As you can see along the right side of this blog post, I have created a Twitter account with the handle @brucefmacdonald . As we mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War's events, I plan to post tweets related to the stories of Guysborough County's First World War veterans. The first tweets (August - December 1914) will focus on the war's early events and the County's first enlistments, while later tweets will honor the 131 veterans who lost their lives during or shortly after the war, from causes related to their service. All tweets will carry the hashtag #guysboroveterans .
My research into the stories of Guysborough County's 131 war dead is steadily progressing. I expect to complete profiles of the 71 veterans who died from 1915 to 1917 before year's end and hope to have a manuscript ready for publication sometime early in 2015. I will provide further details on the blog later this year.
Something that may be of interest is CBC Radio's re-broadcast of the First World War Series, "The Bugle and The Passing Bell", first aired in 1964. Each program combines the actual voices of veterans relating their stories, supplemented by actors reading from soldiers' diaries and letters. The series provides a chronological overview of Canadian soldiers' war experiences. The episodes air weekly on Thursday mornings at 9:30 am Atlantic Time. All episodes are also available online at The Bugle and The Passing Bell immediately after broadcast.
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Lance Corporal John Michael Fogarty - A Siberian Expedition Soldier's Story
Date of Birth: January 24, 1886*
Place of Birth: Hazel Hill, Guysborough County
Mother's Name: Catherine 'Kate' Horne
Father's Name: John Fogarty
Date of Enlistment: April 16, 1918 at Halifax, NS (attestation with Canadian Expeditionary Force);
November 15, 1919 at Halifax, NS (attestation with Permanent Force of Canada)
Regimental Numbers: 3181730 (first attestation); 2779985 (second attestation)
Rank: Lance Corporal
Forces: Canadian and Siberian Expeditionary Forces; Permanent Force of Canada
Units: 1st Depot Battalion Nova Scotia Regiment; 260th Infantry Battalion; Canadian Military Police Corps (CMPC)
Location of service: Canada and Siberia
Occupation at Enlistment: Fisherman
Marital Status at Enlistment: Married
Next of Kin: Isabelle 'Belle' Fogarty, Hazel Hill, Guysborough County (wife)
* Michael's birth date is taken from 1901 census records. The 1891 census states that Michael was 5 years old at that time. The 1911 census gives his birthdate as January 1885. His 1918 attestation papers record Michael's year of birth as 1885, while his 1919 enlistment papers list his year of birth as 1886.
John Michael Fogarty was the oldest son and second of nine children born to John and Kate (Horne) Fogarty of Hazel Hill, Guysborough County. In 1909, Michael married Isabelle 'Belle' Jollimore of French River, PEI. Their first child, James, was born there in October 1910. Sometime after 1911, the couple returned to Hazel Hill, where Michael worked in the local fishery and three more children - daughters Laura, Mary and Hattie - joined the family.
After the outbreak of war in Europe, two of Michael's younger brothers enlisted for service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. James Alexander 'Jim' joined the 25th Battalion at Halifax on February 11, 1915, serving with distinction in Belgium and France and rising to the rank of Sergeant before a serious combat wound in January 1918 ended his military career. Ernest Vincent enlisted with the Divisional Cycle Platoon at Regina, Saskatchewan on November 25, 1916, but was later transferred to the 28th Battalion. Twice wounded in France, he returned to the front each time, serving overseas until his unit returned to Canada in May 1919.
Like so many of his generation, Michael was eventually drawn to military service. While his family circumstances made such a choice difficult, the example set by his younger brothers may have prompted him to do so. Whatever his motivation, on November 27, 1917, Michael enlisted with the 94th Regiment, a northern Nova Scotia militia unit based at Pictou. Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Europe, the 94th was instructed to secure the Commercial Cable Company's strategically important Hazel Hill telegraph facilities. Its presence in the local community may explain Michael's decision to join the unit.
On February 24, 1918, Michael was officially transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion, Nova Scotia Regiment, where he trained alongside much younger men who had been conscripted under the Military Service Act (MSA). Michael officially enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on April 16, 1918. While military officials used the standard conscription form for his attestation, the line reserved for his MSA number states "not applicable", indicating that he was not drafted into service.
While Michael may have anticipated following his younger siblings to the Western Front, his military career took a dramatically different direction. Perhaps due to his age, he remained in Canada for six months as many of his younger Depot Battalion comrades were shipped out to England. As summer gave way to autumn, Michael was assigned to the 260th Battalion, one of two units designated for service with the Siberian Expeditionary Force (SEF). He travelled by train to British Columbia, where SEF personnel prepared for deployment at several training camps near Vancouver and Victoria.
On October 11, 1918 - the day on which he departed for Siberia - Michael was officially transferred to the 260th Battalion. Prior to leaving Canada, he assigned $ 15 of his monthly pay to his wife Belle, who also received a monthly separation allowance of $ 30 while he served overseas.
The year 1917 was one of "crisis and pessimism" for the Allies fighting the German forces on the Western Front (France and Belgium). In March 1917, a revolution overthrew Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and established an ineffective Provisional Government that accelerated the disintegration of the Russian Army on the Eastern Front. Despite the Canadian Corps' successful capture of Vimy Ridge (April 1917) and Passchendaele (November 1917), Allied offensives on the Western and Italian Fronts failed to break the stalemate with Germany or Austria-Hungary in either sector.
The collapse of a Russian offensive on the Eastern front resulted in a second uprising in which the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the fragile Provisional Government in November 1917. Fierce opponents of the war, Lenin's socialist government negotiated a peace treaty with Germany, ending fighting on the Eastern Front in March 1918. As a result, Germany was able to transport the bulk of its Eastern Front troops to France and Belgium, where it launched a massive Spring Offensive in an effort to win the war on the Western Front.
In the meantime, Russia was plunged into civil war as groups opposed to the Bolsheviks refused to accept its socialist government. Its most prominent foes were the Cossacks of the Don River region and a number of White Russian Generals, spread from northern Russia to Vladivostok, who remained loyal to the Provisional Government.
As early as December 1917, the Allied Supreme War Council pledged its support for Russian forces committed to continuing the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. As Russia disintegrated into civil war in early 1918, Allied governments saw an opportunity to re-establish a two-front conflict by supporting forces opposed to the Bolshevik government. They were also concerned that large stockpiles of Allied war materials stored at Murmansk, Archangel and Vladivostok might fall into Bolshevik hands.
In response to these concerns, Japanese and British naval cruisers sailed into Vladivostok's Golden Bay in January 1918, while the "Czecho-Slovak Legion", a military force loyal to the Allied cause, seized control of the strategically important Trans-Siberian Railroad from the Ural Mountains to Vladivostok. Small parties of Allied forces also landed at Murmansk and Archangel and guarded supply depots in both locations.
On June 28, 1918, the Czecho-Slovak Legion overthrew the local Bolshevik government and seized control of Vladivostok. By the end of July 1918, White Russian opponents of the Bolshevik government assumed control of the city. Meanwhile, hopeful of re-establishing an Eastern Front in the war against Germany and Austria-Hungary, the Western Allies formulated plans for a multi-national Siberian expedition aimed at overthrowing the Bolshevik government and replacing it with one supportive of Western interests.
By August 1918, Allied governments agreed to dispatch troops to Murmansk, Archangel, the Caspian Sea and Vladivostok, in an effort to topple Russia's Bolshevik government. When Great Britain formally asked Canada for a contribution, the Canadian government approved the formation of the Siberian Expeditionary Force (SEF) on August 12, 1918. The proposed contingent consisted of more than 4000 personnel and included the 259th and 260th Infantry Battalions, the 20th Canadian Machine Gun Company and a mounted squadron of Royal North West Mounted Police, in addition to support personnel.
The 259th Battalion consisted of two companies each from Ontario and Quebec, the latter mainly conscripts from Montreal and Quebec City. In fact, only 378 of its soldiers were volunteers, a situation that later generated a troubling incident. The 260th Battalion drew its personnel from across Canada - one company each from Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and British Columbia, with a fourth from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Canadian authorities selected Victoria, BC as the SEF's assembly point and established training camps at New Westminster and Coquitlam. Troops from across the country converged on Victoria's Willow Camp as the Spanish flu epidemic - transported from Europe by returning Canadian soldiers - swept across the country and was carried west by members of the 259th Battalion making their way to British Columbia. Seventy-five of its soldiers were hospitalized with the illness, prompting authorities to place SEF soldiers under quarantine and ban all public meetings in Victoria.
On October 3, 1918, an advanced party consisting of Headquarters, administrative, medical, logistics and food services staff assembled at Victoria. Also attached to the group was a detachment from the 260th Battalion selected for Base Guard duty. Two Guysborough County veterans were amongst the soldiers chosen for this assignment. Fellow Hazel Hill native James Edward Feltmate, age 25, the son of Abner and Agnes (Drover) Feltmate, accompanied Michael Fogarty as the advanced party prepared to depart for Siberia.
On October 11, 1918, the SEF advanced party, consisting of 62 officers and 618 other ranks (OR), boarded the SS Empress of Japan at Vancouver, BC and sailed for Vladivostok, Russia. Within twenty-four hours, the challenges of crossing the Pacific Ocean in autumn became apparent as the SEF Headquarters war diary reported: "Weather fine but quite rough, about 30 % of the troops are sea-sick." Calmer seas prevailed on October 14 and more men were "on deck" as officers organized sports and concerts to occupy their time.
The passage to Russia was not without tragedy. On October 22, 1918, Headquarters' war diary reported that Pte. Edward Biddle, Base Coy., died of pneumonia following a case of influenza. The first of the force's 14 casualties - all but one due to illness - Biddle was buried at sea later that day as the "weather became rough and a cold… [and a] heavy sea blew up in the afternoon." Similar conditions prevailed for several days before the October 24, 1918 war diary entry mercifully reported: "Land in sight on our starboard off and on all morning. Passed through the Straits of Hagodadi before midnight."
Two days later, two Russian torpedo boat destroyers met the Empress of Japan at 6 am and escorted the vessel into port at Vladivostok. A Czech Guard of Honor welcomed the Canadians as the SEF's other ranks (OR) occupied temporary quarters in sheds along the quay, while its officers remained on the vessel for their first night in Russia. The following day - October 27, 1918 - the "weather [was] fine but much colder" as the troops marched off to temporary billets. The Headquarters war diary lamented a significant lack in manpower for guard duty and work parties, in addition to insufficient storage space for supplies, as the officers set about preparing for the arrival of its remaining personnel.
On October 29, 1918, officers found a suitable location for Base Headquarters: "A building known as the Pushkinsky Theatre… consisting of a small theatre and several billiard and card rooms, has been found to be available for offices… and a guard has been placed over the building." The task of finding appropriate space for barracks proved more difficult as refugees fleeing the civil war filled many unoccupied buildings. Headquarters War Diary commented: "The best accommodation has been taken by the Japanese and Americans, making it necessary to arrange to billet Canadian troops outside of town."
Within several days, officers succeeded in securing accommodations for 2800 men and 400 horses, although the building's windows needed replacement and most of its metal fittings had been "stolen by Chinese". Work parties set about building stoves out of brick and constructing makeshift stovepipes out of corrugated iron sheets in preparation for the coming winter season. The war diary noted that "the supply of wood is short [and]… everything is very dear", due to shortages caused by the civil war.
On November 5, 1918, Private Michael Fogarty was placed on command to Force Headquarters as a "Base Guard". One month later, he was attached to Base Headquarters "for rations and quarters". While in Siberia, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and remained at Base HQ for all but the last nine days of his service.
A November 12, 1918 telegram from the War Office interrupted preparations for the SEF's impending arrival: "News received that Germany has accepted the terms of the Armistice and that hostilities on the Western Front ceased." Three days later, a group of Canadians participated in a celebration described in the Headquarters War Diary:
"All the Allies in Vladivostok took part in a parade through the streets. commencing at 11 AM, and a march past the Allied Commander in Chief…. The parade consisted of troops from the British, French, Italian, American, Czecho, Roumanian, Serbian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese Armies."
While the Armistice was welcome news, it raised significant questions regarding the Siberian expedition's future. The British government believed that the mission should continue as planned, but the Canadian government, sensitive to public opinion that all Canadian soldiers should return home, contemplated evacuating the advanced party. Rivalries among White Russian Generals for control of the region further complicated the situation. By month's end, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, former Commander of the Czar's Black Sea Fleet, seized control of the Siberian capital of Omsk and declared himself "Supreme Ruler of All Russia". The coup's implications for the SEF's mission were unclear.
In the interim, as there was little likelihood of Allied forces engaging in offensive action, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden decided that the SEF mission should continue at least until the spring of 1919 and therefore its remaining personnel would proceed to Vladivostok as planned. SEF Headquarters was informed, however, that Canadian troops were not to move inland nor participate in military operations without the express approval of the Canadian government.
The SEF's first British troops - 32 officers and 924 OR of the 1st 9th Hampshire Regiment - arrived from India aboard SS Dunera on November 26, 1918. Two days later, the War Office notified Headquarters that "for the present no British or Canadian troops are to go west of the Urals." A second vessel, the SS Monteagle, arrived at Vladivostok on December 5, 1918 with the first group of Canadian troops - 30 officers, 395 OR and 287 horses, in addition to three Canadian Red Cross officers and one matron.
Three days later, Canadian Brigadier-General J. H. Elmsley, SEF Commander, authorized the transfer of Lt.-Colonel T. S. Morrissey, eight officers and 47 OR to Omsk. Their task was to provide administrative services for British troops that followed them to the Siberian capital later in the month. The Omsk mission proved to be Canadian soldiers' furthest inland advance during the Siberian mission.
The departure of the second group of SEF soldiers from Canada was marred by controversy. On December 21, 1918, a small group of the 259th Battalion's French Canadian conscripts refused to leave their barracks, when ordered to do so. Officers instructed their comrades to remove their belts and whip the mutineers into order. Soldiers then fixed their bayonets and marched the defiant individuals through the streets of Vancouver at knifepoint and onto the waiting transport ship. The following day, the SS Teesta departed for Siberia.
SEF Headquarters' War Diary recorded the mission's second casualty on December 30, 1918, when Pte. William J. Henderson (attestation 2772673) died of spinal meningitis. Two days later, the New Year arrived with ferocity, as described in the day's diary entry:
"Very stormy and cold. Blizzard blowing from early morning hours till about 5 P.M. when wind slowly quieted down. Fairly calm towards midnight."
The diary also reported "several cases of frost-bite" amongst a group of soldiers sent to unload a recently arrived supply vessel.
On January 12, 1919, SS Teesta arrived in Vladivostok with 22 officers and 564 OR of the 259th Canadian Rifles, 11 officers and 183 OR of the 20th Canadian Machine Gun Company, and a small group of support personnel. Officers aboard the vessel reported that Rifleman Harold Leo Butler (attestation 2768761) of the 259th Battalion "died en route and was buried at sea", thus becoming the mission's third reported casualty.
Three days later, the SEF's remaining Canadian personnel arrived aboard SS Protesilaus - 15 officers and 474 OR of the 259th Canadian Rifles, 39 officers and 981 OR of the 260th Battalion, and the mission's remaining administrative staff. Once again, a soldier - Rifleman F. J. Kay (attestation 3139773) of the 259th Battalion - was reported to have died at sea.
By month's end, SEF Headquarters received notice that the Imperial War Cabinet had decided to continue the Siberian mission a least until the Allied governments meeting at the Paris Peace Conference agreed upon a course of action with regard to Russia. In the meantime, the vast majority of SEF personnel remained at Vladivostok, occupying their time with sentry duty and administrative tasks. Quartered in barracks at Second River and Gornstai Bay, off-duty soldiers spent their spare hours playing hockey, soccer and basketball leagues, producing two brigade newspapers, and watching movies in a makeshift theatre. Occasionally, small groups of soldiers received one-day's leave to Vladivostok, where they frequented the Chinese bazaar and Russian baths.
On February 1, 1919, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden informed SEF Headquarters that Allied leaders had agreed to the early withdrawal of Canadian troops from Siberia. In the meantime, SEF Headquarters reported increasing Bolshevik activity in the area and two more Canadian soldiers died of pneumonia by month's end. On March 1, 1919, Prime Minister Borden formally informed Headquarters that "arrangements will be made for the return from Siberia of the Canadian troops early in April."
March proved to be the SEF's worst month for casualties, as seven soldiers succumbed to illness - four cases of pneumonia, one each of perio-carditis and spinal meningitis, and one with no recorded cause - while an eighth soldier, Lieutenant A. H. Thring, was accidentally killed. The war diary recorded the expedition's final casualty from toxaemia on April 5, 1919. In the meantime, the war diary reported fears of an impending Bolshevik uprising in Vladivostok. Increasing tensions between the troops and civilian population prompted officers to order soldiers to carry arms with them at all times.
The mission's only opportunity for military action occurred on April 12, 1919, when Bolsheviks surrounded the village of Shkotova, north of Vladivostok, jeopardizing the city's coal supply. Brigadier-General Elmsley immediately dispatched a company from the 259th Battalion to the area. Upon arriving one week later, the soldiers discovered that the Bolsheviks had withdrawn, and the company returned to Vladivostok on April 21, 1919.
That same day, the SS Monteagle departed Vladivostok for Vancouver, with 1080 Canadian soldiers on board. The evacuation commenced as Bolshevik supporters laid siege to the city, threatened the lives of Allied and White Russian officers, and vandalized vehicles and supplies. On May 9, 1919, Private Michael Fogarty left Siberia on the SS Empress of Japan, the same vessel that had carried him to Russia six months previously. The last major detachment of Canadians - 1491 all ranks - boarded the SS Empress of Russia on May 19, 1919 and sailed for home.
On June 1, 1919, Brigadier-General Elmsley and a small group of officers dedicated a monument to the SEF's fatalities at Marine Cemetery, located on a hillside overlooking the Churkin peninsula. Four days later, the last Canadian SEF members boarded the SS Monteagle and sailed for Victoria.
The remaining British forces departed from Siberia by summer's end, followed by American forces in autumn 1919. The final members of the ill-fated Siberian mission left Russian soil in March 1920. Seven months after the last Canadian soldiers left Vladivostok, Bolshevik forces seized control of the city. Hampered by the end of hostilities on the Western Front and further hindered by lack of consensus amongst participating Allied countries, the Siberian Expedition can only be described as a complete military failure.
On May 21, 1919, Michael Fogarty and his fellow passengers aboard the SS Empress of Japan arrived at Vancouver. Michael made his way by train to Halifax, where he was officially discharged from the 260th Battalion on May 29, 1919. Three days later, he was transferred to Headquarters Staff, where he served in an unspecified capacity throughout the summer months. On October 31, 1919, Corporal Michael Fogarty was officially discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Michael briefly returned to his wife and children, who were living at French River, Prince Edward Island. A family disagreement prompted him to return to Halifax, where he enlisted with the Permanent Force of Canada as a "Special Guard" with the Canadian Military Police Corps (CMPC) on November 15, 1919. The following day, Michael was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal, based on his previous military experience. While working in Halifax, he assigned $ 6 of his monthly salary to his wife, Belle.
Throughout the winter of 1919-20, Michael served with the CMPC at Halifax, where its members were responsible for maintaining order and discipline amongst armed forces personnel stationed in the city. Throughout 1920, the CMPC slowly reduced its operations as the vast majority of military personnel returned to civilian life and municipal police forces assumed its duties. As a result, Lance Corporal Michael Fogarty was formally discharged from military service on March 4, 1920.
Sadly, Michael and Belle parted ways after his discharge. His younger brother, Ernest, had returned to Western Canada after being released from military service in May 1919. It appears that Michael joined him in Saskatchewan after leaving the CMPC, as the 1921 Canadian census identifies 35-year-old 'Michael Fogarty', a native of Nova Scotia, living as a boarder in the Maple Creek, Saskatchewan home of John J. Richardson.
Ernest eventually moved to Detroit, Michigan, but Michael spent the remainder of his years in Western Canada. On April 29, 1953, he died at age 68, from complications due to high blood pressure, at Drumheller, Alberta. Having resided in the community for six months, he was laid to rest in St. Anthony's Catholic Church Cemetery, Drumheller.
Sources:
Canadian Army Military Police, 1914-1920 - A Brief History. Canadian Military Police Museum. Available online.
Isitt, Benjamin. The Siberian Expedition. Legion Magazine, November 22, 2008. Available online.
Moffat, Ian C. D.. Forgotten Battlefields - Canadians in Siberia, 1918-1919. Canadian Military Journal, Autumn 2007. Available online.
Service file of Lance Corporal John Michael Fogarty, number 3181730. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 3165 - 24. Attestation papers available online.
War Diary of Siberian Expeditionary Force General Staff. RG9, Series III-D-3, Volumes 5056 & 5057, Reel T-10950, File: 959. Available online.
War Diary of Siberian Expeditionary Force Headquarters. RG9, Militia & Defence, Series III-D-3, Volume 5056, Reel T-10950, File: 957. Available online.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group's website contains links to Siberian Expeditionary Force war diaries that are available online.
A special thank you to Michael's grand-daughters, Patsy (Donnelly) Weeden, Lower Sackville, NS, Ann (Donnelly) and her husband, David Collier, Lakeside, Halifax County, who provided valuable information and family pictures for this post.
Place of Birth: Hazel Hill, Guysborough County
Mother's Name: Catherine 'Kate' Horne
Father's Name: John Fogarty
Date of Enlistment: April 16, 1918 at Halifax, NS (attestation with Canadian Expeditionary Force);
November 15, 1919 at Halifax, NS (attestation with Permanent Force of Canada)
Regimental Numbers: 3181730 (first attestation); 2779985 (second attestation)
Rank: Lance Corporal
Forces: Canadian and Siberian Expeditionary Forces; Permanent Force of Canada
Units: 1st Depot Battalion Nova Scotia Regiment; 260th Infantry Battalion; Canadian Military Police Corps (CMPC)
Location of service: Canada and Siberia
Occupation at Enlistment: Fisherman
Marital Status at Enlistment: Married
Next of Kin: Isabelle 'Belle' Fogarty, Hazel Hill, Guysborough County (wife)
* Michael's birth date is taken from 1901 census records. The 1891 census states that Michael was 5 years old at that time. The 1911 census gives his birthdate as January 1885. His 1918 attestation papers record Michael's year of birth as 1885, while his 1919 enlistment papers list his year of birth as 1886.
*****
John Michael Fogarty was the oldest son and second of nine children born to John and Kate (Horne) Fogarty of Hazel Hill, Guysborough County. In 1909, Michael married Isabelle 'Belle' Jollimore of French River, PEI. Their first child, James, was born there in October 1910. Sometime after 1911, the couple returned to Hazel Hill, where Michael worked in the local fishery and three more children - daughters Laura, Mary and Hattie - joined the family.
After the outbreak of war in Europe, two of Michael's younger brothers enlisted for service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. James Alexander 'Jim' joined the 25th Battalion at Halifax on February 11, 1915, serving with distinction in Belgium and France and rising to the rank of Sergeant before a serious combat wound in January 1918 ended his military career. Ernest Vincent enlisted with the Divisional Cycle Platoon at Regina, Saskatchewan on November 25, 1916, but was later transferred to the 28th Battalion. Twice wounded in France, he returned to the front each time, serving overseas until his unit returned to Canada in May 1919.
Like so many of his generation, Michael was eventually drawn to military service. While his family circumstances made such a choice difficult, the example set by his younger brothers may have prompted him to do so. Whatever his motivation, on November 27, 1917, Michael enlisted with the 94th Regiment, a northern Nova Scotia militia unit based at Pictou. Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Europe, the 94th was instructed to secure the Commercial Cable Company's strategically important Hazel Hill telegraph facilities. Its presence in the local community may explain Michael's decision to join the unit.
On February 24, 1918, Michael was officially transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion, Nova Scotia Regiment, where he trained alongside much younger men who had been conscripted under the Military Service Act (MSA). Michael officially enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on April 16, 1918. While military officials used the standard conscription form for his attestation, the line reserved for his MSA number states "not applicable", indicating that he was not drafted into service.
While Michael may have anticipated following his younger siblings to the Western Front, his military career took a dramatically different direction. Perhaps due to his age, he remained in Canada for six months as many of his younger Depot Battalion comrades were shipped out to England. As summer gave way to autumn, Michael was assigned to the 260th Battalion, one of two units designated for service with the Siberian Expeditionary Force (SEF). He travelled by train to British Columbia, where SEF personnel prepared for deployment at several training camps near Vancouver and Victoria.
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| Michael and Belle's oldest daughter Laura with her husband, Bob Roberts. |
*****
The year 1917 was one of "crisis and pessimism" for the Allies fighting the German forces on the Western Front (France and Belgium). In March 1917, a revolution overthrew Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and established an ineffective Provisional Government that accelerated the disintegration of the Russian Army on the Eastern Front. Despite the Canadian Corps' successful capture of Vimy Ridge (April 1917) and Passchendaele (November 1917), Allied offensives on the Western and Italian Fronts failed to break the stalemate with Germany or Austria-Hungary in either sector.
The collapse of a Russian offensive on the Eastern front resulted in a second uprising in which the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the fragile Provisional Government in November 1917. Fierce opponents of the war, Lenin's socialist government negotiated a peace treaty with Germany, ending fighting on the Eastern Front in March 1918. As a result, Germany was able to transport the bulk of its Eastern Front troops to France and Belgium, where it launched a massive Spring Offensive in an effort to win the war on the Western Front.
In the meantime, Russia was plunged into civil war as groups opposed to the Bolsheviks refused to accept its socialist government. Its most prominent foes were the Cossacks of the Don River region and a number of White Russian Generals, spread from northern Russia to Vladivostok, who remained loyal to the Provisional Government.
As early as December 1917, the Allied Supreme War Council pledged its support for Russian forces committed to continuing the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. As Russia disintegrated into civil war in early 1918, Allied governments saw an opportunity to re-establish a two-front conflict by supporting forces opposed to the Bolshevik government. They were also concerned that large stockpiles of Allied war materials stored at Murmansk, Archangel and Vladivostok might fall into Bolshevik hands.
In response to these concerns, Japanese and British naval cruisers sailed into Vladivostok's Golden Bay in January 1918, while the "Czecho-Slovak Legion", a military force loyal to the Allied cause, seized control of the strategically important Trans-Siberian Railroad from the Ural Mountains to Vladivostok. Small parties of Allied forces also landed at Murmansk and Archangel and guarded supply depots in both locations.
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| Archangel and Murmansk, Russia. |
By August 1918, Allied governments agreed to dispatch troops to Murmansk, Archangel, the Caspian Sea and Vladivostok, in an effort to topple Russia's Bolshevik government. When Great Britain formally asked Canada for a contribution, the Canadian government approved the formation of the Siberian Expeditionary Force (SEF) on August 12, 1918. The proposed contingent consisted of more than 4000 personnel and included the 259th and 260th Infantry Battalions, the 20th Canadian Machine Gun Company and a mounted squadron of Royal North West Mounted Police, in addition to support personnel.
The 259th Battalion consisted of two companies each from Ontario and Quebec, the latter mainly conscripts from Montreal and Quebec City. In fact, only 378 of its soldiers were volunteers, a situation that later generated a troubling incident. The 260th Battalion drew its personnel from across Canada - one company each from Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and British Columbia, with a fourth from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Canadian authorities selected Victoria, BC as the SEF's assembly point and established training camps at New Westminster and Coquitlam. Troops from across the country converged on Victoria's Willow Camp as the Spanish flu epidemic - transported from Europe by returning Canadian soldiers - swept across the country and was carried west by members of the 259th Battalion making their way to British Columbia. Seventy-five of its soldiers were hospitalized with the illness, prompting authorities to place SEF soldiers under quarantine and ban all public meetings in Victoria.
On October 3, 1918, an advanced party consisting of Headquarters, administrative, medical, logistics and food services staff assembled at Victoria. Also attached to the group was a detachment from the 260th Battalion selected for Base Guard duty. Two Guysborough County veterans were amongst the soldiers chosen for this assignment. Fellow Hazel Hill native James Edward Feltmate, age 25, the son of Abner and Agnes (Drover) Feltmate, accompanied Michael Fogarty as the advanced party prepared to depart for Siberia.
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| Map of key locations in Western Allies' Russian missions, 1918-19. |
*****
On October 11, 1918, the SEF advanced party, consisting of 62 officers and 618 other ranks (OR), boarded the SS Empress of Japan at Vancouver, BC and sailed for Vladivostok, Russia. Within twenty-four hours, the challenges of crossing the Pacific Ocean in autumn became apparent as the SEF Headquarters war diary reported: "Weather fine but quite rough, about 30 % of the troops are sea-sick." Calmer seas prevailed on October 14 and more men were "on deck" as officers organized sports and concerts to occupy their time.
The passage to Russia was not without tragedy. On October 22, 1918, Headquarters' war diary reported that Pte. Edward Biddle, Base Coy., died of pneumonia following a case of influenza. The first of the force's 14 casualties - all but one due to illness - Biddle was buried at sea later that day as the "weather became rough and a cold… [and a] heavy sea blew up in the afternoon." Similar conditions prevailed for several days before the October 24, 1918 war diary entry mercifully reported: "Land in sight on our starboard off and on all morning. Passed through the Straits of Hagodadi before midnight."
Two days later, two Russian torpedo boat destroyers met the Empress of Japan at 6 am and escorted the vessel into port at Vladivostok. A Czech Guard of Honor welcomed the Canadians as the SEF's other ranks (OR) occupied temporary quarters in sheds along the quay, while its officers remained on the vessel for their first night in Russia. The following day - October 27, 1918 - the "weather [was] fine but much colder" as the troops marched off to temporary billets. The Headquarters war diary lamented a significant lack in manpower for guard duty and work parties, in addition to insufficient storage space for supplies, as the officers set about preparing for the arrival of its remaining personnel.
On October 29, 1918, officers found a suitable location for Base Headquarters: "A building known as the Pushkinsky Theatre… consisting of a small theatre and several billiard and card rooms, has been found to be available for offices… and a guard has been placed over the building." The task of finding appropriate space for barracks proved more difficult as refugees fleeing the civil war filled many unoccupied buildings. Headquarters War Diary commented: "The best accommodation has been taken by the Japanese and Americans, making it necessary to arrange to billet Canadian troops outside of town."
Within several days, officers succeeded in securing accommodations for 2800 men and 400 horses, although the building's windows needed replacement and most of its metal fittings had been "stolen by Chinese". Work parties set about building stoves out of brick and constructing makeshift stovepipes out of corrugated iron sheets in preparation for the coming winter season. The war diary noted that "the supply of wood is short [and]… everything is very dear", due to shortages caused by the civil war.
On November 5, 1918, Private Michael Fogarty was placed on command to Force Headquarters as a "Base Guard". One month later, he was attached to Base Headquarters "for rations and quarters". While in Siberia, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and remained at Base HQ for all but the last nine days of his service.
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| Michael and Belle's second daughter, Mary Fogarty McCarthy. |
"All the Allies in Vladivostok took part in a parade through the streets. commencing at 11 AM, and a march past the Allied Commander in Chief…. The parade consisted of troops from the British, French, Italian, American, Czecho, Roumanian, Serbian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese Armies."
While the Armistice was welcome news, it raised significant questions regarding the Siberian expedition's future. The British government believed that the mission should continue as planned, but the Canadian government, sensitive to public opinion that all Canadian soldiers should return home, contemplated evacuating the advanced party. Rivalries among White Russian Generals for control of the region further complicated the situation. By month's end, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, former Commander of the Czar's Black Sea Fleet, seized control of the Siberian capital of Omsk and declared himself "Supreme Ruler of All Russia". The coup's implications for the SEF's mission were unclear.
In the interim, as there was little likelihood of Allied forces engaging in offensive action, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden decided that the SEF mission should continue at least until the spring of 1919 and therefore its remaining personnel would proceed to Vladivostok as planned. SEF Headquarters was informed, however, that Canadian troops were not to move inland nor participate in military operations without the express approval of the Canadian government.
The SEF's first British troops - 32 officers and 924 OR of the 1st 9th Hampshire Regiment - arrived from India aboard SS Dunera on November 26, 1918. Two days later, the War Office notified Headquarters that "for the present no British or Canadian troops are to go west of the Urals." A second vessel, the SS Monteagle, arrived at Vladivostok on December 5, 1918 with the first group of Canadian troops - 30 officers, 395 OR and 287 horses, in addition to three Canadian Red Cross officers and one matron.
Three days later, Canadian Brigadier-General J. H. Elmsley, SEF Commander, authorized the transfer of Lt.-Colonel T. S. Morrissey, eight officers and 47 OR to Omsk. Their task was to provide administrative services for British troops that followed them to the Siberian capital later in the month. The Omsk mission proved to be Canadian soldiers' furthest inland advance during the Siberian mission.
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| Michael and Belle's youngest daughter, Hattie Fogarty Donnelly. |
SEF Headquarters' War Diary recorded the mission's second casualty on December 30, 1918, when Pte. William J. Henderson (attestation 2772673) died of spinal meningitis. Two days later, the New Year arrived with ferocity, as described in the day's diary entry:
"Very stormy and cold. Blizzard blowing from early morning hours till about 5 P.M. when wind slowly quieted down. Fairly calm towards midnight."
The diary also reported "several cases of frost-bite" amongst a group of soldiers sent to unload a recently arrived supply vessel.
On January 12, 1919, SS Teesta arrived in Vladivostok with 22 officers and 564 OR of the 259th Canadian Rifles, 11 officers and 183 OR of the 20th Canadian Machine Gun Company, and a small group of support personnel. Officers aboard the vessel reported that Rifleman Harold Leo Butler (attestation 2768761) of the 259th Battalion "died en route and was buried at sea", thus becoming the mission's third reported casualty.
Three days later, the SEF's remaining Canadian personnel arrived aboard SS Protesilaus - 15 officers and 474 OR of the 259th Canadian Rifles, 39 officers and 981 OR of the 260th Battalion, and the mission's remaining administrative staff. Once again, a soldier - Rifleman F. J. Kay (attestation 3139773) of the 259th Battalion - was reported to have died at sea.
By month's end, SEF Headquarters received notice that the Imperial War Cabinet had decided to continue the Siberian mission a least until the Allied governments meeting at the Paris Peace Conference agreed upon a course of action with regard to Russia. In the meantime, the vast majority of SEF personnel remained at Vladivostok, occupying their time with sentry duty and administrative tasks. Quartered in barracks at Second River and Gornstai Bay, off-duty soldiers spent their spare hours playing hockey, soccer and basketball leagues, producing two brigade newspapers, and watching movies in a makeshift theatre. Occasionally, small groups of soldiers received one-day's leave to Vladivostok, where they frequented the Chinese bazaar and Russian baths.
On February 1, 1919, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden informed SEF Headquarters that Allied leaders had agreed to the early withdrawal of Canadian troops from Siberia. In the meantime, SEF Headquarters reported increasing Bolshevik activity in the area and two more Canadian soldiers died of pneumonia by month's end. On March 1, 1919, Prime Minister Borden formally informed Headquarters that "arrangements will be made for the return from Siberia of the Canadian troops early in April."
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| Map of Vladivostok area (Source: Moffat). |
March proved to be the SEF's worst month for casualties, as seven soldiers succumbed to illness - four cases of pneumonia, one each of perio-carditis and spinal meningitis, and one with no recorded cause - while an eighth soldier, Lieutenant A. H. Thring, was accidentally killed. The war diary recorded the expedition's final casualty from toxaemia on April 5, 1919. In the meantime, the war diary reported fears of an impending Bolshevik uprising in Vladivostok. Increasing tensions between the troops and civilian population prompted officers to order soldiers to carry arms with them at all times.
The mission's only opportunity for military action occurred on April 12, 1919, when Bolsheviks surrounded the village of Shkotova, north of Vladivostok, jeopardizing the city's coal supply. Brigadier-General Elmsley immediately dispatched a company from the 259th Battalion to the area. Upon arriving one week later, the soldiers discovered that the Bolsheviks had withdrawn, and the company returned to Vladivostok on April 21, 1919.
That same day, the SS Monteagle departed Vladivostok for Vancouver, with 1080 Canadian soldiers on board. The evacuation commenced as Bolshevik supporters laid siege to the city, threatened the lives of Allied and White Russian officers, and vandalized vehicles and supplies. On May 9, 1919, Private Michael Fogarty left Siberia on the SS Empress of Japan, the same vessel that had carried him to Russia six months previously. The last major detachment of Canadians - 1491 all ranks - boarded the SS Empress of Russia on May 19, 1919 and sailed for home.
On June 1, 1919, Brigadier-General Elmsley and a small group of officers dedicated a monument to the SEF's fatalities at Marine Cemetery, located on a hillside overlooking the Churkin peninsula. Four days later, the last Canadian SEF members boarded the SS Monteagle and sailed for Victoria.
The remaining British forces departed from Siberia by summer's end, followed by American forces in autumn 1919. The final members of the ill-fated Siberian mission left Russian soil in March 1920. Seven months after the last Canadian soldiers left Vladivostok, Bolshevik forces seized control of the city. Hampered by the end of hostilities on the Western Front and further hindered by lack of consensus amongst participating Allied countries, the Siberian Expedition can only be described as a complete military failure.
*****
On May 21, 1919, Michael Fogarty and his fellow passengers aboard the SS Empress of Japan arrived at Vancouver. Michael made his way by train to Halifax, where he was officially discharged from the 260th Battalion on May 29, 1919. Three days later, he was transferred to Headquarters Staff, where he served in an unspecified capacity throughout the summer months. On October 31, 1919, Corporal Michael Fogarty was officially discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
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| Michael and Belle's son, James Edward, served overseas during the Second World War. |
Throughout the winter of 1919-20, Michael served with the CMPC at Halifax, where its members were responsible for maintaining order and discipline amongst armed forces personnel stationed in the city. Throughout 1920, the CMPC slowly reduced its operations as the vast majority of military personnel returned to civilian life and municipal police forces assumed its duties. As a result, Lance Corporal Michael Fogarty was formally discharged from military service on March 4, 1920.
Sadly, Michael and Belle parted ways after his discharge. His younger brother, Ernest, had returned to Western Canada after being released from military service in May 1919. It appears that Michael joined him in Saskatchewan after leaving the CMPC, as the 1921 Canadian census identifies 35-year-old 'Michael Fogarty', a native of Nova Scotia, living as a boarder in the Maple Creek, Saskatchewan home of John J. Richardson.
Ernest eventually moved to Detroit, Michigan, but Michael spent the remainder of his years in Western Canada. On April 29, 1953, he died at age 68, from complications due to high blood pressure, at Drumheller, Alberta. Having resided in the community for six months, he was laid to rest in St. Anthony's Catholic Church Cemetery, Drumheller.
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| Michael Fogarty's headstone - Drumheller, Alberta. |
*****
Sources:
Canadian Army Military Police, 1914-1920 - A Brief History. Canadian Military Police Museum. Available online.
Isitt, Benjamin. The Siberian Expedition. Legion Magazine, November 22, 2008. Available online.
Moffat, Ian C. D.. Forgotten Battlefields - Canadians in Siberia, 1918-1919. Canadian Military Journal, Autumn 2007. Available online.
Service file of Lance Corporal John Michael Fogarty, number 3181730. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 3165 - 24. Attestation papers available online.
War Diary of Siberian Expeditionary Force General Staff. RG9, Series III-D-3, Volumes 5056 & 5057, Reel T-10950, File: 959. Available online.
War Diary of Siberian Expeditionary Force Headquarters. RG9, Militia & Defence, Series III-D-3, Volume 5056, Reel T-10950, File: 957. Available online.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group's website contains links to Siberian Expeditionary Force war diaries that are available online.
A special thank you to Michael's grand-daughters, Patsy (Donnelly) Weeden, Lower Sackville, NS, Ann (Donnelly) and her husband, David Collier, Lakeside, Halifax County, who provided valuable information and family pictures for this post.
Friday, 27 June 2014
Pte. Amos Cashin - A Forestry Corps Soldier's Story
Date of Birth: January 16, 1898
Place of Birth: West Port Felix, Guysborough County
Mother's Name: Suzanne Meagher
Father's Name: William Cashin Jr.
Date of Enlistment: July 3, 1916 at Halifax, NS
Regimental Number: 1033073
Rank: Private
Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force
Units: 237th Battalion; 97th Battalion; No. 23 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps; Royal Canadian Regiment
Location of service: England, France & Belgium
Occupation at Enlistment: Fisherman
Marital Status at Enlistment: Single
Next of Kin: Mrs. Suzanne Cashin, West Port Felix, NS (mother)
Denis Amos Joseph Cashin was the fifth of six children - five boys and one girl - born to William and Suzanne Cashin of West Port Felix, Guysborough County. As was the custom in his small coastal community, Amos went to sea at an early age, working on inshore fishing vessels that made occasional visits to Halifax.
Within months of the Britain's August 4, 1914 declaration of war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, the provincial capital was abuzz with military activity. A key Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) port, Halifax also became a departing point for thousands of Canadian infantrymen headed to England. Sometime during the conflict's early months, Amos became part of the war effort when joined the crew of the RCN patrol ship 'Speedy', although he did not formally enlist with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve.
Throughout the winter of 1915-16, military recruitment reached a fever pitch across Nova Scotia as authorities organized and trained no fewer than five infantry battalions for overseas service. As the majority of RCN vessels operated out of Halifax, Amos and other young men from the Port Felix area were caught up in the excitement. On July 3, 1916, Amos and his older brother Dennis enlisted with the 237th Infantry Battalion at Halifax.
Two other Port Felix natives joined the same unit. Arthur Freeman Levangie attested with the 237th at Saint John, NB one week prior to the Cashin brothers, while Neil David enlisted at Halifax on August 1, 1916. While they served together for the next three months, the quartet parted ways shortly after they arrived in England. At war's end, only the Cashin brothers returned home to Port Felix.
The 237th Battalion was one of several "American Legion" units organized across Canada in early 1916, with the goal of attracting young Americans for overseas service. The battalion established its headquarters in Sussex, NB, but Amos's enlistment indicates that recruitment efforts extended into neighbouring provinces. Partly due to the controversy surrounding the recruitment of foreign nationals from a neutral country, military authorities dissolved most "American Legion" battalions before they departed for England. Shortly after the four Port Felix natives enlisted with the 237th, the unit was disbanded and its personnel absorbed by the 97th Battalion, an "American Legion" unit that managed to avoid a similar fate.
Initially organized in Toronto, the 97th Battalion had relocated to Camp Aldershot, NS for training in June 1916. Its proximity explains why the 237th recruits were transferred to the unit on September 15, 1916. Three days later, the Cashin brothers, Neil David and Arthur Levangie boarded the SS Olympic with their new unit for the journey to England. Upon disembarking at Liverpool on September 25, 1916, however, the 97th was plagued with problems. A number of its American enlistments deserted upon landing, and its Commanding Officer was accused of embezzlement, charges that were later disproved.
Seeking to avoid further controversy, British authorities dissolved the 97th Battalion on October 31, 1916 and transferred its personnel to existing units. The four Port Felix recruits accompanied a large group of the 97th's personnel to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR)/Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Depot at Seaford, England, where they awaited further orders.
Within hours of arriving at Seaford, the Port Felix lads' military paths began to diverge. On November 1, 1916, Neil David was transferred to the 7th Reserve Battalion, where he spent the winter awaiting an overseas assignment. On April 25, 1917, he was transferred to the PPCLI and served at the front with the veteran unit throughout the summer months. Neil was killed in action at Passchendaele on October 30/31, 1917. Arthur Levangie was also transferred to the PPCLI on December 13, 1916. He and Neil never reunited, however, as Arthur was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9/10, 1917.
Amos's brother Dennis became the third to depart Seaford when he was assigned to the 2nd Labour Battalion on January 15, 1917. Later re-designated the 12th Battalion Canadian Railway Troops, Dennis served with the unit behind the front lines throughout the war. The last to receive an active assignment, Amos was transferred to No. 23 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps, Smith's Lawn, Windsor Great Park, Surrey, England, on February 12, 1917.
On February 16, 1916, the British government formally asked Canada to provide a corps of men to cut and process timber in England. The following month, the Canadian government created the first of several units for "harvesting and processing timber resources overseas". By year's end, over 3000 Canadian lumbermen enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces' Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC). Eleven Companies were operating in Britain, while three units had crossed the English Channel for deployment in the forests of France.
Lumber was a basic necessity on the Western Front. CFC Companies produced beams and board lumber for dugout and trench construction, 'sleepers' for small, medium and regular gauge railways, telegraph poles, pickets (stakes similar to fence poles) for trench revetment, and scrap wood for fuel. Company personnel carried out the entire process - harvesting logs, transporting them to mills, manufacturing and shipping the finished products.
Amos's unit - No. 23 Company CFC - organized in England in February 1917 and was assigned to the Central Group, one of four CFC Districts established in France. Given the task of harvesting forests to the west of Paris - particularly the Normandy region - Central Group arrived in France in mid-December 1916, establishing its headquarters at Conches-en-Ouche. By the end of January 1917, four CFC Companies consisting of 40 officers, 700 'other ranks' (OR) and 133 horses were harvesting and milling lumber in the District.
On February 23, 1917, Private Amos Cashin crossed the English Channel to Havre, France with No. 23 Company CFC. Its personnel departed for the Central Group on March 2, 1917, arriving at Conches-en-Ouche the following day. By month's end, Amos and his comrades were harvesting and milling timber in the forests near Rouvray, approximately 40 kilometres northeast of District Headquarters.
The size and scope of Central Group's operations grew steadily throughout the first half of the year, consisting of 12 Companies with a total of 79 officers, 2118 OR and 551 horses by June 30, 1917. As a result, authorities created two separate Districts within the Central Group. No. 1 District, officially authorized on July 26, 1917, initially contained four Companies and assumed responsibility for forestry operations in the Alçenon area. No. 2 District, consisting of 92 officers, 2396 OR and 1029 horses, was created on October 1, 1917 and operated in the areas of Conches-en-Ouche and Rouvray. Amos's unit was part of the second, larger district's operations.
While CFC soldiers were not exposed to combat, their daily work was nevertheless demanding and hazardous. Personnel worked six days a week year-round, regardless of weather conditions. The District's war diaries recorded at least two fatalities during its first year of operation. On July 22, 1917, Private Arthur Martin (attestation number 904302), No. 38 Coy. CFC, was killed in a "lorry accident near Sées, France". Private Thomas Sheppard (attestation number 754884), No. 15 Coy. CFC, was killed at Lyre "while driving a logging truck. Two logs rolled off the truck[,] carrying Sheppard with them, one log landed on top of him, and crushed his skull."
While not as harsh as typical Canadian winters, the weather nevertheless turned "cold and clear" by year's end, with occasional snowfall during the months of December 1917 and January 1918. Central Group Headquarters' war diary reported a "general thaw and transport difficulties" on January 10, 1918, describing conditions three days later as "fine - sun brilliant - much milder." Other than a brief cold snap in early March 1918, the winter was considerably less challenging than what Amos and his comrades may have anticipated, based on their experiences at home.
As was the case in the war's first years, the arrival of spring brought a significant increase in combat. While CFC's Central Group operated at a considerable distance from the front lines, the launching of a major German 'Spring Offensive' in March 1918 soon impacted its operations. As German forces made initial gains in several sectors along the Western Front, Allied units hastily set about constructing a network of new trenches behind existing front lines as 'fall back' positions in the event of retreat. As a result, on March 25, 1918, Central Group received an urgent request for 300,000 pickets - a key component of trench revetment - for each of the next two weeks, with an additional 100,000 required for the third week.
Increased picket production was not the only impact on CFC Central Group's operations. On March 28, 1918, its Headquarters "received [a] telegraph with instructions… to get one Company ready to move on short notice with tools for making pickets, also tools for 200 men, extra tents, rations for 5 days, and [to] have all available pickets and shovels assembled with [the] Company." Commanders were requested to "advise by wire if [the] Company can be ready to move tomorrow by motor lorries, also have as many pickets and shovels [ready] as you can supply."
Central Group's officers selected Amos's unit for the assignment. No. 23 Company's officers received orders to "prepare to move at a minute's notice. They were to 'stand to' with tools for making pickets, also 50 shovels, 30 picks and 5 days' rations." No. 2 District also received orders for an additional three Companies to "prepare to move into [the] Army area [behind the front lines]" with the same equipment as No. 23 Company. All four units were ready to move by 3:00 pm March 28, 1918.
The following day, Amos and his comrades travelled to nearby Rouen, where they were "equipped with gas masks and steel helmets". No. 23 Company CFC departed for Lucheux, France on March 30, 1918, where its personnel immediately set to work, assisting labor and infantry units in frantically constructing new trenches. The fact that Central Group's officers simultaneously met "to discuss formation of two Battalions of Infantry from the Group" reflects the seriousness of the situation.
Amos's unit returned from Lucheux on April 7, 1918 and resumed its work at Rouvray. While
Central Group's officers commenced "musketry practice in each District" two days later and received instructions on April 12, 1918 "to start training 1200 men in this Group", the orders were rescinded the following day and personnel once again turned their focus to timber and lumber production. This was not the last time that events at the front impacted Amos's war experience.
Weather in the Central Group area became "very hot" by mid-May 1918. The German offensive continued to affect operations as Headquarters issued frequent "air alarms" in late May and early June, warning of potential bombing raids. Authorities issued similar warnings in late June and early July, but no attacks materialized. During this time, 60 men - 20 from each of three Companies - commenced an Infantry Training Course at Central Group Headquarters, a reminder that CFC personnel were not exempt from military service.
Central Group CFC celebrated Dominion Day with a July 1st sports competition at Conches-en-Ouche. No. 2 District's war diary commented: "All… companies in the District were represented and a party of American Doctors and Nurses from the American Hospital at Évreux were visitors." One week later, "trial mobilization of No. 2 Company of [the] proposed New [Infantry] Battalion took place", indicating that preparations for military service at the front continued.
A party of Canadian journalists visited No. 2 District's Conches forest operations in late July, while No. 23 Company relocated to Forêt du Bord by month's end. Headquarters Staff attended a commemoration service marking the fourth anniversary of the British declaration of war on August 4, 1918. Four days later, Allied forces launched a major offensive against German forces at Amiens, France.
In response, German aircraft once again conducted bombing raids behind Allied front lines. Authorities issued "air alarms" on several occasions throughout the month, while No. 2 District's war diary's August 13, 1918 entry described a raid in which "hostile aircraft dropped four bombs about three miles from 34 Company's operations at Beaumont-le-Roger." The following day, the diary reported:
"19 Company's operations in Dreux Forest was bombed by hostile aircraft at 11:45 pm. Seven bombs were dropped beside their Railroad. There were no casualties."
While the threat of aerial bombardment receded by month's end, another danger surfaced on August 17, when "fire broke out in [the] forest behind Conches on the Rouen Road." Personnel succeeded in dousing the blaze by 7:00 pm, although the "fire started again" the following day before it was permanently extinguished.
Central Group Headquarters' September 1, 1918 war diary entry reported August production statistics for each District, the first such data in its records. Amos's No. 2 District produced 15,173 tons of sawn lumber, 6162 tons of round lumber, and 10,191 tons of byproduct for a total in excess of 31,500 tons. During the same period, the District shipped 10,268 tons of sawn lumber, 1682 tons of round lumber and 487 tons of byproduct.
In mid-September 1918, Central Group's Commanding Officer inspected a 10-hectare pine forest near Bernay and concluded: "On account of the urgent demand for telegraph poles [I] consider that we should make application for this plot." Production totals for the month were somewhat lower at 28,991 tons, but shipments rose considerably, exceeding 25,000 tons.
By early October 1918, the Allied offensive commenced almost two months earlier was progressing favourably, although at considerable cost. A dramatic rise in casualties forced military authorities to identify all potential sources of reinforcements. On October 3, 1918, CFC Central Group Headquarters received orders to dispatch three officers, six non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 150 OR from each of its two districts to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Center (CCRC) at Aubin-Saint-Vaast, near Hesdin, France.
The NCOs and men were "to be selected from those who have the most Infantry training, and who are Category 'A'. " The NCOs would remain with the men at the CCRC, while the officers were to return to their CFC duties. "Other Ranks [are] to be fully equipped, less rifles and ammunition."
Upon receiving instructions, No. 2 District officers brought "190 men… into HQ the same day and prepared [them for military service]." Private Amos Cashin was amongst the individuals chosen for service at the front. His selection is not surprising, considering his age and time spent training with the 237th and 97th Infantry Battalions. No. 2 District's war diary described the last-minute routine as the group prepared to depart for Aubin-Saint-Vaast:
"The morning was taken up with kit inspection and Medical inspection. Only 133 men were fit for the line. The draft paraded at 11:30 am. The OC [Officer Commanding] addressed the men and… thanked them for their good work with the Forestry Corps and assured them that he knew they would give just as good account of themselves in the line. They proceeded by lorry to Rouen."
On October 4, 1918, three officers, six NCOs and 150 OR departed No. 1 District CFC Central Group at Alçenon for CCRC Aubin-Saint-Vaast at 6:00 pm. Thirty minutes earlier, three officers, six NCOs and 133 OR from No. 2 District left Conches-en-Ouche for the same destination. The day after arriving at CCRC with the latter group, Private Amos Cashin was transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment. Amos was about to commence the final - and most perilous - period of his military experience.
Initially formed on December 21, 1883 as part of the newly created Canadian Permanent Force, the Royal Canadian Regiment was originally called the "Infantry School Corps". As its name suggests, its primary role was to train officers and non-commissioned officers who in turn acted as instructors at Militia Camps across Canada.
In 1892, the regiment changed its title to "Canadian Regiment Infantry". The following year, Queen Victoria officially approved its formation, thus permitting the addition of "Royal" to its name. At the same time, the "Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry" officially adopted Victoria's cypher - VRI - and Crown as its insignia. After the withdrawal of Imperial troops from Canada in 1902, the unit shortened its name to "Royal Canadian Regiment" (RCR) and its Companies, previously stationed in several locations across the country, all relocated to Halifax.
The only group of "regular troops" available in Canada when Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary on August 4, 1914, the RCR was sent to Bermuda, where it relieved the British garrison and remained on duty for eleven months. In August 1915, the RCR proceeded to France by way of England, landing at Boulogne on October 31, 1915 and moving into the front lines at Messines, Belgium with the 1st Canadian Division shortly after its arrival on the continent.
In early 1916, the RCR was assigned to the newly formed 3rd Canadian Division's 7th Brigade, where it fought alongside the PPCLI, 42nd (Royal Highlanders of Canada - Montreal, also known as the "Black Watch") and 49th (Edmonton Regiment) Battalions for the duration of the war. The RCR served on rotation in the Belgian sector near Ypres until September 1916, when it followed the Canadian Corps southward into France and participated in attacks at Courcelette (September 1916) and Regina Trench (October 1916).
Having sustained significant losses in the two engagements, the RCR moved north to Neuville-Saint Vaast, France, where it reorganized and served on rotation throughout the winter of 1916-17. The following spring and summer, the RCR fought with the Canadian Corps at Vimy Ridge (April 1917), Avion (June 1917) and Hill 70 (July 1917) before relocating to Belgium for the Corps' successful attack on the village of Passchendaele (October/November 1917).
Returning to France for the winter of 1917-18, the RCR played a significant role in the Allied forces' late summer offensive, seeing action at Amiens (August 1918), Monchy (August 1918) and Cambrai (September 1918). The battalion endured significant losses in the last engagement, where 3 officers and 310 OR were killed in action, 16 officers and 185 OR wounded, and 53 OR missing.
Badly in need of reorganization, the RCR retired to a rest camp near Queant, France on October 1, 1918. Twelve days later, a party of "51 OR reinforcements from CCRC" - a group that included Private Amos Cashin - arrived in camp. The new recruits trained with the battalion for ten days before moving to the "forward area" near Cantaing-sur-Escaut, southwest of Cambrai, on October 27, 1918.
For the next ten days, personnel continued training while providing work parties for local road construction. On November 6, 1918, the RCR marched in heavy rain through the recently liberated village of Valenciennes, where the "canal bridge had been blown up by the enemy in retreat, [along with] practically every cross-road and bridge along the way." The following day, with German forces in retreat, the PPCLI - one of its 'sister' 7th Brigade battalions - advanced rapidly toward the city of Mons, Belgium, the RCR following in close support.
The location of the British Expeditionary Force's first major action in August 1914, Allied commanders considered the liberation of Mons a significant objective. On November 9, the PPCLI reached Jemappes, on the city's western outskirts, and received orders to attack the following day. The RCR was part of the action as the battle unfolded in the early hours of November 10, 1918. Its war diary provided a description of its role:
"The morning was misty and no trouble was experienced until the mist cleared, when we found that the high ground north of Ohlin, the railway banks and canals north of Mons and the bridge crossing into Mons on the Mons-Ohlin road were heavily manned by machine guns."
Officers called in artillery fire on key German positions as action by several RCR Companies prevented the destruction of railway tracks and bridges across the city's canal. The following day - November 11, 1918 - 'A' Company of the 16th Battalion 'Canadian Scottish' accompanied the 42nd Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada into Mons from the south, connecting with Allied forces from the north in the early morning hours.
At 9:00 am, RCR officers received news of the ceasefire to be implemented two hours later. The battalion's war diary entry acknowledged the location's historical significance:
"Thus for us the war ended in almost exactly the same ground that the British Army had made their first stand in 1914. Our men were in Mons. One platoon of 'A' Company… had been the first to reach the square in the morning and the platoon commander had inscribed his name in the 'Golden Book of Mons'."
The following day, Amos and his comrades moved into billets within the city. In the ensuing days, personnel participated in thanksgiving parades and church services while awaiting further orders. On November 27, 1918, the RCR provided 76 OR "to line the streets" as King Albert I of Belgium visited the newly liberated city. Meanwhile, the men took part in recreational football matches, training competitions, route marches and classes on returning to civilian life.
On December 11, 1918, the RCR relocated to Bourgeois, where training and recreational activities continued. Over the next several weeks, small groups of OR received several days' leave to nearby Brussels. The men celebrated Christmas 1918 with an open air church service and dinner at Bourgeois before relocating to Estaimbourg at month's end. Sometime during his stay in Belgium, Amos assisted a Roman Catholic priest in the re-interment of Canadian soldiers buried in makeshift cemeteries on the battlefields where they had fallen.
At 9:45 am February 1, 1919, RCR personnel clambered aboard German box cars for the journey to Havre, France. Upon arriving in the early morning hours of February 3, the men made their way to the Canadian Embarkation Camp. Three days later, the unit boarded the SS Mons Queen for the voyage to England. The war diary described the poignant event:
"As the Battalion reached the boat the Band played 'Tiperrary' and when everybody was on board and the boat ready to leave the bugler blew the last post as a tribute to the men who were left behind on the battlefields."
Upon landing at Weymouth, England at 11:30 am February 7, 1919, the RCR marched to a nearby rest camp. The following day, personnel travelled by train to Bramshott, where all ranks underwent dental and medical examinations and completed the required discharge documents. Personnel then received eight days' leave, a final opportunity to take in the sights before leaving England.
The RCR departed for Canada on March 1, 1919. Upon landing in Halifax eight days later, the men spent several days in camp awaiting the much-anticipated end of their military careers. On March 15, 1919, Private Amos Cashin was formally discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He later received the British War and Victory Medals in recognition of his overseas service.
Upon returning to civilian life, Amos remained in Halifax, where he found employment as an "oil worker" at a local refinery. Like many returning soldiers, he was eager to settle down and start a family. On July 2, 1919, Amos married Beatrice Smith, a native of Port Felix whose family had relocated to Halifax.
The newlyweds eventually returned to their home community, where they raised a family of five boys and three girls while Amos earned a living in the inshore fishery. One of their sons, Ernest, served overseas with the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
Amos was an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion and proudly participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies well into his later years. Amos Cashin passed away on December 30, 1985 and was laid to rest in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Port Felix.
Sources:
Hyatt, Glenn E.. 97th Battalion, The Lost Legion - American Volunteers for the CEF. Over There: The Illustrated Journal of the First World War, Autumn 1996. Available online.
Service file of Amos Cashin, number 1033073. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 1563 - 18.
War Diary of Central Group Headquarters, Canadian Forestry Corps. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Militia & Defence, Series III-D-3, Volume 5016, Reel T-10867-10868, File: 751. Available online.
War Diary of No. 2 District Headquarters, Canadian Forestry Corps. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Series III-D-3, Volume 5017, Reel T-10868, File: 755. Available online.
War Diary of the Royal Canadian Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Series III-D-3, Volume 4911, Reel T-10703, File: 345. Available online.
A special thank you to Amos's grandson Gary Cashin and great-niece Cynthia Creamer, who provided photographs and information on Amos's family and post-war life.
Place of Birth: West Port Felix, Guysborough County
Mother's Name: Suzanne Meagher
Father's Name: William Cashin Jr.
Date of Enlistment: July 3, 1916 at Halifax, NS
Regimental Number: 1033073
Rank: Private
Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force
Units: 237th Battalion; 97th Battalion; No. 23 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps; Royal Canadian Regiment
Location of service: England, France & Belgium
Occupation at Enlistment: Fisherman
Marital Status at Enlistment: Single
Next of Kin: Mrs. Suzanne Cashin, West Port Felix, NS (mother)
*****
Denis Amos Joseph Cashin was the fifth of six children - five boys and one girl - born to William and Suzanne Cashin of West Port Felix, Guysborough County. As was the custom in his small coastal community, Amos went to sea at an early age, working on inshore fishing vessels that made occasional visits to Halifax.
Within months of the Britain's August 4, 1914 declaration of war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, the provincial capital was abuzz with military activity. A key Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) port, Halifax also became a departing point for thousands of Canadian infantrymen headed to England. Sometime during the conflict's early months, Amos became part of the war effort when joined the crew of the RCN patrol ship 'Speedy', although he did not formally enlist with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve.
Throughout the winter of 1915-16, military recruitment reached a fever pitch across Nova Scotia as authorities organized and trained no fewer than five infantry battalions for overseas service. As the majority of RCN vessels operated out of Halifax, Amos and other young men from the Port Felix area were caught up in the excitement. On July 3, 1916, Amos and his older brother Dennis enlisted with the 237th Infantry Battalion at Halifax.
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| Pte. Amos Cashin (left) and Pte. Arthur Freeman Levangie. |
*****
The 237th Battalion was one of several "American Legion" units organized across Canada in early 1916, with the goal of attracting young Americans for overseas service. The battalion established its headquarters in Sussex, NB, but Amos's enlistment indicates that recruitment efforts extended into neighbouring provinces. Partly due to the controversy surrounding the recruitment of foreign nationals from a neutral country, military authorities dissolved most "American Legion" battalions before they departed for England. Shortly after the four Port Felix natives enlisted with the 237th, the unit was disbanded and its personnel absorbed by the 97th Battalion, an "American Legion" unit that managed to avoid a similar fate.
Initially organized in Toronto, the 97th Battalion had relocated to Camp Aldershot, NS for training in June 1916. Its proximity explains why the 237th recruits were transferred to the unit on September 15, 1916. Three days later, the Cashin brothers, Neil David and Arthur Levangie boarded the SS Olympic with their new unit for the journey to England. Upon disembarking at Liverpool on September 25, 1916, however, the 97th was plagued with problems. A number of its American enlistments deserted upon landing, and its Commanding Officer was accused of embezzlement, charges that were later disproved.
Seeking to avoid further controversy, British authorities dissolved the 97th Battalion on October 31, 1916 and transferred its personnel to existing units. The four Port Felix recruits accompanied a large group of the 97th's personnel to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR)/Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Depot at Seaford, England, where they awaited further orders.
Within hours of arriving at Seaford, the Port Felix lads' military paths began to diverge. On November 1, 1916, Neil David was transferred to the 7th Reserve Battalion, where he spent the winter awaiting an overseas assignment. On April 25, 1917, he was transferred to the PPCLI and served at the front with the veteran unit throughout the summer months. Neil was killed in action at Passchendaele on October 30/31, 1917. Arthur Levangie was also transferred to the PPCLI on December 13, 1916. He and Neil never reunited, however, as Arthur was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9/10, 1917.
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| Amos's brother, Pte. Dennis Cashin. |
*****
On February 16, 1916, the British government formally asked Canada to provide a corps of men to cut and process timber in England. The following month, the Canadian government created the first of several units for "harvesting and processing timber resources overseas". By year's end, over 3000 Canadian lumbermen enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces' Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC). Eleven Companies were operating in Britain, while three units had crossed the English Channel for deployment in the forests of France.
Lumber was a basic necessity on the Western Front. CFC Companies produced beams and board lumber for dugout and trench construction, 'sleepers' for small, medium and regular gauge railways, telegraph poles, pickets (stakes similar to fence poles) for trench revetment, and scrap wood for fuel. Company personnel carried out the entire process - harvesting logs, transporting them to mills, manufacturing and shipping the finished products.
Amos's unit - No. 23 Company CFC - organized in England in February 1917 and was assigned to the Central Group, one of four CFC Districts established in France. Given the task of harvesting forests to the west of Paris - particularly the Normandy region - Central Group arrived in France in mid-December 1916, establishing its headquarters at Conches-en-Ouche. By the end of January 1917, four CFC Companies consisting of 40 officers, 700 'other ranks' (OR) and 133 horses were harvesting and milling lumber in the District.
On February 23, 1917, Private Amos Cashin crossed the English Channel to Havre, France with No. 23 Company CFC. Its personnel departed for the Central Group on March 2, 1917, arriving at Conches-en-Ouche the following day. By month's end, Amos and his comrades were harvesting and milling timber in the forests near Rouvray, approximately 40 kilometres northeast of District Headquarters.
The size and scope of Central Group's operations grew steadily throughout the first half of the year, consisting of 12 Companies with a total of 79 officers, 2118 OR and 551 horses by June 30, 1917. As a result, authorities created two separate Districts within the Central Group. No. 1 District, officially authorized on July 26, 1917, initially contained four Companies and assumed responsibility for forestry operations in the Alçenon area. No. 2 District, consisting of 92 officers, 2396 OR and 1029 horses, was created on October 1, 1917 and operated in the areas of Conches-en-Ouche and Rouvray. Amos's unit was part of the second, larger district's operations.
While CFC soldiers were not exposed to combat, their daily work was nevertheless demanding and hazardous. Personnel worked six days a week year-round, regardless of weather conditions. The District's war diaries recorded at least two fatalities during its first year of operation. On July 22, 1917, Private Arthur Martin (attestation number 904302), No. 38 Coy. CFC, was killed in a "lorry accident near Sées, France". Private Thomas Sheppard (attestation number 754884), No. 15 Coy. CFC, was killed at Lyre "while driving a logging truck. Two logs rolled off the truck[,] carrying Sheppard with them, one log landed on top of him, and crushed his skull."
While not as harsh as typical Canadian winters, the weather nevertheless turned "cold and clear" by year's end, with occasional snowfall during the months of December 1917 and January 1918. Central Group Headquarters' war diary reported a "general thaw and transport difficulties" on January 10, 1918, describing conditions three days later as "fine - sun brilliant - much milder." Other than a brief cold snap in early March 1918, the winter was considerably less challenging than what Amos and his comrades may have anticipated, based on their experiences at home.
As was the case in the war's first years, the arrival of spring brought a significant increase in combat. While CFC's Central Group operated at a considerable distance from the front lines, the launching of a major German 'Spring Offensive' in March 1918 soon impacted its operations. As German forces made initial gains in several sectors along the Western Front, Allied units hastily set about constructing a network of new trenches behind existing front lines as 'fall back' positions in the event of retreat. As a result, on March 25, 1918, Central Group received an urgent request for 300,000 pickets - a key component of trench revetment - for each of the next two weeks, with an additional 100,000 required for the third week.
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| Typical trench revetment using pickets and boards. |
Central Group's officers selected Amos's unit for the assignment. No. 23 Company's officers received orders to "prepare to move at a minute's notice. They were to 'stand to' with tools for making pickets, also 50 shovels, 30 picks and 5 days' rations." No. 2 District also received orders for an additional three Companies to "prepare to move into [the] Army area [behind the front lines]" with the same equipment as No. 23 Company. All four units were ready to move by 3:00 pm March 28, 1918.
The following day, Amos and his comrades travelled to nearby Rouen, where they were "equipped with gas masks and steel helmets". No. 23 Company CFC departed for Lucheux, France on March 30, 1918, where its personnel immediately set to work, assisting labor and infantry units in frantically constructing new trenches. The fact that Central Group's officers simultaneously met "to discuss formation of two Battalions of Infantry from the Group" reflects the seriousness of the situation.
Amos's unit returned from Lucheux on April 7, 1918 and resumed its work at Rouvray. While
Central Group's officers commenced "musketry practice in each District" two days later and received instructions on April 12, 1918 "to start training 1200 men in this Group", the orders were rescinded the following day and personnel once again turned their focus to timber and lumber production. This was not the last time that events at the front impacted Amos's war experience.
Weather in the Central Group area became "very hot" by mid-May 1918. The German offensive continued to affect operations as Headquarters issued frequent "air alarms" in late May and early June, warning of potential bombing raids. Authorities issued similar warnings in late June and early July, but no attacks materialized. During this time, 60 men - 20 from each of three Companies - commenced an Infantry Training Course at Central Group Headquarters, a reminder that CFC personnel were not exempt from military service.
Central Group CFC celebrated Dominion Day with a July 1st sports competition at Conches-en-Ouche. No. 2 District's war diary commented: "All… companies in the District were represented and a party of American Doctors and Nurses from the American Hospital at Évreux were visitors." One week later, "trial mobilization of No. 2 Company of [the] proposed New [Infantry] Battalion took place", indicating that preparations for military service at the front continued.
A party of Canadian journalists visited No. 2 District's Conches forest operations in late July, while No. 23 Company relocated to Forêt du Bord by month's end. Headquarters Staff attended a commemoration service marking the fourth anniversary of the British declaration of war on August 4, 1918. Four days later, Allied forces launched a major offensive against German forces at Amiens, France.
In response, German aircraft once again conducted bombing raids behind Allied front lines. Authorities issued "air alarms" on several occasions throughout the month, while No. 2 District's war diary's August 13, 1918 entry described a raid in which "hostile aircraft dropped four bombs about three miles from 34 Company's operations at Beaumont-le-Roger." The following day, the diary reported:
"19 Company's operations in Dreux Forest was bombed by hostile aircraft at 11:45 pm. Seven bombs were dropped beside their Railroad. There were no casualties."
While the threat of aerial bombardment receded by month's end, another danger surfaced on August 17, when "fire broke out in [the] forest behind Conches on the Rouen Road." Personnel succeeded in dousing the blaze by 7:00 pm, although the "fire started again" the following day before it was permanently extinguished.
Central Group Headquarters' September 1, 1918 war diary entry reported August production statistics for each District, the first such data in its records. Amos's No. 2 District produced 15,173 tons of sawn lumber, 6162 tons of round lumber, and 10,191 tons of byproduct for a total in excess of 31,500 tons. During the same period, the District shipped 10,268 tons of sawn lumber, 1682 tons of round lumber and 487 tons of byproduct.
In mid-September 1918, Central Group's Commanding Officer inspected a 10-hectare pine forest near Bernay and concluded: "On account of the urgent demand for telegraph poles [I] consider that we should make application for this plot." Production totals for the month were somewhat lower at 28,991 tons, but shipments rose considerably, exceeding 25,000 tons.
By early October 1918, the Allied offensive commenced almost two months earlier was progressing favourably, although at considerable cost. A dramatic rise in casualties forced military authorities to identify all potential sources of reinforcements. On October 3, 1918, CFC Central Group Headquarters received orders to dispatch three officers, six non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 150 OR from each of its two districts to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Center (CCRC) at Aubin-Saint-Vaast, near Hesdin, France.
The NCOs and men were "to be selected from those who have the most Infantry training, and who are Category 'A'. " The NCOs would remain with the men at the CCRC, while the officers were to return to their CFC duties. "Other Ranks [are] to be fully equipped, less rifles and ammunition."
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| Dennis Cashin's First World war helmet. |
"The morning was taken up with kit inspection and Medical inspection. Only 133 men were fit for the line. The draft paraded at 11:30 am. The OC [Officer Commanding] addressed the men and… thanked them for their good work with the Forestry Corps and assured them that he knew they would give just as good account of themselves in the line. They proceeded by lorry to Rouen."
On October 4, 1918, three officers, six NCOs and 150 OR departed No. 1 District CFC Central Group at Alçenon for CCRC Aubin-Saint-Vaast at 6:00 pm. Thirty minutes earlier, three officers, six NCOs and 133 OR from No. 2 District left Conches-en-Ouche for the same destination. The day after arriving at CCRC with the latter group, Private Amos Cashin was transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment. Amos was about to commence the final - and most perilous - period of his military experience.
*****
Initially formed on December 21, 1883 as part of the newly created Canadian Permanent Force, the Royal Canadian Regiment was originally called the "Infantry School Corps". As its name suggests, its primary role was to train officers and non-commissioned officers who in turn acted as instructors at Militia Camps across Canada.
In 1892, the regiment changed its title to "Canadian Regiment Infantry". The following year, Queen Victoria officially approved its formation, thus permitting the addition of "Royal" to its name. At the same time, the "Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry" officially adopted Victoria's cypher - VRI - and Crown as its insignia. After the withdrawal of Imperial troops from Canada in 1902, the unit shortened its name to "Royal Canadian Regiment" (RCR) and its Companies, previously stationed in several locations across the country, all relocated to Halifax.
The only group of "regular troops" available in Canada when Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary on August 4, 1914, the RCR was sent to Bermuda, where it relieved the British garrison and remained on duty for eleven months. In August 1915, the RCR proceeded to France by way of England, landing at Boulogne on October 31, 1915 and moving into the front lines at Messines, Belgium with the 1st Canadian Division shortly after its arrival on the continent.
In early 1916, the RCR was assigned to the newly formed 3rd Canadian Division's 7th Brigade, where it fought alongside the PPCLI, 42nd (Royal Highlanders of Canada - Montreal, also known as the "Black Watch") and 49th (Edmonton Regiment) Battalions for the duration of the war. The RCR served on rotation in the Belgian sector near Ypres until September 1916, when it followed the Canadian Corps southward into France and participated in attacks at Courcelette (September 1916) and Regina Trench (October 1916).
Having sustained significant losses in the two engagements, the RCR moved north to Neuville-Saint Vaast, France, where it reorganized and served on rotation throughout the winter of 1916-17. The following spring and summer, the RCR fought with the Canadian Corps at Vimy Ridge (April 1917), Avion (June 1917) and Hill 70 (July 1917) before relocating to Belgium for the Corps' successful attack on the village of Passchendaele (October/November 1917).
Returning to France for the winter of 1917-18, the RCR played a significant role in the Allied forces' late summer offensive, seeing action at Amiens (August 1918), Monchy (August 1918) and Cambrai (September 1918). The battalion endured significant losses in the last engagement, where 3 officers and 310 OR were killed in action, 16 officers and 185 OR wounded, and 53 OR missing.
Badly in need of reorganization, the RCR retired to a rest camp near Queant, France on October 1, 1918. Twelve days later, a party of "51 OR reinforcements from CCRC" - a group that included Private Amos Cashin - arrived in camp. The new recruits trained with the battalion for ten days before moving to the "forward area" near Cantaing-sur-Escaut, southwest of Cambrai, on October 27, 1918.
For the next ten days, personnel continued training while providing work parties for local road construction. On November 6, 1918, the RCR marched in heavy rain through the recently liberated village of Valenciennes, where the "canal bridge had been blown up by the enemy in retreat, [along with] practically every cross-road and bridge along the way." The following day, with German forces in retreat, the PPCLI - one of its 'sister' 7th Brigade battalions - advanced rapidly toward the city of Mons, Belgium, the RCR following in close support.
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| Amos's son Ernest, a Second World War veteran. |
"The morning was misty and no trouble was experienced until the mist cleared, when we found that the high ground north of Ohlin, the railway banks and canals north of Mons and the bridge crossing into Mons on the Mons-Ohlin road were heavily manned by machine guns."
Officers called in artillery fire on key German positions as action by several RCR Companies prevented the destruction of railway tracks and bridges across the city's canal. The following day - November 11, 1918 - 'A' Company of the 16th Battalion 'Canadian Scottish' accompanied the 42nd Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada into Mons from the south, connecting with Allied forces from the north in the early morning hours.
At 9:00 am, RCR officers received news of the ceasefire to be implemented two hours later. The battalion's war diary entry acknowledged the location's historical significance:
"Thus for us the war ended in almost exactly the same ground that the British Army had made their first stand in 1914. Our men were in Mons. One platoon of 'A' Company… had been the first to reach the square in the morning and the platoon commander had inscribed his name in the 'Golden Book of Mons'."
The following day, Amos and his comrades moved into billets within the city. In the ensuing days, personnel participated in thanksgiving parades and church services while awaiting further orders. On November 27, 1918, the RCR provided 76 OR "to line the streets" as King Albert I of Belgium visited the newly liberated city. Meanwhile, the men took part in recreational football matches, training competitions, route marches and classes on returning to civilian life.
On December 11, 1918, the RCR relocated to Bourgeois, where training and recreational activities continued. Over the next several weeks, small groups of OR received several days' leave to nearby Brussels. The men celebrated Christmas 1918 with an open air church service and dinner at Bourgeois before relocating to Estaimbourg at month's end. Sometime during his stay in Belgium, Amos assisted a Roman Catholic priest in the re-interment of Canadian soldiers buried in makeshift cemeteries on the battlefields where they had fallen.
At 9:45 am February 1, 1919, RCR personnel clambered aboard German box cars for the journey to Havre, France. Upon arriving in the early morning hours of February 3, the men made their way to the Canadian Embarkation Camp. Three days later, the unit boarded the SS Mons Queen for the voyage to England. The war diary described the poignant event:
"As the Battalion reached the boat the Band played 'Tiperrary' and when everybody was on board and the boat ready to leave the bugler blew the last post as a tribute to the men who were left behind on the battlefields."
Upon landing at Weymouth, England at 11:30 am February 7, 1919, the RCR marched to a nearby rest camp. The following day, personnel travelled by train to Bramshott, where all ranks underwent dental and medical examinations and completed the required discharge documents. Personnel then received eight days' leave, a final opportunity to take in the sights before leaving England.
The RCR departed for Canada on March 1, 1919. Upon landing in Halifax eight days later, the men spent several days in camp awaiting the much-anticipated end of their military careers. On March 15, 1919, Private Amos Cashin was formally discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He later received the British War and Victory Medals in recognition of his overseas service.
*****
Upon returning to civilian life, Amos remained in Halifax, where he found employment as an "oil worker" at a local refinery. Like many returning soldiers, he was eager to settle down and start a family. On July 2, 1919, Amos married Beatrice Smith, a native of Port Felix whose family had relocated to Halifax.
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| Amos Cashin (right) with grandson Kenny (left) and son Ralph. |
Amos was an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion and proudly participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies well into his later years. Amos Cashin passed away on December 30, 1985 and was laid to rest in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Port Felix.
*****
Sources:
Hyatt, Glenn E.. 97th Battalion, The Lost Legion - American Volunteers for the CEF. Over There: The Illustrated Journal of the First World War, Autumn 1996. Available online.
Service file of Amos Cashin, number 1033073. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 1563 - 18.
War Diary of Central Group Headquarters, Canadian Forestry Corps. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Militia & Defence, Series III-D-3, Volume 5016, Reel T-10867-10868, File: 751. Available online.
War Diary of No. 2 District Headquarters, Canadian Forestry Corps. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Series III-D-3, Volume 5017, Reel T-10868, File: 755. Available online.
War Diary of the Royal Canadian Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa: RG9, Series III-D-3, Volume 4911, Reel T-10703, File: 345. Available online.
A special thank you to Amos's grandson Gary Cashin and great-niece Cynthia Creamer, who provided photographs and information on Amos's family and post-war life.
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