Only such officers whose places could be filled by volunteers were permitted to proceed Overseas, and no man was relieved for this broader field of action unless there was a man ready to take his place. This being so, it was the exception for an officer once on the Staff or for any well-trained officer of the Units out, particularly of the Artillery, or for good non-commissioned officers and specialists to get a chance for Overseas. They all knew that should the war terminate without their getting over they would for the rest of their lives be compelled to explain that they were not permitted to go and felt keenly how flat such an explanation would fall. They had, however, the consolation that they were doing a necessary and valuable work and were buoyed up with the hope their chance would yet come; and if not, the State would at least recognize their voluntary services as at least equal to the services of those, many of whom were draftees, who had not proceeded further than England or St. Lucia. Up to the time of writing, however, no such recognition has been forthcoming.
The above sets out in most skeletonized form the ordinary duties of H.Q. consequent on the Country being at war, and the Port of Halifax being the only port of embarkation and disembarkation for Canadian troops and supplies of war during the most strenuous months of the year.
In addition were the extra responsibilities of caring for troops awaiting embarkation. These troops were not only Canadians but also troops from United States, Australia, New Zealand and some 50,000 laborers from China.
When a contingent passed through the port, either coming in or going out, from illness or other causes some were left behind, and these had to be cared for, often taxing the facilities of the barracks and hospitals to their utmost. In the summer of 1918 when we encamped at Aldershot, some 5,000 United States troops and a whole shipload was suddenly disembarked at Sydney suffering from the “flu.”
The temporary derelicts from Canadian troops passing through the City of Halifax were taken care of by being attached to the Composite Battalion, under Lieut.-Col. H. L. Chipman. When ready for Overseas these were attached to another unit going through. The records show the number of such exceeded 10,000 men. Lieut.-Colonel Chipman deserves special mention for his splendid administration of the Composite Battalion and for his wise handling of many difficult problems not to be met in an ordinary Garrison Battalion.
Again, the awful catastrophe which befell the City of Halifax on December 6, 1917, when a ship loaded with high explosives exploded in the harbor, spreading death and devastation broadcast, placed a great burden upon the Garrison and proved its great value in a sudden emergency. Every officer and man of every Military Unit and Department, with all the military facilities of the Garrison were rushed into the work of removing the dead and wounded, fighting fires, preparing shelters, transporting and feeding the destitute, doing police duty and the hundred and one things that came to the hands of a willing, well-trained body of troops.
The Ordnance, under Lieut.-Col. Arthur Panet, opened wide its doors, and one of the first orders issued from H.Q. was for every available man of the 63rd from McNab’s and the 66th from York and also every artilleryman of the 1st C.A. from the forts to be rushed to the city and, proceeding to the devastated area by way of the Ordnance Yard, for each to carry with him a blanket for the wounded and destitute. This order was fully carried out, Col. Panet, though himself wounded, travelling continuously to and from the area of most suffering to see that as many as possible were cared for.
Major H. P. Lomas, then at the head of the Department of Supplies and Transport, met the necessities of the sufferers with the same breadth of judgment, bigness of heart and broad interpretation of regulations which marked his most successful administration throughout the war of this the essentially business department of the Service.
Elsewhere in this publication will be found articles dealing with specific work done in this District during the war, so that in this article it is only attempted to give a general idea of who sat at Headquarters during these strenuous times and a general idea of the work they were called upon to originate and supervise; and it must be borne in mind as the detail of this specific work is studied and admired or condemned, the responsibility and the direction was always with that often maligned, seldom praised or congratulated, but nevertheless patient, long-suffering, faithful, headquarters.
This article cannot properly close, however, without mention of the other heads of Departments in addition to those specially mentioned above because of their close association with the matters dealt with, who so heartily and with such great self-sacrifice performed their various duties, each in their turn: