From Belgium to Broadway

Canadian Military History Volume 19 Issue 2 Article 6 2010 From Belgium to Broadway Arlene Doucette Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Arlene Doucette "From Belgium to Broadway." Canadian Military History 19, 2 (2010) This Canadian War Museum is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. : From Belgium to Broadway From Belgium to Broadway Arlene Doucette button arrived in the mail at did it get from a German soldier’s forward with a rush. A short, sharp A the Canadian War Museum tunic to Raymond Massey, and why? fight ensued in which a number one day, as artifacts sometimes do. The note on the button’s box tells of the enemy were killed and one With it was a note from the sender, us that our story begins at Ypres with prisoner taken. Others escaped in on behalf of the estate of Raymond David Watson, who began the war the darkness.1 Massey, expressing apologies for as a lieutenant-colonel commanding not knowing anything about its the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion. Having captured this enemy trench background beyond what was on the The 2nd Battalion entered its first and achieved their purpose, the label in the box, obviously written sustained battle at Ypres on 22 April company dug in. Although no further many years ago: “General Sir David 1915, the first day of what became mention of the prisoner is made in Watson cut this button off the tunic known as the Second Battle of Ypres. the unit history, one can assume that of the first German prisoner taken Early in the morning of 23 April, he was sent back through the lines, by the Canadians at Ypres, in the as the Canadians dug into the area moving from company to battalion Great War and gave it to Lucile around the captured Kitchener’s headquarters before being sent to the Watson.” Contained in a small Wood, Lieutenant-Colonel Watson rear, or perhaps he did not survive presentation box, the button is brass, reported to Brigadier-General the dangerous trip, falling prey to the bears the double-headed eagle of Richard Turner, commander of the stray shelling or small arms fire. At Imperial Germany, and is physically 3rd Canadian Brigade. Turner sent some point either Watson, who had indistinguishable from the millions Watson’s 2nd Battalion to support been back at battalion headquarters, like it that adorned the uniforms of a counterattack by the 10th and or one of his men, took one of the the German Army in the First World 16th battalions through Kitchener’s German’s buttons as a souvenir to War. Sometimes small artifacts have Wood to the north. No.2 Company mark the auspicious occasion. big stories behind them, and this succeeded in digging in on the 16th Major-General Sir David Watson, small button’s post-war journey Battalion’s right flank, and it was a as he had become by the end of the demonstrates the far-reaching impact platoon of this company that likely of the war on peoples’ lives. But how deserves the credit for bringing us Résumé : En 2009, un membre de our button. The 2nd Battalion history la succession du regretté Raymond Abstract: A button found amongst makes note of the first prisoner taken Massey remit au Musée canadien de the possessions of the late Raymond in this action: la guerre un bouton trouvé dans ses Massey was donated by his estate to possessions. Malheureusement, le the Canadian War Museum in 2009. donateur ne fut pas en mesure d’en Unfortunately, the donor was not able The ground was broken and from fournir la provenance exacte et ne to provide any provenance and did not time to time halts were called to savait pas du tout comment Massey know how Massey came to own this allow stragglers to overtake the main avait pu acquérir ce morceau d’histoire. piece of history. The button, which was Le bouton, recueilli sur l’uniforme d’un body and to secure re-alignment. It taken at Ypres as a battlefield souvenir soldat allemand inconnu, après la from an unknown German soldier’s was during one of these stops that bataille d’Ypres, avait un lien avec la uniform, has touched the lives of a contact was established with the vie d’un éminent général et celle de prominent general and two gifted and enemy. A scout of No.5 Platoon had deux acteurs, doués et prolifiques, avant prolific Canadian actors before coming sidled cautiously through a hedge de se retrouver confié aux soins d’un to be in the care of the museum. Its story musée. Son histoire illustre comment and immediately stumbled on a small reveals the intersection of lives touched des vies peuvent se recouper sous les by the war. trench held by the Germans. His cry effets de la guerre. of alarm brought his comrades Published© Canadian by Scholars Military Commons History @, Laurier,Volume 2010 19, Number 2, Spring 2010, pp.63-66. 63 1 Doucette - German button.indd 63 6/14/2010 11:56:59 AM Canadian Military History, Vol. 19 [2010], Iss. 2, Art. 6 the coincidence of sharing a time and in her generation,” observed birthplace, a last name, and one film historian, “Lucile Watson a button. The most probable was one of the grandest grand ladies explanation is that they were in Hollywood.”7 cousins. Perhaps David Watson gave the In 1900, Lucile Watson German soldier’s button to Lucile moved to New York City because of her personal connections CWM 19940001-883-5 to study at the American to the military. Her father had been Academy of Dramatic Arts an officer in the British Army and had and pursue a career as a long military career, including an actress. In 1903 coming out of retirement she married for service in the North O t t a w a W e s t R e b e l l i o n n a t i v e while she was a still a child.8 Her first husband, R o c k l i f f e Fellowes, had s e r v e d f o r two years with t h e G o v e r n o r G e n e r a l ’ s F o o t G u a r d s b e f o r e volunteering for the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia). In September 1919, while en route to Vladivostok, aboard the Empress of Japan, Fellowes and two shipmates produced a small theatrical piece to entertain the officers’ mess – and one of these shipmates was Raymond Massey. Massey later wrote: “Cliff Fellowes had quite a standing as a leading war, returned to Canada in 1919, but man in what was then a budding the war had taken its toll on his health This box, containing a button from the Hollywood. He was also married to and he died in 1922. Presumably, uniform of captured German soldier a well-known actress, Lucile Watson, was originally presented to Lieutenant- Watson passed his souvenir button Colonel David Watson. He presented it whose brother, Major-General Sir on to Lucile Watson as indicated to Lucile Watson but it eventually ended David Watson, was commanding by the note on the button’s box, up in the collection of the Canadian War the 4th Canadian Division.”9 As having felt it was an important Museum after being donated by the it turns out, Massey was incorrect piece of history. The relationship estate of Raymond Massey. about the Watsons being siblings. between David and Lucile remains His error nevertheless indicates that unclear. The two were born in and fellow actor, Rockcliffe Fellowes,4 they shared a strong enough familial Quebec City ten years apart, 1869 to whom she remained married for connection that an outsider mistook and 1879 respectively, but a search 25 years before the couple divorced.5 them as siblings. of census records proved fruitless in Lucile Watson’s acting career Although we cannot say for determining their connection.2 She spanned over 50 years, included 52 certain the details of how Raymond lived in Ottawa for 18 years, until Broadway productions, 34 motion and Lucile came to know each other moving to New York at the age of 21.3 pictures, various television roles, and how the button came to be in Despite the questions raised by the and earned accolades including an Raymond’s possession (she receives official records and secondary source Academy Award nomination for only a brief mention in his second biographies, the relationship between Best Supporting Actress for her role autobiography), we do know that the two must have gone beyond in Watch on the Rhine (1943). 6 “In her even without Massey having met her https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol19/iss2/664 2 Doucette - German button.indd 64 6/14/2010 11:57:01 AM : From Belgium to Broadway CWM 19940001-883-5 Lieutenant-Colonel David Watson, photographed on the Ypres battlefield during the time he commanded the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion. husband on a troop ship to Siberia, button cut off of a German prisoner’s evacuated to Canada in August the two had plenty in common. uniform in the First World War. 1916, with no memory of the battle Both were expatriate Canadians Perhaps Raymond’s experiences or the two weeks that followed it.13 who became notable actors in both prior to becoming an actor prompted He recovered enough to return to film and theatre, with dozens of Lucile to give him the button.

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