Rehearsal for review on Saturday and Sports parade held. Brigade exercise held on Thursley Common on Thursday. Battalion occupied trenches in the area and during the exercise liaison between the various sub units broke down. Exercise ended at 0800hrs Friday and the battalion returned to unit lines by unit MT. Final rehearsal parade held on Friday at 1500hrs. The new Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice [granddaughter to Queen Victoria] inspected the unit. The regimental colours were on parade for the first time since we landed in England. Hon. Norman Rogers the Minister of National Defence and Vincent Massey, General McNaughton and General Crerar and the Brigade Commander were also present. The band was on parade in all its finery.
5-11 May 1940
Large turn out for the unit church parade. Advance party left for Warminster on Salisbury Plains in preperation for unit camp. Battalion route march to Twisledown and Crookham held. Balance of the time spent in checking equipment for camp. A Coy gave a demonstration of bridging and collapsible boats at Hawley Hill. Battalion watched demonstration and also fought heath fire caused by a thunderflash explosive device. Warning order received and live ammunition issed. We left Warminster by train on Saturday. We were met at the siding by 57 Heavy Divisional Artillery Band and the bandmaster of the band was a son in law of one of the Sergeantts of the unit. Spent the remainder of the day setting tents in the area/AA gun sites mounted on the perimeter.
The Earl of Athlone inspecting the 1st Battalion(from http://dileas.mapleleafup.org/england.htm)
12-18 May 1940
Unit church parade held in the field-drum head service. Unit marched to training are 4 1/2 miles away. Route march over some fairly steep hills. On arrival at the area patrols sent out. Companies worked at night preparing trenches and rested during the day. Wiring around the trenches completed. Transport Officer went back to Aldershot to pick up trucks. Meals being served in the training area. Battalion back to base camp for rest and then left at night for the training area. Large number of civilian buses arriving to supplement the unit transport. Rain started and caused great discomfort both in the training area and base camp. The unit suffered its first fatal causality when a truck being driven by Pte. Hayes hit a car being driven by Pte. Thow coming from Aldershot. He died int he base camp. The men in the car were only slightly injured. Saturday we were allowed in to Warminster until 4pm. Battalion back in the training area by 6pm.
Digging trenches Salisbury Plain (from http://dileas.mapleleafup.org/england.htm)
19-25 May 1940
Set piece attack held in the training area. Tanks were used and they got bogged down in the wire but the carriers had a little more luck. Anti-tank ditches not to effective. Infantry portion of the training went well except that the H & P E.R. took down the wite and lifted the mines in error. Troops returned to base camp for breakfast. Battalion embussed on MT and impressed vehicles for return to Aldershot. Unit spent first day back in Aldershot cleaning equipment. Sir Harry Lauder visited the unit and watched the band beat retreat. Dined with the officers afterwards. We were all given free tickets for his show in the Garrision Theatre in the evening. Lt. D.C.B. Corbett and 143 men arrived from Canada at the government siding in Aldershot. Band met them at the siding and played them into the unit lines. I attended at the station with a guard when Pte. Thow's body was placed on a train for Aberdeen. Memorial service held the next day in St. Michael's church for Pte. Thow. Brigade sports meet held. Battalion warned for FRANCE. Leaves canceled and the unit entrained at 2300hrs at the government siding on Wednesday and arrived 0600hrs at Dover on Thursday. Sat up all night in rail coaches and got little sleep. Immediately embarked on Mona Queen at Dover. We were all carrying kit bags and packs. Iron rations issued at 1200hrs and they were promptly ate. Sat around on ship all day. Seen British troops being landed from hospital ships. Not very encouraging. Disembarked from Mona Queen and back to Aldershot. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. This little excursion became known in the unit as the "Dover Dash." Back to Aldershot on Friday where we settled back into barracks. Transport arrived back late.
26-31 May 1940
Another warning order issued on Sunday and consequently the unit started packing and loading for another move, to where we did not know. No church parade was held. We were told to stand down at noon and allowed to go into Aldershot. The transport left loaded. All roads in the unit lines blocked by vehicles and road blocks set up utilizing vehicles trucks. Pay parade on Monday and Battalion transport left for Southampton to load transport. Orders received that one kit bag for every two soldiers was all that would be allowed. The CO immediately ordered a feasibility study made and the result was that the order would not work. The order to rescind the original order almost received immediately after the study and no more was heard of the sharing notion with regard to the transport of personal kit. Battalion let out on four hour pass to Aldershot. PT parade held and then the battalion moved off at 2145hrs Thursday. At 0140hrs 31 May 1940 the Battalion arrived on the outskirts of Oxford. The convoy took a wrong turn and was headed for Stad Hampton. Vehicles turned around the headed towards Little Miton. Battalion RV at Earlsbarton and then guided to a large field South East of Wilby, where the unit spent the 31st settling in.
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