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Jan 1934 No. 18 THE FOURTY NINER Page 2 of 41 Jan 1934 No. 18 THE FOURTY NINER Page 3 of 41 Jan 1934 No. 18 THE FOURTY NINER Table of Contents GENERAL SIR ARTHUR CURRIE ................................................................................................................................................ 5 ORIGINAL OR REINFORCEMENT .............................................................................................................................................. 5 GENERAL GRIESBACH’S TRIBUTE TO GENERAL SIR ARTHUR CURRIE ...................................................................................... 7 A WARTIME XMAS MESSAGE .................................................................................................................................................. 8 MY WAR DIARY - By Thos. M. Mounsey .................................................................................................................................. 9 THE FIRST TOWN PICQUET AT FOLKESTONE ........................................................................................................................ 11 SUNNY AUSTRALIA TO SUNNY ALBERTA ............................................................................................................................... 11 MAJ. FLOEN CELEBRATES SILVER WEDDING ......................................................................................................................... 11 THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE "OLD MAN" ................................................................................................................................. 12 HEADQUARTERS GROUP AT THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS ..................................................................................................... 13 AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM PETERBORO ....................................................................................................................... 13 COLONEL WEAVER'S RECOGNITION OF KERR AND KINROSS OUR V.C.'s.............................................................................. 14 THE PASSING OF THE MOTHER OF THE REGIMENT .............................................................................................................. 15 LIFE MEMBERSHIP GIVEN AS CHRISTMAS PRESENT ............................................................................................................. 16 SIXTH ANNUAL CHURCH PARADE ......................................................................................................................................... 17 JAMES MCD. SCOTT, ET AL .................................................................................................................................................... 19 STORMING THE RAMPARTS (NOT YPRES) ............................................................................................................................. 20 49TH. BN., C.E.F. PIPERS AT THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS ...................................................................................................... 21 LIEUT.-COL. R.G. PALMER ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 WHERE IS MY WANDERING BOY? ......................................................................................................................................... 23 REMEMBRANCE DAY. 15 YEARS AFTER ARMISTICE .............................................................................................................. 29 PERPETUATING BATTATION 1ST BATTALION, THE EDMONTON REGIMENT (49 Bn. C.E.F.) ................................................ 34 VIMEY MEMORIES — P.P. "PIP" MUIRHEAD ......................................................................................................................... 35 .............................................................................................................................. 36 Digital Disclaimer and Notes This is a digitalized version of the Forty-Niner. Content and style of the digitized version is intended to maintain the original text version. Foot notes have been added to provided additional identification on members around historically significant events, when available. Table of contents has been added to enhance navigation. Page sequence and numbers were intended to be as close to the original as possible; however, formatting has been updated for readability. Choices in spelling and grammar have not been adjusted. Page 4 of 41 Jan 1934 No. 18 THE FOURTY NINER The Fourty-Niner Number Eighteen EDMONTON, ALBERTA January 1934 Editorial was proud of Currie for he rose from out its ranks and when he was measured against the great ones of the earth he was not found to be wanting GENERAL SIR ARTHUR CURRIE in stature. WITH solemn pomp General Sir Arthur Currie was borne to the grave The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment) Association extends to in Montreal on the 5th of December last which day was his fifty eighth Lady Currie and her children profound and respectful sympathy. birthday. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the street while thousands, civil, military, students, ex-service men and the great officers of the state ORIGINAL OR REINFORCEMENT marched in the funeral procession. His Majesty the King was represented by the Governor- General. The funeral service at the grave-side was broad- The term original applied to a member of a battalion, and cast. especially in the case of our own, has several implications, according to whether a man is an original or a later addition to the ranks of No Canadian, with the possible exception of Sir John MacDonald, has had such a funeral for the reason that with the possible exceptions of “Ours”. Sir John MacDonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier, no Canadian has bulked quite This term can be applied with a whole lot of meaning, derogatory so largely in the estimation of the Canadian people as did General Currie. or otherwise. The pride of any soldier who enlisted in a battalion at its The romance of General Currie’s life intrigued the imagination of the inception is perfectly legitimate and is one of the “ethics” of a soldierly Canadian people. Born of quite ordinary Canadian stock in the small existence which go to make up a proper “esprit de corps”. Ontario town, his education, employment and progress did not differ It is the same with any of the older Imperial battalion's, only their greatly from that of thousands of others yet when the time came he rose to originals having long since become deceased, or in soldierly language a great position and filled every requirement involved. What were the FADED AWAY, the number is used by the older “Sweat” to show his qualities that made General Currie a great man? soldierly superiority, and to be in the 10,000’s and not the 11,000’s, is First of all a trained and disciplined military mind. General Currie had to be on a pedestal as regards standing, notwithstanding the fact that burned the mid-night oil over a period of many years in pursuit of military the 10,000’s might only be 10,999 and the 11’s, 11,000. knowledge. He had read, conversed and reflected upon military subjects until no military situation which confronted him was insoluble—indeed the Still this can be carried to excess, and an undignified superiority appropriate measures came to mind instantly—and this is the object of complex built up on the one hand, and an inferiority one on the other. military education. In this way instead of a healthy spirit of rivalry, sometimes, amongst some of the men is engendered a spirit of bitter antagonism. Currie was an intellectually honest man. He deceived no one, not even himself. Men could trust Currie, and everyone knew it. He was a just and It has been the boast of all true Forty-Niners that very little of this fair man. He understood human nature and made all proper allowances for antagonism was evident in the battalion, and it is only in the minds of human weakness. Many a man condemns himself out of his own mouth. some who are not putting “first things first” that the pro or anti original Currie did not even accept such self-condemnation. He looked further and is carried on so as to cause trouble. Nevertheless, it has been brought saw the better side. He had a high sense of duty and singleness of purpose. to the notice of the writer, both personally and by others, that there is He hewed to the line and let the chips fall where they might. a little feeling of this description still in existence. He consulted and discussed with all manner of men but in execution To combat this might I refer the men, both originals and later he was stern and resolute. He had moral courage of a high order and did acquisitions to our battalion, to the spirit which prevailed during their not fear to speak words of wisdom to those in high places. mutual service in the War. There, where the metal of a man was tried, Such was the man who led us to victory in the Great War. Many was the merging of opposite battalion interests in the common purpose factors contributed to the great name of the Canadian Corps not the least of carrying on. And so surely were all absorbed into the 49th, unit and of these was Arthur Currie. spirit that the battalion always lived up to the first high standard set by And now he is gone. the originals. And we all know that some men who came to us as reinforcements did more service than many original members, whether The place that knew him will know him no more. His place was a by reason of good or bad luck in