The 85th Battalion has the distinction of being the senior, and, as it were, the parent Unit of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. But with the Brigade as such this chapter is not concerned. Its story has been told incidentally in connection with the other Units which made up the Brigade. It will suffice to remark, however, that this magnificent body of fighting men—“the very flower of Nova Scotia’s manhood”—after being noted by the military leaders and authorities in England “as the finest body of troops sent over from Canada,” was, under the exigencies of military supervision, finally broken up in England, and reorganized into two Battalions, the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders, and the 185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders. The latter Battalion—“siol nan gaisgeach mora”—became a splendid Unit in the so-called Fifth Division, but was denied the privilege and glory of seeing service in France as a Unit. The record of their compatriots, “D” Company of the 85th Battalion, at Virny and Passchendaele, a most glorious record, is sufficient proof that had the 185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders, got to France as a Unit, the name not only of Nova Scotia Province but also of the Island of Cape Breton would to-day be shining with still greater glory than that which they now possess for brilliant military achievement in the late War. As it was, however, the records of individual officers and men of the 185th Battalion who had transferred to the 85th and other Units on the 185th being broken up just before the initial drive of 1918, were such as to give a noble name not only to themselves individually, but also to the 185th Battalion and Cape Breton Island, where this splendid Unit of fighting men was recruited. Reverting now to the 85th Battalion as such, after due training, and many inexplicable disappointments in earlier sailing for Overseas, the 85th Battalion, and the other Units of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, broke camp on October 11, 1916, and sailed for England on October 13, 1916, aboard H.M. Transport _Olympic_. The 85th and the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade disembarked at Liverpool on October 19, 1916, and immediately entrained for Witley Camp, Surrey, arriving in Camp the same evening. Following the breaking up of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, and the reorganization of the 85th, the Battalion sailed for France on February 10, 1917, going into training for service in the Field at Gouy Servins, Bouvigny, and Bouvigny Wood, from which quarters the Battalion moved up to Music Hall Line, in the reserves, to take part as “a working Unit” in the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9, 1917).