Well-known military historian Dr. Desmond Morton will speak at the Stanstead Historical Society’s annual general meeting on Saturday, June 14. In his talk, So… what did Townshippers do in the Great War, Daddy?, Dr. Morton will discuss the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, the main CEF unit that recruited in Quebec’s Eastern Townships during WWI.
The 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles regiment was originally raised to replace the British troops defending Egypt from the Turks and then it was converted into infantry for service on the Western Front. The commanding officer was George Baker, Conservative MP for Brome. Baker and half the regiment were killed or severely wounded at the battle of Mont Sorrel on June 2, 1916, and Baker was recognized as the only parliamentarian anywhere to die in a war he had supported. The regiment survived with other reinforcements and remained part of the 3rd Canadian Division until the end of the war, suffering heavy losses at Passchendale in 1917 and in the 100 Days offensive that ended the war on November 11, 1918.
The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. and will take place at 535 Dufferin Street, Colby Curtis Museum, Stanstead.
On the same day, Colby Curtis Museum will open two summer exhibits. Rural Medicine in Stanstead will look at the practice of three doctors, Moses French Colby, John Child Colby, and Gilles Bouchard, from 1832 to 2012. Memory of Sacrifice will focus on the participation of the local population in the First World War.
For information, contact: info@colbycurtis.ca.
