The New York National Guard in Canada. November 1917

"Whent the Yanks Invaded Canada"
November 1917

A REPERCUSSION...The NYNG in Canada

Extracto del artículo: „The A.E.F. of 1915“, aparecido en la revista „The American LEGION Monthly“, Vol. 15, No. 3, September 1933.

„The A.E.F. of 1915“

by JOHN J. NOLL

„The Company Clerk“

Excerpt from the article: “ The A.E.F of 1915 “, appeared on the magazine “ The American Legion Monthly “, Vol. 15, No. 3, September 1933.

A REPERCUSSION from one of the “first” claims presented in these columns almost two years ago—see your October, 1931, issue—came to us not long after that claim was broadcast, hut this is our first chance to permit the objector to raise his voice, legionnaire George W. Sutton, Jr., of 232 Madison Ave­nue, New York City, displays Exhibits A and B on this page, and is given the floor:

“In your reminiscent department under the title, ‘When the Yanks Invaded Canada’, the following appeared: Modestly, in the reunion booklet, the 363d Infantry Association states that the triumphal march of the Third Battalion in Calgary, June 23, 1918, is said to be the first time in history that American troops paraded on Canadian soil.“

“This statement is decidedly in error. As captain of Battery A, First Field Artillery N.Y.G., I took part in parades in Canada about eight months before the invasion of the 363d Infantry. We were accompanied by detachments of Federal forces.“

“In the fall of 1917, a British tank was sent over here commanded by Captain Richard Haig, with a crew of wounded British tank veterans, to assist in our Liberty Loan campaign. My battery was formerly the First Motor Battery, N. Y. N. G., which had been brigaded with the First Field Artillery of the New York Guard after the original First Field had gone to Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina, and been federalized as the 104th Field Artillery.“

“The First Motor Battery was a privately financed outfit in the National Guard, organized in May, 1916, with equipment of three armored cars, 72 Indian motorcycles with rifles in saddle boots on the handle-bars, and with a dozen or so of them equipped with machine guns carried on trailers.“

“When our country entered the war, the Army had no similar unit in its Tables of Organization, although the Motor Bat­tery had done valuable work in protecting the New York watershed and had taken part in Lord-knows-how-many parades. Although a regular part of the New York National Guard, we were left behind when the 27th Division went to camp.“

“While waiting for the Government to dispose of us, we were appointed as escorts to Captain Haig’s tank and paraded with it all over the place with our armored cars and motorcycles.“

“On November 5, 1917, we left New York City on a special train bearing the tank, three of our armored cars and a few motorcycles, as guest of the Canadian Government to accompany the tank in parades and festivities connected with Canada’s Victory Loan campaign. We arrived in Montreal on November 16th and apparently created a sensation.“

“Captain Haig, my first lieutenant and I were given the royal suite at the Windsor Hotel, entertained royally, and whenever we appeared on the street were surrounded by staring Canadians who evidently had never before seen American officers.“

“On November 18th, we were joined by Lieutenant Colonel J. C. Rhea who was in command of a detachment of the 305th Infantry from Camp Upton, with the band of the 304th Field Artillery, fully armed and equipped. Later in the day arrived a large detachment of Marines from Ouantico, under Command of Lieutenant Cordier, and a Uni­ted States Navy band. On the 19th, together with a flock of Canadian troops, civic groups and elaborate floats, we paraded for many miles through Montreal. Our reception was peculiar. In the French-Canadian sections of the city we received evidence of mingled enthusiasm and utmost hostility. In the British section, we met sedate but sincere cordiality.“

“That night we entrained for Toronto where we paraded seven miles in a pouring rain and were royally entertained by Sir John Eaton and other Canadians with luncheons, banquets and theater parties. All of the American troops entrained at Mont­real for New York City on November 21st. Then just before the train started, the door of the officers’ special Pullman opened and in walked a parade of Sir John Eaton’s servants bearing shoulders of venison, hams, baskets of fruit and innumerable cases and boxes of other goodies for the visiting officers.“

“As a result of our experience with the British tank, my whole battery went into the United States Tank Corps, just then forming, my lieutenant and I getting commissions. We served at Camp Colt, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and in France with various degrees of eclat, elan and all that sort of thing.“

“Anyhow, the 363d Infantry was not the first American military outfit to visit Canada. Looks as if my outfit was the first of the breed the Canadians had ever seen. But Colonel Rhea and his men, as American Federal troops under arms, can certainly dispute the ‘modest claim’ of the 363d.“

“One of the endosed pictures shows the British tank and our armored cars arriving in Toronto, November 20, 1917, and the other is a photograph of our host, the late Sir John Eaton, and his sons, taken during the war.”

                                                                xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Also see:
Ver también:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011
New York National Guard Armored Cars in the Toronto Parade November 20 1917
[Défilé de véhicules blindés, Avenue University, Ville de Toronto, Nov 20 1917]

http://armoredcars-ww-one.blogspot.com.es/2011/11/new-york-national-guard-armored-cars.html