City threw big party as 149th Battalion headed off to war

 

Phil Egan

The years 1915 and 1916 were a busy time as Canadian regiments and local military battalions boarded trains across the country to fight in the First World War.

Their trains took them to troop transport ships in Halifax where they set sail for further training in England before landing on the beaches of war-torn France and Belgium.

In Sarnia, the mobilization was an occasion for pomp and circumstance, and the weekend of May 28-29 was one of them.

It began at 8 a.m. on Saturday as Lambton’s departing 149th Battalion staged a grand parade through the streets of the newly christened ‘Imperial City.’ It gave the soldiers, resplendent in new uniforms, a chance to bid farewell to their home and friends and family.

At 2 p.m., the battalion formed ranks and marched to the “Links” on Exmouth Street, on the city’s northern frontier. Here the troops put on a “field day,” displaying prowess at military sports and staging exhibitions of precision marching drills before the gathered crowd.

There was a display of bayonet fighting and other feats of physical training. The balance of the afternoon was devoted to games of baseball, football and golf. Following a break for dinner, wrestling and boxing bouts continued to entertain the crowd. An evening of music by the battalion’s brass band concluded the Saturday of the mobilization weekend.

The ceremonies continued Sunday morning, when the entire battalion formed up in Victoria Square for the march to church services.

On Monday, they boarded trains for London where they were joined by other departing battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

All across Ontario, local battalions were saying goodbye to their communities – the 142nd, 118th, 135th, 153rd, and 161^st. Some would not return to their hometowns.

In Sarnia, a remarkable percentage of the city’s able-bodied men enlisted to serve in the Great War – more than 1,300 in a city of just over 10,000. Sarnia Mayor William R. Paul, in a remarkably progressive act, decided something had to be done to protect the economic security of the loved ones the departing soldiers were leaving behind.

He determined Sarnia should buy life insurance for every city soldier. With more than 100 Sarnia men ultimately losing their lives in battle, it became an unusual and generous benefit for many families.

It was a formidable display of love for King and Country, and for the spirit of the troops in a city that would become known for its patriotism and martial spirit.