The 116th Battalion’s County March took place in May 1916 and was previously covered in this article: https://tankmuseum.ca/blog-post/the-county-march/. This event was the most photographed period of time in the Battalion’s history. Below are some photographs from the County March.
The March started in Beaverton, with Cannington as the second over-night stop. In the photo below, Cannnington Reeve MacKinnon is standing the car as he addresses Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe on 15 May 1916. The 116th Battalion is formed up in the background.
The next photo is also 15 May during the welcome in Cannington. Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe is on the right.
After a stop in Sunderland, the soldiers arrived in Uxbridge on 19 May, where they stayed for three nights. With Uxbridge being the home of Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe, his wife’s scrapbook contains many photos of the Battalion’s time in that town.
Uxbridge was decorated in preparation for the arrival of the 116th Battalion. The sign says, “God bless our splendid men. Send them safe home again.”
The photo below shows the 116th Battalion arriving in Uxbridge. There is a welcome arch at the right, farther down the street, which can be seen in the previous photo.
The next two photos also show the Battalion’s arrival in Uxbridge.
The Battalion’s two field kitchens are set up at the right of the image below in Uxbridge’s Elgin Park. The cooks are working at the left. Part of the horse track and the grandstands are visible in the background at right.
The cooks of the 116th Battalion pose for this photo from Elgin Park.
The 116th Battalion is formed up in Uxbridge’s Elgin Park on 20 May 1916. Two sets of Colours, both a King’s Colour and a Regimental Colour, were presented to the Battalion that day.
Honourary Captain John Garbutt, the Battalion’s chaplain, officiates at a church service in Uxbridge on 21 May 1916.
The 116th Battalion arrives in downtown Oshawa on 27 May 1916.
The County March ended at Oshawa’s Alexandra Park on 27 May 1916. Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe leads the Battalion in a march-past.
Rod Henderson is the Regimental Historian of the Ontario Regiment. He served as a Sergeant in the Regiment and is the author of “Fidelis Et Paratus: A History of The Ontario Regiment (RCAC), 1866-2016”.