About the middle of August the entire draft was broken up, a portion of the officers and men were absorbed into other Forestry Units, operating in England, Scotland and the South of France. Officers that were not disposed of in this manner transferred to the Flying Corps, Canadian Railway Troops, Infantry and Labor Battalions, subsequently getting over to France.
It is difficult to conceive the multitude of ways in which timber was used for war purposes. At the Front, the Army very largely walked on timber, lorries drove on timber, railways, light and heavy, required huge numbers of sleepers or ties. Underground no less than above ground was timber used for dugouts, and all the complicated contrivances connected with trench warfare. From huts to ammunition boxes, from duckboards to stakes for barbed wire entanglements, the uses of timber ranged. The general specifications for a Company’s operation in this Corps was the production of Sawn Lumber, Fuelwood, Pickets, Hurdles, Fascines, Faggots, Continuous Rivetting and Parry Sticks.
In order to save time, and for other reasons, it was arranged that Canadians should bring with them their own machinery and equipment of the kind to which they were accustomed, with the necessary modifications to adapt it to the conditions in Britain and France. The work of the Forestry Corps was thus not only of the utmost assistance in meeting the need of timber for the War, and in saving tonnage, but was of permanent value in that it has knit more closely together the people of Great Britain, with their compatriots scattered throughout Canada.
CHAPTER XXIII.
NO. 6 DISTRICT DEPOT.
During the early part of 1918 when the Germans were making their last great drive, few people realized that preparations were already made for the demobilization of the Canadian Corps. These preparations were due to the foresight of Headquarters Staff. Accordingly when the organization of No. 6 District Depot was completed on the 18th of April, 1918, a District Depot was established in each Military District of Canada, each Depot being designated by the number of the Military District in which the Depot was situated.
Lieut.-Col. B. W. Roscoe, D.S.O., was first appointed Officer Commanding, and he had under him a small but efficient Staff, with Capt. J. S. Davies, M.C., as Adjutant, headquarters being at Leith House, Hollis Street, Halifax.
The functions of District Depots at first were many. Besides carrying out ordinary discharges, all personnel in the different hospitals had to be looked after, and in addition to this all casualties who became fit for further service were allotted to the different Service Companies and Battalions in the District and to their own Units Overseas.
No. 6 District Depot differed from the other Depots in so far that it had an Embarkation Casualty Section which handled all casualties, on embarkation; that is to say, when troops were proceeding Overseas from the different districts of Canada, who for various reasons could not embark at the appointed time, they were taken on the strength of No. 6 District Depot and forwarded by some future sailing.
This work was carried on by Lieut.-Colonel Roscoe until June, 1918, when Lieut.-Col. D. A. MacRae, 25th Battalion, was appointed Officer Commanding, with Capt. G. T. Shaw, 31st Battalion, as Adjutant, headquarters being removed to Wellington Barracks.
From this time on the work began to increase owing to the great number of men returning from England to be demobilized. Demobilization went on very rapidly, and when the Armistice suddenly came it was realized that more speedily to carry out demobilization No. 6 District Depot would have to be enlarged. With this in view two Dispersal Stations known as “A” and “B” were added to the Depot, these Dispersal Stations being situated in Charlottetown and Halifax, and commanded by Major J. S. Stanley and Major J. G. Johnstone, respectively. To these officers was allotted the greater part of the organization of their respective stations which was carried on in such a manner that great credit was reflected upon the Depot as well as upon the officers commanding.