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