Chapter X: THE 17th BATTALION, C.E.F

When war clouds lowered on the European horizon in July, 1914, it would have been strange had the men of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, not been among the first to recognize their duty to civilization and the Empire.

LIEUT.-COL. STRUAN G. ROBERTSON.]

On July 31, 1914, the officer commanding the 78th Regiment Pictou Highlanders wired the then Minister of Militia of Canada that his Regiment was ready for service, and received a reply, dated August 1, 1914, expressing the Minister’s thanks for the patriotic offer. On August 8th orders were received by wire from the Adjutant-General, Ottawa, as follows: “It is notified for information that not more than 125 men with officers will be accepted from each rural Regiment.” This order limited volunteering in Nova Scotian rural corps at once to that number.

On August 20, 1914, 135 officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks left New Glasgow for Valcartier, being joined at Truro by a full quota of officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the 76th Colchester Rifles and small detachments of the 63rd and 66th Halifax Regiments, a Company from the 75th Lunenburg Regiment under Lieut.-Colonel Andrews, and one from 69th. Passing through Cumberland County the Nova Scotian contingent was further augmented by a roll of officers, non-commissioned officers and men, up to the strength authorized, from the 93rd Cumberland Regiment, with their O.C., Lieut.-Colonel Murray, making in all a total of some five hundred officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks.

Had each of the seven Nova Scotia Regiments of Militia been able to send the number authorized the contingent would have been little short of strength as a Regiment. Ottawa had apparently overlooked the fact that both the Halifax Regiments and the 94th of Cape Breton were on garrison duty, making it difficult for them to recruit beyond their then imperative needs or part with the number required.

It was then proposed by the officers on board the troop train that steps be taken to form a Nova Scotian Battalion, so that all might serve together. The three senior officers of the contingent, Lieut.-Colonels Andrews, Cameron and Murray asked Lieut.-Col. S. G. Robertson to undertake the organization and ask that he be given command. Although he had specialized as far as possible in Staff work and felt his services would be of more value in that line than in Regimental duty, the request was difficult of refusal and the proposal was accepted.

From the time of arrival in Valcartier the Nova Scotians remained together until a wire was received from the Minister authorizing the organization of the Battalion. Unfortunately an excessive advertising of the Unit by a too friendly press in Halifax aroused Provincial jealousies and no doubt made fulfilment of the authorization difficult. It undoubtedly made it appear to outsiders that the Nova Scotian officers were doing a lot of advertising, an opinion that was far from the truth. Time dragged on; a few officers and men losing heart joined other Battalions; but their number was small and all had the best reasons for doing so. In most cases it meant promotion.

Shortly before the day of sailing, the raising of two new Units was authorized by Headquarters, to be numbered the 17th and 18th Battalions; and the personnel of the officers was published, which included one, if not two, of the senior Nova Scotian officers. Recruiting, however, showed that there were no available rank and file apart from the Nova Scotians, who, however, absolutely refused to join without their own officers. As all prospect of a Nova Scotian Battalion seemed to have vanished, therefore in order to get the men to join one of the new Units, after consultation with the men Lieut.-Colonel Robertson offered his services as Paymaster in that Unit.

Hardly had his services been accepted by the Officer Commanding than the Premier arrived in Camp and called a meeting of the Nova Scotian officers for the following morning. At the meeting two proposals were made to the officers, who were asked to consider them and report their decision at a later hour. The proposals were to go then as a half Battalion or remain behind to be properly organized and sail later. The meeting of officers decided without dissent that to remain until properly organized was the only course open, in view of the shortness of time and lack of so much that was necessary.

On this report being made to the Premier he stated that it had been decided to send us as a Battalion with the First Contingent, to allow us to recruit as far as possible and if necessary to send drafts later to complete our establishment. The colors of the Battalion were then presented by Lady Borden, with appropriate ceremony.

Within three days sufficient men had been recruited in Cape Breton, Pictou, Colchester and Cumberland Counties practically to complete the strength of a Regiment.

The Premier was no longer in Camp, and transport was refused. Possibly, the momentarily expected sailing of the First Contingent made it impractical, and the Battalion sailed from Quebec on September 30, 1914, with a full strength of officers and non-commissioned officers and 773 other ranks, unbrigaded under strength and under-equipped, but with hearts burning with loyalty, on board the _S.S. Ruthenia_.

Just one hundred and twenty-nine years before the ancestors of many of these men had been disbanded from the 82nd Highlanders in Halifax and given grants of land comprising 20,000 acres in Pictou County. The Regiment had been raised in Perthshire by Col. Alexander Robertson of Struan, then Chief of Clan Donnachie, and was commanded by him. Now commanded by one of the same race and family they were returning to do their part in the world’s tragedy.

The nominal roll of officers was as follows: Lieut.-Col. Struan G. Robertson; Majors, Daniel D. Cameron and Daniel Murray; Adjutant, Capt. Charles E. Bent; Asst.-Adjutant, Lieut. L. Ray Cutten.

Captains: W. H. Allen, L. C. Bentley, W. B. Coulter, Alex. Watson, D. C. Sheppard, W. Forbes, Thos. Curwen Reid.

Lieutenants: G. W. Harris, F. M. Bentley, F. M. McDonald, J. E. Christie, E. W. Mingo, C. J. Groggett, J. M. Gillis, Bruce Donald, A. N. Peerless, R. E. Russell, G. A. Ross, G. E. C. Eager, Norman McKee, J. R. Bell, Alister Fraser, Arthur Hunt Chute, B. J. Walker, A. Marlow.

Paymaster, Hon. Capt. Arthur McKay; Quartermaster, Hon. Capt. Robert McMeekin; Medical Officer, Capt. H. Morrell; Chaplain, Paul Goforth; Transport Officer, C. Hamilton Catty.

For five months the Battalion saw service on Salisbury Plain as a Unit. No drafts arrived to bring the Battalion up to strength, but it was attached to one Brigade after another. Some one has said that the ardor of the Highlander springs from internal sentiment, and that the only thing his spirit cannot brook is disappointment.

It has ever been seemingly fated that governments failed to appreciate this characteristic of Scottish soldiers. Broken faith, real or supposed, caused rebellion in even the Black Watch in 1743. In 1795, when it was proposed to break up the Cameron Highlanders by drafting, their Colonel told the Duke of York, then O. in C., “To draft the 79th is more than you or your Royal father dare do!” The Duke of York replied: “The King, my father, will certainly send the Regiment to the West Indies.” Colonel Cameron thereupon losing his temper warmly rejoined: “You may tell the King, your father, from me, that he may send us to h—l if he likes, and Ell go at the head of them, but he daurna draft us.”

Attempts were made to draft the men of the 17th but as they had been enlisted over three months the Army Act made such procedure illegal, unless voluntary, and the protest of the Officer Commanding, after threatened proceedings, was effectual.

Four Battalions of the First Canadian Contingent, including the 17th, were then made into Reserve Battalions, and the non-commissioned officers and other ranks were drafted into the First Division to make up for the wastage suffered during its sojourn on Salisbury Plain, which then through sickness, desertion and the obtaining of commissions in the Imperial Forces was equivalent to about ten per cent. of the original total strength of the First Contingent.

As a Reserve Battalion the 17th served throughout the War and practically all Nova Scotian Infantry Drafts passed at one time or another through its ranks. From it were drawn the drafts for the Highland Brigade 1st Division, and latterly those for Nova Scotia Infantry Units in the Field. As a Reserve it outlived many of its enemies.

Of the gallant hearts that left Nova Scotia in August, 1914, many have paid the price and sleep their last sleep on alien soil.

“And, when the last Great Bugle Call
_O’er Vimy sounding, throbs_,
When the last grim joke is entered
In the big black book of Jobs,
_And Belgic battlefields give up_
Their victims to the air,
I shouldn’t like to be the man
_That played those men unfair_.”