Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

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16 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD the way they herd these dumb sheep. That lasted all afternoon and we all retired early as reveille was at five- thirty the next morning. Again it had been a beautiful day, but a little cooler and we all prayed for a favourable Sunday. At last Sunday arrivedg at eighty-thirty We moved off all in one big convoy and arrived at the point of inspection. The inspection took from ten till half past eleven and need- less to say most of the time was spent standing very still. We lined up in close column of companies with the officers in review order with our company in front which meant I was in a vunerable spot where it was rather unwise to make a mistake. We waited from 1010 when the District Commander took over from his Adjutant till 1035 standing at ease with a lot of big shots walking around eyeing us while awaiting the Inspecting Officer. After the salute, he proceeded to inspect the companies one by one and it was live past eleven before he was finished, then the officers were lined up and presented to him. After that there was the march past with No. 2 Company leading and the officers marched on the left flank. That was all. We then got back in the trucks and it was after one when we arrived back for lunch. We were all very hungry as we had break- fast at six. The day was beautiful and not too hot. We were inspected on a beautiful estate and all in all it was a marvellous day with the whole inspection going off with- out the slightest hitch. Naturally I was rather nervous, but all the right com- mands seemed to come at the right time and quite a few people have congratulated me on my effort so I could not have done too badly. If Il i 8 Q Later As the King and Queen have now left Balmoral Castle, according to the papers, it can now be told that it was they who inspected us a week ago today. In my last letter I gave a fairly detailed description of the ceremony, but the

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TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 15 direction. At four-thirty we were all pretty tired and glad to march the two miles back to camp. It was a very hot day and the sun shone all the time. Friday we paraded on the field at nine-thirty with the other four companies in the district, and stayed there all day, each company bringing a haversack lunch. Luckily it was another nice day and apart from the excessive heat we were at least spared the rain which one usually expects inthis country. In the morning the Parade Sergeant-Major put the men through their paces and in the afternoon We had a dress rehearsal with the officers in their positions. We had a colonel from the Camerons on the field whose battalion had already been through this sort of inspection and he gave some very useful hints. At five, we dismissed and all the companies returned. The band was out twenty- three strong and was practicing the General Salute and some pieces for the march past. Friday night everybody retired early. Saturday morning reveille was at seven-thirty and there were no parades in the morning until eleven when I had the one hundred and twenty turned out in their dress for the next day just to make a final check up on hair cuts, battle dress and the web equipment. The men were to parade just in battle dress and anklets with their respira- tors and tin helmets slung, so the business of checking up on their dress was not too difficult. In the afternoon most of the company were taken to a nearby town to watch sheep dog trials, which are quite famous in this part of the country. The trials take place in a large field. The shepherd and his dog stand at one end while three sheep are let loose at the other end. It is the job of the dog to herd these sheep through two fences with a very small opening and then herd them into a pen. After that they are let out again and he has to separate one from the other two which is quite a difficult job. The shepherd stands in the same place all the time and whistles directions to the dog. It is really wonderful to watch the intelligence of these dogs in

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TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 17 fact that it was the King and Queen bears a special signi- ficence. It was a wonderful experience and one that I suppose only comes about once in a lifetime. I was more than lucky as the Major fell sick, the 2 i-c was on leave and I had to take command of our company and accompany His Majesty while inspecting our men. He spoke to various ones asking where they came from, how long they had been in the army, how they liked Scotland and various other questions. He spoke to all the ex-soldiers and opened by asking them with whom they had served in the last War. The Queen followed close behind with General J. B. and she was even more talkative, asking whether we lived in huts, how we enjoyed the climate and various questions. After the men had been inspected, the Officers were lined up in review order and our District Commander in- troduced us all to His Majesty. The Queen followed, shook hands and said hello, then came the two Princesses who both offered their hands and said hello. Naturally all we did was nod the head. However when Margaret Rose came along it was too much of a temptation to say something so I let a quiet hello slip and she did not seem to mind terribly. The Queen had the same effect, that is when she spoke to you, you wanted very much to say something. She wore blue and the King was dressed up in a Cameron Kilt with the rank of Colonel. It seemed odd to see him with just the two pips and a crown up while there were a couple of red caps there with crowns and cross swords all over their shoulders. After the presentation we marched past and as we did it seemed to me that the Queen was looking just at me. Many people remarked the same thing, that when they came abreast to her it seemed that she was smiling directly at them. That ended the day, but it will be a day that I shall never forget. The Queen is really beautiful. She has such wonderful eyes and a gorgeous complexion. The King looked very well and had a wonder- ful sun tan. They both looked to have benefited well by