Video Transcription
World War 1 started in August of 1914. It would last for more than four years, and kill about nine million people in uniform. During this time the war and other violent conflicts would kill close to twenty million civilians. The
world would never be the same.
The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on the 28th of June 1914 set off a chain of events that led to war in early August 1914. The Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) were suddenly at war with the Allies consisting of France, Russia and Great Britain.
In 1914, Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, but it did not control its own foreign
affairs…so, when Britain was at war, Canada was also at war automatically.
By war’s end, some 619,000 Canadians had enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force for service overseas. This was a huge input from a population of just under 8 million in 1914. Approximately seven percent of the total population of Canada was in uniform at some point during the war, and hundreds of thousands of additional Canadians worked on the home front in support of the war.
At home, Lambton County was also doing its part in the war effort. In September of 1915 The 70th Battalion was organized. They were recruited from Essex, Kent, Lambton and Middlesex counties. The Sarnia Observer reported that, “nearly all members of the 70th Battalion were Sarnia lads.” In April 1916, when the 70th Battalion departed for overseas from London, hundreds of Sarnia citizens travelled there to bid farewell, as its commander (R.I. Towers) and many of its members were from Sarnia, as well as Point Edward and the rest of Lambton County.
Once overseas the 70th Battalion was absorbed by the 39th Canadian Reserve Battalion, providing reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. In June 1916, Corporal Sinclair Battley of Sarnia wrote to
the editor of the Sarnia Observer providing information on the disposition of Sarnia boys at the Front: Sarnia may well feel proud of her sons, for they are ably representing her in this time of national peril in every branch of the service and on every portion of the British military areas. Little did we think when we left Sarnia that we were to be amongst the pioneers of Canada in the greatest struggle the world has known and we are all proud that we were privileged to be amongst those first representatives, not only of Canada but also of Sarnia. Sinclair Battley
In November of 1915 recruitment started for Lambton’s Own Battalion. This battalion was the only unit raised
exclusively in Lambton County. By early March 1916, the 149th already had close to 800 volunteers signed up to
fight. In late May 1916, the Lambton 149th prepared for their journey overseas. Two days before leaving, on May 26, 1916, the 800-man battalion paraded through the streets of Petrolia where they were cheered by a crowd of thousands and a reception was held in their honour.
The Lambton 149th was one of those battalions raised and organized at a time when Canada had already suffered thousands of casualties. Upon arrival overseas, the Lambton 149th like most of the new battalions would cease to exist. The 149th disembarked in England on April 10, and four days later, the men were absorbed into other battalions including the 4th and 25th Canadian Reserve Battalions. From these units, the men
were dispersed as reinforcements replenishing those depleted Canadian Corps units in the field.
While at the front, the young Lambton soldiers faced the harsh reality of the war.
"Dear Mother,
I received your letter yesterday and was glad to hear from you. Things are getting a little hotter around where we are now. Bullets and shells whizzing through the air everywhere. I guess you will have the news of the battle (April 27) we are in. I guess there isn’t many left of the Sarnia boys (poor fellows). They wouldn’t give in until there was hardly enough of them to make a company out of each battalion. There is a few killed and
wounded out of our bunch. Some of them are from Sarnia also…
Well mother dear, this is all the news I have to say for now. If I told you all the news it would take a newspaper to write it on….
Leonard Francis Allingham from Courtright, Ontario."
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