From the News

Dated: December 27, 1917

Saw Men Die By Thousands At Gallipoli

Sergt. Robertson, "Original First," in Party Returning, Was in France, Egypt, Dardanelles and Saloniki.

Despite the very inclement weather there was a good crowd of relatives and friends of the men who arrived from the front last night at the C.P.R. depot, and although the train was somewhat late, getting in at 11.55 p.m., the men themselves were cheery, and all more than pleased to get back.

Arrangements were made with the C.P.R. to hold the Victoria boat for half an hour, in order that the men for Victoria could go straight home, and immediately on arrival of the train the Victoria men were segregated and taken to the boat.

The party was in charge of Major Bapty, who, despite his many woundings, was looking wonderfully well, and expressed himself more than satisfied with the trip, though it was a little slow. He was assisted by Lieut. Bevan, and both these officers went to Victoria.

Manager Harnett of the Returned Soldiers' club; C. J. Crowe, the Y.M.C.A. reception committee, and representatives of the 'Soldiers' Welcome Club', I.O.D.E. and Ladies' Auxiliary of the 69th Battery, all were present and served refreshments to the men.

Mr. Crowe and Alderman Woodside were in charge of the automobiles, while Chief of Police McRae sent the two police cars to take the men to the hospital.

Owing to the lateness of the hour and the fact that the men came through New York, they had not been boarded and classed in their different categories. They were all sent up to the military annex and today they will be boarded and given their customary ten days' leave.

"Many Original Firsts."

There were many men of the original first division, and perhaps the man who has seen most fronts and the different theatres of war was Sergt. R. T. Robertson, who was waiting to return to his home in Australia when war broke out, and instead of going home, enlisted with the 72nd Highlanders, which was afterwards formed into the 16th Battalion. On arrival in England he transferred into the C.A.M.C., and joined No. 1 Stationary Clearing Hospital, which, as he stated, was commonly known as "Sam Hughes' tourists," and during the three and a half years he has been away from Vancouver, has served on the French, Egyptian and Dardanelles and Saloniki fronts, as well as the hospital at Malta.

In describing his experiences, he stated that one of the worst sights he saw was at Gallipoli, when men were dying by the thousands, from heat, dysentry and other tropical diseases, and later, when the snow came, in a hospital which had only 300 beds they had to deal with over 1000 casualties. His was the second last hospital to move after the evacuation, which he described as a wonderful piece of work. Another terrible experience he had was after the second battle of Ypres, when the casualties were so heavy that it was almost impossible to deal with them.

Sergt. Robertson was in Saloniki during some "very lively air raids," as he expressed them, and saw about 40 tons of lyddite blown up, and all he got was a good shaking up. He said that people throughout Canada from east to west hardly realized there was a war on, and if they could see, as he had seen, society ladiees go and visit a store six days a week, and please for a quarter of a pound of butter, and see them go with an old coalscuttle and fetch their own coal, they would realize it much more. Men and money both were urgently needed, he continued, but was convinced that the people who were going to do more to win this war were the housewives, and they would do it by strict economizing.

Great Britain Feeding Allies

Sergt. Robertson said that people should realize what Great Britain was doing today. She had taken the responsibility of feeding all of the Allies. He stated that when voting the men were solid for conscription, and that they had cheerred when they heard that the Unionist government had been returned to power.

Another member of the original first division was Pte. E. Broughton, of the 7th battalion, who was badly gassed after spending two and a half years in France. There were very few of the original members of the battalion left, he said, but it was still going as strong as ever. He stated that the people in England were much more optimistic than the soldiers, but he thought that the coming spring would bring forth some very good results. Pte. Broughton came from the northern part of the province to enlist and looked forward to going back north as soon as he got some leave. "Everybody has been awfully good to us coming across," he said, "but the people here are certainly giving us a great reception. Personally I am more than glad to be back, but if they want me, I am willing and shall be pleased to go over again and do what I can for them, but I look forward to a good rest."