The 116th Battalion in France

le and bustle, and the Battalion Orderly Room, which at the best of times is no haven of rest, was inundated with requests for additional information and leave. There was very l

st four huts just now being quarantined with that disease. Notwithstanding many pessimistic prophecies emanating from the M.O. (Capt. James Moore), the fateful day arrived, and the Battalion, less

1

any importance happened during the voyage, and no "subs" were sighted, so far as we knew, so that by noon we had arrived at Boulogne. A short march brought us to St. Martin's Camp, during which we were carefully scrutinized by the inhabitants, who shouted many unintelligible comments at us,

nd of barn; blankets and bed rolls were freely distributed, and having vainly applied for leave to visit the City we turned in to dream of our dear ones or to wonder what fate had in store for us during the next few months. There is nothing on earth quite so trying as waiting for[15] orders, especially when confin

ilway was a perfect paradise to the cattle trucks

of Divion, where we had our first introduction to Company messing, we finally reached a place called Haillicourt, from where we could hear the guns all day and could see the flares alon

as a fighting unit. The reason given for this most unusual proceeding was that the 60th Battalion, being originally recruited in Quebec, could not get sufficient reinforcements from its own Province, and in conse[16]quence was receiving both officers and men from the Provi

nywhere; therefore, it is only natural that the news that they were soon to be broken up should cause consternation in the r

t only the "baby" battalion of the Canadian C

eriod our inexperience proved to be our salvation. We were fresh and eager to do credit to the name of our unit and our Commanding Officer (Col. Sharpe), wh

after about two weeks' training in the new platoon formation we were moved to Faucquenheim, in order to be closer to the other battalions of the 9th Brigade. The rea

to go to the

to the 60th

to the 43rd

to the 52nd

r, each Company was split up so that one platoon was apportioned to each Company of the different Battalions as above, and all that now re

h to the inexperienced is all more or less exciting (especially the working parties), nothing of any great military value was accomplished during this tour, and by the 25th of the month our Battalion was reassembled at old friend Houdain, where the experiences of t

the Battalions to which they were attached, had cut their coats in accordance, not with orders from the 9th Brigade, but with the depth of the mud encountered. As these tailoring alterations were for the most part made by means of the Ser

derly Room, awaiting sentence for destroying Government property. The sentences were