Volume 25 www.legionnl.com 25 Newfoundland Labrador Command continued ... continued ... years from now I will be back having tea with you again". When tea was finished, father stood up. "Now boy", he said "we must have prayers before you leave us". I would rather not as at that time I was very reckless and cared very little for God or any of His ways, but I said nothing, only kneeled down. I do not remember that prayer in its entirety, but I have fancied many times since that I could hear father as he prayed to God to take care of me and to guide me. How he sobbed and cried like a child! I shall never forget those moments. Prayer is over and we all rise to our feet. Then I started to shake hands with all and to say farweIl, 'so long' were the words I used. I began with one of my sisters, that being one of eight, who sat next to my mother, leaving mother till last. As I said “good-bye” there were not many dry eyes in the house. Then I came to father, and as I write these words, I can almost picture his face with the big tears rolling down his cheeks. I can only remember seeing him cry once before and that was when his parents died. But now as he shook my band, his voice seemed to choke with a sob. By this time my hard heart had become pretty near melted. Now I came to mother. My intention was to just touch her hand and slip away. But no! As she lifted her right hand to shake mine, she passed her left around my neck and, holding me close, sobbed as if her heart would break. Now my heart had almost failed me, and tears began to come to my eyes. I dragged her across the kitchen and through the hall. After a struggle I parted her arms from around my neck as I went through the hall doorway. Then as I turned her last words were, "promise me, Wallace, if you never meet me again on earth to meet me in heaven". My answer was "mother I'll do my best", but these words were for a time soon forgotten. I left the old home and as I passed over the hill which hid it from view, I turned to get as I thought perhaps the last glimpse of the homestead. Next I went to wish my uncle good-bye and again there were tears shed. At last I reached the station with my sister who was going, to St. John's with me. After a little waiting the train came and we were on our way. At Shoal Harbour we had to wait for the east-bound train. At last we reached St. John's and I reported to the Regiment. That was on Saturday, May 12, 1917. I was detailed for the fire piquet, to go on duty at five o'clock on Sunday evening. After spending another week in St. John's, we set sail on Saturday morning at seven o'clock, May 19, on the S.S. Florizel for Halifax. That night we had a gale of wind and on Sunday morning there were only a few that could get to their breakfast - they were sea-sick. It blowed hard all day on Sunday but during the night it moderated and just at sunrise on Monday morning, we saw Halifax. We were soon in port and, after a little delay, we were landed and marched to the barracks. Then the trouble began - our food was cut down to a soldier's allowance. My! I thought I would never see England much less live to see France for we would get away from the table just as hungry as when we sat down. Then we would have to go and do the hardest kind of drill. Alf and I found an old lady who lived, I think, on Cornwall Street. She was a Newfoundlander by birth. She would say, "come in my boys, I knows just what you wants”. Then she would prepare tea for us. But soon our little bit of money was exhausted, and we could not afford this luxury. Then we were quarantined for ten days as someone had a fever in the barracks. At last the time came for us to march on board the ship that was to take us to Liverpool. Her name was the S.S. Olympic, and on June 3 we set sail from Halifax as the night shades began to cover the land. It was thick with fog and the voyage was dangerous due to the number of submarines off the banks of Newfoundland, but our ship was the largest and fastest troop ship on the Atlantic, and she could steam thirty-two knots per hour. So once past a submarine, we would soon be clear of her. There were seven thousand Canadians on board and about three hundred of us Newfies. We had it a bit cold until we got clear of the banks of Newfoundland. On our voyage there were three German spies captured who were Officers in the Canadian Regiments. One of them tried hard to get to the engine room but he was caught. Every second day we would get up on the boat deck for a route march. Three and a half times around the deck was a mile. After spending six days on the Atlantic, we landed in Liverpool, and on June 10 we landed in Ayr, Scotland. This was on Sunday and the Band played us into the Barracks and another draft, that was leaving for France, out. Next day we had to get down to our drills which made our muscles ache. I found it very hard to get into the short pace of a soldier and to make my one hundred and twenty steps per minute, being a lad of six feet, but I soon got on to it. After almost a month at Ayr, we received orders to move to Barry which was only eight or nine miles from the city of Dundee in Scotland. There was a little village near us by the name of Carnoustie that had a nice seashore and green
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