CANADA IN FLANDERS
BY SIR MAX AITKEN, M.P.
THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE
CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
VOLUME I.
CANADA IN
FLANDERS
By Sir Max Aitken, M.P.
WITH A PREFACE BY
THE RT. HON. A. BONAR LAW,
M.P., LL.D.,
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES
AND AN INTRODUCTION BY
THE RT. HON. SIR ROBERT BORDEN,
G.C.M.G., M.P., LL.D.,
PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA
_WITH MAPS AND APPENDICES_
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON TORONTO NEW YORK
MCMXVI
FIRST EDITION . . Printed January, 1916.
SECOND EDITION . . Printed January, 1916.
THIRD EDITION . . Printed January, 1916.
FOURTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
FIFTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
SIXTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
SEVENTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
EIGHTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
NINTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
TENTH EDITION . . Printed February, 1916.
TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN
NOW SERVING IN THE CANADIAN
EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN FLANDERS
AND TO THE MEMORIES OF THOSE
WHO HAVE FALLEN, I DEDICATE
THIS LITTLE BOOK.
PREFACE
BY THE RT. HON. A. BONAR LAW, M.P.
The author of this book is an intimate personal friend, and possibly
for that reason I take too favourable a view of his work; but I think
he has already rendered a great service, and not to Canada alone.
As Canadian Record Officer, he published a glowing account of the part
played in the Battle of Ypres by the Canadian contingent. This account
was circulated widely, and it contributed largely to make the deeds of
the Canadian soldiers a household word, not only throughout the
Dominion, but in the United Kingdom as well.
The present work seems to me a model of lucid, picturesque, and
sympathetic narrative, and it will have, I feel sure, a lasting value.
We have a right to feel very proud of the part which is being played in
the terrible tragedy of this war by the great Dominions of the British
Crown. We had no power to compel any one of them to contribute a
single penny, or to send a single man, but they have given of their
best, not to help us, though I think they would have done that also,
but to defend the Empire which is theirs as much as ours.
Led by a General who a few years ago was in arms against us and who is
the Prime Minister of South Africa, the Union Government have wrested
from Germany a territory larger than the whole German Empire; and a
South African contingent is now in England ready to play their part on
the battlefields of Flanders.
The Australians and New Zealanders have shown in the Dardanelles that
in courage, resourcefulness, and tenacity better troops have never
existed in the world. Whatever the final result of that operation may
be, the blood which has been shed there has not been shed in vain. Not
to Australians and New Zealanders alone, but to men of every race
throughout the British Empire, the Peninsula of Gallipoli will for ever
be sacred ground because of the brave men who lie buried there.
"In glory will they sleep, and endless sanctity."
What Canada has done, and is doing, shines out in every page of this
book. Higher praise could not be given than was contained in the
despatch of the Commander-in-Chief after the Battle of Ypres: "In spite
of the danger to which they were exposed, the Canadians held their
ground with a magnificent display of tenacity and courage, and it is
not too much to say that the bearing and conduct of these splendid
troops averted a disaster which might have been attended with most
serious consequences."
Our enemies said, and probably they believed, that the outbreak of war
would be the signal for the breaking-up of the British Empire. They
have been mistaken. After this war the relations between the great
Dominions and the Mother Country can never be the same again. The
pressure of our enemies is welding us together, and the British Empire
is becoming in reality, as well as in name, a united nation.
A. BONAR LAW.
COLONIAL OFFICE,
_December_ 6_th_, 1915.
INTRODUCTION
BY RT. HON. SIR ROBERT L. BORDEN, G.C.M.G.
More than a year ago the bugles of the Empire sounded throughout the
world the call to duty. The justice of the cause was recognised in
every quarter of the King's dominions, and nowhere more fully than in
Canada; it has since been confirmed by the judgment of the civilised
world. Within a week Canada had sprung to arms; within three weeks
35,000 men were marshalled on Valcartier Plain, which had been
transformed, as if by magic, into a great military camp; within six
weeks from the outbreak of war a Canadian Division, fully organised and
equipped in every branch of the service, with a surplus of guns and
ammunition nearly sufficient for another Division, and with a detail of
reinforcements amounting to 10,000 men, was ready to proceed overseas.
Twice in September of last year I saw these forces march past under
review by the Duke of Connaught. Later, I visited every unit of the
contingent, addressed their officers, and bade them all God-speed. The
Armada which left the shores of Gaspé on October 3rd, 1914, carried the
largest army that ever crossed the Atlantic at one time.
In the midst of the following winter they went to the front. Few of
them had any previous experience of war. They had lived in a
peace-loving country; they had been gathered from the varied avocations
of our national life; they had come from the hills and valleys and
surf-beaten shores of the Maritime Provinces; from the banks of the St.
Lawrence and its hundred affluents in the two great central Provinces;
from the mining and lumber camps of the north; from the broad prairie
Provinces and their northern hinterlands; from the majesty of the
mountains that look to the east upon the prairies and to the west upon
the Pacific; from the shores of the great western ocean; from all the
far-flung communities of our Dominion they had hurried, quickly
responsive to the call.
Almost in the dawn of their experience at the front there came to them
an ordeal such as has seldom tested the most tried of veterans. An
unknown and terrible means of warfare, which temporarily shattered the
gallant forces that held the line at their left, poured upon them
torture and death. The bravest and most experienced troops might well
have been daunted and driven back by the fierceness of the onslaught to
which they were exposed and by the horrible methods of the attack.
Assailed by overwhelming numbers on front and flank, the held their own
in a conflict which raged for days; they barred the path against the
German onrush and saved the day for the Empire, for the Allies and for
the world.
The story of their tenacity, their valour, and their heroism has been
well told in the pages that follow. But it can never be completely
told. Many of those upon whom memories along splendid incidents of
that story were indelibly engraven lie beneath the sod in Northern
France and in Belgium.
On more than one stricken field the record thus made by the 1st
Canadian Division has held good. From the lips of those who fought at
Festubert and at Givenchy, from dauntless survivors of the Princess
Patricia's Regiment, I have heard, in many a hospital and convalescent
home in the Motherland, what their comrades had dared and done.
No Canadian can ever look forth unmoved upon that valley where Ypres
lies shattered in the distance, and the sweep of the hills overlooks
the graves of more than 100,000 men who fell because a remorseless
militarist autocracy decreed this war.
In the years to come it will be the duty and the pride of Canada to
rear, both in this Dominion and beyond the ocean, monuments which will
worthily commemorate the glorious deeds of her sons who offered the
supreme sacrifice for liberty and civilisation.
R. E. BORDEN.
OTTAWA, _December_ 6_th_, 1915.
"'Carry the word to my Sisters--
To the Queens of the East and the South,
I have proven my faith in the Heritage
By more than the word of the mouth.
They that are wise may follow
Ere the world's war-trumpet blows:
But I--I am first in the battle,'
Said our Lady of the Snows."
--KIPLING.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I am so conscious of the imperfections of the chapters which follow
that I was for long unwilling to publish them in the form of a book.
They were written under great difficulties and in many moods; nor am I
unaware that the excuse for collecting them is very slender. It was,
however, represented to me by persons of much authority, that the
subjects dealt with excited an interest so lively in Canada that
imperfections in the workmanship would be readily overlooked in the
Dominion.
I therefore publish my impressions of the fortunes of the 1st Canadian
Division and of Princess Patricia's Regiment. Some of the scenes
described fell in whole, or in part, under my own observation. In
dealing with others I have had access, in the discharge of my duties,
to a large number of military diaries and official documents.
It may be stated that the greatest care is being taken by the Canadian
Government to collect and preserve every authoritative document which
may hereafter throw light upon the military history of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force. Nor is there reason to doubt that the official
historian of Canada (whoever he may prove to be) will find abundant
material for a grave and adequate work. Perhaps such a one may find
here and there in these hurriedly written pages a contemporary echo,
however faint and elusive, of the clash and passion of war which the
author has attempted to describe.
I shall be content if one Canadian woman draws solace from this poor
record of her dead husband's bravery; if even one reader recognises for
the first time the right of the Canadians to stand as equals in the
Temple of Valour with their Australian brothers who fought and died at
Anzac; if the task of consolidating our Imperial resources, which may
be the one positive consequence of this orgy of destruction, counts one
adherent the more among those who have honoured me by reading these
records.
And of Englishmen I ask nothing but that they shall hereafter think of
my countrymen as "Brothers in whom a man trusts even if a great quarrel
arises."
W. M. AITKEN.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
MOBILISATION
War without warning--Canada's loyalty--Improvising an Army--Efforts of
the Minister of Militia--Camp at Valcartier--Canadian Armada
sails--Arrival at Plymouth--Lord Roberts's interest--King's visit to
Canadian Camp--Training completed--Sailing for France
CHAPTER II
WARFARE
"Plug Street"--British Army in being--At General Headquarters--Rest
billets--Mud or death--The trenches--Buzzing bullets--Sir Douglas
Haig--The Front--Restrictions on the narrative--Reviewed by
Commander-in-Chief--Canadians in the trenches--Our men take to
football--"Jack Johnsons"--A German challenge--General Alderson--The
General's methods--His speech to the Canadians--A fine Force
CHAPTER III
NEUVE CHAPELLE
Canadians' valuable help--A ride in the dark--Pictures on the
road--Towards the enemy--At the cross-roads--"Six kilometres to Neuve
Chapelle"--Terrific bombardment--Grandmotherly howitzers--British
aeroplanes--Fight with a Taube--Flying man's coolness--Attack on the
village--German prisoners--A banker from Frankfort--The Indians'
pride--A halt to our hopes--Object of Neuve Chapelle--What we
achieved--German defences under-rated--Machine gun citadels--Great
infantry attack--Unfortunate delays--Sir John French's
comments--British attack exhausted--Failure to capture Aubers
Ridge--"Digging in"--Canadian Division's baptism of
fire--"Casualties"--Trenches on Ypres salient
CHAPTER IV
YPRES
Canadians' glory--A civilian force--Ypres salient--Poelcappelle
road--Disposition of troops--Gas attack on French--Plight of the 3rd
Brigade--Filling the gap--General Turner's move--Loss of British
guns--Canadian valour--St. Julien--Attack on the wood--Terrible
fire--Officer casualties--Reinforcements--Geddes detachment--Second
Canadian Brigade bent back--Desperate position--Terrible
casualties--Col. Birchall's death--Magnificent artillery work--Canadian
left saved--Canadians relieved--Story of 3rd Brigade--Gas attack on
Canadians--Canadian recovery--Major Norsworthy killed--Major McCuaig's
stand--Disaster averted--Col. Hart-McHarg killed--Major Odlum--General
Alderson's efforts--British reinforce Canadians--3rd Brigade
withdraws--General Currie stands fast--Trenches wiped out--Fresh gas
attack--Germans take St. Julien--British cheer Canadians--Canadians
relieved--Heroism of men--Col. Watson's dangerous mission--The Ghurkas'
dead--Record of all units--Our graveyard in Flanders
CHAPTER V
A WAVE OF BATTLE
Individual heroism--Canadian tenacity--Before the battle--The civilian
element--A wave of battle--New meaning of "Canada"--"Northern
Lights"--The fighting paymaster--Major serves as
lieutenant--Misfortunes of Hercule Barré--"Runners"--A messenger's
apology--Swimming a moat--Rescue of wounded--Colonel Watson's
bravery--Colonel Watson's leadership--His heroic deed--Dash of Major
Dyer and Capt. Hilliam--Major Dyer shot--"I have crawled home"--Lieut.
Whitehead's endurance--Major King saves his guns--Corpl. Fisher,
V.C.--The real Canadian officer--Some delusions in England--German
tricks--Sergt. Richardson's good sense--"No surrender!"--Corpl. Baker's
heroism--Bombs from the dead--Holding a position single-handed--The
brothers McIvor--Daring of Sergt.-Major Hall--Sergt. Ferris,
Roadmender--Heroism of the sappers--Sergt. Ferris, Pathfinder--A
sergeant in command--Brave deeds of Pte. Irving--He
vanishes--Absurdities in tragedy--Germans murder wounded--Doctors under
fire--The professional manner--Red hours--Plight of refugees--Canadian
colony in London--Unofficial inquiries--Canada's destiny
CHAPTER VI
FESTUBERT
Objective of Aubers and Festubert--Allies' co-operation--Great French
offensive--Terrific bombardment--British support--Endless German
fortresses--Shortage of munitions--Probable explanation--Effect of
_Times_ disclosures--Outcry in England--Coalition Government--After
Ypres--The Canadian advance--Disposition of Canadians--Attack on the
Orchard--Canadian Scottish--Sapper Harmon's exploits--Drawback to
drill-book tactics--A Canadian ruse--"Sam Slick"--The Orchard
won--Arrival of Second Brigade--The attempt on "Bexhill"--In the German
trenches--Strathcona's Horse--King Edward's Horse--Cavalry fight on
foot--Further attack on "Bexhill"--Redoubt taken--"Bexhill"
captured--"Dig in and hang on"--Attack on the "Well"--Heroic efforts
repulsed--General Seely assumes command--A critical moment--Heavy
officer casualties--The courage of the cavalry--Major Murray's good
work--Gallantry of Sergt. Morris and Corpl. Pym--Death of Sergt.
Hickey--Canadian Division withdrawn--Trench warfare till June
CHAPTER VII
GIVENCHY
Minor engagements--A sanguinary battle--Attacks on "Stony Mountain" and
"Dorchester"--Disposition of Canadian troops--An enemy
bombardment--"Duck's Bill"--A mine mishap--"Dorchester" taken--A
bombing party--Coy.-Sergt.-Major Owen's bravery--Lieut. Campbell mounts
machine-gun on Private Vincent's back--How Private Smith replenished
the bombers--Fighting the enemy with bricks--British Division unable to
advance--Canadians hang on--"I can crawl"--General Mercer's
leadership--Private Clark's gallantry--Dominion Day
CHAPTER VIII
PRINCESS PATRICIA'S LIGHT INFANTRY
Review in Lansdowne Park--Princess Patricia presents the Colours--South
African veterans and reservists--Princess Patricias in the
trenches--St. Eloi--Major Hamilton Gault--A dangerous
reconnaissance--Attack on a sap--A German onslaught--Lessons from the
enemy--A march to battle--Voormezeele--Death of Colonel
Farquhar--Polygone Wood--Regiment's work admired--A move towards
Ypres--Heavily shelled--A new line--Arrival of Major Gault--Regiment
sadly reduced--Gas shells--A German rush--Major Gault wounded--Lieut.
Niven in command--A critical position--Corporal Dover's heroism--A
terrible day--Shortage of small arms ammunition--Germans' third
attack--Enemy repulsed--Regiment reduced to 150 rifles--Relieved--A
service for the dead--In bivouac--A trench line at
Armentières--Regiment at full strength again--Moved to the south--Back
in billets--Princess Patricias instruct new troops--Rejoin Canadians--A
glorious record
CHAPTER IX
THE PRIME MINISTER
The Prime Minister's visit--Passing of Politics--End to domestic
dissensions--The Imperial idea--Sir Robert's foresight--Arrival in
England--At Shorncliffe--Meeting with General Hughes--Review of
Canadian troops--The tour in France--A Canadian base hospital--A
British hospital--Canadian graves--Wounded under canvas--Prince Arthur
of Connaught--Visiting battle scenes--Received by General
Alderson--General Turner's Brigade--Speech to the men--First and Second
Brigades--Sir Robert in the trenches--Cheered by Princess
Patricias--Enemy aeroplanes--Meeting with Sir John French--The Prince
of Wales--With the French Army--General Joffre--A conference in
French--The French trenches--The stricken city of Albert--To Paris--The
French President--Conference with the French War Minister--Shorncliffe
again--Canadian convalescent home--A thousand convalescents--Sir
Robert's emotion--His wonderful speech--End of journey
CHAPTER X
THE CANADIAN CORPS
Tranquil Canadian lines---German reconnaissance--Incident at "Plug
Street"--Pte. Bruno saves Capt. Tidy--A sniper's month--Sharpshooters'
compact--Sergt. Ballendine--The Ross rifle--"No Man's Land"--Our
bombers--Sergt. William Tabernacle--His new profession--General Sir Sam
Hughes' visit--Canadian patriotism--Civilian armies--"Last Word of
Kings"--Art of the "soldier's speech" Lord Kitchener's
inspiration--Lord Roberts and the Indians--General Hughes arrives in
France--At British Headquarters--Consultation with King Albert--Meeting
with Prince Alexander of Teck--Conference with General Alderson--The
second Canadian Contingent--In the firing line--Many friends--General
Burstall's artillery--Inspection of cavalry--Meeting with Prince of
Wales--The Princess Patricias--Conference with Sir Douglas
Haig--General Hughes' suggestions--Meeting with General Foch--Impressed
with General Joffre--The ruin at Rheims--General Hughes' message on
departure--A quiet August--The Canadian Corps--General Alderson's New
Command--An appreciation of a gallant Commander--Conclusion
APPENDIX I
THE KING'S MESSAGES TO THE CANADIANS
APPENDIX II
CANADIANS IN DESPATCHES
APPENDIX III
THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE WAR
APPENDIX IV
LIEUT.-GENERAL E. A. H. ALDERSON, C.B., COMMANDING THE CANADIAN CORPS
APPENDIX V
HONOURS AND REWARDS GRANTED
APPENDIX VI
STATEMENT OF CASUALTIES
CHAPTER I
MOBILISATION
War without warning--Canada's loyalty--Improvising an Army--Efforts of
the Minister of Militia--Camp at Valcartier--Canadian Armada
sails--Arrival at Plymouth--Lord Roberts's interest--King's visit to
Canadian Camp--Training completed--Sailing for France.
"O ye by wandering tempest sown
Neath every alien star,
Forget not whence the breath was blown
That wafted you afar!
For ye are still her ancient seed
On younger soil let fall--
Children of Britain's island-breed
To whom the Mother in her need
Perchance may one day call."
--WILLIAM WATSON.
War came upon us without warning, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Our people were essentially non-military, fearing no aggression from a
peace-loving neighbour, and ignorant of the imminence of German
aggression. Yet, in seven weeks, Canada created the first apparatus of
war. In seven weeks we assembled an army which, a few months later,
was to save Calais on the battlefield of Langemarck. As a
demonstration of practical loyalty the exertions of Canada were only
equalled by Australia and New Zealand. As an example of administration
rising to an emergency, the effort has never been surpassed in military
history.
When the British ultimatum to Germany demanding the recognition of the
neutrality of Belgium expired, the Canadian Government decided to raise
an Expeditionary Force. As this news flashed across the Dominion, the
fires of patriotism, which had been smouldering, burst into flame in
every province. Parliament was in vacation, but the Prime Minister
returned from the West and summoned his Cabinet. The Minister of
Militia was already at work in his office, for the proposal of the
Canadian Government to raise 20,000 men had been accepted by the
British Government.
Within two months of the outbreak of war between Great Britain and
Germany, the Dominion of Canada concentrated, armed, and sent to Europe
an Expeditionary Force of 33,000 men. A voluntary army, the first
complete Canadian Division ever assembled, with more than half a
Reserve Division, this force was by far the greatest body of soldiers
that had ever crossed the Atlantic at one time. It comprised cavalry,
artillery, infantry, engineers, signallers, supply and ammunition
columns, field ambulances and hospital staffs, provided with all the
apparatus required for the handling and treatment of the wounded; it
carried its own complement of rifles, machine guns, field guns, and
heavy artillery, and a store of ammunition.
It was not the first time that Canadians had taken up arms in defence
of Imperial interests. In the Crimean War, Canadians fought in the
ranks of the British Army. The Indian Mutiny saw the old Prince of
Wales' Royal Canadian Regiment at Gibraltar and at Malta. More than
7,000 Canadians fought for England in the South African War. But now
the Empire was to be tested to its foundations. The Minister of
Militia, Major-General the Hon. Sir Sam Hughes, K.C.B., acted with the
promptness and energy for which he was already famous in the Dominion.
In less than a month the Government, which had asked for 20,000 men,
found almost 40,000 at its disposal, and the Minister of Militia deemed
it necessary to issue orders that no more recruits be enrolled for the
first contingent.
Thus did Canada answer the call. From the workshops and the offices of
her cities, from the lumber camps of her forests, from the vast
wheatfields of the West, from the farms and orchards of the East, from
the slopes of the Rockies, from the shores of Hudson Bay, from the
mining valleys of British Columbia, from the banks of the Yukon, from
the reaches of the St. Lawrence, the manhood of Canada hurried to arms.
No mere jackboot militarism inspired them. They sought neither the
glory of conquest nor the rape of freedom, nor the loot of sacked
cities. No selfish ideal led them to leave their homes and exchange
the ease and comforts of civil life for the sufferings of war and the
risk of death. They came forward, free men and unconstrained, with a
simple resolve to lay down their lives, if need be, in defence of the
Empire--their Empire too--the very existence of which, as they swiftly
saw, was menaced by the most formidable military combination which had
ever sprung to arms. The first contingent was born partly of the glory
of adventure but more of the spirit of self-sacrifice; and this spirit,
in its turn, was born of the deepest emotions of the Canadian
people--its love of Country, of Liberty, and of Right.
The Government, in deciding to raise a contingent for service in
Europe, were carrying out the national will, and when Parliament
entered upon its special session, some days after the declaration of
War, unanimity prevailed. The Prime Minister spoke for all parties
when he declared that Canada stood "shoulder to shoulder with Britain
and the other British Dominions in this quarrel." Sir Wilfrid Laurier
spoke of the "double honour" of Canadians of French descent in the
opportunity of "taking their place to-day in the ranks of the Canadian
Army to fight for the cause of the allied nations." The Government
announced its further intention of raising a sum of fifty millions of
dollars for war purposes.
As soon as the policy of the Government had been ratified, General
Hughes devised and ordered the establishment of the largest camp that
had ever been seen on Canadian soil. The site at Valcartier was well
chosen. It lay some sixteen miles to the west of Quebec, within a
day's march of the gathering transports. The soil was, in the main,
light and sandy, and a river of pure water was available. Yet the work
of adapting this virgin soil to military purposes was enormous, and the
transformation, effected within a fortnight by an army of engineers and
workers, a remarkable triumph of applied science. Roads were made,
drains laid down, a water supply with miles of pipes installed,
electric lighting furnished from Quebec, and incinerators built for the
destruction of dry refuse. A sanitary system, second to none that any
camp has seen, was instituted. Every company had its own bathing place
and shower baths; every cookhouse its own supply of water. Troughs of
drinking-water, for horses, filled automatically, so that there was
neither shortage nor waste. The standing crops were garnered, trees
cut down and their roots torn up. A line of rifle targets 3-½ miles
long--the largest rifle range in the world--was constructed. Three
miles of sidings were run out from the wayside station, and a camp
telephone exchange was quickly put in working order.
Camp and army leaped to life in the same hours. Within four days of
the opening of the camp, nearly 6,000 men had arrived in it. A week
later the number was 25,000. In those August days all roads led to
Valcartier, and the railways rose to the occasion, gathering the first
Division to the rendezvous, from every corner of the country, in great
trains, each of which carried and fed 600 men.
The assembling force comprised elements from every phase of Canadian
life. There were those whose names were known throughout the land.
There were men who had fought at Paardeburg--some of them "very barely"
within the age limit of 45. One, who had retired from a colonelcy of a
regiment, offered to serve as a private, so anxious was he to go. He
was more than satisfied when he received a majority. Another, who had
spent his fifteenth birthday as a bugler in South Africa, has since
celebrated his third war birthday in the Flemish trenches.
The original intention of the authorities was to send to England a
Division, consisting of the regular complement of three infantry
brigades; but, on September 1st, General Hughes announced at the camp
that a fourth brigade would be formed, to be used as drafts to supply
the war wastage in the other three. Towards the end of the month the
Government decided to send all four brigades over together. "The total
reinforcements for the first year of a great war," said Sir Robert
Borden in announcing his decision, "are estimated at from 60 to 70 per
cent. If the reserve depots necessary for supplying such
reinforcements were established in Canada, eight or ten weeks might
elapse before they could reach the front.... For these reasons, as
well as others, we deem it advisable that the reserves shall be kept on
hand in Great Britain, as the Force at the front must continually be
kept at full strength, and that without the slightest unnecessary
delay."
While the new army underwent its preliminary training at Valcartier,
there were other preparations of every kind to be made. The cloth
mills of Montreal began to hum with the manufacture of khaki, which the
needles of a great army of tailors converted into uniforms, greatcoats
and cloaks. The Ordnance Department equipped the host with the Ross
rifle--a Canadian-made arm. Regiments were shuffled and reshuffled
into battalions; battalions into brigades. The whole force was
inoculated against typhoid. There were stores to manufacture and to
accumulate; a fleet of transports to assemble; a thousand small cogs in
the machine to be nicely adjusted.
Early in September, the whole First Division was reviewed by the
Governor-General in a torrential downpour of rain; and again, towards
the end of the month, a few days before embarkation, the Duke of
Connaught (accompanied by the Duchess and the Princess Patricia) took
the salute at Valcartier from the first army of Canada. At this final
review the contingent was fittingly led past the saluting base by the
man whose name, more than any one other, will be linked in history with
the first Canadian Division. General Hughes had cause to be proud of
the 33,000 men who marched past that day, fully armed and fully
equipped, well within two months of the declaration of war in Europe.
The feat of raising such a force is all the more remarkable when one
considers that, with the exception of the Princess Patricia's Light
Infantry, the overwhelming majority of the men who volunteered for the
great War were civilians, without previous experience or training. The
"Princess Pats," as that already famous regiment is now commonly
called, was the only one that consisted almost entirely of old soldiers.
The Governor-General's review over, news from the camp came fitfully.
The censor was at work, and the public guessed rightly that the
division was on the move. Through the darkness and the rain and the
mud of the night of September 23rd-24th, the guns crawled down the
sixteen miles of valley that brought them to Quebec at daybreak, the
men drenched, but happy in the knowledge that they were at last off to
the war. The weather was so bad that the infantry, instead of
marching, were brought down in a long succession of heavy trains. The
embarkation of horses, men, guns and wagons was completed in less than
three days. And so the First Canadian Division, with its Reserves,
sailed away down the St. Lawrence, in a fleet of Atlantic liners such
as the mighty gateway of Canada had never before borne on her bosom.
The fleet assembled in Gaspé Basin, on the coast of Quebec, where the
warships which were to convoy it across the Atlantic awaited it. On
October 3rd the transports steamed out of Gaspé Bay in three lines
ahead, led by His Majesty's ships _Charybdis_, _Diana_, and _Eclipse_,
with the _Glory_ and _Suffolk_ on the flanks, and the _Talbot_ in the
rear. Later, the _Suffolk's_ place was taken by the battle-cruiser,
_Queen Mary_. The sealing-ship _Florizel_, with the Newfoundland
Regiment aboard, joined the fleet after its departure from Gaspé Bay.
The voyage was uneventful if rather long, the fleet entering Plymouth
Sound on the evening of October 14th. So strict had been the
censorship that the arrival of the Canadian Armada was quite unexpected
by the people of Plymouth and Devonport; but no sooner had the word
gone forth that the Canadian transports had arrived, than the townsfolk
flocked to the waterside, to cheer and sing, and cheer again.
No one was allowed on board the transports, but, when on the succeeding
days the troops were landed and marched through the streets, they
received a welcome which they will never forget. Hundreds of the men
had relatives and friends who were anxious to catch a glimpse of them
at the docks, but access was refused. The only exception made
throughout the various disembarkations was in the case of the late
Field-Marshal Lord Roberts.
Lieut.-General Alderson[1] had been appointed to the command of the
contingent, and visited the commanding officers before the work of
disembarkation began.
The Canadian Division, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,
and the Newfoundland Regiment occupied camps on Salisbury Plain at
Bustard, West Down South, West Down North, Pond Farm, Lark Hill, and
Sling Plantation. Here the Canadians remained until their departure
for France. Here, in the mud and cold and rain of those four dismal
months, they worked and lived and displayed that spirit of endurance,
courage, and willingness which has since proclaimed them to the world
as troops of the finest quality. On the sodden grazing lands, in the
fog and mud of the battalion lines, in the dripping tents and crowded,
reeking huts, the men of Canada gave promise of the great spirit they
possessed, and their officers saw it and were proud.
Lord Roberts visited the Division soon after its arrival in England.
It was the last public appearance of this great soldier in England, and
the following are the principal points in his speech to the Canadian
troops:--
"We have arrived at the most critical moment of our history, and
you have generously come to help us in our hour of need.
* * * * *
"Three months ago we found ourselves involved in this war, a war
not of our own seeking; but one which those who have studied
Germany's literature and Germany's aspirations, knew was a war
which we should inevitably have to deal with sooner or later. The
prompt resolve of Canada to give us such valuable assistance, has
touched us deeply. That resolve has been quickened into action in
a marvellously short space of time, under the excellent organising
and driving power of your Minister of Militia--my friend,
Major-General Hughes.
* * * * *
"We are fighting a nation which looks upon the British Empire as a
barrier to her development, and has, in consequence, long
contemplated our overthrow and humiliation. To attain that end she
has manufactured a magnificent fighting machine, and is straining
every nerve to gain victory.
* * * * *
"It is only by the most determined efforts that we can defeat
her."[2]
The King paid his first visit to our troops early in November. His
Majesty was accompanied by Field-Marshals Lords Roberts and Kitchener,
Sir George Perley, Member of the Canadian Cabinet in charge of the
office of the High Commissioner in London,[3] and Sir Richard McBride,
Prime Minister of British Columbia.
The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry left Salisbury Plain
early in December and joined the 27th British Division. The Regiment
was brigaded with the 3rd King's Royal Rifles, 4th King's Royal Rifles,
4th Rifle Brigade, and 2nd King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
The King again visited the Canadian troops on February 4th, 1915; and
on the following day a Division composed of three infantry brigades,
three artillery brigades, ammunition column, divisional engineers,
divisional mounted troops, and divisional train, marched off Salisbury
Plain and entrained for their port of embarkation under the command of
Lieut.-General Alderson.
Lieut.-Colonel (now Major-General) M. S. Mercer commanded the 1st
Infantry Brigade, which was composed of the 1st Battalion (Ontario
Regiment) under Lieut.-Colonel F. W. Hill, the 2nd Battalion under
Lieut.-Colonel (now Brigadier-General) David Watson, the 3rd Battalion
(Toronto Regiment) under Lieut.-Colonel (now Brigadier-General) R.
Rennie, and the 4th Battalion under Lieut.-Colonel A. P. Birchall, who
was killed in action.
The 2nd Infantry Brigade was commanded, by Lieut.-Colonel A. W. Currie
(now Major-General), and his four battalions, the 5th, 7th, 8th, and
10th, were commanded respectively by Lieut.-Colonels G. S. Tuxford, W.
F. H. Hart-McHarg, L. J. Lipsett (now Brigadier-General), and R. L.
Boyle. Colonels Hart-McHarg and Boyle fell at Ypres.
Colonel R. E. W. Turner, V.C., D.S.O., who has since been promoted to
the rank of Major-General, commanded the 3rd Infantry Brigade, with
Lieut.-Colonels F. O. W. Loomis, F. S. Meighen (now Brigadier-General),
J. A. Currie, and R. G. E. Leckie (since promoted to Brigadier-General)
commanding respectively the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of
Canada), the 14th Battalion (Royal Montreal Regiment), the 15th
Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), and the 16th Battalion
(Canadian Scottish).
Lieut.-Colonel (now Brigadier-General) H. E. Burstall commanded the
Canadian Artillery, with Lieut.-Colonels E. W. B. Morrison (now
Brigadier-General), J. J. Creelman and J. H. Mitchell commanding
artillery brigades. The Officer Commanding Divisional Engineers was
Lieut.-Colonel C. J. Armstrong (now Brigadier-General); Lieut.-Colonel
F. C. Jameson was in command of the Divisional Mounted Troops and Major
F. A. Lister of the Divisional Signal Company.
The Division sailed from Avonmouth, and the last transport reached St.
Nazaire, on the Bay of Biscay, in the second week of February.
The 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th, and 17th Battalions were left in England as
the Base Brigade of the Division. These battalions were formed later
into the Canadian Training Depot; later still, together with
reinforcements from Canada, into the Canadian Training Division, under
the command of Brigadier-General J. C. MacDougall.
Such, in its principal commands, was the Army which left Canada for the
Great Adventure. It carried with it, and it left behind, high hopes.
It was certain that no men of finer physique or higher courage could be
found anywhere in any theatre of this immense struggle. But there were
some--and these neither faint-hearted nor unpatriotic--who recalled
with anxiety the scientific organisation and the tireless patience with
which Germany had set herself to create the most superb military
instrument which the world has ever seen. And they may have been
forgiven if they asked themselves:
"Can civilians, however brave and intelligent, be made in a few months
the equals of those inspired veterans who are swarming in triumph over
the battlefields of Europe?"
"Can Generals, and Staffs, and officers be improvised, able to compete
with the scientific output of the most scientific General Staff which
has ever conceived and carried out military operations?"
These were formidable questions, and even a bold man might have shrunk
from a confident answer.
The story of Canada in Flanders, however inadequately told, will make
it unnecessary ever to ask them again.
[1] Lieut.-General Edwin Alfred Hervey Alderson, C.B., has a
distinguished record of service. He was born in 1859, at Ipswich, and
began his military career with the Militia, from which he passed to the
Regular Army in December, 1878. He joined the Royal West Kent Regiment
as Second Lieutenant, and was promoted to Lieutenant in July, 1881; and
in this year he first saw active service with the Natal Field Force in
the Transvaal campaign. He was ordered to Egypt in the following year,
serving there with the mounted infantry. He was in two actions, at
Kassassin and at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir on September 13th. He
received the medal with clasp and the Khedive's bronze star. Lieut.
Alderson took part in the Nile Expedition of 1884-1885. He was
promoted Captain in June, 1886, and Major in May, 1896, and received
the brevet of Lieut.-Colonel in 1897. In 1896 and 1897 he served in
South Africa under Sir Frederick Carrington. In October, 1899, he was
given the command of the mounted infantry of the 1st Cavalry Brigade.
His services throughout the South African campaign were constant and
distinguished. In 1903 he was promoted Colonel, and appointed to the
command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Army Corps. He became a
Major-General in 1906, and in 1908 commanded the 6th Division, Southern
Army, India. His rank of Lieut.-General dates from October 14th, 1914.
General Alderson has received the honour of K.C.B. since this book was
in the press.
[2] From _Canada_ of October 31st, 1914.
[3] When war was declared Sir George Perley, K.C.M.G., M.P., was in
London, on his way from Canada to attend a congress of the
International Parliamentary Union for Peace, at Stockholm. He remained
in England to act as High Commissioner for Canada, in succession to the
late Lord Strathcona, whose place had not been filled. Sir George is
the first Commissioner, from any Dominion, of Cabinet rank, and the
advantage to Canada is at once obvious. He is, of course, a man of
vast business experience, and it would be difficult to over-estimate
the services he has already rendered to the Imperial Government and the
Government of Canada.