November 7th and November 11th - What's the connection?

Sunday, November 7 was the 125th Anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike to complete the Canadian Pacific Railway. I was privileged to ride the train to Craigellachie for the commemorative ceremony. As we arrived at the Railway Museum to board the train we were met by two members of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) Regiment in dress uniform.

Donald Smith, who drove the last spike to complete the transcontinental railway, was soon after given the title of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal. In January of 1900, he offered to raise and equip a mounted regiment at his own expense to serve in the Boer War in South Africa. The reigiment was under the command of Sam Steele, the well-known early superintendent of the North-West Mounted Police. A sergeant in Lord Strathcona's Horse serving in South Africa was the first Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross. In 1909, the Regiment was reformed and named Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and is still an active Regiment.

The significance of the presence of Lord Strathcona’s Horse at the ceremony yesterday made me think about the connection between the driving of the last spike, and Canada’s involvement in the Boer War, and World Wars I and II. It was the transcontinental railway that made it possible to move troops across Canada for active service overseas. The railway transported the thousands of parcels to the men overseas, including literally hundreds of pairs of socks knitted by the women of Revelstoke. Numerous photographs show troops coming and going from the station at Revelstoke, often with large crowds of residents and schoolchildren cheering them on their way.

One of Revelstoke’s casualties during World War I was Thomas Lewis, a long-time resident of Revelstoke. He came to Revelstoke in the late 1880s with his parents and siblings. He worked as a dairy farmer and teamster and in 1900 enlisted with Lord Strathcona’s Horse and served in South Africa. During World War I, he again enlisted for overseas service at the age of 43, making the difficult decision to leave his aging parents to serve his country. He was popular among the younger men, who saw him as a father figure. In a letter home to his parents, he wrote, “I know you would be glad that I am doing my duty, which as yet I have not failed in…Life or deathis not in our hands, but the manner of living or dying is.” Tom Lewis was killed in action on August 21, 1917, and at the age of 45, was Revelstoke’s oldest casualty.

As we approach Remembrance Day, we remember the 107 men from Revelstoke and district who died during World War I, and the 32 men who died during World War II.