72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

PREFACEconcise account of what the Battalion did from, start tofinish. If they had had more space at their disposal theywould have enlarged on several matters, notably the greatassistance given to the Battalion by the various women ssocieties whose -constant solicitude for its welfare was beyond praise.That such a military unit as the 72nd should have beenraised and trained in Vancouver must be reckoned as oneof the greatest honours that have befallen this city. Thatit should have so distinguished itself in France as to attain an imperishable renown, should be an inspiration toall who come after. Whenever the wail of a Lament floatsfrom the pipes upon the air, it surely must forever recallthe memory of those brave men of the 72nd who sleepin graves beyond the sea ;who laid down their lives for thesake of freedom, home and country!This work is submitted to the public in the hope that itstestimony to courage, efficiency, discipline and patriotism,as exhibited in the fight for liberty, may be of use in aday too much dominated by commercialism, timidity, andsubmission to political exigency. In its compilation theauthors have had access to official documents and havehad the help of many who were actively concerned in theevents narrated. Their thanks are hereby tendered to allwho have assisted them in their task. Brig.-Gen. J. A.Clark and Lieut.-Col. G. H. Kirkpatrick gave continuous encouragement and assistance ; Major J. S. Tait supplied valuable particulars of the early days of the 72nd Regiment.Capt. G. Thornton Sharp, M. C., kindly superintended theproduction of the maps.The Table of Events and the other appendicesat the endof the volume, will, they trust, be found useful, togetherwith the Nominal Roll, in making clear in detail the operations and the importance of the Battalion, the history ofwhich it is their privilege to record.r>\fcjjVancouver, July, 1920. A. H. F.