“To the sound of pipe
and drum and bugle and brass band, Hamilton’s second quotas for the defense of
the empire left town this morning.”
Hamilton Herald. November 06, 1914.
Three months after
the first contingent of troops left Hamilton’s Toronto, Hamilton &Buffalo
railway station on Hunter street, a second contingent left from the city’s
other main train station, the Grand Trunk Railway station on Stuart street.
While the point of
departure was different, there many similarities, despite the horrors that had
already occurred in the war zones in France and Belgium.
The day of departure
was Thursday, November 5, 1914, and
there was a stirring of patriotic excitement early in the day in the vicinity
of the armories:
“At 10 o’clock the
men assembled at the armories. A short prayer was offered by the chaplains, and
the men, unbonneted, stood silent until it was read.
“Then the drums
rolled the silence away and the pipes of the Highlanders struck up, and out on
the street and down to the G.T.R. station marched the men of the Thirteenth
Royal Regiment and the Ninety-First Highlanders. Crowds lined the thoroughfare,
and their way was fenced with shouting humanity until they reached the
station.”1
1 “More
Brave Boys Leave For Front : Thousands Saw Thirteenth and Ninety-First Quota’s
Leave”
Hamilton Herald. November 5, 1914.
The Spectator
reporter also brilliantly captured the excitement as the soldiers gathered at
the armories, and then moved off to meet their train :
“Everything was
animation and activity at the armories from early morning until the companies
moved off to the station.
“The good-byes of old
friends, the hearty handshakes and the expressions of good will and for a safe
return to home and loved ones were seen and heard on every side until the bugle
sounded for the men to fall in. Even then, there were those who could not
resist the opportunity of running up to some members in the companies, clasping
a hand and saying ‘God speed to you.’
“Then came the order
to stand to attention, while Major Forneret and Captain Drummond conducted
prayers. The order to form fours came directly following the conclusion of the
prayers, and to the strains of the Tipperary song, the 13th company
moved down James street to Stuart street and then to the station. The 91st
company, headed by their bands, both pipers and brass, followed shortly after.
“Crowds lined James
and Stuart streets while the station was simply packed with people who desired
a farewell look at the boys. Here and there, the tears of sweethearts, wives
and mothers who were watching their loved ones leave Hamilton, perhaps many of
them never to return.
“The spirit of the
men of the companies was found in their chorused remark, ‘Are we downhearted?
No!’ ”2
2 “Great
Crowd Cheered the Soldier Boys : 13th and 91st Companies
Left for Toronto Today”
Hamilton
Spectator. November 5, 1914.
The scene at the
G.T.R. station was animated, never-to-forgotten by all who were there :
“At the station, a
striking sight met the gaze. A crowd of nearly 5000 had assembled and blocked
the platform and vantage points surrounding to see the men away. The
Highlanders under Col. J. I. McLaren, filed into their cars, and the Thirteenth
Royal regiment, under command of Capt. Morrison, did likewise.
“A train approached
from the east bearing cars full of red coats. They were the quota from the
Nineteenth St. Catharines regiment, who are also going to the front. A hearty
cheer greeted them, for the nineteenth is not unknown in Hamilton, and many
recognized friends wearing the scarlet coat.
“The band struck up
Tipperary, and as one voice both soldiers and civilians joined in the British
war song. Partings were many, and some were touching; but it was a proud moment
for a mother to embrace her uniformed son as he went away to fight for the
empire; and fathers with their faces beaming with pride shook hands with their
soldier sons.
“A party of pretty
girls pushed towards the platform. They shook hands with all the troops within
reach, and distributed packages of cigarets to the men.
“”A British bulldog,
covered with a union jack, trundled out of the rear car of the Nineteenth
regiment train. A regimental pet, the patriotically dressed bulldog created
merriment, which tended somewhat to cheer the occasion”1
The yard crew at the
G.T.R. yards worked quickly to to attach the four cars carrying the Hamilton
troops to the train, and once that task was completed, the train was ready to
pull away:
“The signal from the
conductor started the train moving slowly through the dense crowd which lined
each side of the platform waving their hats and handkerchiefs, while the band
again played Tipperary, and the boys on the train replied by singing it.
“As the train passed
far down the yard, a glance around the crowd revealed the fact that the
majority were wiping tears from their eyes, unashamed of the emotion which had
welled up in them.”2
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