I am writing a real time story of my large extended family's experiences in the First World War. When I say real time, I mean that each week from August 1914 to May 1919 will have entries talking about what was going on that week 100 years before. When I say "large extended" family" I mean that group of Anglo Scot families that dominated Montreal from 1800 to 1945.
Periodically, I will collect all the posts into one omnibus post. This 2nd Omnibus post will list the stories from the outbreak until the landing of the First Division in mid February 1915.
While these stories only cover only a small part of Canada, I hope that you find that they are universal as well. For every community shared a common experience. I also do not confine this to men and to the front. Everyone was affected by this war. We will move from home in Canada, to life in the UK, to the front, to behind the lines, to hospitals, to being on leave, to being a prisoner, to travel, to the sea and sinkings. We will be with our characters in every part of their lives and deaths.
I hope that you find people here that you get to like and care for. I have and I often lie awake at night thinking of them. They have become part of my life.
As General Currie, an unknown in Feb 1915, arrives in France, Julia, Lady Drummond, known socially but not for anything else, sets up shop in a small office at 14 Cockspur Street in London in mid February 1915. By May 1917, Arthur Currie will be a national hero known not only to all the Canadians in the field but to all Canadians. Long before that, Julia Drummond will achieve the same recognition. But more, she will become beloved.
For while Currie had solved the challenge of the World War 1 battlefield, Julia Drummond solved the problem of how to support the men. Her insight and organizational skills meant that Canadian soldiers in Europe, alive or dead, wounded or fit, at the front or on leave, in their units or as prisoners would have someone looking out for them and for their families back home.
She had arrived in November 1914 probably with her daughter in law to be close to her son Guy who was in the first contingent. She had taken rooms at Browns Hotel. But with her son in France, what was she to do?
For some time she waited. In the bustle of war, womanly
schemes do not easily gain serious attention, and people then
were only beginning to suspect in womankind the latent powers
that later were to be so gloriously proved. But one day the
necessary authorization came. The Canadian Red Cross
Society represented in London by Col. Charles Hodgetts, Chief
Commissioner, approved the plan to establish an Information
Bureau as one of its activities and Col. Hodgetts, then and
thereafter its friend, gave Lady Drummond a free hand to
organize and direct it and left the way open for the widest ex-
pansion of the work.
So on 11th of February, 1915, the day after the First Con-
tingent landed in France, 3 ladies were put in possession of a
couple of rooms in the Canadian Red Cross Society's head-
quarters in London, at that date 14 Cockspur Street. They
were Lady Drummond as head and director. Miss Erika Bovey
and Miss Ermine Taylor, and the alliance was known as the
Information Department, (later known as Bureau) Casualties and Prisoners.
Looking back down the long avenues of memory, more than
four years of steady and, to the personnel, satisfying work, it is
amazing to realise how much grew from that modest inaugura-
tion. One is convinced, by results, how truly that ambition
was justified; an ambition at once so great, since it comprised
so wide a field, and yet so simple, for all it sought was the
privilege of being a friend to every fighting Canadian, and to
his people.
At the front — so it must be — the individual was merged
in the whole. In this merging by self-forgetfulness he found
strength, courage and inspiration. But when he should come
back, wounded, the natural human craving would assert itself,
and away from his usual environment of home and familiar
surroundings the sick man would have a desperate craving to be
of particular interest to Somebody.
Key to this idea was the idea of a "Visitor" a woman who would become the surrogate family member to the Canadian. By the end of the war thousands of women would play this role.
Here is how the role was defined:
The Canadian Red Cross Society has opened an Information Bureau at its London Office, 14, Cockspur Street, which will collect and distribute information concerning the sick, wounded, missing and prisoners of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
This work will be carried on with the co-operation of the Canadian War Contingent Association which has kindly undertaken to assist in the arrangements to be made for visiting the Hospitals.
A large number of voluntary visitors will be enrolled to carry out this work, both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
By special arrangement, the Hospitals will at once inform the Information Department of the arrival of any sick and wounded from the Canadian Contingent, this notification being forwarded to it on a distinctive blue postcard furnished by the Society.
In the case of the missing, inquiries will be made abroad through branches of the British Red Cross Society in Paris, Rouen, and Boulogne; in Great Britain and Ireland through the Press and other Agencies. The British Red Cross Society has kindly undertaken to further these inquiries by adding the names of Canadian soldiers who have not been traced, to the weekly list of wounded and missing in Wednesday's Morning Post.
By these and other means it is hoped to get into touch with the largest possible number, and to bring comfort not only to the wounded, but to the relatives from whom they are separated.
On receiving an intimation from this Office that a Canadian soldier has been admitted to a hospital in her district, the Visitor will call and obtain a report of his condition. This she will immediately forward to the Information Department of the Canadian Red Cross, 4 Cockspur Street, S.W.,where it will be put on record and communicated to the relatives either by letter or by interview. Afterwards, the Visitor will be expected to keep this Office informed of the progress of the patient by sending in a report at least weekly. Forms and stamped envelopes will be provided for this purpose. She will notify it of his discharge, will see that he is under favourable conditions during convalescence, and will refer to the Department should its assistance or advice be required in such matters as Convalescent Homes, etc.
The Visitor will be at liberty to write directly to the relatives, should this seem desirable, but such correspondence must in no case be a substitute for information furnished to the Canadian Red Cross Society.
The Wednesday edition of the Morning Post will be sent to the Visitor, and she may do much to assist in tracing the missing, thus reported, through inquiry at Hospitals or through conversation with sick and wounded comrades.
It is confidently expected that a large number will enrol themselves for this service.
Who could have known in February how massive this operation would become and how it would touch the lives of the more than 470,000 men and women and their families?
No one could know the future in February 1915.
Meanwhile, as Julia set up the office, she may have had good news from her daughter in law Mary (Braithwaite). Her son, Guy, had been on leave in town at Christmas. So was his good friend Trum Warren who was married to Mary's sister. Both conceived that week. Mary by mid Feb may have sensed that she was pregnant. Certainly by late March or early April she would have been certain. So with the worry of Guy being at the front, there would have been the growing joy at knowing that a child was due.
Maybe this started as a bit of a "Let's do something" project." We cannot know about the initial motivation.
Also, at first, casualties were light and were mainly confined to the PPCLI who had arrived in France in late December. Little could they have anticipated how heavy casualties would be in April and May of 1915 and that Guy and Trum would die within days of each other.
My intuition tells me that after Guy and Trum's death, it all became very personal for Julia. If she was motivated in February, she was driven after April 22nd. In later posts we will explore her other huge idea - The Maple Leaf Clubs - Basically she provided homes for Canadians in the UK.
By May 1st, 1915, widowed twice and having lost both her sons, Julia would devote herself to other women's sons, brothers and fathers. I hope as we learn more, that you will come to see her as I do as a truly great person.
This lovely painting shows the arrival of the Canadians in St Nazaire on Feb13/14 1915. They had come all the way from Avonmouth. (More here about the painting)
It gives us a sense of the relief that men from such a far away place had come to help. The Staff Officer in the red banded hat looks awfully like Alan Brooke - who joined the Canadians as a staff officer as the Canadians had no experienced staff officers. But it seems that he joined the CEF in 1917 - but this is a look alike!
He and Andy McNaughton disliked each other from the start. McNaughton was to pay a high price for this in WWII when he was CIC of the Canadian Army and Brooke was CIGS.
Note the intensely Scottish aspect of the Canadians.
I find the routing of this trip odd.
If you look at the map, this is about as long a sea route as is possible. The Canadians had too get from Salisbury Plain to Bristol and the to the far west of France. And then to Belgium?
According to Nicholson's account in Gunner of Canada, the reason for this route was the Uboat threat.
The crossing was long and very rough. Many horses had to be shot and thrown overboard as they had broken legs. The CFA had its first death too. A cook in the 9th battery fell and fractured his skull.
What had been planned as a 36 hour crossing lasted unto 5 days.
The 5th Battery, Alec's, was the City of Dunkirk.
(The wonder of the web is that I can find here there.)
They now had to get all the way from St Nazaire to Belgium. They did this by train. So the map I show does not show the route because there is no longer a train alternative to road. But the map gives us a sense of the distance involved.
No comfy train either. They had been loaded into the infamous 40H or 8C carriages that looked like this.
They ended up in Borre just 1 1/2 miles East of Hazebrouk (see the blob) at 9.30pm on Feb 17 having travelled non stop since Feb 12. 5 days and nights with little or no sleep.
Apart from Vimy and the breakout in 1918, the Canadians would spend most of the war in this tiny part of France. It takes less than an hour to drove around it. Millions were to die here.
On Feb 20th General French inspects them all. French was the C in C of the BEF and his prompt inspection is an indication of how important this 18,000 men reinforcement was to him. The Canadians had come all the way from Canada and had arrived before any significant British Territorials had. The BEF had been relying on their reservists until now. It would be not until 1916 that the new Army of recruits would arrive.
On Feb 21 the 5th Battery moved to Ploegstreet - known affectionately by the BEF as Plugstreet. Then back to Borre and then on the 28th to Sailly.
On March 1, the 5th Battery had its first casualty - Private Ben Padden was killed accidentally by a sentry unloading his rifle.
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