1915-03-30uu

“There is every likelihood that on Saturday next, Hamilton will be given an opportunity to inspect the Nineteenth battalion, at present encamped at the Exhibition grounds, Toronto.”

Hamilton Spectator.    March 30, 1915.

There were fully 1,200 soldiers training in Toronto, soldiers soon to be deployed across the Atlantic. On March 30, 1915, the Board of Control authorized Mayor Walters to extend an invitation to Colonel John McLaren, in command of those troops, to bring them to his native city of Hamilton for a general parade.

It was anticipated that, with the addition of soldiers with the local militia units and the Home Guard, plus the Boy Scouts,  it would be “a military parade never before equaled in Hamilton.”¹

¹ “Invited Nineteenth to Visit Hamilton : Col. McLaren’s Crack Regiment From Toronto May Be Here Saturday”

Hamilton Spectator.    March 30, 1915.

With the direction to formally invite the soldiers to come from Toronto to Hamilton for a mass military parade, Mayor Walters then faced the logistical problems that would need to be solved. At first, it was thought that the soldiers could march from city to city, but, although the shipping season had yet to begin and there was still some ice in the bay, the mayor decided to ask the steamships could be made to transport the soldiers. It was also necessary to provide meals for the soldiers and be ready to put them up somewhere if it was needed.

On April 8, 1915, the Hamilton Spectator was able to announce that all preliminary arrangements for the big military parade had been completed:

“Sharp at 2 o’clock the wide gates of the armory yards will open and the first line of khaki-clad soldiers will swing out on James street. The visit of Lieut.-Col. McLaren’s trained-to-the-minute corps, the 19^th battalion, has aroused intense interest, and the parade has been so drafted that most of the central streets will be traversed.”²

² “Route for the Big Parade is Decided Upon”

Hamilton Spectator.   April 8, 1915.

Arrangements for the transport of the troops from Toronto Hamilton via steamship had been confirmed. Mr. J. W. Norcross, of the Canadian Steamship lines, had generously provided the use of the steamship Macassa that day.

The main military organizer of the parade, Lieut.-Col. Ashton announced that the parade would keep as close to the right curb as possible and requested that drivers of vehicles assist by not congregating along the line of march and impeding progress of the soldiers.

Representatives of the press had been invited to inspect the Military Kitchen which had been organized:

“The feeding of 1,000 hungry men is no easy task, but everything was working so smoothly and evenly that there was no more hustle and bustle than in an ordinary family kitchen.

“Huge cauldrons and tanks lined the four walls, some of these tanks when filled with water weighing an even ton. Dinner was being prepared when the reporters called, and the odor that filled the room immediately brought on violent attacks of Hunger.”²

The day before the big parade, the Spectator noted that “the visit of the 19^th here means more than an opportunity of seeing what is said to be the finest regiment, with the probable exception of the Princess Pats, that has been raised in Canada since the war broke out, for it will give people here an opportunity of saying farewell to nearly 400 Hamilton boys who are members of the 19^th.” ³

³ “Great Crowds Expected for Grand Parade : March Past of Troops Will Be Imposing Spectacle”

Hamilton Spectator April 9, 1915.

As the Macassa could only accommodate about 700 of the 1,000 soldiers expected to come from Toronto, a special train was organized to bring over the other 300.

The morning edition of the Hamilton Spectator carried an article full of information about, and enthusiasm for the parade to take place in a few hours:

“A general attack on the City of Hamilton, in which they captured the patriotic feeling and good will of all people, has been made by the Nineteeth Battalion and the Nineteenth Field Ambulance Corps, of the second contingent, now awaiting orders to proceed to the front.

“There were over seven hundred soldier boys aboard the Macassa, and they gave a rousing cheer as the good steamer pulled up to the dock, with hundreds of Hamilton people gathered in the vicini8ty of the waterfront, to give the fighting men a welcome.

“A large number went to the foot of James street during the morning, determined to get places of vantage to watch the ship come across the bay, with the bugle and fife bands of the Nineteeth peeling forth war songs and raising general hilarity.”⁴

⁴ “Great Military Day in the Old Town.”

Hamilton Spectator   April 10, 1915.

T. W. Morgan, of Toronto, with the assistance of Mr. H. Morgan, manager of Hamilton’s Lyric theatre, had received permission to take motion pictures of the parade from the City Hall steps, including views of “the city solons as they stood on the steps of the municipal stone pile while the salute was being given to Sir John Gibson.”⁴

It was intended that the Lyric theatre would have a special offering of the movies taken, the admission funds to be turned over to the Patriotic Fund:

“These pictures will be shown at the Lyric at an early date and will display the soldiers from the minute they land at the foot of James street until they depart.”⁴

Finally, the morning edition of the Spectator contained a warning that there would no breaks in the parade:

“The traffic officers have been notified to do their utmost to keep all vehicle traffic off the streets whereon the soldiers are marching. Autos, buggies and other vehicles will not be allowed to remain on the street until the parade has passed.”⁵

⁵ “Clear Streets : Military Parade Will Have Right of Way”

Hamilton Spectator. April 10, 1915.

 

(To Be Continued)