Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative

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lind we hour-s Later , t he Waverly Station, Edinburgh. Perth \1IlS pr epar i ng for U ~,
and ho t t ea a nd buns we r e s e rv ed by t he ladies on the plll.tfor m--an act of kindness
,
WCl heartily t ha nked t hem f or .
We changed trains her e for the Hig hland Rdlway to I nserness , arriving the r e
late in t he af ternoon. Anothl!r c hange of cars and -':0 pulled i nt o Fort Geo rge
Sbtion' at sunset . And 80 it happened that in t he midd l e of Dec ember , 1914, ve
sighted t he valls of t he good old Fort for t he fir5t time. Hov ha ppy A a nd B
Compani es were ins i de those \lQlle can be better inul.gined 'than de scribed . We had
IE • - - -,.,...,...---
ClTerythitlr:; at ~ finger tips t .her-e-c-canteens , gymn.s1UDl~ . reading a nd 'WI'i t ing
room, con ce r t ha l l , barber shop, stat ioner, shoemak e r , co al dea l e r , an d everything
necessary to mak e it a mi nbt ure city . The f ",i r sex ver-e cons picuou s by their
ab sence , but, never t hele ss, ve ahlay s succeeded i n finding a lonely one now and
then .
Our Bar r ack Room boasted of e i ght me n , mysel f included. Just t hi nk , hov we
are scat.ter -ed t odayt 11cllor vas kill ed i n July, Tuff di ed of woun ds, a ye ar l ater,
Kane is missing , Small and Stick are stil l fightin~ , ClUlrchill and I arc be ck in
the home town, an d Christ opher ha s gone back a gaioo-·to help kee p Cons cr i pt ion at
II Arms length" .
Christmas ca me an d vent wi t hout anything hap pening . The Scott i es ver-e vaiti ng
for the Nev Year t o ce Iebrat e yand , you be t, they did i t in sty l e . I ve nt, to bed
early the last day of the year, but , great gun sl I did not kno w t he cr-ovd I was
akeepfng with. At midnight my be d and I go t mixed s cmehov , and I ws r-udeIy
acquaint ed of the fact th:it the For t was in flames. Out sdde 1n the equa r -e, ban ds,
pipers a nd buglers, making an awful din, bi d 'Welco me to 191 5.
Private J&ck Chaplin saw no r heard nothing of t hose r ejoicing:!!,. for that
morning he gav e hi s yating life on II. bkoddI e ee ba t tle field that others might live.
His deat.h va s caused by s ickness co nt .r-act ed
on ::' .al1r;bur y Plain:!! .
Two da y s later