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