The Great War As I Saw It | Page 3

of people
whose minds were keen and brave, but whose hind legs persisted in
running away under the sound of guns. Now I knew that an ordinary
officer on running away under fire would get the sympathy of a large
number of people, who would say, "The poor fellow has got shell
shock," and they would make allowance for him. But if a chaplain ran
away, about six hundred men would say at once, "We have no more use
for religion." So it was with very mingled feelings that I contemplated
an expedition to the battle-fields of France, and I trusted that the
difficulties of Europe would be settled without our intervention.
However, preparations for war went on. On Sunday, August 2nd, in the
afternoon, I telephoned to Militia Headquarters and gave in my name as
a volunteer for the Great War. When I went to church that evening and
told the wardens that I was off to France, they were much surprised and
disconcerted. When I was preaching at the service and looked down at
the congregation, I had a queer feeling that some mysterious power was
dragging me into a whirlpool, and the ordinary life around me and the
things that were so dear to me had already begun to fade away.
On Tuesday, August the Fourth, war was declared, and the (p. 016)
Expeditionary Force began to be mobilized in earnest. It is like
recalling a horrible dream when I look back to those days of
apprehension and dread. The world seemed suddenly to have gone mad.
All civilization appeared to be tottering. The Japanese Prime Minister,
on the night war was declared, said, "This is the end of Europe." In a
sense his words were true. Already we see power shifted from nations
in Europe to that great Empire which is in its youth, whose home is in
Europe, but whose dominions are scattered over the wide world, and
also to that new Empire of America, which came in to the war at the
end with such determination and high resolve. The destinies of
mankind are now in the hands of the English-speaking nations and
France.

In those hot August days, a camp at Valcartier was prepared in a lovely
valley surrounded by the old granite hills of the Laurentians, the oldest
range of mountains in the world. The Canadian units began to collect,
and the lines of white tents were laid out. On Saturday, August 22nd, at
seven in the morning, the detachment of volunteers from Quebec
marched off from the drill-shed to entrain for Valcartier. Our friends
came to see us off and the band played "The Girl I Left Behind Me," in
the traditional manner. On our arrival at Valcartier we marched over to
the ground assigned to us, and the men set to work to put up the tents. I
hope I am casting no slur upon the 8th Royal Rifles of Quebec, when I
say that I think we were all pretty green in the matter of field
experience. The South African veterans amongst us, both officers and
men, saved the situation. But I know that the cooking arrangements
rather "fell down", and I think a little bread and cheese, very late at
night, was all we had to eat. We were lucky to get that. Little did we
know then of the field kitchens, with their pipes smoking and dinners
cooking, which later on used to follow up the battalions as they moved.
The camp at Valcartier was really a wonderful place. Rapidly the roads
were laid out, the tents were run up, and from west and east and north
and south men poured in. There was activity everywhere. Water was
laid on, and the men got the privilege of taking shower-baths, beside
the dusty roads. Bands played; pipers retired to the woods and practised
unearthly music calculated to fire the breast of the Scotsman with a lust
for blood. We had rifle practice on the marvellous ranges. We had
sham battles in which the men engaged so intensely that on one (p. 017)
occasion, when the enemy met, one over-eager soldier belaboured his
opponent with the butt end of his rifle as though he were a real German,
and the poor victim, who had not been taught to say "Kamarad",
suffered grievous wounds and had to be taken away in an ambulance.
Though many gales and tempests had blown round those ancient
mountains, nothing had ever equalled the latent power in the hearts of
the stalwart young Canadians who had come so swiftly and eagerly at
the call of the Empire. It is astonishing how the war spirit grips one. In
Valcartier began that splendid comradeship which spread out to all the
divisions of the Canadian Corps, and which binds