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    A Canadian Soldier
    A Canadian Soldier
    A Canadian Soldier
    Ebook105 pages1 hour

    A Canadian Soldier

    By Lt. Colonel George Harold Baker M.P.

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    Lt.-Col. Baker was born into a family with a long history of service to Canada: his father had served in the Provincial Legislature or the Dominion Parliament for over forty years. Colonel Baker, a man of many interests, undertook law at McGill University and was called to the Bar in 1900. After a successful career, which included a stint as a member of Parliament, his military career started in the cavalry gazetted as a provisional lieutenant in the 6th Hussars, and by 1913 he was Lt.-Colonel of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons. With the gathering of the clouds over Europe, Colonel Baker steeled himself for field service and responded to a toast to his health: “my aim is to win, if possible, the confidence of my men and to leave the rest to circumstance and the turn of events.”
    His military career was to be of great merit but short in duration, like many of his comrades-in-arms who travelled from the furthest Dominions to Flanders Fields. His story is told in his collection of letters, and a copy of the despatch that memorialises his death; but suffice to say that they are a telling recollection of an upright, honourable soldier, loved by his men, conscientious to his duty, who lay down his life for his country.
    Author — Lt. Colonel George Harold Baker M.P. d. 1916
    Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition privately published.
    Original Page Count – 83
    Illustrations — 3 Portraits
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLucknow Books
    Release dateMar 2, 2013
    ISBN9781782890621
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      Book preview

      A Canadian Soldier - Lt. Colonel George Harold Baker M.P.

       This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – contact@picklepartnerspublishing.com

      Text originally published in 1918? under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      A Canadian Soldier

      George Harold Baker, M.P.

      Lieutenant Colonel 5th C. M. R.

      Killed in action at Ypres June 2nd, 1916

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      A Canadian Soldier—Introduction 8

      A Canadian Soldier—Letters 9

      I 9

      II 9

      III 10

      IV 10

      V 11

      VI 11

      VII 12

      VIII 12

      IX 13

      X 13

      XI 14

      XII 14

      XIII 15

      XIV 16

      XV 16

      XVI 17

      XVII 17

      XVIII 17

      XIX 18

      XX 18

      XXI 19

      XXII 19

      XXIII 20

      XXIV 20

      XXV 20

      XXVI 20

      XXVII 21

      XXVIII 21

      XXIX 22

      XXX 22

      XXXI 23

      A Canadian Soldier—Mentioned In Dispatches 24

      A Canadian Soldier—Introduction

      George Harold Baker came of a United Empire Loyalist family, which had already contributed largely to the public life of the Eastern Townships, the Province of Quebec, and the Dominion of Canada. His great-grandfather, Joseph Baker, after the acknowledgement of American independence, left Petersham, Mass., with his young wife (Polly Stevens), and settled in the Township of Dunham, Missisquoi County, in 1793. Joseph Baker’s son, William Baker, represented the County of Missisquoi in the last Parliament of Lower Canada from 1834 to 1837; he married Harriet Clap, of Montgomery, Vt., daughter of Joshua Clap and Nabby Barnard. George Barnard Baker, the third son of William Baker, took his degrees in arts and law at Bishop’s College, which subsequently conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. In 1860, he established himself in the practice of law at Sweetsburg, and early in a successful professional career, he was made a Q.C., both for the Province and the Dominion. He served either in the Provincial Legislature or the Dominion Parliament almost continuously for forty years; for some years in the seventies he was Solicitor General for the Province; he represented the County of Missisquoi in the House of Commons, 1870-1872, 1878-1887, and 1891-1896; he was called to the Senate in 1896, and was one of its most active members up to his death in 1910.

      George Harold Baker’s mother, Jane Percival Cowan, was the daughter of Peter Cowan, who with his brother Andrew was attracted by the natural beauty of the Yamaska valley about the beginning of the Victorian era and settled at Cowansville, to which they gave its name. At the time of his death in 1880, Peter Cowan was Sheriff of the district of Bedford; he came from Scotland as a youth and married Jane Elizabeth Hackett, a charming Irish girl who with her brother had come to Canada not many years before.

      George Harold was the only surviving son of George Barnard Baker. He was born at Sweetsburg on November 4th, 1877, and was educated at Bishop’s College School, Lennoxville, Berthier Grammar School, Berthier-en-haut, and McGill University. He graduated as a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1900 and was immediately called to the Bar. He began the practice of law with his father at Sweets-burg, and in 1907 became a member of the firm of Chauvin, Baker, and Walker in Montreal.

      At the general election of 1911 he became Conservative member of the House of Commons for the County of Brome, defeating the Minister of Agriculture in the previous administration. He took an active part in political life, and served as Conservative whip for the Province of Quebec.

      From boyhood he took a keen interest in military service; he was gazetted Provisional Lieutenant of the 6th Hussars on June 18th, 1903, and on the organization of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons in the following May he was transferred to that regiment with the rank of Captain; he was gazetted Major in December, 1904, and Lieut.-Colonel of the regiment on September 29th, 1913.

      Immediately on the outbreak of the war, he and the officers of his regiment offered their services to the Government, and four months later he was empowered to raise the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, the first mounted corps from the Province of Quebec, to the command of which he was appointed in January, 1915. Recruiting began in February, enlistments coming mainly from the Eastern Townships, although men were attracted from Montreal, where Colonel Baker lived and practised his profession, and from other centres. A large number of university students, both from McGill and from Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, joined the regiment, which went into training at Sherbrooke early in the spring. On June 9th, Colonel Baker’s friends of Brome County gave him a farewell dinner at Knowlton. Responding to the toast of his health, he said:

      I make no professions as a soldier, I lay claim to no special mission; my aim is to win, if possible, the confidence of my men and to leave the rest to circumstance and the turn of events.

      The memory of this gathering will follow me; you have strengthened my hand, and if ever I am in a tight place I shall try to acquit myself as you would have me.

      The regiment was moved to Valcartier Camp on June 8th and embarked for England on July 17th, landing at Plymouth on the 29th. The cavalry formation was retained during further training at Shorncliffe Camp and for some time after the crossing to France on October 24th; but Colonel Baker and his men had agreed to respond to the demand for infantry and in January, 1916, a reorganization took place whereby the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th C. M. R. became the 8th Infantry Brigade under Brigadier-General Victor

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