Recently I went 'abroad' for a story from another part of Eastern Kings. As it turned out, the story I got was a look at an incident in my own family history that I might not have known if I hadn't talked with Hughie MacDougall of St. Marys Road.

Hughie came originally from Newfoundland and lived, for a time, at Clearsprings on the north shore of the Island. We talked of ships and sails for awhile and then of World War I after he showed me a picture of himself in uniform taken in 1915. It turned out that Hughie was one of the Siege Artillery Draft which trained in Sours under Lieutenant Roy C. McLean. I asked if he had known Nursing Sister Rena McLean. He told of the day her brother, Roy, got word of her being missing after the hospital transport ship, Llandovery Castle, had been torpedoed by the Germans in June of 1918.

In Hughie's words: "We were going over the top that day. Ten of us in the section. I was in the machine gun section. They were all killed but two of us. But we got to our objective and then we came back to pick up the ammunition they dropped. This field battery was right up behind us and this fellow was waving. I went over and here it was Roy McLean. I remember so well, he gave me a bottle of jam, a loaf of bread and a piece of cheese. And was I glad to get it too. He told me about his sister. "

Hughie talked too, of the night he found "poor little Howard Wood" lying gassed on the battlefield. It was three o'clock at night and thundering and lightning. (Howard was underage for military service but he had passed his age off in order to get into the army.) Hughie got him on his back and carried him back to the dressing station. He used to joke with him in after years and say, "I should have left you there." He talked, too, of Milo the stepdancer from Little Pond and of the great comradeship of the men under the strain of wartime.

HISTORY AND NAMES OF THE SOURIS SEIGE ARTILLERY

In October 1916, the local newspapers carried an announcement that a Seige Artillery Draft of 50 men would be required from King's County. The recruiting officer was Judge A.L. Fraser and the officer in command was Lieutenant Roy C. McLean. Following a series of recruiting meetings, a group was formed and trained in Souris. Barracks was opposite the old J.G. Sterns store and the men drilled on the Souris breakwater. They held rifle practise at the Rifle Range at Chepstow and went on route marches out Souris Line Road.

On April 26, 1917, the people of Souris turned out to say farewell and wish the soldiers God-speed as they boarded the train enroute to Halifax and overseas. The function of the men in the Seige Artillery in battle is to destroy the enemy's defenses and to counteract the fire to their heavy guns. But although these men of the Souris Seige Artillery were trained for this type of action most served as foot soldiers overseas. After they left Souris, they joined ranks with the Charlottetown Seige Artillery and then went on to Halifax and joined a still larger group. By the time they reached England, they had become fairly well separated.

Their names were Sergt. Clarence C. Acorn, Souris; Corpl. D.F. Tierney, Souris; Corpl. Hazen C. Baker, Alberton; Bomb. Ernest White, Souris; Bomb. Bentley Creed, Bridgetown; Bomb. St. Claire Paquet, Souris; Bomb. Joseph H. Gallant, New Acadia; Bomb. Norman Richards, Magdalen Islands.

Gunners were Geo. Bushey Clearsprings; Frank Mclntosh, Souris; Hugh MacDougall, Clearsprings; Edward J. Coady, Greenfield; Emanuel McEwen, Bridgetown; Albert Douse, Charlottetown; Wm. A. Doyle, Mermaid; Henry J. Burke, Bay Fortune; Charles Campbell, Bay Fortune; James R. Mac Donald, Red House; Herbert H. Campbell, Bay Fortune; Everett McKay, Bangor; Gamaliel G. G. (Milo) MacDonald, Annandale, John J. Creamer, Souris; Howard Wood, Red House; Melvin C. Wood Farmington; Cameron MacDonald, Annandale; Harold MacDonald, Annandale; Kerwin Handrahan, CharIottetown; Francis Paquet: Souris; Gr. Kehoe, Baltic and Gr. Bruce, Red Point.

And so I guess you would have to say the story I got really was from 'abroad' by way of St. Mary's Road.

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard