00:00Turmoil in Europe seemed so far away, yet war was soon to come home to Canada.
00:07Canada entered World War I automatically on August 4th, 1914,
00:12when the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, as Canada was a British dominion at the time.
00:18While foreign policy was controlled by Great Britain,
00:22the Canadian government determined the level of its involvement.
00:27After the declaration of war, the Canadian Exhibitionary Force was raised independently,
00:34separate from the pre-existing militia, to serve overseas under Canadian command.
00:40Our dad had joined the army on December 26, 1915, and was trained at Camp Hughes.
00:48While some signed up for the war effort, others got to work right here at home in Gladstone.
00:53The Red Cross Auxiliary started knitting for the soldiers.
00:57In 1915, the Red Cross workers had many busy bee hours,
01:01and a large quantity of supplies were knit for the soldiers at the front.
01:05Those who couldn't knit were encouraged to buy tickets for the Red Cross benefits.
01:14Meanwhile, overseas, things were heating up.
01:19David Patterson arrived in France with the 16th Battalion of the Canadian-Scottish on April 5th, 1917.
01:27He was at the May Ridge, and he related these things to us.
01:31Two soldiers were left out of the battle from each platoon.
01:35This was done so that if someone or something went wrong,
01:39an experienced soldier was left to take the green replacements to the front lines.
01:44Our father was one of those left behind for this duty.
01:48He recalled on the first day of the battle for Vimy Ridge,
01:52the stretcher bearers carried the wounded out all day and that night,
01:56and the next day from that zone.
01:58And that's a look at the trenches, how deep they were.
02:04He said the lice and the rats in the trenches were terrible, and we can only imagine.
02:10Meanwhile, the work of the women in Gladstone received recognition from an unexpected source.
02:19June 28, 1917
02:21A letter from Her Majesty Queen Mary.
02:24The lady-in-waiting is commanded by the Queen to thank Mrs. John Mowat
02:29and all the women from Gladstone most warmly and gratefully for the charming quilt,
02:34worked with the names of the soldiers enlisted from Gladstone,
02:38which they have so kindly given to Her Majesty, and which arrive safely today.
02:43The Queen is greatly touched by it and pleased to possess it,
02:46and hopes Mrs. Mowat will tell all those who sent it
02:49how much Her Majesty appreciates their gift
02:52as a memorial of their gallant Gladstone men.
02:56While some women were serving at home to support the war effort,
02:59other women made a different choice.
03:03Nursing sister Agnes McPherson
03:05was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James McPherson of Lakeland,
03:09and a granddaughter to James McPherson,
03:12who was one of the earliest settlers in the district.
03:16She attended Amana School,
03:18and when war broke out in 1914,
03:21she was training as a nurse in Winnipeg.
03:23In 1917, she joined the army,
03:26and was sent overseas as a nursing sister.
03:29Meanwhile, at home in Gladstone,
03:31people continued to work and sacrifice to support the war effort.
03:36In 1918, the canvassers for the victory bonds
03:39turned over part of their commission to the Red Cross.
03:43The municipality pledged $500 per month for one year.
03:47The town pledged $100 per month for one year.
03:50The Red Cross used every opportunity to raise money,
03:53teas, shows, and providing lunches at auction sales.
03:58Meanwhile, in Europe, war was raging.
04:03Our dad talked about a colonel side-pack
04:06of the 16th Battalion, Scottish, Canadian Scottish,
04:10who would not send his men into conditions
04:12where he would not go himself or hadn't been.
04:15The colonel was leading them on patrol
04:18when one of the Dunn brothers,
04:19who had joined with our father from Suros,
04:22said to our dad,
04:23You took the rear coming out.
04:25I will take it going back.
04:27Private Dunn was shot and killed from her own side
04:30after they changed places.
04:32It was considered that maybe he was trying to run,
04:36but that was never really established.
04:39Colonel Peck carried back Private Dunn's rifle and backpack,
04:43while David Patterson and another soldier
04:45carried Private Dunn's body back to the trench.
04:48The other Dunn brother was killed at the front.
04:51The Dunn name as a family is still associated with Suros.
04:56Dad also said that if you were outside the trenches at night
05:00doing repair and maintenance or on patrol when a flare went off,
05:04you froze in whatever position you were in
05:07and the Germans would not shoot at you as long as you would not move.
05:12One night, Dad was digging in the trenches with a shovel.
05:17The shovel ceased to dig.
05:19He held it up above the skyline to see what was wrong,
05:22and there was a grenade half-cocked on the handle of the shovel blade.
05:27Also at one time, the supplies did not come through for a week.
05:31All they had to eat was salted pork.
05:34The water ran out and they had nothing to drink for three days.
05:38Dad drank some water from a shell hole.
05:40He became very ill.
05:42One soldier carried his backpack
05:44and another carried his rifle for him back to the trenches.
05:48Dad said that Colonel Peck was the best there was.
05:52When supplies came, rations were given out to the lower ranks first.
05:56If supplies ran out, the top rank did without.
06:00The colonel said that if anyone was going to do without, it would be him.
06:04The obituary for Colonel Peck was in a family album at home for many years.
06:10Meanwhile, here at home in Gladstone, fundraising efforts continued.
06:17Some of the real old ladies of Gladstone and District who knit socks for the Canadian soldiers.
06:23Seated in the chair in the center is Mrs. Murdin,
06:27who was 86 years old at the time the picture was taken.
06:31Her husband was a pioneer minister of Manitoba.
06:35A report of the work done by the Gladstone Red Cross from January 1st to March 31st, 1917,
06:42gives the following interesting facts.
06:44Supplies sent, 79 suits, pajamas, 32 day shirts, 7 dressing gowns, 52 comfort bags,
06:5448 handkerchiefs, 6 surgical gowns, 215 pairs of socks, 18 pillows, 24 pillowcases,
07:03total number of garments, 161.
07:0751 quilts, and 812 dollars and 67 cents in money.
07:13This is quite a glowing report considering that the society at the time
07:17only boasted about 50 active members.
07:20Of course, the town had many who help, most willing in giving.
07:26Sixteen families in war-torn Belgium will be fed for a month because of the energetic efforts
07:31of Mrs. Inkerman Wright, who canvassed the town and raised $40.
07:37September 26, 1918.
07:40Mrs. John Mott received a letter last week from a Captain Frank Robison of the Tank Corps,
07:45who was hospitalized in the old cathedral town of Buveris and found himself being made comfortable
07:53under an autograph quilt sent from Gladstone.
07:56He wished to thank all those who made it.
07:59Elsewhere in France, tragedy awaited.
08:03Nursing sister Agnes McPherson was serving at the General Militaria Hospital
08:08and was on duty when the hospital was bombed by the Germans.
08:12Though it was her privilege to go to the bomb shelter, she refused and remained with her patients
08:17and was herself so badly wounded by the bombs that she died shortly after.
08:23She was, in truth, as one of the soldiers said to her when she stayed, a brave woman.
08:30Nursing sister Agnes McPherson was 27 years old when she died of wounds
08:35and was buried in the military cemetery.
08:37Meanwhile, David Patterson faced a different battle.
08:42After our dad had been wounded at Hill 70 for the Battle for Lens on August 18, 1917,
08:49he was returned to a hospital in France and then transferred to England
08:54to Canadian Convalescence Hospital at Brerwood.
08:58He said,
08:59You soon learned not to say in front of any French or British soldiers that the Canadians had taken Bimmy
09:05Ridge.
09:06They were very jealous of that and you had to be careful.
09:10Our dad was wounded on the left arm and the basic treatment was having him lie on the bed
09:15with his arm hanging down over the edge of the bed.
09:18The pus and the goop ran out the end of his middle finger and he lost the nail
09:23and was left with a weakened wrist and a deformed finger.
09:27No penicillin or sulfate drugs in those days.
09:31He was sent back to Canada March 11, 1918.
09:35His pay and service was $1 per day plus $0.10 per day for field allowance.
09:42Needless to say, the work of the women of Gladstone was appreciated by the men overseas.
09:50Frank Square writes from the trenches and hands a big bouquet to the Red Cross, stating,
09:57I guess we are wearing socks provided by you and others from town.
10:01You have no idea how much the comforts provided by the ladies are needed and appreciated.
10:07There is nothing wasted, the soiled ones being sent back to the base, washed and reissued.
10:13Assure the ladies that we do get the socks and thank you.
10:17We often say that the ladies' branch of the Red Cross is the only part of the army
10:22where there isn't waste and graft.
10:24The Gladstone then and now history books will list the Gladstone community role of honor
10:29for World War I as having 388 men who served.
10:3462 of them made the supreme sacrifice, or 15.97%, nearly 16%.
10:43And finally, after four brutal years of war,
10:46armistice was declared on November 11th.
10:50Celebrations broke out in Great Britain and beyond.
10:56After armistice was declared, soldiers began returning home.
11:02Gladstone Age Press, July 10th, 1919.
11:05A big reception and celebration of her returned boys.
11:09Gladstone was in feat on Tuesday last to do honor to the boys of Gladstone in Western County
11:15who served their king and country in the Great War.
11:18The occasion was one long to be remembered as a day of joy,
11:21with no untoward incident or accident to mar the festivity,
11:25which reflects much credit upon the members of the various committees
11:29who worked so diligently to make the day a success.
11:33The big feature was a banquet which all returned boys were invited.
11:37The banquet was given by the Red Cross and was held in Stout's new big wear rooms,
11:41which were beautifully decorated with streamers and flags.
11:44In the early 1920s, discussions began to be had
11:48about how to best remember those who had fallen overseas.
11:53A war memorial was suggested and agreed upon.
11:57With that in mind, fundraising began.
12:01Secretary of the Ladies' Curling Club announces that the club has donated $100 to the War Memorial Fund,
12:07with proceeds from the meals it served at the Bonspiel and from the Whist Drive.
12:13Broomball Deluxe
12:14One Monday evening, the staff of the Collins and Diamonds store
12:18staged a grand exhibition of broomball on the ice,
12:22generally flat upon it.
12:24The men played the young ladies,
12:26but it was often hard to tell which side was which,
12:29as there were skirts and otherwise on both outfits.
12:33At any rate, the men won the game,
12:36though no one seemed to care about the score.
12:38Among the most remarkable players were several clowns,
12:42an old dame in a pink house dress,
12:45Charlie Chaplin, who fell down bad,
12:47and a very prominent hayseed in goal,
12:51who might weigh about 350 pounds dressed.
12:55A big crowd took in the show and the skating later.
12:58A sum of $13 was realized for the War Memorial Fund.
13:03September 21, 1922.
13:05The figure for the memorial monument was on exhibition for several days
13:09in the McCaskill-Adamson's corner window.
13:12The figure is of white marble and is well-sculptured.
13:16The work was done in Italy.
13:18November 30, 1922.
13:20Gunn and Simpson of Nipua erected the long-delayed soldier memorial
13:25on the plot of ground in front of the Methodist Church.
13:29The monument is a beautiful structure of grey and black granite,
13:34surmounted by a handsome life-size statue
13:36of a typical Canadian soldier in white marble.
13:40June 14, 1923.
13:43Memorial grounds being repaired.
13:46Hundred farmers are asked to bring in one load of soil each.
13:50War Memorial unveiled Sunday on July 1st.
13:54This was written by a 12-year-old boy
13:58from the Gladstone Elementary School.
14:01In muddy trenches, the wars were fought,
14:04the poison gases, soldiers hot.
14:06People perished, poppies bloomed,
14:09but still the hatred of war loomed.
14:12Stop and think for all we know.
14:15Hate is cold, cold as snow.
14:17So look around.
14:19It's not hard to see that the country is free for you and me.
14:23We are free.
14:24Yes, we are.
14:25Our country's free, both near and far.
14:29People worked to free our land.
14:31They worked together, hand in hand.
14:33So if you look, you will see that, yes, of course, we are free.
14:56We are free.
