Sundridge, Ontario: Military History and the 162nd Battalion

Posted by admin on November 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment

162nd Battalion Troops at the Queens Hotel in Sundridge, Ontario This historically significant Azo Tri 1 real-photo postcard, dating to World War I and a 1914-1918 time frame, shows troops from the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) posing at the Queen’s Hotel in Sundridge, Ontario. The two-story hotel seen in this scarce image appears — from its architectural details, including Italianate-style porch post trim — to have been built c. 1880 to 1885. The otherwise unused RPPC (real-photo postcard) bears a handwritten notation on the reverse which says: “162 Battalion at Sundridge.”

James Arthurs, Founder of the General Store at Commanda, Ontario As was noted on the Commanda page, James Arthurs (1866–1937), who opened a general store in Commanda in 1885, was instrumental in establishing the 162nd Infantry Battalion of the C.E.F. in 1914. The C.E.F. was created in response to a United Kingdom call for troops after World War I began. Mr. Arthurs’ dignified portrait is seen to the left.

The scarce 1916 postcard to the right offers greetings from the 162nd Battalion, C.E.F. at Sundridge, and bears an interesting message from a soldier named Russ, who sounds somewhat bored. Penned on 25 July 1916, the message reads: “I have not very much to say this time, only that I am still living. I hear there is to be a big day in town on the third of August and you bet I will be up if I can get there at all. Well, I have been soldiering for six months now and we are still in Canada yet, but it is hard to tell where we will be at the end of another six months.”

162nd Battalion Troops Encamped Near Sundridge, Ontario This real-photo postcard shows a bird’s-eye view of dozens of tents at the 162nd’s campsite in November 1916. Perhaps a reader will recognize the large hill in the background and thus be able to give us a more precise location for the camp.

Black Bear Mascot at the 162nd Battalion Near Sundridge, Ontario Although it would now be considered politically incorrect and perceived as animal cruelty, soldiers at Sundridge kept a black bear as a mascot for the camp. The bear no doubt was an amusement intended to alleviate some of the fear and anxiety soldiers must have felt as they awaited their overseas departures to the front lines in Europe.