72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

THE WAR STARTS.the 72nd in that direction will be remembered. Chiefamong the sports days held were the occasions,first onSt. Patrick s Day, 1916, when the Battalion marched toNew Westminster and won very easily the great majorityof the events from the 121st and 131st Battalions, andwassecondly, the last arid most important sports day of allheld at Hastings park on April 1st, when, under a cloudless sky some 15,000 people were assembled in the biggrand stand overlooking the oval. It was a day of 72ndvictories, chief among which was the winning of the quarter-mile by Pte. Macdonell of the 72nd against Copping ofthe 61st Battery C. F. A., the exciting finish being onenever tobe forgotten.It goes without saying that public interest in the Battalionduring its encampment at Hastings Park rose to a highIt grew more intense as the time for leaving for overpitch.seas drew near. Illustrating the difficulties that were encountered in making the start, it may be mentioned thaton Thursday night, April 13th,the men had been grantedfour or five days leave. At 9 p.m. on the following daythe news came that the Battalion was to be entrained onSunday morning, the 16th. Not a man was left in campand the Battalion was distributed to various areas. Itspeaks well for theesprit de corps which had been established that after the wires had been kept hot for severalhours by imperative messages, not a man was absent whenthe last roll was called on Sunday morning. The finalmove was made on Sunday, April 16th, 1916. Beforemarching off from the Park a church service was held;Captain the Rev. John Mackay, D.D., the chaplain of the72nd Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, officiating. The day was fine and a very large crowd, estimatedat 30,000, gathered to see the Highlanders off on the firstlap of their journey to the battlefieldsof Europe.The trip across the continent was a pleasant one, route15