How One Man Lead The Canadian Corps On The Western Front | Far From Home: Sam's Army | Timeline

[Music] [Music] what would become the Great War had been planned for by all the main participants for 30 years but when it came it came so quickly no one felt prepared It was as though something long anticipated and even hoped for had gotten out of hand before it even began the reason for this all agreed could be summed up in one word mobilization each country knew the mobilization schedule of all the others how long would take each army to be ready to march to be mobilized one day too late was to be a day behind with potentially disastrous consequences [Music] of the great powers only the greatest the British Empire could take its time that was the luxury afforded by the Royal Navy to make britain impregnable until it was ready to fight when on august 4th a german forces struck through belgium all the European powers had vast armies in the field Britain dispatched an expeditionary force of 100,000 to assist the Belgians and French stem the German tide the German Kaiser comparing Britain's contribution to the 5 million from the other great powers dismissed them as contemptible when the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo the news had little impact in Canada the day following the assassination prime minister Robert Borden traveled to Halifax to visit his mother for a few days before moving on to Muskoka for a much welcome of summer vacation when Austria held Serbia accountable for the assassination and shelled the capital of Belgrade on July 28th Russia began mobilizing to defend its ally Serbia the Germans allied with Austria stood ready to attack Russia which evoked its alliance with France Germany remained confident they could win a war on two fronts against Russia in the East and the real prize France in the West in Ottawa Sam Hughes Canada's Minister of militia had been anxiously awaiting the British response to Germany's declaration of war against France and Russia England is going to skunk it and he seemed to be looking for an excuse to get out of helping France oh what a shameful state of things by god I don't want to be a Britisher under such conditions to think that they would want to go back on France Sam Hughes on August 3rd disgusted by Britain's hesitancy to enter the fray even though Belgium had been invaded Hughes ordered the Union Jack to be taken down over militia headquarters but when Britain's ultimatum demanding Germany cease its invasion of Belgium expired at midnight on August 4th 1914 the British Empire was at war [Music] although the events of the past few days had quite prepared us for this result it came at last as a shock it was difficult to retain one's balance in the unexpected and bewildering environment that enveloped us in what had seemed but a moment Robert Borden Prime Minister [Music] for grace Morris of Pembroke July had been a gloriously carefree month spent canoeing boating and playing tennis with her two brothers basil and Ramsey and Ramsey's classmate at the University of Toronto Alf vestido who had spent the last month with Morris family a great deal of that time in the company of grace [Music] but her summer of idle pleasure came to an abrupt end on the night of August 4th we sat tensely on the veranda of our home in Pembroke Ramsey else our cousin Sammy and myself we were waiting for basil the youngest of the group to return from the telegraph office where he'd been sent to read the latest bulletin as basil hurried up the steps he announced breathlessly war is declared Canada is at war silence then someone said but this is our war how do you get into a war I know how I get into it Alf reply I leave on the early morning train for home I am a captain in the militia in Milton we wondered how long a war could last in this industrial age a few weeks possibly the next morning we went to the railway station to bid farewell to elf grace Morris [Music] across the nation had seemed Canadians unanimously welcome the government's declaration of war even avi Bull Vasa the french-canadian nationalist who was in Europe when the war broke out published a statement in support of Canada's commitment to the war Canada an anglo-french nation bound to England to France by a thousand ethnic social intellectual and economic ties has a vital interest in the maintenance of France and England it is therefore her national duty to contribute to the triumph in above all to the endurance of the combined effort of France and England all he Bourassa for those of British stock the question of Canada's involvement was beyond debate the duty of all Canadians is to share their last drop of blood in defense of the dear old motherland but why ask such a question is there occur with a drop of British blood in his veins who doubts his duty left headed colonel J a Vickers 100 and 2nd regiment rocky mountain Rangers though newspapers such as the Calgary Daily Herald preached caution and moderation incidents of anti German hysteria erupted throughout the country in Regina rioters set fire to nine buildings known to be owned by Germans in Vancouver a mob attacked the German Consulate and in Berlin Ontario where 2/3 of the population were of German descent vandals tore down a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm and tossed it into a lake but Canadians passion for Britain's cause could not disguise the fact that we had militarily speaking little to offer the job of correcting that state of affairs fell to Sam Hughes who was at least in his own eyes almost uniquely qualified to carry it out real civilization was gained by the British Bible and the British bayonet Samuel in 1898 a year before the outbreak of the Boer War in South Africa Hughes pressured the Liberal government under Laurier to provide troops for overseas service the Liberals dragged their feet a frustrated Hughes then advertised for volunteers and offered these troops directly to Joseph Chamberlain the British Secretary of State for the colonies General Hutton British commander of the Canadian militia sought to punish Hughes for his unauthorized action by refusing on the command in the Canadian contingent to South Africa Hughes bitterly attacked Hutton in a series of published letters [Music] let me point out that whatever British regulars have fought with Canadian volunteers side by side victory has ever been theirs whatever disaster occurred in the war of 1812 there were no Canadians Sam Hughes Hutton replied I should fail in my duty if I recommend the employment of an officer however well-intentioned whom I now know and whose correspondence shows to be not only devoid of any proper spirit of subordination but to be also deficient in military judgment General Edward Hutton and Hughes was out fearing that he might miss the grand adventure altogether a desperate Hughes apologized to Hutton for Hughes is almost heartbroken and has been to see me twice full of tears and contrition the struggle is over General Edward Hutton Hutten allowed hues to accompany the troops but only as a civilian undaunted Hugh secured a position as railway staff officer and within a year had become senior intelligence officer for the railway Hughes wrote a number of letters home describing his exploits many of which found their way into Canadian newspapers they were full of condemnation for the British and praised for his own heroic endeavors it has been my good fortune to make my mark in December in transportation matters in January and February in lines of communication affairs all over South Africa and now I have just yesterday morning relieved the town of Abington with two Canadians we rode 68 miles in 24 hours in order to reach here before a large force of the enemy moving on the northern bank of the river whose object was to destroy the bridge here and loot the shops on getting to the river after riding all night I crossed under fire chased the enemy numbering 75 in one body and several hundred in another two cornfields before sunset searched every house in the town and took the arms and now awaiting the arrival of our troops still with two days off Sam use [Music] with the publication of these letters the press sheepishly dropped their vilification of Hutton and turned on Hughes the journals which imagine that Colonel Sam Hughes was a victim of general Hutton's prejudice against colonial officers must feel like asking the earth to open up and swallow them when they read those awful letters the Toronto telegram weary of Hughes continuing assault on the British High Command in the press Field Marshal Roberts the British commander sent Hughes packing fuelling Hughes hatred of the British Regular Army [Music] imperialism and imperialist our words we hear in constant use in public and private though frequently those who use them have but a faint conception of their actual meaning not everyone is gifted with an imaginative grasp of unseen things and this is necessary for at least the majority to have if we would build an empire as wide as the world Elsie Redford [Music] the meaning of Dominion status within the British Empire which also included colonies dependencies and protectorates was perfectly clear for the first 40 years of Canada's existence it meant independence except for defense in other words foreign and military policy we sense that there is a vague something moving abroad and gradually working its way into the minds of men up and down the earth and that's something is the spirit of imperialism it is fastening itself upon their intelligence in a way that augurs well for its crystallizing into form and action Elsie Radford Elsie Redford's vague something received a lot of positive reinforcement we were encouraged to believe that the British Empire was something very special which had practically been guided by God we sang we hold a vaster Empire then has been and I half the race of man is subject to our King and I have the world is his in Fife where he rules all are free or something like that when he had to memorize these things Keith Ellis Sam Hughes had little difficulty separating his deep dislike and mistrust of the British military from an ardent support of imperial unity a term he invented and then proceeded to define in a speech to the Canadian militia in 1913 to make the youth of Canada self-controlled erect decent and patriotic through military and physical training to give that final touch of imperial unity and crown the arch of responsible governments by an imperial parliament dealing with Imperial Affairs sand use in other words Hughes imperial vision saw himself as Canada's representative at the very center of Imperial planning speaking for Britain's abroad an ardent Orangemen his definition of Empire included religion as well as race and nationality in 1914 he issued an order that militia regiments in Quebec would no longer be permitted to march in parades to mark Catholic holidays his view of the nature of the new kind of Canadian army went hand-in-hand with his romantic notions of an imperial Parliament which did not exist and which view but he had proposed the Canadian colonists can be completely ignored sofas concerns any European theater of war Cannavale feet - Dan Hardy German General Staff after he had toured Canada in 1910 as Inspector General Sir John French who would lead the British Expeditionary Force in France evaluated the effectiveness of Canada's militia should war come at present it would not be possible to put the militia into the field in a condition to undertake active operations until after the elapse of a considerable period the Sir John French Inspector General Sam Hughes had been appointed in 1911 to remedy the situation but by August 1914 the permanent force numbered only 3110 all ranks and the Navy 393 the militia scorned by Sir John French numbered 64,000 Germany an autocracy backed by strong military power required every physically fit male to train for military service for which they would remain liable to age 45 between August 6th and August 16th 1914 more than 3 million German soldiers moved to the front in 11,000 trains Sam Hughes first act was to drop mobilization plans drawn up only 3 years earlier opting as he told Parliament for improvisation really a call to arms like the fiery cross passing through the Highlands of Scotland or the mountains of Ireland in former days Sam Hughes he sent 296 night telegrams to the Colonels of the militia encouraged no doubt by the fine sentiments many of them had expressed in a survey conducted by the Montreal star as for myself and the Rangers we are ready just let Colonel Sam give the word left headed Colonel J a vicious 100 and 2nd regiment Rocky Mountain Rangers we share the Empire's protection and should gladly share her dangers lieutenant colonel ms Mercer Queen's Own rifles there is only one option not only Canadians but every British subject should rally around the flag and perpetuate the glorious traditions of the Empire leftenant Colonel James W woods Governor General's horse guard Sam Hughes mobilization plans successfully outflanked and bypassed the divisional and district commands and left everything in his hands the result was a bureaucratic nightmare at Sam Hughes insistence the Canadian Army formed battalions that had little connection with traditional regiments which nonetheless remained responsible for most of the cost of recruiting wealthy patrons sponsored whole units and battalions Hamilton Gault at a cost of $100,000 raised and equipped the princess Patricia light infantry which would be the first Canadian unit to see action the stress on private funding of the mobilization had serious repercussions in Quebec where English regiments mainly in Montreal Canada's richest city found ready sponsors while few French Canadians possessed the wealth to keep pace Hughes was also reluctant to encourage french-speaking units allowing members of the Cabal Nehemiah the vorcha gilda Quebec and the cowbell Yale de Sherbrooke to be absorbed in the 12th and 14th battalions both english-speaking prominent French Canadian officers such as general Assad and Colonel Pelletier were passed over Pelletier who commanded an infantry column in South Africa was given command of a half dozen men defending anacostia island in the Gulf of st. Lawrence Randolph Lemieux and dr. Omer me go both wealthy Quebecers decided to raise a french-speaking battalion but getting Hugh's permission required strenuous efforts on the part of 58 liberal and conservative members of parliament from Quebec the result was the 22nd battalion which became the Royal 22nd the van doos destined to be Canada's most decorated regiment Hue's mobilization violated the provisions of the militia Act which since Confederation had maintained a balance of French and English units early recruitment spurred by the belief that the war would be glorious and short helped to ensure that only one french-speaking company would be part of the 35,000 men dispatched to England in September 1914 thus as the war progressed there would be few experienced french-speaking officers on August 7th 1914 la presse the largest french daily made an impractical suggestion which provides evidence of just how negative the effect of the Imperial connection was now that France and England are fighting side-by-side why does the Canadian government not obtain the authority to raise french-canadian regiments to be enrolled under the flag of France the price later to help cure the shortage of French Canadian recruits Hughes turned to his old buddy and Conservative Party organizer William Price who found few French Canadians willing to follow an English Colonel with no military experience I can see now that there will be difficulty in raising many men in this province the organisation is rotten and there is a complete misunderstanding as to how to get French Canadians to enlist William price Prices own methods were not calculated to produce a better result I tell them what no politician dares tell them that they're behind all the other provinces though they have a double duty one to the Empire and another to France yet they are laggards and that they assured as a matter of fact furnish more than any other province William Pryce Hughes methods would raise the largest volunteer army to fight in the Great War and perhaps the largest volunteer force in a history of human conflict but his personal reputation in Quebec was not enhanced when two civilians one a [ __ ] another a French national returning to his regiment in France were shot and killed in response to an order from Hughes that sentries at all military installations in Canada were to shoot to kill [Music] these two words fight and pray will they mix yes perfectly there is no more sin in fight than pray it is equally right to fight or pray when right is in peril the Presbyterian record October 1914 my husband was too old so during the war we helped mostly with recruiting we thought it was quite the right thing for the church to help my husband Sunday school class were in their teens most of them enlisted we'd invite them to our house to have some music one of the boys had a drum some of the other boys played and we encourage them to enlist and be good boys very good boys we urged them on I can never forgive myself mrs. Lorna browning Arden Ontario Hughes approach to recruiting depended not only a local funding but on community pressure why aren't you in the army I had difficulty even when I told them I had bad ears because I had scarlet fever come on try again I tried often enough they pressure the life out of you it's held Martin Colby [Music] I went to Valkyrie and civvies the first seat with long pants I'd ever owned in Valka Shay we were lousy but no one would admit it till I said I'm lousy are you everybody was lousy then we stayed that way the remington between august 1914 and april 1915 ninety five thousand men enlisted as many as the army could absorb hughes starting from scratch established a camp at Val tachi both as a training center and staging area Val kochia camp was located at the juncture of the jackal Chi River and the st. Lawrence above Quebec City a site which also netted the agents who purchased the land in his own name a healthy Commission and the rank of honorary leftenant Colonel Hughes handed the chore of building the camp to William Price who spread the work amongst local Conservative contractors it took 400 workmen 30 days to complete the task which included installing sewers water mains electrical power railway lines and three miles of rifle ranges with the first troops arriving in the midst of construction Bert Remington who was brought to Canada by his parents in 1910 was among the first to arrive we never had any training I went with an advance guard in September and there was nothing but field and bush and we said but where's the camp and they said you're gonna make camp and that was the beginning of Valka Shay and the brought in tents and the tents went up like mushrooms that was Val cachet in September 1914 Remington two weeks before Remington arrived at Val Cartier Hughes had misinformed Parliament telling them that 5000 troops were already there 5000 more were on the way and that the whole complex was ready for their inspection rolling gavel cocky here was a gathering of the clans as a hundred trains converged on that Koch a from every corner of Canada men obtained a new impression of the vastness and breadth of their own land here was a country with towering mountain ranges with prairies two days long with a sweep of rivers that mingled their sources and flowed into three oceans of the Western world Simon graves by September 8:30 2665 men had arrived in Val Cottier surpassing Hugh's estimate of 25,000 the composition of the first contingent was 30 percent canadian-born 65 percent british-born and 5 percent other Val Katya was Hugh's own mini Empire he would arrive in his private railway car named ro lean in honor of his two daughters Roby and aiming the dominating spirit was general Hughes who wrote about with his aides in great splendor like Napoleon to me it seemed that his personality and despotic rule hung like a dark shadow over the camp canon Frederick Scott there was no matter so trivial that it did not warrant Hugh's unwelcome interference officers became frequent targets for Hugh's random abuse as likely to find themselves demoted as promoted on the spot I want men for action action that is the word I want cool-headed men because it is a terrible responsibility incompetent officers are worse than baggage Sam Hughes officers training in the morning before breakfast was sore drill and we'd go through all the motions of attack and defense with the sword it was the only time we ever used a sword in the course of the war Ian Sinclair 13th battalion there was some useful training for small arms by drill and route marches but remembrance of South Africa was strong in the Ministerial mind rifle ranges three miles long were constructed each recruit was expected to aim and discharged his weapon 35 times the Germans had made the discovery that a recruit never hits the object at which he aims and their troops were taught to fire as they advanced without aiming in the hope that they might hit something but at Val Cartier military training in a general sense was negligible dr. Andrew MacPhail a final review of the troops about to depart for Europe took place on September 20th less than seven weeks after Britain declared war among the 9,500 civilians who attended were prime minister Borden and his wife Hughes had just been given the good news from Borden that all 33,000 volunteers would be going overseas with the first contingent thus releasing him from the painful process of deciding who would go and who would stay he was silent for a moment and then he suddenly broke down and sobbed audibly he presently explained his emotions as joy and relief we had been he told me agonized by the thought of a selection for which he would be responsible and which he must determine in reviewing his character in actions allowances must always be made for his extremely emotional temperament Robert warden Prime Minister the true Ross rifle was my sporting rifle which I designed myself the military rifles turned out at my factory were an official armed over whose structure I had no control Sir Charles Ross the Canadian search for a substitute to the British made Lee Enfield rifle had begun in 1896 when then Minister of militia and defence Sir Frederick Borden had been refused rights to manufacture the weapon in Canada when a Canadian order for 15,000 lian fields went unfilled during the Boer War the Canadian government decided it was time to start producing their own weapons including a rifle to rival the popular Lee Enfield in 1901 Sir Charles Ross brought his 303 caliber rifle on which he owned the patent to Ottawa in hopes of making the big sale that had so far eluded him in a series of tests with the Lee Enfield his competition the Ross was judged to have compared favorably despite the fact that at one point Sir Charles was caught tampering with the lee-enfield but in one crucial area the Ross foiled ominously demonstrating a tendency to jam after repeated firings despite these findings the committee unanimously endorsed the Ross rifle and a factory was built at Quebec City for its manufacture the British were outraged the Ross rifle was intended to be lighter and cheaper than the Lee Enfield but emerged from a tea design changes longer heavier and more expensive I made for the Canadian government as I was bound to under my 1902 contract rifles according to a standard set and frequently changed by the militia department sir Charles Ross Sam Hughes was the great champion of the Ross rifle calling it the most perfect rifle in every sense in the world today Hughes rewarded Sir Charles with an honorary colonel C and a title consulting officer small arms ammunition and ballistics ignoring the fact that the Ross rifle Factory in Quebec City was having trouble keeping up with orders even before the war began Sam he was placed in order with them for thirty thousand rifles plus thirty thousand bayonets complete with scabbards it was an exceedingly accurate rifle if you could take your time to shoot at one man at about 500 yards with a rapid fire over any lengthy period say three or four minutes the darn thing would get heated up so you couldn't open the bolt a jar Ali third Battalion another of Hughes acquisitions was the macadam shield shovel patented by his private secretary Enon macadam her father who owned a foundry was given a contract to produce it it was designed to be a combination bulletproof shield and trenching tool but it was too small to be an effective shield and the hole in the middle of it needed useless as a shovel the militia department bought twenty five thousand at a cost of $1 35 each they were later sold in bulk as scrap metal to an American company for $1,400 [Music] when the Canadians failed to acquire the British made Vickers machine gun they purchased the american-made cult the cult tended to Jam when British ammunition was used I can remember one thing they said if you ever have to leave your gun and all you do is hit it like that and the grip will fall off and it'll mobilize the gun well you didn't have to do that to immobilize it all you had to do was get a little dirt in it and you could throw it away leftenant Walther Critchley 10th battalion behind the manufacturer of the Ross rifle and other military hardware was the wish to ensure that Canada would receive the industrial benefits resulting from war production British officials seemed disposed in some instances to obtain supplies from the United States which could have been procured in Canada and the provision of which could have given employment to some of our people on one occasion I learned that a British official had sent a considerable order to a city in the United States under the impression that he had placed it in Canada when Lord Kitchener asked if Hughes could obtain a quantity of 18 pound artillery shells from the Americans Hughes seized the opportunity and established the shell committee to encourage Canadian manufacturers to produce ammunition by the end of 1915 a total of 422 canadian plants were sharing in a 30 million dollar industry steel production in Canada tripled developing and manufacturing the technological tools of war would soon prove an immensely profitable venture no one who witnessed the departure of the Canadian troops from val koch a camp will ever forget the sight the March was some 18 miles by Road to go back women and children came to the doors to cheer them as they passed the Manitoba Free Press [Music] [Applause] to supervise the embarkation hughes once again turn to his friend William price it was a chaotic process loading 30 transport ships with freight 30,000 troops and 8,000 horses aboard the flagship Franconia were 101 Canadian nursing sisters traveling as part of the Canadian Army Medical Corps the Franconia moved out so quietly about 2 a.m. on October 1st that few realized she had steam up till we woke far down the river I think it was about 9 a.m. if not earlier that the first rumors started and lasted till the hour of demobilization the most steadily abused words of those years were they say but on that first morning they were full of supposed Authority and the secret excitement of imagination run riot Mable Clint nursing sister Sam Hughes followed the contingent in a rented launch to gaspé basin the convoys departure point for the Atlantic crossing there he distributed copies of his pamphlet where duty serves and with a megaphone addressed the troops you see I go then sweet last to win all [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hugh's speech and song were met with a chorus of catcalls and even the Prime Minister drew some satisfaction from the incident Hughes delivered a flamboyant and grand eloquent address to the troops based apparently on Napoleon's famous address to the army of Italy it did not enhance his prestige and indeed excited no little mirth in various quarters Robert Borden they too had a song for Sam in August Hughes had approached Borden inquiring as to the possibility of leading the troops into battle Borden had no objection but turned the matter over to Lord Kitchener whose reply was affirm near but now that the contingent had set sail for England without him Hughes became frantic after the departure of the forces he became obsessed with the desire to visit England this proposal did not arouse our enthusiasm finally we consented but not before I had given him warning that he must control his temperament and have no friction with the authorities on the other side Robert Borden Hue's immediately raced in New York City to board a liner bound for England which managed to beat the convoy across the Atlantic so that Hughes was in Plymouth to greet them when they arrived on October 14th to Canada the long Xia model distinction of sending the first contingent of Dominion troops to war Canada has always been foremost in great Imperial movements and in advance of the Empire's honor made the maple leaf distinguished itself in many battles the Plymouth Western Morning News nothing like the Canadian contingent has been landed in this country since the time of William the conquerer The Times of London before we finally got ashore we were asked to parade through Plymouth and I was detailed to be a rear party a dear old lady standing at the side of the road asked are you a Canadian I said yes she's in it where are your feathers are f Hague Ford Gary horse [Music] upon hearing that the Canadian contingent had crossed the Atlantic aboard 30 ships Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany replied he come in dry seafood abort in Vinnitsa work she will go back in 30 row boats Kaiser Wilhelm 30th October such rain and mud I never saw the like fifth November this is another rotten day rain rain all the time and such mud cannot do any drill today Colonel David Watson following a seven hour train ride from Plymouth which arrived in Lavington at 2:00 in the morning Arthur curries 2nd Brigade carrying full equipment began a 10-mile march to Salisbury Plain which would be their home for the next 16 weeks exhausted the troops fell asleep in the waiting tents with a massive prehistoric pillars and slabs of Stonehenge looming over them when they awoke it was raining and for 89 of the next 123 days through the cold of winter it rained 13th November still raining and most disagreeable it is a wonder that most of our men are not sick 25th November raining again I never saw such weather and the mud is so bad sucks your rubbers off 28th November pouring rain again this is about the limit the doctor is complaining about the health of the men David Watson no one tries any longer to keep clean and we look like barbarians everyone wears rubber coats and caps and we all resemble fishermen the mud here absolutely beggars description however everybody is cheerful and our English visitors remark that an English regiment would mutiny if it were kept here Bernal John Creelman second Field Artillery Brigade one solution considered was to send the Canadians to Egypt to join the New Zealanders and Australians who had arrived there in December eventually the War Office opted for improving the living conditions by constructing wood frame huts many of which the Canadians had to build because of a labor shortage in England the funny thing is we get into the huts and the sick rate went up by three and four times in other words if we were in a constant state of being wet and cold it didn't affect our health but when we get into those huts and sat in front of a hot stove and then went out on parade we chilled captain thomas Morrissey 13th battalion and though an outbreak of meningitis claimed 28 lives for the most part the men stood up to these terrible conditions the horses could not the artillery had their hands full with their horses the poor animals floundered lower and lower in the mud picket lines had to be changed almost daily and the task of watering and feeding the horses became a problem in itself Simon graves we hadn't thought of a trench war and we didn't dig trenches at Val Cartier we were trying to guess what the boys over in Europe would be doing we were sure that the British Army was the finest and the last word in an army and all we had to do was to go over there and pick up their ways Brigadier General Victor Odom general Alderson who was to command the Canadians was unimpressed during the early stages of training but after two months and despite the weather playing havoc with training conditions he declared the infantry to be in excellent shape when Sam Hughes learned that Lord Kitchener was planning to distribute the Canadians amongst British regiments he stormed into Kitchener's office sir do I understand you to say that you are going to break up these Canadian regiments that came over wih will kill recruiting in Canada Kitchener answered you have your orders carry them out and I replied I'll be damned and I will turn down my eland maxint Sam Hughes Hugh's had an unfailing gift for attracting the attention of the press if the struggle is not over by spring I will take the field myself Sam Hughes if this country had to face the enemy with such a leader the cry of oh god our help in ages past would drown out the noise of the guns the Toronto Evening News one member of parliament wrote Borden his latest utterances in London last night compel me to take the charitable view that the man is insane [Music] Borden in an attempt to rid himself of Hughes wired George Pearlie Canada's High Commissioner in case Hugh should be desirous of going to the front it would be advisable from a political consideration to give him the opportunity Robert Borden on February 4th 1915 King George inspected the troops a sure sign that a departure was imminent at the beginning of November I had the pleasure of welcoming to the mother country this fine contingent from the Dominion of Canada and now after three months training I bid you Godspeed on your way to assist my army in the field I am well aware of the discomforts that you have experienced from the inclement weather and abnormal rain and I admire the cheerful spirit displayed by all ranks in facing and overcoming all difficulties by Oh deeds and achievements on the field of battle I am confident that you will emulate the example of your fellow countrymen in the South African War I shall follow with pride and interest all your movements I pray that God may bless you and watch over you king george v the abated Veta two houses iron a deep let upon environment violence you will be home before the leaves have fallen from the teens kaiser building [Music] the canadians were about to join a war that was everybody's making and nobody's choosing the prevailing attitude among the european powers was that the war would be short and would end quickly and decisively one dissenting viewpoint was expressed to the kaiser as early as 1905 by general helmet for Manke who would lead the German assault in the West [Music] it will become a war between people's which is not to be concluded with a single battle but which would be a long weary struggle with a country that will not acknowledge defeat until the whole strength of its people is broken a war that even if we should be the victors will push our own people to the limits of exhaustion general Phan wodka the German blueprint for victory the Schlieffen Plan named after the strategist who had created it called for a large forest invasion through Belgium and into northern France outflanking French forces north and east of Paris [Music] the German offensive was at first an apparent success as German forces swept through most of Belgium and far into France but fond marker was uneasy don't let's deceive ourselves the victim should have prisoners where are our prisoners in adult fun what the general then made a critical deviation from the Schlieffen Plan he pulled his right-hand troops east of Paris leaving his flank vulnerable to attack by the French and British on September 7th the Allies counter attacked the Germans of the river Marne forcing them to retreat the massive German assault had violated the neutrality of Belgium guaranteed by all major European powers when that nation was created in 1839 the German offensive had failed because of the stubborn defence of the Belgians the fighting retreat of Britain's small but growing army but chiefly because of the remarkable recovery of the French at the mark [Music] the Germans now dug a line of fortifications extending from the channel just inside Belgium through Flanders into France to the Swiss border the defensive positions everywhere were on high ground of their choosing trenches were dug barbed wire invented in 1880 by American ranchers was erected and machine guns a new weapon strategically placed to lay down a withering fire against any advance aircraft used for the first time in war made surprise all but impossible the German grand strategy was to wait behind these positions until Russia was defeated the push to Paris would then be resumed with the armies from the east giving them numerical superiority meanwhile they would engage their enemies in such a way as to weaken rather than defeat them as decreed by the famous 18th century military strategist Carl von Clausewitz the decisive weapon would be massed artillery which would create a killing ground within which in Clausewitz's words the enemy must advance and seek his own destruction as a special distinction the wards were named after Canadian provinces Quebec Ontario and Nova Scotia occupying the ground floor Mabel Clint nursing sister the honour of being the first Canadian military force to cross the English Channel to France actually belonged to nurses of the number two stationary hospital which opened in little Kay Hotel on November 27th the number of beds was 420 every member of the staff was on his or her mettle for we felt Canadian efficiency might be judged by this sample of organization and training mabel clint nursing sister but the first Canadians to reach the front were the princess patricia's light infantry composed almost entirely of British born veterans they landed in France on December 21st and joined the British 27th division in mid-february 19 ships conveying Canadian troops departed from Avonmouth on the west coast of England destined for Senna's air on an off of the Nawab the trip should have taken 36 hours but because of a severe storm the crossing lasted a miserable 5 days upon arrival the sea weary troops were given a rousing welcome the first non regular British division to reach France troops boarded trains at Sandy's air for a forty three hour endurance test to the front officers traveled in passenger cars up front while the regular troops were packed in boxcars at the back the trip ended in french flanders where they billeted in the nearby villages and farms and as foreign as this land seemed to them one thing remained the same the mud here is as thick and much stickier than its ellsbury plains but nobody minds now Colonel John Creelman 2nd Field Artillery Brigade on March 1st the Canadians relieved the British near flow Bay British General Edwin Alderson took command of the Canadian 1st division on March 3rd and addressed his troops betraying a bias to the defense my old regiment the Royal West Kent has been here since the beginning of the war and it has never lost a trench the Army says the West Kent's never but I am proud of the great record of my old regiment and I think it is a good omen I now belong to you and you belong to me and before long the army will say the Canadians never budge General Edwin Alderson the Canadians were just in time for the neutral offensive and attacked by four British divisions south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres the Canadians used mostly in a supporting role nevertheless suffered 278 casualties from German artillery during a quiet period in the line lasting 24 days new problems with the Ross rifle surfaced the bayonets tended to fall off if attached when fired exposing soldiers to sniper fire as they attempted to retrieve them from in front of the parapet [Music] the great bulk of our men got down into the trenches or ditches or anything low because you avoided the bullets by doing that but you didn't avoid the gas he took it and when you saw men suffering dying with the gas oh it was a pitiful thing I stayed up in the high spots I would rather have the bullets than the gas Colonel Victor olam the German strategy while defensive had two points at which they continue to exert a more or less continuous pressure in an attempt to wear down the forces opposing them in the South the position was Verdun where French General Patton had decreed they shall not pass and in the north in Belgium a teep which the British were forced to defend in order to protect the Channel ports of Dunkirk and Calais through which their forces could most directly and her friends more than half the casualties sustained by all the armies engaged in the Western Front would occur at EPA and Verdun a teep German attempts at encirclement of the British position created what is called the EEP salient it's essential shape was complete by the fall of 1914 the British action at Neuve Chapelle had been designed to enlarge the salient and had failed with a large cost in men the allied defense lines slightly north of the village of San Julian was flat muddy and separated from the Germans by only a few hundred yards on the left of the Canadians was a French colonial division made up of troops from Algeria these troops along with the Canadians had been chosen to endure the world's first gas attacks undoubtedly because the Germans had a low opinion of colonial troops the chlorine gas from 5000 cylinders was released mainly against the Algerians on April 22nd the green yellow curtain when it reached their lives choked on contact killing or incapacitating any of its victims who continued to breathe the gas into their lives the Algerians fled leaving a four mile gap on the Canadian left [Music] when this gas attack came up we saw these Algerian fellows running they were really running poor fellows the rifle fire they were good on but when his big shells Talon half shells were bursting and the gas that was really too much for them FC Arnold 7th battalion we weren't equipped with a gas mask men were coughing spitting lead and children and we didn't know what to do till the mo of the 14th battalion Colonel Scrimgeour was rushing up and down telling everyone to urinate on your pocket-handkerchief tie it over your mouth and you save thousands of lives lieutenant Joseph sir prostate artillery the Germans were slow to take advantage of the unprecedented gap in the Allied lines Brigadier General Turner commander of the third Brigade ordered an attack at midnight by the 10th and 16th battalions against the Germans now moving through the gap it was a bayonet charge there was a hedge a short distance ahead of us above four feet six high with a wire through it this was heavy wire so when we hit that it just stopped everything there was no talking no work but with our entrenching tool and bayonet scabbard and rifle butts that created a great deal of noise dan Ormond 10th battalion those sort of noises carry a long way at night and the next thing we knew a very light went up but lit up the whole countryside then it just opened up rapid fire with rifles and machine guns which is pretty ugly and the green troops it was an appalling experience a.m. McClellan 16 battalion but the Canadians pushed on attacking and finally overwhelming the Germans defending a shallow trench we have taken the Germans by surprise they had never thought any army would ever think of doing anything like that the routed them out of their trenches and we captured a batter of 18-pounder guns that British had left behind leftenant walter Critchley 10th battalion by the evening of the 23rd they have been reduced to company strength at nightfall the third Brigade withdrew to stronger ground on the western end of the Grove and stopped a bridge though severely bloodied and battered the Canadians had bought time to close the flank barring the pathway to eat devote keek official German history of the war credited the obstinate resistance and tenacious determination of the Canadians with robbing them of victory Arthur Currie the commander of the 2nd Brigade had been in the midst of the fighting his first direct experience of war the Allied line had bent but it had not broken and along with their contribution in stemming the German advance the Canadian still held the line which they'd been assigned on the morning of April 24th it became the site of the world's second gas attack it swept over the eighth battalion of curries 2nd Brigade but unlike the Algerians two days earlier the Canadians were not caught by surprise and fought stubbornly I saw the Germans hop over their trenches and put these cans in front I wondered what they were doing just one here and went a little further alone and the smoke from that boiled up and the wind blew it towards us I thought it was smoke and then when it came along towards as it turned green a greeny yellow color it came up and went over the trenches and two fellows one on my right and one on my left they dropped and they both died but I could swim underwater for two minutes and as soon as I saw that gas coming I tied a handkerchief over my nose and mouth and that saved my life Lester Stevens 8th battalion Brigadier General Turner's Brigade weakened by its defense of the abandoned French position two days earlier threatened to collapse Turner was ordered to use British units to fill and hold his line for the massive attack which was expected to follow after the gas and artillery had taken their toll unfortunately Turner interpreted the line to mean the secondary line which lay more than a mile behind his present position when he pulled out his troops he left the left flank of Currie 2nd Brigade exposed thinking Currie must have received a similar order he did not inform him of his intentions Currie worried about his collapsing left sent for reinforcements when none came he left his post and went to divisional headquarters to personally fetch reinforcements while on his mission to HQ Currie learned at Turner and brigade major Garnett Hughes had withdrawn the 3rd brigade and that his troops were outflanked a now desperate Currie confronted Major General snow commander of the British 27th division as soon as I mentioned that apparently there was a gap between the left of my 8th battalion and the third Brigade troops major-general snow shouted at me and asked me how I dare allow a gap to occur to hear him one would have thought that I was personally and solely responsible Arthur Currie one witness to the scene was left tenant Lynn of the second field company general Currie was cool and adamant general snow in contrast was excited raving abusive and insulting leftenant Lynn second field company Curry's trip to headquarters would come to haunt him his enemies later to include Sam Hughes would use it against him in a campaign of whispered innuendo to suggest a cowardice in the face of the enemy Major General Snow was of the same opinion if Currie was an English officer I would have had him put under arrest and he would probably have been shot General Thomas snow returning to his brigade curry mustered together men from the 7th tenth battalions a total of only 300 men and put them under the command of victor old l'm still mourning the death of his brother killed in battle only the day before hoodlums men took their places in the line during the night to the left of lips its eighth battalion to form a most precarious flank the Germans attacked wiping out an entire company of the 8th battalion I concluded that our position had been judged hopeless and ordered units to retire at dusk Arthur Currie during this retirement with the Germans yelling behind them drums beating and calling out we have got you Canadians now I never saw a man quicken his step Colonel duxford 5th battalion Arthur Currie and the Canadians had been in their first battle and while there were criticisms of Currie the Canadian infantry had held their ground in the crucial first three days under conditions that were unprecedented and protected the all-important left flank of the British position their stand against a ghastly new weapon had earned them a special kind of recognition and respect the Canadian stand at Ypres had relieved gas of a psychological impact it was now made another of the known horrors of war and with the introduction of gas masks shortly afterwards it lost some of its physical impact as well Sir Basil dad L heart military historian at San Julian the Canadians would eventually erect a monument to their first battle victory more than six thousand casualties were suffered by the Canadians in one of these casualties leftenant alex Helmer killed by a direct hit from an eight-inch shell had a powerful emotional impact on his friend a Canadian doctor serving a teep John McCrae heavy gun fired this morning lieutenant Helmer was killed the guns his diaries last words were it is quieted a little and I shall try to get a good sleep I said the committal service over him as well as I could from memory a soldier's death dr. John McCrae captain Medical Corps the next day less than a mile from where the Canadian memorial to the battle still stands McRae took a few minutes between treating batches of wounded soldiers to jot down a poem in Flanders Fields the poppies blow between the crosses row on row that mark our place and in the sky the larks still bravely singing fly scarce heard amid the guns below we are two dead short days ago we lived felt dawn saw sunset glow loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders Fields take up your quarrel with the foe to you from failing hands we throw the torch be yours to hold it high if ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders Fields it is little wonder then that in Flanders Fields has become the poem of the army the soldiers have learned it with their hearts which is quite a different thing from committing it to memory it circulates as a song should circulate by the living word of mouth not by printed characters dr. Andrew MacPhail the slaughter of friends and half his brigade at the Second Battle of Ypres had changed McCray forever he seldom took leave and insisted on living in tents like the frontline troops despite his deteriorating health he would die of pneumonia in January of 1918 for Hen the war had to be won he could not break faith with the dead of Flanders the message of n Flanders Fields was uncompromising John F Prescott dear grace one sees some other dreadful sights in this place which it pays to forget about as quickly as possible and not to write about it all so I try to remember only the nice thing I guess we won't have much tennis this here by the way I'm getting to be quite a French linguist I hope to be quite efficient before long and when I see you again I'll be quite too much for you Alfred best Ito the news of their heroics Stan was received with great pride and Canadians realized that their country had decisively stepped onto the world stage then came the casualty list beneath a banner headline Canada forever and forever were the names of the gallant men who had fallen in battle in Pembroke the lone list was posted in the window of the telegraph office on Main Street people stood in the street to read it there was silence and deep sorrow at the top of the list was the name captain Alfred vestido killed in action grace Morris and for some there was a fear equal to that of their own death and not by nature interrupted not even quarrelsome enough to make fighting enjoyable on the contrary I shrink from the naked disclosure of human passions drunkenness insanity hatred anger they filled me with the cold horror and dread but to see a man afraid would be the worst of all to have to kill a man in whose eyes I saw the wild fear of death would be awful I almost think I would stop and let the fellow kill me instead Talbot Peppino after firing 15 to 30 rounds rapid-fire the rifles jam to loosen the bolt it was necessary to use the booty or the handle of an entrenching tool the men have lost confidence in the Ross rifle as a service arm leftenant Colonel Loomis 13th battalion following the Second Battle of evening questions regarding the worthiness and the Ross rifle for combat or once again weighs out of 5,000 surviving infantrymen 1452 had thrown away their Ross rifles and picked up Lee Enfield from their fallen British comrades general Alderson forwarded reports submitted by Canadian battalion and Brigade commanders on the performance of the Ross rifle to Sir John French this matter is as delicate as it is important Canada will no doubt be extremely annoyed if fault is found with the rifle this cannot be allowed to stand in the way when the question may be of life and death and our victory and defeat General Edwin Alderson French ordered that the first division be rearmed with lian fields but allowed that the second division when it arrived would keep the Ross rifle so long as a steady supply of the proper Canadian made ammunition was available with the arrival of the second division overseas Sam Hughes decided it was time that the Canadians created a separate Canadian Corps preferably with himself in charge on Hughes urging Sir John French recommended the creation of a Canadian Corps to General Douglas Haig who would soon replace French's commander of the British Army in France Pegg complied and made general Alderson corps commander I think the best return we can make for the splendid service rendered by the Canadian division is to meet their wishes Sir John French all there's an open Canadian Corps HQ and Bayou on September 13th and in a complete vindication of Arthur Curry's actions during the Second Battle of Ypres placed him in charge of the first division Sam Hughes received a knighthood on August 24th 1915 after intense lobbying on his behalf from Borden max Aitken and fellow Canadian and future British prime minister Bonar law the new colonial secretary but over the objections of the Duke of Connaught who was already concerned over allegations against Hughes regarding wartime profiteering Hughes also sought to get his son garnet promoted to Brigadier General in command of Curry's old brigade Hughes representative in England max Aitken the Canadian who had become a press Baron and rose to the peerage as Lord Beaverbrook leaked it to the papers that garnets Commission was already a done deal Alderson was livid at the suggestion that it had been his idea I am told that has been published in the Canadian papers that I especially asked for Hughes to be made a brigadier I do not think this is right or fair to say that I are specifically for him is putting me in a very wrong position with several gallant commanding officers who have done real solid good work general Edwin Alderson max Aiken warned Alderson that he was putting his position with Sam Hughes at risk and Alderson was soon replaced his corps commander but all arson was not alone in his low opinion of Garnett Hughes whose failure to inform curry of the withdrawal of the third Brigade Adeeb had exposed Curry's left flank to the enemy [Music] tonight I have 100 stretchers and 150 bearers and we are going to try and get them out it is a wonder how any of us escaped and it will take a couple of days to get the casualties out of the line major Eggar adamson princess patricia light infantry at the beginning of June the Canadian 3rd division under General David Mercer held a two and a half mile line from Hill 60 on the right across mount Sorrell Hill 61 l 62 through sanctuary wood across the gap to the village of Hoover on the left on June 2nd 1916 the Germans unleashed an artillery barrage so savage in its intensity that it blew the Canadian troops right out of the trenches 4 mines exploded under mount Sorrell added to the devastation wave after wave of German infantry advanced quickly overcoming any resistance in sanctuary would the princess Pat's now part of the Canadian 3rd division fought desperately to hold the flank against a determined German attack we have lost about 480 men but it is impossible yet to say precisely how many the only officers now with the regiment of gray McPherson Dunton McKenzie all up to daylight this morning unwounded the bombardment today has been very heavy and I fear how casualties will be added to general Mercer Victor Williams McLaren ADC to Victor and Gooden 'im blown up by a mine explosion Victor was badly wounded at the time the Germans report having captured a general and staff it is imagined that this refers to them I find myself now in command of the regiment and I don't feel I have the knowledge or physical strength to do this remnant of a regiment Justice I would like gray to take it as ability should be considered before seniority the bio girl I am rather done and played out major Eggar Adamson princess Patricia light infantry by 2:00 p.m. the Germans had captured mount Sorrell Hills 61 and 62 and penetrated 1200 yards into the Canadian front the Germans were now two miles from Ypres and Haig seriously questioned the Canadians performance this goes to prove that men with strange equipment and rugged countenances and beards are not all determined fighters general Sir Douglas Haig general Julian Byng who had replaced a general Alderson as Canadian Corps commander gave the task of retaking mount Sorrell to curry who worked on a new battle plan calling for coordination between artillery and ground troops and the use of constant air reconnaissance to keep abreast of shifting German defences tell the officers and men that we intend that the artillery will not the fight out of the enemy our chief work is to consolidate quickly and hold on Arthur Currie [Music] we were faced with the woods which had been shelled to pieces the stumps were all there and we'll full of barbed wire and driving rain and pitch-dark it would be very easy to lose direction so I recommended to the CEO that we do the thing with the bayonet without any shooting at all in the first place we wouldn't be shooting each other but the great thing would be that if there were rifle flashes we would know it was the Germans so we did it that way with cold steel HR alley third battalion in an hour all objectives were in Canadian hands on the 14th the enemy mounted to counter-attacks which were quickly repulsed though Canadian losses during the 12 days of battle were nearly twice those of the Germans this first set piece battle planned and executed by the Canadian Corps had been an enormous success Korean salvaging victory from defeat had begun to develop his signature strategy of paying the price for victory in shells and not in the lives of his men and in the aftermath of the battle a final decision was made to replace the Ross rifle I carried in three Lee Enfield rifles to the infantry in the front line it was a Canadian Scottish battalion and I saw this kill tee up on the firing step so I said to him hey Jacque you want a Lee Enfield rifle and he looked down in the half-light unbelieving grabbed it picked up his own rifle waved it around his head and slung it out to no-man's land AG Jacobs LS Hg in March 1917 the Ross Factory was expropriated by the Canadian government and in October so Charles Ross relinquished his appointment as consulting officer small arms ammunition and ballistics and along with it his honorary rank of colonel the fall of the Ross rifle would mark the beginning of the end for Sam Hughes [Music] I do not like to kick a man when he is down but I am willing to break 9 toes in kicking Sam Colonel John Creelman 2nd Field Artillery Brigade the Ross rifle and the trench shovel had been pet projects of Hughes their manufacture placed in the hands of cronies but so too was most of Canada's war production the virtual absence of French Canadians among the country's financial and industrial elite meant that French Canadians saw themselves pilloried for their lack of patriotism while the English owners of industry and Friends of the minister of militia and defence became rich the new scandal of 1916 revolved around Hugh's association with J Wesley Allison and his creation of the shell committee Allison made an honorary colonel by Hughes had originally served as a freelance purchasing agent for the committee together with three American speculators Allison set up the American ammunition company at a cost of three thousand dollars Allison in his role as purchasing agent for the committee then placed orders with his own company for artillery fuses amounting to ten million dollars using in advance of 1,500,000 from the committee to establish a factory and provide working capital the speculators then paid healthy kickbacks to Allison Borden appointed a Royal Commission to investigate and asked Hughes who was in England to return to Canada in July the Royal Commission finished their report Allison was given a slap on the wrist and lost his honorary rank given to him by Hughes and was cleared of any wrongdoing the dust had been conveniently swept under the carpet on November 9th 1916 Borden who had never fired a cabinet minister before asked Hughes for his resignation I have done my utmost to support you in the administration of your department this has been very difficult by reason of your strong tendency to assume powers which you do not possess my time and energies although urgently needed for more important duties have been very frequently employed in removing difficulty as the Sun necessarily created Robert Borden for a long time I have closed my eyes to the petty intrigues and ambitions about me I leave with regrets not on account of the office or anything special but for the welfare of the soldiers however a kindly watchful eye will be kept over them by your humble servant Sam Hughes Sam Hughes had his detractors as well as supporters Sam Hughes was the father and the mother of that formation we sent overseas without Sam Hughes it never would have gone I consider Sam the biggest single contribution Canada made to the war Brigadier General Victor Oden it wouldn't have surprised any of us if somebody had assassinated Sam Hughes DHC Mason 3rd battalion in a parting shot at Borden Hughes noted how history might compare them it might be well if we could all possess your soft mannerism but I am very much afraid judging by all periods of history that human liberty and human progress would not make much advance under such diplomatic forms Sam Hughes apart from the creation of the world's largest ever volunteer army Hughes on the recommendation of his son garnet had plucked Canada's only authentic military genius Arthur Currie from retirement to lead a brigade even though more than once curry had refused to follow Hughes orders true to the manner in which he lived the last speech that Sam Hughes would ever give in the House of Commons before his death in 1921 was a heartfelt call for a return to the system of patronage [Music] grace Morris in the company of her mother sailed to England to visit her brother Ramsey of the 38th battalion hospitalized with shell shock and temporary blindness the result of the severe shelling in the trenches the week spent in England opened her eyes to some of the realities of trench warfare adventure and glamour obviously had no part in it the intelligent young men with whom we had talked over the dinner table in London avoided all reference to the unspeakable horrors and wretched discomforts these were things they endured their only hope and purpose was to survive and bring it all to a successful conclusion I found that the letters from France which had been kept with care meant even more to me now that I understood better the conditions under which they had been written grace Morris on the various battlefields and cemeteries around deep live thousands of men with no known grave after the war the British raised a memorial to 55,000 British Dominion and colonial soldiers who had perished without trace the last post is still played there daily as it has been since its inaugural British poet Siegfried Sassoon who had fought Adeeb saw it as an affront and replied in a poem who will remember passing through this gate the unheroic dead who fed the guns who will absolve the finest of their fate those doomed conscripted unpicked aureus ones crudely renewed the salient holds its own paid are its NIMH defenders by this pomp paid with a pile of peace complacent stone the armies who endured that sullen swamp here was the world's worst wound and here with pride their name liveth forever the Gateway claims was ever an emulation so belied as these intolerably nameless names well might the dead whose in the slime rise and to ride this Sepulcher of crime siegfried sassoon the determined and costly stand of the allies at Ypres and at Verdun did little to bring about victory but they had avoided defeat in this most terrible of trials the Canadians had made a point that perhaps only they could make [Music] there were some who recall with anxiety the scientific organization and the tireless patience with which Germany had set herself to create the most superb military instrument which the world has ever seen and they may have been forgiven if they asked themselves can civilians however brave and intelligent be made in a few months the equals of those inspired veterans who were swarming in triumph over the battlefields of Europe these were formidable questions and even a bold man might have shrunk from a confident answer the story of Canada in Flanders would make it unnecessary ever to ask them again Lord Beaverbrook [Music] in 1916 the killing fields of EEP predetermined by the strategy of defense would give way to the equally dreadful experience of the Somme as the British including the Canadians and Newfoundlanders moved to the attack culminating in a Battle of Vimy Ridge [Music] you

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Length: 88min 52sec (5332 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 04 2018