In Flanders Fields – Part 3

Centennial Anniversary Event – May 7, 1915 – The Battle of Bellewaerde Ridge, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the letters of Agar Adamson.

By Joe Corrigan

As the 2^nd Battle of Ypres raged on, another group of Canadian troops came under fire. The Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) regiment was created through the initiative of Captain Andrew Hamilton Gault on August 10, 1914, less than a week after the British Empire’s declaration of war. In less than ten days the regiment was up to its full strength of close to 1,100 members, all but a few of these men were veterans of either the Boer War or the British Army. Because of its veteran status, the PPCLI was the first Canadian unit to enter the European theatre of operations, arriving in France on December 21, 1914 as part of the 80^th Brigade of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF); a full two months before the first elements of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) came on the scene. The “Patricias” took their place in the line on January 6, 1915.

Princess Patricia inspects her regiment with Lt. Colonel Hamilton Gault

Princess Patricia

Agar Adamson

Thanks to the prolific letter writing of Agar Adamson, we know a lot about the day to day experiences of the officers and men of the PPCLI from the time of its formation to the end of the war. Agar Adamson was born to a well-connected Canadian family in Ottawa on Christmas Day 1865. Adamson was educated at Trinity College School in Port Hope and Corpus Christi College in Cambridge England. He was known as an excellent athlete, playing several sports, and as a prize winning horseman. He returned to Canada, without a degree, and became a junior clerk of the Senate in February of 1890. In 1893 he obtained a 2^nd Lieutenant’s commission with the Governor General’s Foot Guards militia regiment and, by 1899, had risen to the rank of Captain. He married Ann Mabel Cawthra, a Toronto heiress and artist in November of 1899. Four months later, Adamson used his connections to obtain a Lieutenant’s commission in Lord Strathcona’s Horse, a Canadian cavalry regiment engaged in fighting in the Boer War in South Africa. After close to a year of active service, Agar fell in and was sent back to Canada as unfit for further duty. He spent several years at various business pursuits until war was declared in 1914. Despite being blind in one eye, he obtained a post as a Captain in the PPCLI, reached England in October of 1914 and, during his three years in the trenches wrote almost daily letters to his wife. Adamson eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and, on October 31^st, 1916 was given command of the regiment. He would lead the PPCLI through the battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele. 

In the book “Letters of Agar Adamson”, historian Norm Christie presents a collection of Agar’s letters to Mabel. These letters are frequently quoted in Christie’s documentary television series about Canada’s participation in the Great War entitled “For King and Empire”. Most of these letters ended with Agar’s personal  salutation to his wife, “Ever thine, Agar.” On May 7th the PPCLI’s sector was the focus of enemy shelling as a prelude to an attack. The following is Agar’s letter describing the situation in vivid detail:

Bellewaerde Ridge, 6 pm., 7^th May, 1915

My dear Mabel,

We moved up last night from our support dugouts, having been fairly well shelled. Gow (Lieut.) shot badly, was alive when we left, 4 men killed, 9 wounded, 2 went mad, 6 in what is called “in a state of collapse”, having been shelled all day and having to remain underground all day.
Today in advanced trenches since last night under very heavy artillery fire, living in deep ditches, 5 killed, 11 wounded, 1 machine gun smashed to pieces and crews buried and wounded. Capt. Grey badly shot. Counter attack by British on Hill 60 failed to dislodge enemy. Enemy in front of us advancing their line of trenches and sniping force every direction, fire from Maxims and artillery come from 3 different directions. Our artillery almost silent and out-ranged in many places. Lieut. Bainsmith wounded.
We are relieved tomorrow night but return to dugouts, equally dangerous, though out of rifle fire. A man cannot show himself without artillery letting off at the position. I think a trapped rat would be a more accurate simile than the Knight in Alice in Wonderland.
Gault, Niven (now adjutant) and I sleep in one little dugout. You did not send me the photographs. I forgot if the baseball bats did arrive, back at the transport, they could very well be used here as a weapon of defense, when our ammunition runs out. Thank you for sending them. We now have 400 fighting men and 7 officers. Hance is up with us.
Two men have gone mad and have had to be disarmed.
It seems to be certain that this line cannot be held and we are only making a bluff at it.

On May 8th, 1915, the PPCLI’s defense at the Battle of Bellewaerde Ridge cemented the unit’s reputation as a fighting unit but at a steep cost. When they came out of the line after three days in combat they had lost 500 men. The remnants of the regiment were commanded by a lieutenant, all other officers having been killed or wounded. Agar Adamson was wounded slightly in the shoulder as Mabel would learn in a letter from the Militia Council on May 13th. Mabel’s next letter from Agar was as follows:

I arrived last night and am in Lady Ridley’s Hospital 10 Carleton House Terrace.
I am only slightly wounded in the shoulder. Please bring a toothbrush and tooth powder and a package of Auto Strap Razor blades.

We’ll see more of Agar Adamson’s correspondence in the weeks and months ahead as we share his experiences in the trenches of the western front. During the next three years, we will continue to mark notable anniversaries of Canada’s involvement in the Great War.

Coincidently, May 7, 1915 was also the day that the ocean liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. The sinking caused an international incident as a number of American citizens were killed in the attack. The result was an increase in anti-German sentiment in the U.S.A. but the Americans did not enter the war on the side of the allies until April 6^th, 1917 (3 days before the successful Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge). 

 

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.