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.