L A X D & W A T E R 
May 25, 1916 
Story of the Five Nations 
The story of the Five Nations and the part they have played in the Great War, when it comes to 
be written fully, will form the noblest epic in the annals of the world. That day has yet to dai&n. 
But here we give briefly, and as it were in skeleton form, the outlines of this splendid story. 
The following articles from the pen of able writers, each familiar u'ith the events he 
describes from the hour when the first bugle sounded the call to arms, set forth tersely the 
glorious assembly of the fighting forces of the British Empire. Mr. Hilaire Belloc and Mr. 
Arthur Pollen in other pages of this issue tell of the strength which the Mother Nation has 
herself displayed. We have added to this story an account of what India has done, leritten 
by Sir Francis Younghusband, and also a summary, necessarily brief, of the extraordinary 
efforts made by the outlying parts of the Empire to render the fullest assistance in their power to 
the cause of liberty and humanity for which Great Britain and the Britains beyond the Seas 
are warring. Try to visualise the gathering together of this mighty army, from almost all 
the shores of *he world, remembering that they have come together of their ozmt free will, with- 
out compulsion. The dream of our greatest Imperial statesmen has been resolved into fact. 
Canada and Her Army 
By an Officer of the Canadian Expeditionary Force 
r 
Gencnl Service BaiUe 
"T is fortunate for 
us that this world 
war was preceded 
.by a period of 
organising military 
activity in Canada. In 
summarising the tale 
of the Dominion's 
participation in the 
struggle, a few pre- 
liminary facts deserve 
to be recalled. At the 
Colonial Conference of 
1907, the Chief of the 
British General Staff, 
Sir Neville Lyttelton, 
in a paper on " The 
Strategical Conditions 
of the Empire from 
a Military Point of 
View," laid down three fundamental principles of Imperial 
preparation, of which the first two were : — 
1. The obligation imposed on each self-governing unit of 
providing as far as possible for its own security. 
2. The duty of arranging for mutual assistance upon some 
definite lines in case of need. 
An Imperial General Staff was then proposed, a common 
type of organisation, a common terminology, and a 
common standard of education for officers. It was further 
suggested by General Lyttelton that whatever the size of a 
contingent sent by a colony, it should be accompanied bj- 
the requisite number of administrative field units. The 
suggestions were accepted, and the further Defence 
Conference of 1909 saw a general concurrence of the 
overseas members in the proposition " that each part of 
the Empire is willing to make its preparation on such 
lines as will enable it, should it so desire, to take its 
share in the general defence of the Empire." 
Sir John French's Visit 
When, in the following year. Sir John French, as 
Inspector-General of the Overseas Forces, paid a visit to 
Canada, he criticised, not unsympathetically, the con- 
ditions then prevalent, and made further \'aluable sug- 
gestions. Two years later, the Dominions Section was 
established at the War Office. Danger was in the air and 
the Empire was prepared to meet it. 
.•\bout this time the Liberal Government, which had 
been fifteen years in power in Canada, was overthrown. 
and a new War Minister, Colonel (after Major-Generai 
Sir Sam) Hughes, entered upon the scene. Popular 
interest in miUtary affairs became marvellously quickened, 
and the work of organisation went forward by leaps and 
bounds. Now to the question : What was the actual 
state of Canada's army at the outbreak of war ? It con- 
sisted of 3.500 permanent troops and (on paper) 60.000 
active militia. In point of fact, the number presenting 
themselves for annual drill was never more than 45,000 
and was frequently below 40,000, imperfectly trained, 
equipped and officered. In addition, there were 3,000 
or 4.000 British Army reservists, and there were some 
25,000 members of civilian rifle clubs, a useful organisa- 
tion dating from 1901, whose members might be expected 
to fill up the gaps in the MiUtia ranks. 
This then, was Canada's military strength at the out- 
break of war. Undeterred by the misgivings of experts 
and by manifest technical, as well as numerical short- 
comings, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Robert 
Borden, offered 20,000 men to the British Government 
to join the Imperial forces at the front, and the offer 
was accepted. Promptly did Canada respond to the 
call ; old Militiamen as well as untrained volunteers 
poured into the hastily-improvised recruiting stations, 
and in less than a month the Minister of Militia found 
nearly 40.000 men under his orders. 
Valcartier Training Gamp 
A huge training camp, the largest ever seen on Canadian 
soil, sprang into being at Valcartier. in the vicinity of 
Quebec. The formation of this camp was itself a triumph 
of engineering and military science. The making of roads, 
drains, the establishment of a water supply, the laying 
of railway tracks, electric lighting, telephones, a sanitary 
system, bath-houses, was accomplished within a single 
fortnight. The largest rifle range in the world, with a line 
of targets 3| miles long, was set up. Within a week 
25.000 men had flocked thither from all parts of the 
Dominion, drawn from every class and phase of the 
national life ; from Canadian towns, homesteads, ranches, 
mines and factories. 
It had been decided to send to England a complete 
division, in addition to a reserve brigade to be used for 
drafting purposes to repair the losses in the field. Not 
only had these troops to be armed and trained, but the 
material had to be created on the spot— clothing, boots, 
puttees, mess-tins, belts, haversacks, bandoliers, pouches 
— in brief, all the accoutrements of an army. No detail 
of administration was overlooked. The force received 
careful medical attention and every man was inoculated 
against typhoid. A fleet of transJDorts was assembled, 
and on one rainy day towards the end of September, the 
Duke of Connaught, accompanied by the Duches?- and 
the Princess Patricia, reviewed the first division of the 
Canadian Expeditionary Force. A few days later a 
fleet of transports, such a fleet as had never before been 
borne seaward on the St. Lawrence, sailed away to Ply- 
mouth and the Old Land. They arrived in the middle 
of October and were at once encamped on Sahsbury 
Pla:in, where, under their new commander, Lieut.-General 
Sir Edwin Alderson, they underwent further training 
under conditions which severely tried their spirit and 
powers of endurance, but from which they emerged 
triumphant. Here they were visited by that matchless 
soldier. Lord Roberts, whose name alorie had a magical 
power to kindle their zeal and loyalty. " The prompt 
resolve of Canada." he told them, speaking for Englishmen. 
