First Nova Scotian battalion left for WWI a hundred years ago
Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of the first Nova Scotia soldiers departing from Pier 2 to fight in the First World War.
The soldiers were the first to be recruited and trained in Nova Scotia. The recruiting process began in October 1914 at various hubs around the province — Sydney, Amherst, New Glasgow and Yarmouth.
"All walks of life," says Kevin Robbins, curator of the Army Museum at the Halifax Citadel. "In 1914, no one wants to miss out on what they think is going to be a big adventure."
These soldiers would later become known as the 25th Battalion. They trained locally, and envisioned a life away from Nova Scotia.
"No one had quite an idea about what they were about to get into [or] how bad it will be."
On May 20, 1915, the Battalion - which consisted of 32 officers and 1,000 men - boarded the RMS Saxonia as the 5th Brigade of the newly-raised Canadian Second Division.
Quebec's 22nd Regiment, which would later become known as the Van Doos, joined them for the voyage.
"They arrived in Devonport, England on May 29, 1915," Robbins told CBC Radio's Information Morning. "Then, they marched to the camp by foot and that's where they did their advanced training, on trench warfare, night operations, etc."
Robbins says the soldiers fought in many major battles in WWI, and even became known to the Germans as a strong, formidable enemy in trench warfare.
The Nova Scotian soldiers would go on to fight in "all the big scraps".
"Their main battle honours are Belgium, all the "big scraps" as the fellas would come to call them. [And] Vimy, where they had two pipers stay with them to play music for them as they made their assault."
Though they fought well, the "big adventure" proved devastating for the 25th Batallion. Troops had a 50 per cent survival rate. After the first year, the 25th Batallion was reduced to just 100 men.
The Nova Scotian batallion became quite decorated. To commemorate their historical significance and memory, there was a ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Pier 21.
