1914-11-03hg

With the announcement that Hamilton’s militia unit, the Thirteenth Royal Regiment would discontinue weekly drills, there were concerns expressed.

The Hamilton Herald had indeed been critical of that decision, but later it made clear that it was the decision, not the regiment that was being questioned in light of the war conditions in effect since August:

“There was no intention to belittle the good work which has been done by that corps, officers and men, during the past three months. Indeed, the record of the regiment is one for everybody connected with it to be proud of”¹

¹ “Home Protection”

Hamilton Herald.          November 3, 1914.

The Herald went to great lengths to laud the contributions that the Thirteenth Royal Regiment had been making to the war effort :

“Fifty per cent of the officers have volunteered for active service at the front. Over 350 men have gone from it to swell the ranks of the two Canadian contingents – more than twice its normal strength, and yet the regiment has been kept recruited up to more than its normal strength, the number of men at the latest parade being the greatest in the history of the regiment.”¹

The Herald confessed that it was being critical “in an unduly ironical vein,” but said that its purpose was to draw attention to what was a key commitment of the regiment :

“ A duty of the militia at this time – a duty which appeared to us in danger of being overlooked. We refer to the duty of protecting life and property in this community from sudden incursions from without and uprisings from within. That, after all, is the fundamental function of the militia.”¹

During the hyper-patriotic fervor at the start of the war, all emphasis seemed to be on getting volunteers signed up, trained and sent off across the Atlantic to protect the mother land.

Three months into the war, there was increased awareness that elements of the war could indeed negatively impact the home front, matters the Herald termed “sudden hostile demonstrations in this city.” :

“It would be reassuring to witness some visible evidence that adequate provision has been made for such emergencies.

“At the armories – probably the first point of attack – there is a permanent guard of only two or three men. What could they do to resist an unforeseen attack by several score of determined and well-organized raiders?  Long before any assistance could arrive, the arms and ammunition in the armories would be in possession of the raiders, and the buildings probably fired or dynamited.”

The Herald called for at least twenty men placed on guard at the armories all of the time, especially during the overnight hours.

The armories was not the only location of concern:

There should be military guards at the beach waterworks, the power houses at Dundas and Decew Falls, and sentries at the T.H.&B. tunnel, the high level bridge and the reservoirs”¹

The Herald editorial ended by noting that the failure to adequately the home front from attacks by enemy agents or enemy sympathizers was not the fault of the Thirteenth Royal Regiment, but of the federal militia department which had yet to make adequate provision for the local militia units to guard strategic locations in major Canadian cities like Hamilton.