The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-11
PRINCESS PATRICIA'S FAMOUS REGIMENT
ALMOST COMPLETELY WIPED OUT IN FLANDERS
$50 Left at Last Roll Call of
Crack Body of First Ex-
peditionary Force.
TWO LIEUTENANTS
LED SURVIVORS


LED SURVIVORS
Among the heroic tales of British
arms for all time, the brief but madly
stormy career of the "Patricias" must
ever rank near the top.
This gallant force of stalwart Ca
nadians, many veterans of the South
African campaign, all of the finest
type of Anglo-Saxon fighting man,
virtually was wiped out in the course
,, of five months of almost continuous
fighting, reduced from a perfectly
rounded and equipped organization of
LOIS men to fighting handful of $50
rifles commanded by two lieutenants,
one of whom had risen from the
ranks.
Many histories will be written of
the gallant exploits of the "Patri-
cias," but none perhaps will strike
more to the heart and imagination
than simple statement cabled to
Canada by the British record officer.
The Herald prints that statement
this morning, together with a picture
of the Patricia's machine gun section,
snapped while at Winchester, Eng
land, last fall, and sent to a member
of The Herald staff by an American
boy, member of the section and who
now lies in French hospital with
three shrapnel wounds received in the
last and bloodiest of the Patricias'
battles.
The regiment comprises 11& men,
with the coIors which Princess Patricia
herself worked and presented to the regi-
ment. sailed from England to join the
expeditionary force at the close of last
year. On the night of May 7-some five
months after they first took their place
in the trenches-635 answered to the roll
call. When, shortly before midnight on
May S. they were relieved from the posi-
ton which they had held all through
infantry attacks of the enemy they mus
tered only 80.
Lieut.. Col Farquhar, the commanding
officer. was killed on March 20 Lieut..
Col. Butler. who succeeded him, was
wounded on May 5. and two days later
his successor. Maj. Gault was also
wounded. The command then fell on
Lieut.. Niven, the next senior officer, who
received his promotion from the ranks
All these officers. together with Lieut.
Colquhoun (now a prisoner In Germany,
Lieut.. c. E. Crabbe and Lieut.. r. NJ.
Papineau. as we'll as Sergt. H. Laing,
were mentioned in dispatches" Their
names are included in the latest Ga
Zette list.
On Sunday, August %. 1914, on a gray
and gloomy day. an immense crowd was
assembled in LanSiowne Park. Ottawa,
to attend divine service with the regi-
ment and to witness the presentation of
the colors. The regiment. composed
very largely of South African veterans
and reservists, paraded with bards and
pipers and then formed three sides of
square in front of the grandstand. Be
tween the regiment and the stand were
the Duchess of Connaught and Princess
Patricia and their ladies in waiting.
The Princess Patricia on presenting the
colors to Lieut.. Col. Farquhar, the COM
handing officer Of the regiment, said:
Il have great pleasure in presenting
you with these colors. which I have
worked myself. I hope they will be as
ISOLATED with what I believe will be a
distinguished corps. ] shall follow the
terest and I heartily wish every man
good luck and a safe return
on to the Front.
The "Patricias," containing a far larg-
er proportion of experienced soldiers
than any other unit in the Canadian d.
vision, was not called upon to endure so
long a period of preparation as the rest
of the Canadian expeditionary force. At
the close of the year they sailed from
England at a time when re-enforcements
were greatly needed in France to take
their place in line thinly held and very
iercely assailed. For the months of
January and February the regiment took
its turn in the trenches, learning the
hard lessons of the winter war. A con-
siderable length of trenches In front Of
the village of st. Eloi was committed to
its charge. Its machine guns were plant
ed upon a mound which rose abruptly
from the center of the trenches.
.'On February 2S,' says the record Of
fcer, 1.-THE Germans completed a sap
from which the Canadians became con-
stantly subject to annoyance, danger and
loss. 1t was therefore determined by the
battalion commander to dispose Of the
menace. Mai. Hamilton Gault and Lieut..
Colquhoun carried out by night a dan
gerous reconnaissance Of the German
position and returned with much infor-
nation Lieut. Colquhoun went out a
second time alone to supplement 1t, but
never returned. He is a prisoner of war
in Germany.
THE attack was organized under Lieut..
Crabbe. The bomb throwers were COM
manded by Lieut. Papineau. The shippers
were under Corp. Ross Troops were or
ganized in support with shovels ready to
demolish the parapet Of the enemy
trench. The ground to be traversed was
short enough, for the sappers' nearest
point was only fifteen yards from the
Canadian trench. The attacking party
rushed this space and threw themselves
into the sap. Corp. Ross. who was first
in the race, was killed Immediately.
Lieut.. Crabbe then led the detachment
down the trench. while Lieut.. Papineau
ran down the outside Of the parapet,
throwing bombs into the trench. Lieut..
Crabbe made his way through the trench.
by his men. until his progress
was arrested by q barrier which the
Germans had constructed.
In the meantime troops had occupied
the rear face of the sap to guard against
a counter-attack. A platoon under Sergt.
Maj. Lloyd, who was killed. attacked
q md demolished the enemv'a naranet for