I was blind in both eyes for a month, had two operations in France,
and was then sent to England to the 4th London General Hospital,
Denmark Hill. After spending a few months there I was sent to the
C.C.A.C. (Canadian Casualty Assembly Centre), better known as "Charlie
Chaplin's." This was at Folkestone. After having two "boards" they
found me unfit for further service in England or France, so I was
billed for Canada.
Arriving in Canada on the _S.S. Empress of Britain_, at Quebec, I was
sent to the convalescent home (Belmont Park) at Montreal, and after
treatment was honorably discharged as physically unfit.
I trained in the McGill O. T. C. and later came to New York with the
"British Canadian Recruiting Mission," where I lectured, and did
recruiting work, through New York City. Since leaving the mission I
have traveled to the West Indies and through the eastern part of the
United States. Many of my experiences I have omitted on account of
space, but I am proud to have belonged to a famous regiment, "The
Princess Pats."
MY EXPERIENCES IN FRANCE WITH THE 10th CANADIAN INFANTRY
BY SGT. HARRY HALL, NO. 19805
WHEN Great Britain declared war on Germany, I considered it my duty as
a member of the Canadian Militia to volunteer my services for the Front.
The 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry to which I belonged, was the first
infantry regiment to leave Western Canada to join the mobilization camp
at Valcartier, Quebec.
Under the new scheme of organization, every regiment lost its identity
and we were merged into the 10th Battalion, Second Infantry Brigade.
Early in October we left Canada for England, arriving at Plymouth and
were then taken by train to Salisbury Plains, which is noted for mud
and rain.
After undergoing training in the winter, we embarked at Avonmouth,
Bristol, and sailed for France in a cattle boat, landing at St. Naize
in the Bay of Biscay, four days later.
[Illustration: SERGT. HARRY HALL]
Then we had two days traveling in a box car up to the Trout, and
after a short rest we went to Ploegstreet Woods and went under a system
of training with the Dublin Fusileers.
The method of training we went through was excellent in every way, each
one of us being posted with one of the Dublins and to do what they did.
When we reached the trenches, I was posted with "Spud Murphy" who
was then on sentry go. Spud was a hero of "Mons," having had safely
survived up to the present and so we had quite a lot to talk about.
Ploegstreet being a quiet "front," there was nothing very exciting, so
we were pleased when we were shifted to the village of Fleurbaix to
relieve an English division and to take trenches over on our own.
We were placed on the line near the village of La Boutillerie, where
the trenches cut through the walls of a convent.
The Germans were about 150 yards away and seemed to have
well-constructed trenches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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