. . . . Au Revoir France . . . .
On the Western Front, the ratio of deaths to wounded was about 1 to 4. To be wounded could mean living maimed for the rest of one’s life, but the front line soldiers allowed themselves one small dream - a “Blighty.” It was a wound just serious enough to get a man evacuated to England (A more serious “Canada” was a ticket home). A blighty, hence the term “Lucky Blighter,” was the honourable wound that would release them from the squalor and terror of the trenches to a bed, clean sheets, regular meals, and the sight of a nursing sister.
How quickly the surge of patriotism and eagerness to fight for country would dissipate! After only a few months on the front lines all soldiers wanted was to get back to England. In just a short time men had become completely disillusioned with war because they had to fight and take life while risking their own lives. Considering the appalling plight of the sick and wounded in previous wars, the blighty fantasy testified not merely to the horror of the trenches, but to faith in the Canadian Expeditionary Force’s medical services.
There were many ways to get a blighty. You could get wounded during a raid or when patrolling in No Man’s Land, pick up any one of several severe illnesses associated with unsanitary conditions. Cuts could easily become serious infections.
Artillery fire, however, was the real threat on the World War 1 battlefields. The crash of high explosive shells, whirling shrapnel, and shell splinters proved early in the fighting that artillery would decide the fate of empires. Doctors estimated that artillery guns caused half of all wounds received by soldiers in the trenches. The noise from artillery fire was constant. For those caught in the open, shrapnel and high explosives became a deadly game of hide and seek.
A steady stream of heavy guns, most of them from Royal Artillery Regiment, were being wheeled into position in March and April. From the 20th of March, 1917, the Germans on Vimy Ridge were subjected to a steady downpour of shells. The subjugation was carried out by 1,000 guns, of which nearly 400 were large calibre guns called heavies.
They lay in a sinister cluster in a sixteen mile semicircle from the Lorette Ridge just north of Souchez to the northern outskirts of Arras. These guns were to eat up 80,000 tons of ammunition from the day the bombardment started to the end of the assault. On the roadsides, George could see to the rear vast dumps of empty brass shell cases amounting to hundreds of tons.
Sometimes all the big guns would concentrate on a ten minute “earthquake” on the villages in the combat zone, Thelus, Farbus and Givenchy, or a German strong point and the target would simply cease to exist. German prisoners said that the fire was too terrible for words. Flesh and blood could not stand this prolonged pounding, day and night, and so the enemy morale was lowered and the power to resist weakened.
On April 2, 1917, just 7 days before the Vimy Offensive was to begin, Canadian artillery batteries began a second and even more intensive bombardment phase. This night a crushing bombardment fell on the German positions. The Germans retaliated with their own artillery barrages. The strikes continued through to April 9, the date set for the Vimy assault.
The German artillery was active during this period. It came in several forms. Their 7.7 cm high velocity field gun fired “Whiz Bangs.” It was supported by a 10.5 cm field howitzer firing the deceptively named “Wooly Bear”; the 15 cm howitzer, with its “Crumps” or “Coal Boxes”; and the 12 or 16 inch very heavy guns, which delivered stunning “Jack Johnsons,” named after the first black heavyweight boxing champion. It was a common jest when one of the fifteen inch howitzers sent a shell over the troops heads, someone would remark: “there goes another hundred pounds.” That would be about $500 for each shot.
George remembered artillery bombardment as the most terrifying experience of the war and the pioneers were not out of reach or immune to the German artillery. Artillery bombardments were withering to body, mind and soul, as the massive explosions crumbled trenches, dismembered bodies, and liquefied internal organs. “First you hear it coming as a dull moan, then it gradually develops into a weird whistle, then a shriek, and the world rocks under you; you are covered with mud and earth and you are glad you are alive.”
Shell fire led to about 60 percent of total casualties suffered by the Allies. When the shells were “coming through the air you would swear that they were coming straight for you and and that one had your number engraved on it. In August 1916 there were three of us sitting outside the hut. I was sitting nearest the trenches, it was at dusk. A shot came down, hitting the fellow in the centre sitting 2 feet away or less and talking to his mate on the other side. The shot penetrated his neck and came out his mouth, having whipped past me. It just missed me by a fraction.” - Gunner William Ball -
Soldiers sat helplessly as the explosions came closer. “You hear the whine or shriek growing louder and louder till at last it bursts with an ear splitting explosion, digs a hole three feet deep in the ground, about ten feet in diameter, and throws stones, dirt and anything else it comes into contact with and throwing it a hundred feet into the air. About eight of us were crowded into a dugout. A great deal of unnatural laughter was noticeable. Men attempted to look unconcerned but failed. Conversation was forced and disconnected. Although their mouths shaped words, their minds were concentrating on the shells of the enemy. Then all of a sudden - Whang! Crash! I can’t breathe. A tremendous pressure seems to be squeezing me to death. My eyes feel that they are bursting from their sockets. My whole body feels like a lump of clay being forced into a shapeless mass.”
April 4 or 5, 1917: George was participating in a work party trying to keep warm to survive the bitter cold weather. Just two days earlier on April 2, because of the high winds and snow, the eighteen pounder guns of the 2nd Brigade were only able to fire half their allotted ammunition. Today, the artillery bombardment was in full swing against the Germans on Vimy Ridge. So, it was in these circumstances, that George found himself on April 4, 1917, at a crossroads in the town of Neuville St. Vaast. This area was a highly concentrated rear area for many Canadian units, so lobbing shells in that direction was likely to hit military targets or at least disrupt unit and material movement. The Germans on this day had organized an artillery counter battery barrage.
A carrying party of ten Pioneers was returning from Neuville St Vaast. The Pioneers had halted at the intersection of Moreuil-Reitz Road and Arras-Bethune Road by blocking traffic. The Germans dropped in H.E. artillery in the middle of the party. The men had failed to hear the oncoming barrage because of the traffic in the area. Three of the Pioneers were instantly killed and five were wounded. The men were unable to find the bodies of two soldiers until the next morning. Such was life on the Western Front.
Private Kirkham was one of those casualties. He successfully made it to a dugout at the side of the road as the shelling began, but an artillery round had found its mark. Death came at any moment. Survival was the luck of the draw.
. . . . Casualty Evacuation . . . .
Where the artillery shell came from was anyone’s guess, but George, after four months, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Crash! George was knocked down, and for a moment knew nothing. A million bells rang in his ears. Lights danced and sparkled and as thought returned, he struggled to catch his breathe. Hands tugged at him to pull him form the dugout. George struggled to regain consciousness. He was now part of the well-organized and efficient evacuation process that would see him leave the Western Front. He had his blighty!
It required a great deal of manpower to evacuate wounded men from battlefields riddled with shell holes and guarded by staggered rows of barbed wire barriers that went on for miles. There was also the ever- present mud. Thick mud that made walking a strenuous chore. The job of removing battlefield casualties fell literally on the shoulders of the stretcher bearers. It was an enormously difficulty job. They were true heroes of the battlefield.
The stretcher bearers’ job was often done in the open under enemy observation and usually under fire. They practiced triage, making instant decisions and leaving behind those who stood little chance of surviving or who could not withstand the rigors of being carried to safety. It could take up to six hours for stretcher-bearers to carry a man off the battlefields to the nearest R.A.P., Regimental Aid Post in the area. Every regiment (battalion) had the RAP as their first stop in the medical evacuation chain.
Even when soldiers were successfully brought back to a RAP, many had to suffer a long wait. Frontline doctors were often overwhelmed with casualties. Medical supplies were short, and field hospital conditions were ghastly. A large number died at the RAP waiting to be transported up the medical chain.
After being hauled out of the dugout by his mates, Private Kirkham was given initial first-aid which included bandaging the wounds with the field dressing from the lining of his tunic. He was picked up by four stretcher-bearers.
Fortunately for George there was a RAP located in La Targette, just behind the crossroads in Neuville St. Vaast. At the RAP, George was examined and iodine was put on his wounds and redressed.
George looked around the RAP. He observed men working beyond the point of exhaustion to care for the wounded. With blood smeared hands, tunics, and faces, these men and officers faced horrible situations while trying to save lives. The blood was mixed into the mud clinging to the boots worn by the exhausted stretcher bearers who continually sought out the wounded while bravely risking their own deaths.
His number, name, and unit, nature of wound, and treatment was indicated on a card and fastened to his tunic. If the wound was dangerous, or serious, a red card was used, if slight a white. George was assessed with a serious concussion, head wounds and broken tibia, the main bone in the lower leg. He was red carded. Before leaving the RAP, he was given a dose of antitoxin to prevent tetanus.
Given our knowledge of medicine today, breaking the tibia does not seem to be a serious medical concern, but medical attention during this time was primitive. Life- saving drugs, such as antibiotics and penicillin would not be developed until the 1920s. This often meant that any wound could result in life threatening infections. Infections many times led to amputations or even a soldier’s death. An example of this is that the death rate from battlefield fractures of the femur (thigh bone), which was approximately 80%. Abdominal wounds were almost 99.5% fatal, while 50% of soldiers suffering a head injury would succumb to their wounds.
It was not until the early 1900s that blood groups had been identified allowing for safe transfusions. During the war doctors initially performed direct blood transfusions from one soldier to another. As techniques improved, doctors learned that blood could be stored through refrigeration to be used later. Canadian military physician Doctor Bruce Robertson was the pioneer who introduced successful blood transfusion techniques to the British army’s medical personnel and other Canadian hospitals overseas.
From the RAP, George’s stretcher was placed into the iron grooves of the motor ambulance. Private Kirkham was being transferred to an Advanced Field Ambulance Dressing Station found just five miles behind the front lines. His head banged around as the Ford ambulance raced along the potholed road. George joined other badly wounded men, many of them crying and screaming because of the rough roads.
After a short stop at the ADS, Private Kirkham was then sent to Casualty Clearing Station 15. The CCS was located some distance behind the front line out of artillery range. The ambulance came to a stop outside the hospital tents. He remained on his stretcher for some time until the more seriously wounded were provided medical assistance.
A wounded soldier could expect to receive substantial medical care for the first time at the CCS. Wounds would be properly cleaned, stitched and dressed with care. Established in tented accommodation, these hospitals were well equipped with the “modern” appliances, such as x-ray machines and operating theatres available to carry out surgery as required. The staff was capable of dealing with up to a 1,000 wounded men at any time.
At the CCS there was a large staff of nurses, or “angels in white” as they were called. Canadian nurses were an important element in the front- line war effort. Most were part of the Canadian Army Nursing Service., which by 1918 had a total enrollment of 3141 personnel; 2504 of them served in Europe - most in the Canadian military hospitals in England. Large numbers of nurses also staffed casualty clearing stations closer to the front, where wounded were assessed, treated and evacuated.
At the CCS, George received the same attention he would receive if at an established hospital. The medical staff had access to chloroform to knock a patient out for an operation. If this was not available, the staff would make due with liquor. If there was no liquor to drink, the wounded would be held down while the medical procedure was completed. They screamed until they passed out from the pain.
George was put into a cot, given clean clothes, and a meal. It was such a relief and comfort to be clean and safe in a comfortable bed. Doctors realized quickly that because of his broken leg, George would require extended time to heal. It was determined this recuperation would take place in England.
After spending a day at CCS 15 he was passed along the evacuation trail to CCS 42 at Aubigy northwest of Arras. From here, George was placed on an ambulance train. These trains waited at the rail station of the Canadian Corp supply centre at Houdain. He was carried into one of the sleeping carriages where the cabins held four stretcher berths. The inside of the train was well equipped with a full compliment of Red Cross nurses. For most men, George included, the Red Cross was a symbol of Faith, Hope and Charity for the rest of their lives.
The train whistle sounded and then the engines blew off steam. George left the station with the sounds of artillery fire, which was just ten miles away, preparing for the Canadian assault on Vimy. The hospital train moved slowly towards its destination -Bolougne. It stopped at several stations picking up more wounded and cargo.The train came to a halt and a bright-faced girl came into the train car. She wore the uniform of a WAAC - Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. She noticed that in one of the births, a man had died during the journey.
George had arrived at the 3rd Field Hospital in Bolougne, France just three days after being wounded. At the crowded train station he and other wounded were met by a line of ambulances to take them to the Canadian hospital. Hospital staff took George’s uniform, deloused him, and gave him something to eat and a cup of tea. The hospital was just a temporary stop on his journey to blighty.
Within hours he was to be transported to the harbour docks. A long line of ambulances waited to load wounded men on to the hospital ship. George was set on the quay to await his turn. It would be hours before he was carried onboard. A light drizzle began to fall. The fine drops of rain sparkled on the grey regulation blanket.
The harbour was filled with ships waiting their turns to dock and take on their cargo. George’s broken leg began to ache. An orderly passed and offered George a cigarette. Soon enough it was his turn. George was carried up the gangplank of the Carisbrook Castle Hospital ship. He was taken to the lounge and placed into one of the thirty cots.
By April 9, the day he was to be involved in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Private Kirkham was crossing the Channel on a hospital passenger steamer. It was a three-hour trip to Dover and the unloading point.
Red Cross ships like the Carisbrook Castle were lit from stem to stern and from the waterline to the top rails with hundreds of electric lights. There were flood lights sweeping downward to show the green stripes along its side as prescribed by the Geneva Convention. This was done so that ships could not be mistaken for troop and merchant marine ships. Despite these precautions Germans did sink several hospital ships. The HMHS Glouchester Castle had been sunk by German U-boat 32 just six days earlier en route from LeHavre to Southampton.
In England, Red Cross trains met the casualties at the dock. There were special guides wearing arm bands to meet the ship. They mustered George and other soldiers to an area for those headed to the same Canadian hospital. At almost every window were the wounded outward gazing soldiers. These were the sitting cases, nearly all with head bandages or arm slings. As the hospital trains traveled towards London, other trains were pulling in the opposite direction - troop trains packed with fresh troops bound for France.
As George was transported to the Canadian Hospital, women from the Salvation Army came around with post cards that George used to send home. You had a choice of postcards - “wounded seriously’ or ‘wounded slightly’. At each station that they stopped at the ladies handed out tea and blankets.
Initially there was some confusion whether George’s status was KIA (Killed in Action) or WIA (Wounded in Action). Arthur MacFie from Dunchurch, a friend of George’s from McKellar and the 162nd, wrote from Epsom, England after being wounded and evacuated, on July 25, 1917. “I met Bill Harvey and a couple of other lads from our old platoon Woodruff, and McGarry from Rosseau. They were telling me about most of the lads and the 3rd of May scrap. It seems that our Battalion lost a lot more than on the 9th (Vimy Ridge) especially in our draft. I was just figuring how our little section from McKellar was now. Just one in the line now! McEachern, Crawford, Kirkham, Harvey killed or died of wounds, Scriver, Harvey, Vankoughnett, two Payettes and myself wounded, two in the Pioneers which none of have heard from, and a couple missing, which generally means that they weren’t taken out and buried.”
In a later letter written by Arthur MacFie he states from Camp Bramshott in England August 26, 1917: “It’s hard to get back to Mulligan and war and bread again. After having a good time. I was at Tighnabruiach (Scotland) for eight days. I met quite a few of our lads there, B. (sic) Kirkham who was reported killed, and I hear that McEachern has gone to Canada shell shocked.” (He uses B Kirkham but this is a mistake. It had to be George. There were no other Kirkhams from this area that had been at the front that MacFie would have known.
This confusion extended to George’s personal kit which never caught up to him in England. What personal effects he had were now left in France. The Red Cross, however, provided the newly-arrived casualties with toiletries, soap, a brush, a comb and writing paper. Through all the confusion, word made it back home that George was wounded and alive, and his mailing address was now England.
When George became a casualty his army pay was immediately suspended and held for him. His service uniform was placed in storage by the admitting hospital. He was issued with hospital blues with a red tie. This was a rather unbecoming pajama type of uniform which served a dual purpose. It acted as a warning to all against providing an alcoholic drink to the wearer, and it also invited sympathetic assistance in the event of a sudden physical or mental attack as a result of wounds.
George was initially admitted to the Canadian hospital at Eastbourne located on the southern shore of England just outside Plymouth. It took from mid-April until mid-May to get George into a splint and on crutches. After another six weeks he had his cast removed. With his fracture on the mend George became a “walking patient” instead of a “bed patient.” Once able to get about, George was assigned light duties. He helped out in the wards, acting as an orderly.
He spent nineteen months in England. This time was split between hospitals and reserve battalions.
The number of wounded soldiers who were returned from the battlefields of northern France and Belgium was unprecedented. The soldiers who were brought back to England overwhelmed the hospitals and medical staff.
To handle these casualties, auxiliary hospitals exploded around England, many of them being the country homes of aristocrats. Wealthier home owners willingly, or grudgingly, allocated parts of their estates to the care of wounded officers and men whose immediate medical requirements had been met by the army. These men simply needed more time for the body to heal itself properly. While country houses did not provide antiseptic conditions, they became ideal havens for convalescents.
George was transferred from Eastbourne to one of these convalescent home from mid-May until late July. He spent time at Trent House, located in the west side of London, which was operated by Lady Wilson. Lady Wilson allowed her house to be turned into a hospital for wounded soldiers, running it at her own expense.
Soldiers were nursed back to health on fresh linen sheets, propped up on fat down pillows so they could gaze out over a beautiful country park. A butler was even on hand to pour the convalescents a nip of whisky before dinner.
Convalescent homes needed trained caregivers. There simply weren’t enough professional nurses to go around. Lady Smith became a VAD - Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse. VADs were trained for only a few weeks before working under professional nurses.
The VAD’s were often from well-to-do families, whereas the general nurses were often from quite humble backgrounds and had spent many years working their way up the nursing ladder. Only the middle and upper classes could afford to work for free, and to pay for the courses and exams that were required to become a VAD. Growing up with servants, many of these young women like Lady Wilson had never had to wash a plate or boil an egg. One girl related how amusing it was to serve tea at the hospital and then return home to have her own tea served by the parlour servant.
VADs changed linens, sterilized equipment, and served meals. Many were also exposed to the raw side of war and at times, when the influx of casualties overwhelmed the staff, VADs were expected to perform the duties of a professional nurse.
George recuperated at the Trent House from late May to early August 1917. Being a convalescent home allowed George much more freedom than in the hospital and daily conditions were much better. Instead of being in a ward, George was in a room with just three others. The house itself had rooms to explore, a library, dining room and sitting areas to watch the daily life of London pass by on the streets.
Trent House was located just a few blocks from the Thames River and the shops that lined the river. It was a short bus ride to the centre of London. This proximity to all the main attractions allowed George plenty of opportunities to explore the English capital.
. . . . Life at Bramshott . . . .
After leaving medical care in August 1917, George was initially transferred and TOS (Taken On Strength) with the 25th Reserve Battalion in August 1917. On February 15, 1917, the 25th Reserve was disbanded and absorbed into the 4th Reserve. George had been transferred into these two reserve battalions because of his army history with the 162nd and the Pioneers. In late May 1917, George’s ten months in the Reserve Battalions was interrupted by a three month hospital stay in the early summer of 1918.
The headquarters for the two reserve battalions, the 4th and 25th, were located at Camp Bramshott. Bramshott was a vast camp laid out in streets and fitted with electric lights. Some areas of the camp were out-of-bounds for George. Several of the huts had quarantined signs posted. This was the best way to handle the measles and mumps outbreaks that regularly occurred. Bramshott became known as ‘Mudsplosh’ Camp because of the almost perpetual mud encountered at the camp.
There were an additional five satellite camps located near Bramshott, each one given the name of one of the Great Lakes. Huron and Ontario Camps were located on Bramshott Common near the Portsmouth Road. Superior Camp was located at the Grayshott end of Ludshott Common; Erie was located at Headley Down; Connaught Military Hospital was located on Bramshott Common next to the A3 Trunk Road. Located just seven miles away down the road from Bramshott was the neighbouring camp of Whitley. These camps resulted in the largest concentration of Canadian troops in England.
George Kirkham received two changes to his uniform during this time. He received his wound strip visible on his left forearm of his tunic. Additionally, Private Kirkham was promoted to A/Corporal (Artificer), the engineer equivalent to a Lance Corporal resulting in an extra stripe on his shoulder. This promotion meant an extra 10 cents a day.
The army used four major fitness classes to describe the level of duties the soldier was deemed capable of performing - A, B, D and E. The first three classes were divided into subclasses that gave the authorities further scope to declare a man’s fitness level. A1 was the highest level. This meant he was both medically and physically fit, fully trained, and ready for service in France and Belgium. A2 meant he was medically and physically fit but not finished his training. If a soldier was rated B1, B2, or B3 he was temporarily unfit for service at the front. Soldiers in this class would have been recuperating from disease, injury, or a wound, but capable of performing manual labour to one degree or another.
Soldiers undergoing prolonged convalescence were classed D1, providing they would likely return to duty within six months. E, the lowest fitness class, indicated the soldier was unfit for service and likely to become so in the next six months - he was awaiting discharge.
During the late summer of 1917, George was initially returned to duty as a category B2. Light duty was the order of the day until he gained strength in his leg. He was assigned duties with the medical service, base garrison, or the reserve regiment during his recuperation period. George remained a B2 until the early summer of 1918. This medical designation meant George was not eligible for duty assignment to the Western Front.
George found Bramshott accommodations typical of army housing. He slept in a long wooden hut with 42 other privates. The huts were 55 x 20 x 10 with 6’ 3” x 2’6” windows, opening a half, on each side, with a door at each end, so the light and ventilation was good. The huts were heated by a small coal stove in the centre. Along the grey walls were the bed numbers. George was assigned to one of the numbered beds. He slept on a cot made of boards on top of small stands about six inches from the ground. The pine boards were fairly springy. He was provided with a mattress and four blankets.
It was quite comfortable and there was plenty of room in his new quarters. The space allowed the men an opportunity to hang out in the event of inclement weather. This part of England is known for its rainy weather. It wasn’t unusual for training to be cancelled in the severe rains that swept through the area. Men would sit around the camps writing letters and playing cards. Thick fog was another concern. George couldn’t see anything outside the windows while the fog lasted. It was more of a problem in London where there was so much smoke it resulted in thicker fog.
The landscape around Bramshott was predominantly rural and totally under cultivation except for the nearby small country villages. George found the nearby landscape hilly and very picturesque. The countryside was entirely different from Canada. Back home it was bush and rock. Here the grass was always green, and some of the trees kept their leaves throughout winter. Oak, evergreens and beach predominated, while the hedges were bramble, hazel, holly or laurel. The holly reminded George of Christmas and his family back home.
Soldiers didn’t need to secure a pass to leave the Bramshott base as long as they did not venture further than five miles.There were four villages close to Bramshott which included Old Lion, Haselmere, Shottermill and Hindhead. These villages were built close enough to seem like one village. Then within a three mile radius were Hammer, Liphook, Bramshott, Seven Oaks, Bramshott Chase, and Grayshott. Most of the village houses looked as if they were built in the Middle Ages. These small villages had places to eat and drink.
There were paved roads throughout the area which made exploring the area easy. These fine roads were good for cycling and there were many bicycles, motor cycles, autos, motor buses, using the nearby lanes. George was free to explore the area after parade hours from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The reserve battalions were a composite of medical returnees like George and new recruits from Canada. The old boys, George now considered himself a veteran, were subject to all the combat training again despite their experiences. Many of the veterans would help with the new lads or assist in the training regime. This was an expectation of George with his new rank as A/Corporal.
A soldier in the reserve battalions had many activities to keep busy. Idle soldiers usually got themselves into some sort of trouble. Keeping a soldier busy was the army way of maintaining troop morale. Daily training included endless parades, inspections, and work parties. Soldiers detested these monotonous parades. The repetitive nature of Army routine could be exhausting in itself.
Reveille bugle was sounded at 5:30 a.m. The first chore for George was making his bed perfectly and cleaning up for the day which included shaving each morning. Men would spend the morning making sure their equipment was clean. All kit were stored in their kit bags making sure they were well hidden under the bed.
Private Kirkham would muster on the parade ground for roll call and for the hated army tradition - inspection. Men were formed into sections, platoons and companies as officers ensured that each man was ready for the day. Boots and buttons needed to be polished and uniforms clean and neat. It always annoyed the men having to stand with full equipment while officers were taking their time and talking during inspections. There was no shortage of Brigadiers, Generals and VIP’s that needed to review the troops resulting in what the men called ‘Spit and Polish’ Parades. Visiting troops in England was much easier and preferred to visiting the war zone in France.
Along with inspections there were the endless parades.There were church parade, clothing parade, kit parades, bath parade, salute parade, boot parade, gas mask parade, medical and dental parade. The most important parade, pay parade, was usually held on a Monday so the men could not go on a weekend binge. You name it and the Army probably had a parade for it. If not a parade it might be an assigned duty, which was a work party or a fatigue that included kitchen, sentry, sanitary, and pick and shovel duties.
After the initial parades and inspections men would then fall out for breakfast. The camp hall at Bramshott held 400 men at a time so a soldier needed to get there in a hurry to ensure a seat. After breakfast it was back to endless marching, training and drilling.
Bramshott Camp gave the army plenty of marching options. Fifteen mile route marches were the army’s answer for filling time and twice a month they participated in twenty-five mile marches. The men marched four abreast through the narrow country lanes. Private Kirkham carried 50 - 70 pounds of kit, his bayonet, entrenching tool, water bottle, greatcoat, rubber sheet along with hair, boot and button brushes all stored in their webbing and haversacks. They marched with the sound of their boots echoing off the pavement and the men singing to ease the strain on bones and muscle.
One of those route marches happened on February 15, 1918. George was a member of the 25th Reserve. The unit was being disbanded and its members absorbed by the 4th Reserve. At 9 a.m., George and the rest of the battalion mustered on the parade grounds. The Colonel of the 25th spoke to the men for a few moments and then the men were dismissed and returned to barracks for the rest of the morning. After dinner the reinforced 4th went on a route march. There were about 1600 men on parade, the late 25th, the 4th, and 2 platoons of signalers. They marched to Haslemere and back but the march went much too slow. The troops arrived back at base at 4:45 p.m. Private Kirkham went to bed early that night tired out by the route march.
Just to make things more interesting, the Army organized observation marches. On such a march George was supposed to take in and remember all that he saw - like human cameras - and was questioned on his return.
The most popular of these marches was from Bramshott to the nearby Canadian camp at Whitley. This allowed the men time to have a lunch break before the eight mile return to camp. The route march took Private Kirkham through the Devil’s Punchbowl, an uphill feature both ways. At the top of the Punchbowl, the men passed the monument erected in the memory of a sailor “fowly murdered by Highwaymen.” Upon returning to the barracks the men were questioned on just how well they had paid attention to details during the march. With training the men became quite observant.
. . . . Life in England . . . .
There was a lot to learn about life in England. George first had to learn about English money. In France he was paid in francs and here in England it was pounds. George needed to learn the intricacies of the British monetary system. During World War 1 the exchange rate was $4.88 Canadian for one Pound, the basic currency for the British Isles. This might seem a harsh exchange rate, but for the times, the Canadian soldier was paid almost twice the wage of a British private.
Twelve pence (pennies) made a shilling and 20 shillings made a pound. So 240 pence made up a pound. The easy conversion was one beer equalled 8 pennies or one and half beers for a shilling, or 30 beers for a pound. You see, Guinness was the easiest way for a Canadian soldier to come to grips with foreign currency.
George received $33 dollars a month which equated in theory to about seven pounds. In practice George received 5 shillings a week, the rest being a credit. You could buy chocolate for pennies and a large 4 kilogram loaf of bread was 8 pennies.
After the training, soldiers could relax on base spending their money at movie theaters and canteens. Many of the establishments, such as the Salvation Army and the YMCA, The Royal Post Office and the Midland Bank were concerned with the soldiers’ welfare and located on the base.
One of the most popular activities on the base was to take in a show at the Garrison Theatre. Before this theatre was constructed picture shows and the odd concert took place at a broken down hut next to the YMCA.
The shows were popular and the men would take in new productions every week. The theatre maintained a continuous rotation of plays. Nine touring concert parties toured various base camps staying from three to twelve nights performing for the soldiers. Reserved seats cost one or two shillings while unreserved seats cost three or six pence. The price was an example of the premium prices that well-paid Canadian soldiers needed to pay. Admissions to a cinema downtown could be found for a penny.
When there was a pause between theatre productions, the Garrison theatre also doubled as a cinema. Seats for the movies were a similar in price with the most expensive theatre reserved seats costing a shilling. The silent pictures of the time were produced by legendary directors such as Charlie Chaplin. His first film in 1914 was The Kid. This Chaplin film debuted one of his most enduring characters, the tramp.
In order to keep the boys busy, the army used sport to divert a soldier’s energy. There were always impromptu sporting matches. Many times events took place between men in the same battalion. Then there were the competitions between other Canadian formations and even international matches.
The two most popular sports were boxing and baseball. Events in these two events could break out anywhere and any time. The YMCA provided materials for most of the sporting events.
George was a spectator at many significant sports days. One such sporting event took place in the first days of June 1917. Besides running and jumping there were baseball, basketball and football matches along with several other events.
The favorite activity was to form a large circle with two fellows blindfolded in the centre. One had a sock full of straw and the other a tin can with a stone in it. The man with the can rattled it to show where he was and the other fellow tried to hit him with the bag. It was great fun for the onlookers and George laughed until tears ran down his cheeks.
The Army celebrated Canada Day on July 1 with games at Camp Bramshott. They had baseball games, races, jumping and all kinds of sports. There was an immense crowd at the sports fields, mostly soldiers of course, and here and there were groups of nurses At night there was a boxing tournament. This was followed by a grand military tattoo in which twelve bands took part.
On September 15, 1917, there was a big military Fete and sports competition on the Bramshott grounds. There were Englishmen, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans taking part in the international affair. George and his pals put away their battalion pride and supported their fellow countrymen.
At Bramshott, there were several opportunities outside the camp for the boys’ entertainment. Cafes and shops were available to separate soldiers from their money. A favorite pub was the Seven Thorns located just outside the small village of Bramshott. One of the best remembered, however was “Tin Town.” This strip of buildings was located next to the base.
“Tin Town” was a nearby straggle of corrugated-iron huts. There were no sidewalks, just mud! It had been hurriedly erected along the narrow London to Plymouth Road to serve the camp and its soldiers. The group of shops and pubs had inflated their prices to take advantage of the Canadian soldiers’ generous pay.
George, looking for a change from the monotony of army rations, was quick to find alternatives to mess meals in Tin Town. The boys would slip into the Elgin Cafe for a cup of tea, but the preferred haunt was Mabel Edwards’ “Tin Town Cafe.” Mabel had a truck load of two kilogram loaves of bread delivered daily and about four horse-drawn carts of mineral water a week. Tea and coffee were a penny a cup while sandwiches or a piece of cake two pence. All the men called Mrs. Edwards “Mother” and voted her place the most popular in the camp.
Private Kirkham looked forward to leave. George needed a pass for any place outside of five miles limit imposed by camp regulations. Although the Bramshott area could keep a soldier busy, they also had the opportunity to explore southern England. Many soldiers could obtain three-day and week long passes which gave them plenty of opportunity to visit London and travel to many outlying cities.
Railroads, being cheap and dependable, were the preferred means of transportation. George, and his fellow Canadian soldiers got half fares on the railways and this made trips throughout the area attractive. The closest rail station in the area was at Liphook, just two miles from the camp. Most inbound and outbound soldiers used this station.
Bramshott was just 26 miles north of Portsmouth. For many of the troops a weekend pass meant a leisurely trip to this seaside resort. However, the trip of choice was a train ride to London, just forty-three miles away. Four shillings got George to London and Waterloo Station.
As George pulled into Waterloo Station, there were crowds of young girls! There were always ladies on the station platforms busy serving troops. They had set up tables on the platform with hot tea, biscuits, cake and rolls. They waited on George and talked the whole time. In very flattering terms, they told George how brave he was and hoped he would have a happy homecoming. These girls were doing their bit for the war by providing this service to all. For the servicemen passing through the station, it was a good morale booster and much appreciated by the boys.
George was also met by special guides wearing arm bands who offered help by answering any questions. From Waterloo one could hop on to buses and streetcars or make their way to the tube (underground).
The popular Grosvenor Gardens was directly across from Waterloo Station. It was a triangular fenced-in area, well-planted with flowering bushes and flower beds. In the centre of the garden was erected a temporary one-story frame hut, built in the Swiss style. It was quite popular with all branches of the services; airmen, navy men. Americans, Canadians, Australians, and the ‘Imperials’ could go in the club any time of the day and night.
There was a YMCA directly across from Grosvenor Gardens making it an all-in-one spot to eat, stay and explore London. The YMCA created the Red Triangle Club to provide overnight accommodations at minimal cost to Canadian soldiers on leave. The Y provided writing rooms, travel information and services, storage for personal equipment, banking facilities and barbers.
Each morning, guides arrived at the YMCA and collected soldiers who had been at the Front and now just wanted to be a tourist. Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Parliament Buildings, wax museums and Westminster Abbey also were all on the top of the list to visit. Located at the Abby the Canadian colours were deposited on the Wolfe Memorial.
The Canadians also had their own clubs. Lady Drummond of Montreal instituted the Maple Leaf Clubs in London for Canadian soldiers to have a homey place to congregate and be provided with a hot bath, clean bed, and decent meal for a minimal cost. These were subsidized by contributions from organizations in Canada, like the IODE and Canadian Clubs, as well as private citizens. Rudyard Kipling and his wife were on the Board of Directors. Volunteers helped serve meals including Princess Patricia, whose father, His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, had been Canada’s Governor General from 1911 - 1916
The Maple Leaf Club opened its doors in 1915. However, the Canadian contingent continued to grow, and so did the need for greater access for Canadian soldiers to reasonably priced room and board while on leave. By the end of the war there were 18 buildings that were operated by the Maple Leaf Club. It was the first choice for most soldiers including Private Kirkham.
The Maple Leaf Clubs offered hundreds of beds on any night for the Canadian soldiers in London. Offering more than just sleeping accommodations, the clubs also boasted billiard rooms, lounges and a smoking room. Soldiers could relax while reading Canadian and British newspapers; writing materials were made available to those who wished to write letters home.
Meal prices ranged from an affordable eight pence each for breakfast and lunch while dinner, often consisting of soup, meat or fish course, vegetables, and dessert would cost a mere shilling. For breakfast soldiers would be treated to porridge, and either sausages, bacon, eggs or fish, bread and butter, and tea or coffee. For lunch, they could expect a meal consisting of cold meat or meat pies, potatoes, cheese and dessert.
A hot bath, pajamas, and a bed for the night cost the soldier an additional shilling per night. Men could also have their laundry done and their kit cleaned and stowed away for safe keeping.
George and the men of the CEF spent as much time as they could on leave. The main attraction - women - there was no shortage in London. The men were off to war and women were needed to fill the typically male jobs. The streetcar conductors, porters and ticket agents in the city were women. Also, women were driving delivery wagons, coal carts, and taxi cabs.
The British munitions industry had expanded massively during the First World War resulting in many women working in the munition factories. Before the war this was the exclusive domain of the men. Munitionettes, as the women were known, manufactured over three quarters of the nation’s wartime weapons and ammunition. Women also replaced farmhands who had joined the armed forces. Despite the crucial role played by women in the First World War, for much of its duration they had no right to vote in government elections, a status that only changed in the last year of the war.
The meeting place for most of the soldiers, where all the girls hung out, was the Leicester Lounge on Trafalgar Square. A soldier went upstairs and never sat for a minute or two before a couple of girls would come along. The rest of the night was spent drinking, socializing and dancing. As one soldier reported, “You can see one (lady) in the street with about a pound of powder in her face and rings. They were all covered with them.” As in France, it was not hard to find ladies of the night. These women were well aware that Canadian soldiers were paid much more than their counterparts in the British and ANZAC forces.
Christmas was another time that George enjoyed visiting London. George spent hours walking Regent Street. Despite the war, it was crowded with Christmas shoppers, and the bright stores were very attractive in contrast to the darkened streets.
Stores encouraged people to buy Christmas pudding from them to send to the front. They would run adverts saying, “Buy your Christmas pudding here, it will survive the journey to the front.”
Large London stores like Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason all had War Comforts Departments. These rooms were stocked with items from chocolates to camping equipment that could be sent to soldiers. It meant that relatives could go into this room and make up care packages to be mailed to soldiers.
George enjoyed visiting the Harrods Department Store. Nothing like this existed in Canada. Covering over five acres of land and having more than one million square feet of floor space, Harrods was a landmark in its own right. The building was constructed between 1901 and 1905. It was commissioned by Richard Burbidge, who had previously installed one of the first escalators in the former building in 1898. The store also had a zoo in 1917 that started off with chickens and goats and later added exotic animals.
Pantomimes were a major Christmas tradition, and continued throughout the conflict. During the war, they adapted to popular interests incorporating favorite war sing-alongs. Soldiers loved the plays and the participation that came with them.
Newspapers were the main source of public information about the progression of war and the welfare of those fighting. At Christmas, as in prewar years, weekly papers like the Illustrated London News and the Tatler produced annual Christmas issues. With beautiful images and short stories, these were careful to present a cheerful image of the wartime festivities. Sentimental images of soldiers returning home, or robins in the trenches aimed to integrate experiences of war with the spirit of Christmas.
Christmas and shopping was just another attraction that brought soldiers to London. The following story is typical of a Canadian soldier on leave in London: “I suggested Westminster, but it wasn’t open, though we saw it from the outside. Then we went back to the Horse Guards Parade where a big crowd was seeing three captured German airplanes, some rusty looking trench mortars, a 4.1 inch calibre gun, 2 torpedoes, 3 mines (sea), and several other articles. They were very interesting. Then we went to the British Museum and spent a couple of hours there. Needless to say, a week wouldn’t let you see everything, but we saw a little of a great deal. We skimmed most of the place.
Then we went to the National Gallery which was very fine. The two pictures that really interested me were the originals of “Dignity and Impudence,” and “The Blind Fiddler.” Then we watched an impromptu recruiting meeting in Trafalgar Square, by some soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and Newfoundland (Newfoundland did not become a province of Canada until 1949). London is full of Australians and N.Z.’s all of whom have been wounded at the Dardanelles in the Gallipoli campaign. I spoke to fellows from every colony of England.
I put much of my time in the theaters. I should have liked to see the Christmas pantomimes but they don’t start till Monday. As it was I saw H.B. Irving in the ‘Case of Lady Camber’ at the Savoy, ‘Charlie’s Aunt’ at the London Opera House, ‘The Pedlar of Dreams’, a revue at the Vaudeville, and ‘A Little Bit of Fluff’ at the Criterion.’ All were good and I enjoyed them.
Other shows I saw there were ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’ at the Strand. The revue ‘Now’s the Time’ at the Alhambra and another revue at the Coliseum. London is full of soldiers, and dark at night and a bit serious with Zeppelins and bombing raids. The German planes haven’t been here for over two months and their reception will be very warm when they come again.”
There was always something to do in London. Some of the Canadian boys would rent a Canadian canoe and paddle on the Thames. There were bands playing in the parks and plenty of marching military units. One could always catch the Changing of the Guard at St. James’ Palace.
A favorite tourist attraction was Madame Tussaud’s Wax Works. There were two policemen as you went in the door and they looked real, and all the figures inside were likenesses of great men in their dress. Kings and Queens were dressed in coronation robes. In the dungeon were famous murders in parts of the Chamber of Horrors.
A typical day out meant eating out. The Simpson’s in the Strand was popular. Their speciality was enormous roasts of beef and saddles of mutton and haunches of venison roasted on the spit and wheeled about the dining room on wagons. One would order mutton and a white-aproned red-faced old yeoman would wheel a cart beside the table. If there were a few pennies conspicuously displayed by your plate he would cut George large and luscious slices. The pineapple fritters were also hard to beat.
George could also get a decent meal at Grosvenor Gardens. Several kinds of meals were chalked up on a blackboard. George would chose the one he wanted, told the man at the desk, who would then give him one half of a numbered perforated ticket. The number would be called, and George would pick up his meal. It was a cosy comfortable spot and men liked to linger around.
For cheaper food and, of course, drinks, the pubs were a favorite haunt for the Canadian soldiers. The different bars had their own character, type of beer, and prices. During the war, pubs had a multi-room layout; it wasn’t unusual for a pub to have 3, 4 or 5 different rooms. Bars were opened from 5 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sundays. As the war progressed opening times were progressively reduced. British pubs instituted shorter hours and afternoon closings, ”to keep factory workers sober,” especially munitions workers. Evening closing moved to 11 p.m., then 10 p.m. and by the middle of 1915, it was as early as 9 p.m. At the same time afternoon closing was introduced, and outside London, pubs were only opening for 5.5 hours on weekdays and 5 hours on Sunday.
Just outside downtown London was Richmond. It was a favorite drinking spot for George and an area near Trent House and Lady Smith’s convalescents home. There were many bars lining the Thames located just down the street. A pint of warm Guinness, a game of darts, and the pub speciality, pigeon pie, or fish and chips wrapped in newspaper rounded out the night. George earned more than their British counterparts who earned just a shilling a day. The Canadians earned four times as much per day, which caused some jealously and animosity in many of the drinking establishments.
Many Commonwealth soldiers viewed Canadians with envy and resentment, especially the Australians. On more than one occasion, these emotions led to brawls in and outside of English watering holes. The exchange of insults resulted in soldiers spilling out of the pubs to defend their honour and that of their battalion. Excited crowds of British spectators cheered enthusiastically. The numerous confrontations, leading to fisticuffs, resulted in a general perception that Canadian soldiers were troublemakers and barroom bullies. Despite this notoriety, the majority of British Expeditionary Force officers held the Canadian infantry in high esteem. For the most part, they respected and admired Canadian bravery, tenacity, loyalty, and fighting ability.
By 1917 the war was weighing heavily on the English civilians as the conflict dragged on with the reports of heavy casualties and the submarine wolf packs disrupting Atlantic shipping. George saw the formation of food queues during the summer of 1917. People in the poorer districts waited outside of shabby shops for hours, and the better-off sent their servants round to fetch what they could.
After February 1918, it became impossible in London to buy butter, margarine, or meat without ration cards; by the end of April, everyone was required to register for bacon as well. Those in the country, and the well-to-do, were a tad better off, since they had gardens and livestock. However, food shortages, inflation, and rationing remained a threat to the average Brit’s meals even after the U-boat campaign ended in August 1918.
George felt safe in England far from the bombs of the Front. However, during this time, George witnessed the bombing of London. This was the first war that would see aircraft used against military and civilian targets. On many nights George could hear the antiaircraft guns and see the searchlights all seeking out the German Zeppelins and bombers.“We live here in more or less danger of an air raid by Zeppelins. By day we trust to our airships and airplanes that fly about like great bumble bees to protect us, but they do not maneuver at night, owing to the fact that any aircraft seen after dark is to be fired upon. At night we trust to darkness. Our windows in camp are all covered with thick heavy blinds to prevent the light from shining through. In private homes and towns, all blinds must be closed under penalty of a fine. Similarly, the blinds in motor buses and railway coaches were kept down. Everywhere the street were in darkness except for a faint blue light at dangerous corners.”
For the first time, the British people found themselves under direct attack from the air, and in a fashion that did not discriminate between soldier and civilian. Germany had been openly developing its long- range Zeppelin airships in the years before the war. The first deadly attack against Britain came on the night of 19/20 January, 1915, when two Zeppelins dropped bombs on a number of Norfolk towns and villages, causing building damage and the deaths of four people. The first raid on London came in May that year and had resulted in seven deaths and the destruction of a number of buildings.
Airships, initially by Zeppelin, and later by specifically developed bomber aircraft, carried out both night and daytime attacks. By the end of the war, the raids had resulted in 557 deaths and more than 1300 injuries. For the civilian population of Britain, so use to wars being fought somewhere else, the conflict was being brought directly to their doorsteps.
. . . . The Spanish Flu . . . .
The influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. In the early summer of 1918 George, already in hospital, came down with the flu and jaundice. Widely known as the Spanish Flu, the pandemic, quickly spread through the cramped military camps across Britain and on the continent. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. The effect of the influenza epidemic was so severe that the average life span in the US was depressed by 10 years.
The flu swept through most of the world over the next two years. The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 is thought to have killed from 30 to 100 million people worldwide. About 50,000 Canadians and 228,000 British died and millions more were sick. Many of those who survived had lifelong health problems. Ironically, as if soldiers hadn't sacrificed and suffered enough, this virulent Spanish Flu, contrary to form, killed a disproportionate number of people in their 20’s and 30’s.
After his bout with the flu, George was transferred from medical care back to the 4th Reserve Battalion on October 10, 1918. He reverted to his rank of Private and was categorized as a medical level A1. He was now cleared medically to return to the Front. As Private Kirkham awaited transfer to a CEF unit, the miracle that soldiers and civilians had prayed for took place. Peace and the Armistices were signed on November 11, 1918.
. . . . Armistice . . . .
The insanity of the war can be seen in those last hours leading up to the end. The truce was to take effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918.
However, World War I ended with a final spasm of violence. In the last few hours, more than 10,000 casualties on the Western Front were recorded on all sides, more than on D-day in 1944. This, despite senior army officers all knew days ahead that the fighting would cease. All brigade commanders learned at 5 a.m. that morning, but orders continued to push the men forward. The Great War had already claimed some 10 million military deaths and another 16 million wounded along with 25 million civilian casualties. In the years to follow there was considerable criticism for the conduct of the war by politicians and senior army officers. Plenty of questions were raised by command decisions on that last day.
From London to Paris to Ottawa and everywhere in between there was an immediate eruption of sheer joy. Bells were ringing! Crowds in the street cheering! The war was over! Germany had quit! Now, at last, “All is Quiet on the Western Front.”
On November 11, George now at Bramshott had a quick inspection parade and then the men were dismissed to their huts. At 11 am the news had spread of the Armistice. Immediately the camp and men rushed outside to the parade grounds. The men were cheering, and parades and bands were everywhere. The euphoria however turned violent that night as the base canteen and Tintown were wrecked by rioting troops ransacking the area.
One recollection of the event reads,“I think we must have known the war was nearly over. Anyway, on the morning of November 11, 1918, I was on the day shift and I know we weren't working very hard. At 11 o'clock we heard the maroons going off which was the signal it had ended! We all poured out of the 'cowshed' and in two shakes of a lamb's tail there were people everywhere, stopping the traffic, clambering over the trams, hanging out of windows, waving flags. I remember seeing the French tricolor and the American Stars and Stripes as well as Union Jacks. We 'choir' girls linked arms and started singing at the tops of our voices. I can't remember what we sang; but we were soon leading a procession all the way down the Grays Inn Road towards Holborn.”(Katie Allen)
“In the evening a group of us went up-West. I think it was raining but we didn't care. We ended up in Trafalgar Square which was an absolute sea of people. They'd lit bonfires between the lions at the base of Nelson's column but they weren't dangerous because the crowd was so well-behaved. The glow of the flames shone on people's faces and we sang ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ which I think is a lovely tune, though it isn't popular any more. Then somebody would start ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ or ‘It's a Long Way to Tipperary,’ or ‘Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?’ and the sound was like the waves crashing on to a beach.” Not to be left out, George Kirkham found his way into London and the celebrations.
Although Canadian soldiers celebrated surviving the war, out of a total of 600,000 Canadians who had enlisted, 68,000 had died and over 170,000 were wounded.
. . . . Return to Canada . . . .
When the armistice came, it posed a new problem for the Allied commanders - everyone was expecting to go home at once. It was estimated that there were 500,000 soldiers that needed to be returned to Canada. However, there were also Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Indians and Americans all clamoring to return home. There were only those ships that the submarines had not sunk to carry them home.
Senior military planners realized that shipping capacity would only allow 25,000 to 50,000 Canadian soldiers a month to return to Canada. This meant that some battalions were to act as occupiers into 1919. Many soldiers became agitated with the delays which resulted in troop riots in Canadian camps like Camp Whitley and Rhyl.
George, fortunately was one of the first soldiers to return from England in late December. Farewell selections were played by s by a Liverpool band as the ship pulled away from the dock. The voyage back to Canada seemed to last forever. Private Kirkham returned through Pier 21 at Halifax, the port he had left from just over two years earlier.
It was a very different Halifax. The Halifax explosion had occurred on the morning of December 6, 1917. The SS Mont Blanc, a French cargo ship fully laden with wartime explosives, had collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin. Twenty minutes later, a fire on board the French ship ignited her explosive cargo, causing an explosion that devastated every building and structure in an area covering 250 acres along the Halifax shore. The north end of Halifax and the neighbouring community of Richmond were obliterated. Across the harbour the Dartmouth shore and the small Mi’kmaq settlement in Tuft’s Cove was destroyed.
A large section of Halifax was completely leveled and buildings were damaged up to 16 kilometres. The blast shook buildings 100 kilometres from ground zero and was heard over 300 km away in Cape Breton. The force of the blast overturned lit stoves and lamps. Fires broke out all through the city, leaving entire streets burning. The harbour itself was demolished.
Approximately two thousand people were killed by debris, fires and collapsed buildings, and it is estimated that nearly nine thousand others were injured. More Nova Scotians were killed in the Halifax explosion than were killed on the battlefields of Europe. The scars of the blast were still visible as the returning troops docked in the harbour.
George returned home by rail. Railway connections with the port of Halifax were so worn from the wartime traffic that their maximum capacity for troop trains was 20,000 to 30,000 men a month. George arrived in Toronto in late January.
Once in Toronto, George was immediately given furlough and headed north. He made it back to the farm just in time to celebrate Christmas. Sarah and Billie and the rest of the family were all together again. After catching up with all the family reunions and visits, he returned to Toronto and Military District 2.
In 1916, Canada was divided into ten military districts. The headquarters for each district was responsible for coordinating the military activities within its boundaries. District No 2 headquarters was located at the Exhibition Camp in Toronto. It covered a vast tract of central Ontario from Niagara in the west to the eastern shores of Lake Simcoe and from Lake Ontario in the south to parts of the Algoma and Nipissing districts in the north.
After three years of service, Private George Kirkham, proud member of the 162nd Parry Sound Battalion, 2nd Canadian Pioneers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was discharged on February 19, 1919, and became a civilian again. George was given $450 dollars as payment when leaving the service. He had additional money that he had sent home while at the Front. He was allowed to keep his uniform; after all they were the only clothes that he had known for the past three years.
George Kirkham came back to the world that he had grown up in. In the years he had been away he had changed. In truth, no one could witness the harrowing sights and the carnage of Vimy Ridge he and his comrades had seen on a daily basis throughout the war and not be changed by those events. There was little support for the returning troops to help them overcome or even cope with their trauma and demons. Front line soldiers had lived with horrors that seared their souls- a close chum torn to bleeding fragments by a shell or mortar bomb; the rotted trunk of a corpse dissolving when a burial party lifted it by the arms and legs.
“At one point I stepped on something that yielded,” wrote Lieutenant E.L. Burns, “and there rose up before me the rear end of a dead German. His clothes had been torn off and his flesh, visible in places, through the mud, was green.”
Bill Foster, a stretcher bearer, never forgot the two men caught by a phosphorous shell, “It burned their hair and heads causing them to scream and I could do little for if I touched them it would burn my hands and soon they died.” Another soldier recalls, “We were walking on dead soldiers and the worse was there was about three feet of mud and water. I saw poor fellows trying to bandage their wounds, bombs, heavy shelling falling all over them. It was the worst sight that a man ever wants to see.” Most men learned to bury their war memories. They just had to get on with life as best they could.
For veterans, 1919 was the year of disillusionment. For tens of thousands the Armistice had restored a prize they might otherwise have lost - their lives. Now, as with all prizes, the problem arose of how to use it. Like most other ex-servicemen of that day, George Kirkham returned to a civilian existence without fanfare or counseling. George tried to put the memories of his time in the army and experiences of war somewhere out of sight of those around him, and got on with life. Men came home with wounds to minds and bodies, and some with drug and alcohol addictions, to say nothing of other vices such as smoking, swearing, and gambling. They found broken marriages, children who had forgotten them, and families who had already heard enough about the war.
Soldiers came back to a country far removed from the ideals they had remembered from a distance. Relatives harped on the deprivations they had faced, of “Meatless Fridays” or “Fuelless Mondays,” but to men who had seen war in France or England, Canadians had obviously done well out of the war.
It also seemed easy to identify war profiteers. An automobile cost more than most soldiers earned during the entire war, but the number of cars on the road more than tripled between 1915 and 1919. Inflation had effectively doubled most prices, but wages on the whole had kept pace – but not for the soldiers or their families. Soldiers never received a pay increase from their one dollar a day wage for the entire four years of the war.
The Patriotic Fund stopped raising its allowances in 1917 for fear that community and private generosity was drying up. The Canadian Patriotic Fund was set up by Montrealer Sir Herbert Ames to support wives and children of Canadian soldiers on active service. Canadians responded generously. By 1919, over $43 million had been raised for the Patriotic Fund.The government increased its $20 a month separation allowance to $30 only at the end of the war.
Men accustomed to English norms found that war had not loosened the grip of Canadian moral reformers of society. In English-speaking communities, anything more entertaining than a church service was still banned on Sundays. To make Canada fit for heroes and to appeal to newly enfranchised women voters, temperance enthusiasts had persuaded Borden’s government to impose an absolute coast-to-coast prohibition on the consumption of liquor.
Prohibition became a reality in Ontario in 1916 and lasted until 1927. Ontario wine was exempt, but no bars, clubs, or stores could sell liquor, although it wasn’t illegal to consume it at home. Distilleries, however, could keep producing alcohol and shipping it out of province. Soldiers, of course, had not been consulted on the matter. Adjustment to civilian life would take time.
George received tragic news shortly after his return. Three Macfie brothers had gone to the war as part of the McKellar contingent. George had known and trained with all the brothers. John, the youngest and biggest of the brothers, had been killed at Fresnoy, France. Roy Macfie and his wounded brother, Arthur, returned to the farm in Dunchurch.
In May 1919, Arthur died instantly in an explosion while using a box of detonators to blow up stumps trying to clear land for more pasture. Family members wondered whether the constant pain from his disabled arm had been a factor. George dressed in his best Sunday suit and joined the surviving brother Roy with other troopers from McKeller for the funeral. The boys manages a few pints before they separated to go their own way again.
George was determined to settle into a new life. First on the to-do list was to marry Blanche Haselhurst who had written to him throughout the war. This he did on Monday, June 16, 1919.
His next major decision was where to live. He needed to move away from the homestead to find better and more permanent employment opportunities. There were enough brothers and sisters still on the farm, so he looked to find another place to start a new life and raise a family. Three years in the army had provided him with a certain amount of savings and pocket money.
His sister Minnie, after getting married and leaving the homestead, had settled in Port Credit just off Mississauga Road. George stayed with them while looking for a new place. He decided to settle in Port Credit. His brother Arthur had also moved to Port Credit after the war staying into the 1920s. George bought two lots on Broadview Avenue with some of his savings. He purchased the land in May 1919. George and his new bride, Blanche moved on to the property in July of that year.
At first they lived in a tent on the newly acquired property. George put his carpentry skills to the test, first building a rough wooden structure (later to become the chicken house) to live in while he worked on the house. For George, 24 Broadview Avenue was his first major construction job on his return home to Canada. It still stands today.