From the News

Dated: October 23, 1915

A Princess Pat Man in Banff

Many of our readers, doubtless, have noticed during the past week a man, garbed in the all too familiar khaki uniform, walking about the streets with the aid of a cane.

To those who have not had the good fortune to meet him, Crag and Canyon gladly performs the duties of introduction. The man referred to is Private Harry Horwood, one of the few survivors of that gallant band recruited in this country a year ago last August under the name Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and whose appearance on the firing line Jan. 2nd was the first tangible evidence Germany had that Canada was at war. The Princess Pats, as they are familiarly known, sailed from England on the 20th of December 1,200 strong, of whom 950 were medalists, and today but 60 are left to tell of the horrors of war in the trenches during the early stages of the gigantic conflict.

Private Horwood, who wears the Zulu campaign ribbon¹, held a position in the Dominion Lands office at Prince Albert when the call to arms first sounded. He immediately resigned and hastened to Ottawa, where he enlisted Aug. 12. After reaching the front he did duty on the firing line on eight different occasions, was invalided through rheumatism to a French hospital Feb. 28, later on being transferred to a hospital in England where he underwent two operations.

He describes the death of Capt. Fitzgerald [Robert Mansfield], who had gone out between the two firing lines to ascertain if a Highlander lying there was past all help and, if so, to bring in his identification disc. As he was dropping to safety in the trench, disc in hand, a sniper's bullet pierced his brain. He was idolized by the men and a most gallant officer.

Private Horwood vividly describes life in the trenches during those early days of the war, when a soldier had to make his way across level ground, almost constantly illuminated by German flashes, in the night to his position and then stand in mud and water up to his waist for hours at a stretch ready at any moment to repel an attack.

He asserts the spirit of the German troops is broken and predicts an early end to the struggle. The British officers are obliged to restrain and hold back their men, while he has seen German officers driving troops forward with black snake whips.

As regards the tales of German atrocities he says the half has not been told. At Oxford he saw two Belgian children, one with both ears and the other with right hand cut off. Belgian women were treated most shamefully.

Mr. Horwood is taking the baths at the Brett hospital and will remain here until the 27th inst. He is an interesting raconteur and we advise our readers to meet and talk with him before he returns to his home in Prince Albert.