EXTRACT FROM: - NICHOLSON, G.W.L.,

CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 1914-1919,

PAGES 530-533 - CHAPTER XVII ENTITLED

“AFTER THE ARMISTICE”

DEMOBILIZATION

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Discussion of the procedure to be followed in demobilization had begun at the end of 1916, and from then to the end of the war there had been two years of careful planning by the Department of Militia and Defence and the Overseas Military Forces of Canada to
ensure that when the time came, the return to Canada should be carried out speedily, that the transportation provided should be as comfortable as possible, and that the troops should receive a "fair deal" in the priority in which they sailed.

 

The Canadian decision to demobilize its overseas troops was taken immediately after the signing of the Armistice, and a week later the Cabinet authorized demobilization of C.E.F. units then in Canada.38

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The original estimate that at least eighteen months would be required to bring back all overseas troops proved excessive. Two-thirds of the overseas force reached home within five months, and before a year had passed repatriation was virtually completed.

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On 13 November 1918 the British Ministry of Shipping advised the Canadian Government that ships would be available to move 50,000 troops each month; and in
spite of strikes which cancelled individual sailings, shipping was never a real problem.

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But during the winter of 1918-1919 Canadian railways could handle less than 25,000 troops in a month; and even when disembarkation could take place at the St. Lawrence ports, with a resulting shorter rail haul, the capacity of the vessels available considerably  exceeded that of the troop trains.

 

Wisely the Militia Department called for expert
assistance from the Minister of Railways and the presidents of the three major railway systems. High officials of the companies formed a railway demobilization committee which was able to increase the monthly carrying capacity to a total of 45,000 troops. 

 

With the exception of the Canadian Corps, which, as we have seen, was returned by units, the principle of "first in, first out" was adopted. The full duration of the war was divided into seventeen three-month periods, with two service groups assigned to each.

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The first seventeen consisted of married men, the last seventeen of single, the married groups having priority over the single. Thus while the guiding principle for release was the order of enlistment, men who had families dependent on them took precedence over
single men.

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Each soldier had the right to choose his destination in Canada. In order that each might be demobilized at a point near this destination, twenty-two Dispersal Areas were set up in Canada by subdividing the existing eleven Military Districts. At the concentration camps established in the United Kingdom troops from the continent, as well as those already in England, were regrouped and distributed among twenty-two wings, each matched to a Dispersal Area in Canada. From these camps units of the Canadian Corps entrained direct for the port of embarkation, but for troops outside the Corps a large staging camp was organized at Kinmel Park, thirty miles from Liverpool.

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Only the 3rd Division (which headed the Corps move) and Corps Troops were not regrouped, but returned to Canada in the units in which they had fought.

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At the concentration camps the soldier completed his documentation and received his final medical and dental clearances. His kit deficiencies were replaced, his pay account adjusted, and he filed his application for his War Service Gratuity.

 

He was then granted demobilization leave of from eight days to two weeks. On his return he received his Last
Pay Certificate and was posted to an embarkation company to await sailing. 

 

In all, the average soldier spent about a month in England. There were some cases when for  compassionate reasons individuals returned home in advance of normal sailings. Unfortunately, though these
were few, they were a cause of dissatisfaction to soldiers who did not understand the circumstances involved. Furthermore, for considerations of economy and to keep ships filled, certain untrained drafts were sent back to Canada soon after their arrival in the
United Kingdom.

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These modifications to the policy of "first over, first back", aggravated by disappointment brought about by the cancellation of individual sailings, were at the root
of some of the rioting which occurred at several Canadian camps. Men were being brought home as fast as the available ships and trains could move them, but not as rapidly nor in the order in which some desired to come. There was resentment over the fact that the 3rd Division-which included many Military Service Act men with comparatively little service-was given precedence over the other divisions.

 

Unfortunately not enough effort appears to have been given to explain the reasons for the delays, unavoidable as they were. In all, between November 1918 and June 1919, there were thirteen instances of riots or disturbances involving Canadian troops in England.

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The most serious of these occurred at Kinmel Park on 4 and 5 March 1919, when dissatisfaction over delays in sailing precipitated rioting by upwards of 800 soldiers
which resulted in five men being killed and 23 wounded. Seventy-eight men were arrested, of whom 25 were convicted of mutiny and given sentences varying from 90 days' detention to ten years' penal servitude.

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(At the Centennial Memorial Service held at Bodelwyddan Church in 2019 it was revealed that the reason for the delay in the Troops at Kinmel Camp going home was down to the American Military commandeering the ships assigned to the Canadian Troops for their own Troops)

 

At Witley, on the night of 14-15 June, a small group of dissidents started trouble by trying to free some soldiers arrested for persisting in playing Crown and Anchor in defiance of previous regulations curbing
widespread gambling in the camp. The disturbance spread to canteens and the civilian area. On the following night the Garrison Theatre was burned and nearly all the civilian shops in the area were destroyed.

 

Similarly at Epsom on 17 June, the indiscipline of a
small minority was to blame when a civilian police station was stormed, one policeman was killed and seven others injured.

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On 20 June, 1919, Lieut.-General Sir R. E. W. Turner, V.C., Chief of the General Staff, O.M.F.C., published a Special Order of the Day warning all troops of their
individual responsibility to quell such disturbances. He made clear in no uncertain terms that the incidents that had occurred were acts of mutiny, and that to remain a passive spectator in such a situation was to side with the mutineers.44 The order appeared to have a good effect upon the troops; at any rate, there were no further disturbances. The outbreaks had been regrettable, particularly as there seems little doubt that the unrest which produced them might have been considerably lessened had more publicity been
given to explaining the reasons for having to modify the plans for demobilization.

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Despite attempts by the Canadian Government to discourage the discharge of soldiers in the United Kingdom, 15,182 men signed away their right to free transportation home and remained in England. This total, added to 7,136 who had already been discharged
there before the Armistice, meant that in all some 22,000 Canadian soldiers entered civil life in the United Kingdom.

 

In Canada demobilization proceeded smoothly and expeditiously. On the arrival of a troopship at a port of disembarkation, the Clearing Services* welcomed the soldiers and their dependents-an estimated 54,000 relatives accompanied the returning troops-and
arranged for their transportation inland to the Dispersal Areas. Immigration officers worked closely with the military authorities, so that an average train, carrying about five hundred troops, could be loaded in thirty minutes. Spirits were high as the trains rolled rapidly westward; those with only one night on board found in the excitement of nearing home little time for sleep. The heartwarming reception given by cheering crowds as the train drew into its destination was repeated in cities all across dada. In ply cases, the returning unit would form up outside the railway station for its last march-a proud parade through thronged streets to the place of dismissal. Then came the last order by the  Commanding Officer.

 

The men turned right and broke off - and another unit of the Canadian Expeditionary, Force passed into history.

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The final stages of demobilization were quickly effected. The. soldier turned in his arms and equipment retaining his clothing and steel helmet, had his medical history sheet signed, and received his war badge, his cheque and his discharge certificate. The careful documentation carried out in England and on the ships now paid off, as men passed through the dispersal station at the rate of about six every minute.48 Every soldier who had been overseas for six months and everyone who had served in Canada for a full year received a gratuity based on his length of service and the rate of pay of his rank. For overseas service, single privates received payments which varied from $420-for three years' service or more-to $210 for service of less than a year.

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Those veterans who wanted to establish themselves on the land were assisted with long-term loans; in this way the Soldier Settlement Board withdrew more than 30,000 soldiers from the general labour market and directed them into agriculture. For the disabled, there were pensions and medical treatment and opportunities for vocational training. Up to the end of 1919, a total of 91,521 pensions had been granted, amounting to some $22,500,000 annually.

 

At the same time 8000 soldiers were receiving medical
treatment, while more than 23,000 were enrolled for vocational training.50 In such manner did a grateful country attempt in some measure to repay its debt to those who had served and survived.