and
roll of drums, but by such service to our fellow men that such a
catastrophe cannot again occur.

Cape Breton Electric
Company Limited

* * * * *

Your Meals
AND
Lunches

ICE CREAMS and
DRINKS

are prepared and served with utmost care.

Everybody visits “The Green Lantern” when visiting Halifax.

The Green Lantern

“EVERYTHING THE BEST”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

JOHN J. GRANT

Building Material

Opposite C.N.R. Depot

NEW GLASGOW. N.S. Tel. 170

* * * * *

THE HOUSE OF QUALITY

F. C. Bezanson & Co.

DIAMOND MERCHANTS

Jewellers and Opticians

SYDNEY - - N. S.

* * * * *

All our drinks are made from pure
cane sugar and the best extracts
that money can buy.

McAllister’s

Mineral Water Works

SYDNEY - C.B.

* * * * *

The Enormous Price of Clothes

That is the question answered by

THE ENGLISH & SCOTCH
WOOLLEN COMPANY

who are making suits and overcoats to
measure, prices ranging from $17 to $45.

GRANITE BLOCK

Charlotte St., Sydney, Nova Scotia

* * * * *

The firm of

FRASER & HOYT

Maritime Building, New Glasgow, N.S.

do a live and up-to-date Real Estate business. If you contemplate
purchasing a farm, business site or private dwelling house in Nova
Scotia’s industrial centre get in touch with this firm and be assured of
prompt and courteous treatment.

* * * * *

BEING VETERANS OURSELVES we pay particular attention to the requirements
of RETURNED MEN.

INGRAHAMS

Men’s Outfitters

NORTH SYDNEY - N. S.

* * * * *

John Midgley & Co.

Real Estate of all Classes

Life and Fire Insurance

SYDNEY - N.S.

* * * * *

Colin McNab & Co.

Dealers In Groceries and Fruit

Everything stored and handled by sanitary
methods

We give High Quality, Low Prices,
Prompt Delivery.

We solicit your orders. Phone Harbour 41

Portland Street, Dartmouth

* * * * *

The Beautiful Bras
d’Or Lakes

Who has not heard of the most picturesque beauty spot in all America the
famous Lakes of Bras d’Or?

The Bras d’Or Steamboat Co. run from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, a
palatial steamer, the “Marion,” touching at intermediate points, with
Dudley Warner’s historical Baddeck the terminal point, close by Graham
Bell’s laboratory.

* * * * *

WHETHER ABSENT IN FARAWAY LANDS

or silent in death’s embrace, or enjoying health in the happy family
circle.

A PICTURE OF HIM OR HER

is always a sweet solace to someone, be it parent, wife, son or daughter
or sweetheart

W. J. DOOLEY,
is NORTH SYDNEY’S (N.S.)
PREMIER PICTURE FRAMER

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

[Illustration]

Robb Engineering Works, Limited

AMHERST, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA

Manufacturers of

HIGH GRADE ENGINE BOILERS, SAW MILL
MACHINERY AND TRACTORS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *

MACKAY ELECTRIC CO.

ESTABLISHED 1901

SYDNEY - N. S.

We carry a full line of Electrical Supplies and shall be glad to quote
on electric work of any kind in Cape Breton or Nova Scotia.

* * * * *

OAK HALL, LIMITED

The House of Good Clothing

Headquarters for high-grade Clothing and
Furnishings for Men and Boys.

SYDNEY
G. M. BOYD, Manager

* * * * *

The Sydney Record

carries daily all the world news in addition to all the Cape Breton news
besides several feature pages not published in any other paper.

Write us for Sample Copy

Record Publishing Co., Limited

Box 360 Sydney, C. B.

* * * * *

Phone L. 1506

F. W. Maling

Electrical Contractor

180 Gottingen St., Halifax, N.S.

Wiring and Supplies, Motor and
Generator Repairs a Specialty

* * * * *

FRANK A. BILL & SON

HARDWARE

Paints, Oils and Varnishes, Sporting
Goods, Electrical Supplies and Flashlights.
Automobile and Bicycle Tires.

North Sydney, N. S.

* * * * *

The Store Where Quality
Proves Itself

Sydney Mines Drug Store

“Rexall” Store

SYDNEY MINES - N. S.

* * * * *

H. C. Ballum & Co.

Wholesale Produce
and
Commission Merchants

SYDNEY, N.S.

* * * * *

BRITON HOTEL

ARCHIBALD AVE., NORTH SYDNEY

The most up-to-date hotel in North Sydney. Open all day and all night. A
first-class grill service in connection. The rooms are the best in Cape
Breton and all newly furnished and renovated. Meals served at any hour
of the day or night. Afternoon tea and cake can be had every afternoon
in the tea room. Hotel is very centrally located and has every home
comfort for the tourist and traveller. V. E. SNOWDON, Proprietor.

* * * * *

L. Nicholson Limited

Ladies’ and Men’s Tailoring

Men’s Furnishings and
Ready-to-Wear Clothing

GLACE BAY - N. S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transcriber’s note:

1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.

2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.

3. The footnote was moved to the end of the last chapter.

4. The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the
public domain.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War" ***

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