The last occasion on which the 25th Battalion was in hostile contact with the Hun was at the storming of Elouges, a mining town near Mons, on November 8, 1918. The casualties, though very light, only eleven men being killed, included some of the originals who had seen the thing through to this ringing down of the curtain. Some eleven, including Company Sergt.-Major George Vincent, D.C.M., Corpl. John Morrison and “Billie” Roberts, who had weathered the storm only to be swept over at the harbor’s mouth, lie asleep in the little civilian cemetery at Elouges, where their graves will be guarded and cared for by the grateful people of the town, who welcomed the Battalion as liberators.
The boys of the Battalion were enjoying their “lionization” by the populace at Mons when the news was received at 9 a.m. on November 11, 1918, that we had but two hours more of hostilities when the Armistice would become effective.
The remaining three days were given over to celebrating what had been fought for, and prayed for during the last four years—Victory. A Thanksgiving Service was held in the little chapel in the town, conducted by the brave chaplain who had stuck to us through the “Last Hundred Days”—Capt. A. J. MacDonald. And the local pastor addressed us in an impassioned Address of Thanks in French, out of which the writer distinguished only the oft-repeated phrase, “Merci beaucoup, nos liberateurs.”
On November 19, 1918, the Battalion started on the long march to the Rhine. We crossed the German border near St. Vith at 10.08 a.m., December 5th, with the Union Jack flying at the head of the column. At 10.47 a.m., December 13th, the Battalion crossed the Rhine at Bonn and proceeded to the “Cologne Bridgehead Outpost Line,” where we had the satisfaction of telling the Hun how he should act and also the pleasure of enforcing our instructions on him.
After six weeks on the Rhine, during which all ranks had an opportunity of visiting the famous cities of Cologne, Bonn and Coblenz, the Battalion returned to Belgium and went into billets at Arvelais, near Namur. On April 5, 1919, we started for Havre, and on the night of the 9th embarked on the old Prince Arthur, formerly of the Boston-Yarmouth service, and on the morning of the 10th arrived at Southampton and proceeded by train to Witley Camp in Surrey, where, after a month’s sojourn awaiting documents from the Record Office, we sailed from Southampton on the Olympic, May 10, 1919.
On board were the whole 5th Brigade and the 29th Battalion, 6th Brigade. After an uneventful though pleasant voyage, and to the accompaniment of the music of several bands and the shrill whistles of factories, boats and auto horns on both sides of Halifax Harbor, the Olympic docked at Pier 2; and after a farewell to the 22nd, 24th, 26th and 29th we lined up for our march to the Armories, which triumphal procession, to the writer, seemed to be but a part of a great dream, as the memory of the exile from home now seems but an hallucination.
| TOTAL NUMBER OF DECORATIONS WON IN THE WAR BY OFFICERS AND OTHER RANKS OF THE 25TH BATTALION, NOVA SCOTIA REGIMENT. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Decoration. | Officers. | Other Ranks. |
| D.S.O. | 5 | |
| M.C. | 37 | 2 |
| 2nd Bar to M.C. | 1 | |
| Bar to M.C. | 6 | |
| D.C.M. | 27 | |
| Bar to D.C.M. | 2 | |
| M.M. | 156 | |
| Bar to M.M. | 25 | |
| 2nd Bar to M.M. | 2 | |
| M.S.M. | 8 | |
| Croix de Guerre | 3 | 5 |
| Russian Cross of St. George | 1 | |
| Croix de Virtute Militata (Roumania) | 1 | |
| Medaille Barbatie si Credinta, 3rd Class (Roumania) | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 230 |
| Mentioned in Despatches, officers, 17; other ranks, 15. | ||
| LIST OF ORIGINAL OFFICERS OF THE 25TH BATTALION. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lieut.-Col. | Lecain, G. A., O.C. | Roundhill, Ann. Co. | 69th Regt. |
| „ | Sponagle, J. A., M.D. | Middleton, N.S. | C.A.M.C. |
| Major | Bauld, D. S., “D” Co. | Halifax | 66th Regt. |
| „ | Conrad, W. H., 2nd Comd. | „ | 63rd „ |
| „ | Jones, A. N., “A” Co. | „ | C.F.A. |
| „ | McKenzie, J. G., “B” Co. | Westville | 78th Regt. |
| „ | MacRae, D. A., “C” Co. | Baddeck | 94th „ |
| „ | McKenzie, L. H., Adjt. | Stellarton | 78th „ |
| „ | Weston, A. W. P., Jr. Maj. | Halifax | 66th „ |
| Hon. Capt. | Graham, E. E., Chap. | Arcadia | C.M.R. |
| Capt. | Holt, C. W. | Amherst | 93rd Regt. |
| „ | Logan, J. W., “C” Co. | Halifax | 63rd „ |
| Hon. Capt. | McPherson, D., Chap. | Sydney Mines, C.B. | |
| Capt. | Margeson, J. W., Paymaster | Bridgewater | 75th „ |
| „ | Medcalfe, W. B., “B” Co. | Halifax | 66th „ |
| „ | Purney, W. P., “D” Co. | Liverpool | 68th „ |
| „ | Tupper, J. H., “A” Co. | Bridgetown | 69th „ |
| „ | Whitford, W. L., “D” Co. | Chester | 75th „ |
| Lieut. | Brooks, E. J., “A” Co. | Falmouth | |
| „ | Bullock, L. N. B., “D” Co. | Halifax | 63rd „ |
| „ | Cameron, W. A., “A” Co. | St. John, N.B. | |
| „ | Delancey, J. A., “M.G.” | Middleton | 93rd „ |
| „ | Eville, C. K., “B” Co. | Halifax | 81st „ |
| „ | Grant, J. W., “B” Co. | Amherst | S.A. |
| „ | Grant, J. A., “B” Co. | Halifax | 63rd Regt. |
| „ | Johnstone, L. H., “C” Co. | Sydney | 81st „ |
| „ | Longley, H. G., “Trpt.” | Paradise | 69th „ |
| „ | Macaloney, C. W. | Halifax | |
| „ | Morgan, E., “D” Co. | Bear River | 69th „ |
| „ | Mosher, C. M. | Mahone Bay | 75th „ |
| „ | Murphy, V. P., “D” Co. | New Ross | 75th „ |
| „ | McKay, K. L., “A” Co. | Inverness | 94th „ |
| „ | McKinnon, D., “A” Co. | Woodbine | 94th „ |
| „ | McLeod, H. A., “B” Co. | Salt Springs, Pic. Co. | 78th „ |
| „ | McNiel, G. M., “A” Co. | Iona | 94th „ |
| „ | McNiel, J. D., “C” Co. | Whitney Pier | S.A. |
| „ | Newnham, T. F., “Qmst.” | Halifax | R.C.G.A. |
| „ | Roberts, G. E., “C” Co. | „ | |
| „ | Smith, B. H. | „ | 66th Regt. |
| „ | Stairs, J. C., “A” Co. | „ | 66th „ |
| „ | Tanner, F. I., “C” Co. | Pictou | C.F.A. |
| „ | Young, G. R. | Kentville | C.M.R. |
| 67001 | R.S.M. Miles, H. F. | Halifax | R.C.R. |
Strength of Unit on proceeding to France on Sept. 15th, 1915.
| Officers. | Other Ranks. |
|---|---|
| 32 | 1,000 |