Pride, Pets & Pests
Canadians made their mark in so many ways during the Great War not the least of which was in their own minds. They gradually became aware of the growing esteem in which they were held - often by the English who were inclined to expect little. Nevertheless, these 'colonials' rallied to the flag from the declaration of war and in their first major engagement in the battles around Ypres, they proved their metal and more. The flag at the right is the Canadian Red Ensign (1868-1921).
This growing sense of self on the part of the Canadian troops is reflected in many of their letters home - even as prisoners of war. For most of these men, it was the first time they had traveled outside Canada or had an opportunity to test their measure against their contemporaries. Holy Moses!"A rather humorous incident occurred on our way up here. We had reached a position near the reserve trench and halted for a rest. A number of motor ambulances came down the road loaded with wounded English soldiers. Ever since Langemarck the Canadians have had the reputation of being the greatest fighters in the Empire. Well one English Tommy pokes his head out of an ambulance which stopped for a moment. The first thing he saw was our fellows standing in the road with the Maple Leaf badges in their caps. 'Holy Moses' he shouted. 'We'll go through the Germans now. The Canadians are here.' " Lieut. George A. Metcalfe of St. Thomas France, 1915 |
Pets or Pests?
The life of a soldier was seldom lonely as there was always something to keep him company. Here's a sample of some of the menagerie.
'I took a cold water bath in a large shell hole at the back of our barn the other night thinking I could freeze the devils off me, but instead I nearly froze myself and still have them (curses). I've had them so long I think I'll be lonesome without them.' Pte. Albert Henry 'Hippy' Adams from St. Thomas, ON This is a WW I crater at Hooge, Belgium today. Craters were enormous and while it is not the crater mentioned above, it is probably similar.
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We have several pets, but they are rather noisy at night. I hung my rations up in a small cotton bag and those pets ate a hole big enough to let half a loaf of bread roll out onto the floor. The night before last one of them must have been climbing somewhere near my head, for he fell and his tail hit me across the face. When we run out of magazines and papers, we must find something to read, so we take off our shirts and examine them closely, and believe me, I have never been disappointed, there is always something there.
Corp. Roy Wintermute,
from St. Thomas, Ontario
Corp. Roy Wintermute,
from St. Thomas, Ontario
"I am living in a tent at present. We have a stove installed and things could be worse by a long ways. Have been able to get rid of the itchicoo at last, we can buy a bath for a penny and it is only 15 minutes walk from the camp. The bath is at a mine and is fixed up in a pretty decent way, all tiled walls and floors, the water is always just right." Lance Corporal Ellis Sifton November 18, 1916 |