World War, 1914-1918 -- Canada; World War, 1914-1918 -- Nova Scotia
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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