St Johns Ravenscourt School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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ISANDHLWANA, BATTLE OF BLUNDERS Cetawayo, the Zulu em P eror had built up a large army, and by 1879 the British and Boer colonists were trembling in their boots. The otherwise prosperous South African colonies had often been wasted by native wars. However, the British government was not to be so openly defied. Its commissioner, Sir Bartle Frere, despatched an ultimatum to Cetawavo’s court, ordering him to put down his army and behave himself. This quaint little effort was boorishly overlooked by “The Cannibal King” as the troops called him. „ he Government gathered up its ruffled feathers and despatched General Thesiger (Lord Chelmsford) and some troops to the scene. On arrival the men were organized into three columns simply named Left, Right and Centre. Our business lies with the Centre column where the General posted himself. co umn was composed of the first and second battalions of the 24th Regt. (The South Wales Borderers), a battalion of the Natal Native Contingent (armed), some artillery and detachments of other corps. The objective of this column was to advance over the Buffalo River at Rorke’s Drift and move onto Cetawayo’s kraal. The troops passed over the Buffalo and encamped near the kopje of Isandhlwana. Next morning Thesiger moved out of camp to support the Right Column which was in difficulties. The camp was under the ostensible command of Lt. Col. Pulleine of the 24th. However, Col. Durnford was senior and should have been in command. If he was, the mistakes made were his; if not, Pulleine’s and Thesiger’s. The garrison of the camp consisted of six companies of the 24th and some of the native troops. Reports of the enemy approach were signalled and a messenger sent to Thesiger. The troops formed company square and moved out of camp. Dunford’s mounted troops were far out to the right and were soon engaged. Thesiger took notice of Pulleine’s efforts to contact him but this was not treachery as Thesiger thought that the attack was just a feint. At the camp troops were sent to support Durnford and thus gaps were left between the companies. Into these gaps the Zulus poured. Every unit was cut off and massacred. Pulleine’s body was found surrounded by ten dead Zulus. Only twenty men escaped, including the future Sir Horace Smith- Dorrien. The Colours of the 24th were carried by their bearers to the river where they were dropped in, to be later restored to the Regiment. come f rom defeat as well as victory. The great lesson of the terrible battle was the necessity to close up. Shoulder to shoulder, although capable of great misuse, saved the day in the battles of Abu Klea and Abu Kru and won the battle of Omdurman. With close, organized and courageous defence Korke’s Drift was held and so might have been Isandhlwana against enemies with few or no rifles or artillery. Desmond Morton, Form III. EAGLE Forty-three

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LITERARY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS The Toronto Maple Leafs are managed by Connie Smythe and coached by Joe Primeau. They have won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4 to 1 in a best of seven series. In the list of players, starting with the goal-tender A1 Rolins, who played for Toronto until he received an injured knee, we have a list of good sportsmen. A1 won the Vezina Cup by one goal. When A1 was injured, the old veteran, Turk Broda, took over the task of goal-tending. On defence, Bill Barilko is a.very good player and does a very good job. Bill Juzda is also a good player but is very rough. Jim Thompson should be an all-star. On the forward lines is Max Bentley, who was traded by Boston for five players. He should also be an all-star; he is third in the scoring list. Cal Gardner is also in the top ten scoring players and does a very good job of body checking. Ted Kennedy will, no doubt, be the all-star centre and has scored the winning goal in many games. He is noted as the most valuable player of the Leafs. Dan Lewicki has a very good chance for rookie of the year- Tod Sloan is also in the top ten scoring players list. He is very fast but not too kind to the opposing team. Sid Smith did very well in the play-offs and scored five out of the Leafs’ nine goals in the Stanley Cup finals. Completing the team we have Fleming Mackell, a very good player and very fast skater, and Bob Hazard, who was bought from the Toronto Marlboroughs. They are a fine team. Peter Longpre, Form I. BASKETBALL Dr. James Narsmith had been a minister but he gave up this calling to become a physical director at the Springfield, Massachusetts, Y.M.C.A. He started basketball in 1897 in answer to the need for a form of recrea¬ tion that would bolster the dwindling membership of the Y.M.C.A. throughout the country. The rules were made up to stop all roughness. The original plan was to have nine men to a side: three forwards, three centres, three guards. Then the number was adjusted to five, seven, or nine according to a pre¬ game agreement of the captains. A joint committee, which included representatives from the colleges, high schools and YM.C.A. groups met in 1915 to standardize the rules. Basketball, mainly an indoor game, is played by two teams of five players each. The object of each team is to throw the ball into the other team’s basket and to prevent the other team from scoring. The game is played on a court 50 feet wide and 94 feet long. In 1920 a survey revealed that forty-nine nations played basketball. In 1939 it received final honour when it was included in the Olympic Games program. Douglas Clark, Form I. Forty-two EAGLE

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OTTER’S COLUMN IN THE NORTHWEST REBELLION Space requires me to address my attentions to the most contentious of the three participating columns. Information is also more forthcoming. The military ‘opening of the ball’ was the attack on Major Crozier at Duck Lake. Big Bear’s Indians then killed thirteen poor people at Frog Lake, and invested Fort Pitt. The Canadian Government, after months of procrastination, now acted with celerity. Major General Middleton, Inspector General of Militia, was given command of the expedition. Three columns were organized. The chief one under Middleton was to advance to Batoche. It consisted of the 90th Winnipeg Rifles, the 10th Royal Grenadiers, and the Midland Battalion, with artillery and scouts. The Alberta Field Force under Major General Strange consisted of odds and ends and late arrivals. We are going to study Col. Otter’s column as closely as possible. This body consisted of the Q.O.R., the N.W.M.P., the Governor General Foot Guard, and other units of artillery and scouts. This force was designated the Battleford Relief Column. It arrived in Battleford on April 27, 1885, amid the cheers of the weary citizens, and was met by Capt. Nash and some of his very fine “volunteers”. Col. Otter, a soldier of British training, but a second generation Canadian, took up his headquarters in Battleford. His enemy, the infamous Poundmaker, had encamped, with his horde of murderers, on the hill above Cut Knife Creek. The gallant colonel decided to divide his enemies strength by reconnaissance in force. He took with him, B Battery, R.C.A., A Coy. Q.O.R., the N.W.M.P., and all his other little infantry units. The little plateau, on which they were about to fight, sloped upward to the Cree camp and around the edges of the field were the Indian rifle pits. The Mounted Police rode up the hill and opened fire. B Battery galloped up and unlimbered, coming under a heavy fire. The troops formed up and Col. Otter rode forward to examine the situation. He decided, because he was nearly surrounded, to withdraw. This was accomplished with great skill. This, by no means innocuous, little battle prevented Poundmaker from joining Riel and saved Middleton from a terrible fix.. It also showed that the Canadians had defensive courage as well as offensive elan. The Militia were, unfortunately, very badly armed. Their old muzzle- loaders jumped out of their cheek-pieces every time they were fired. The men were mostly all armed with the obsolescent Snider which was aptly known as the “Gas Pipes”. The Canadian Militia was a very important part of Canada in the Horse and Buggy Age. Today, their tradition is carried on in the Canadian Reserve Army. Desmond Morton. Form III. Forty-four EAGLE