When Britain declared war against Germany on August 4th, 1914, Digby, like the rest of Canada, was at war too. Our little town contributed men, supplies, resources, buildings for training and accommodations, and much more. For example, the 112th Battalion of 1916 as shown in the photo included 113 recruits from Digby. At the same time, the 29th Battalion had 42 men from Digby, 43 from Weymouth, 62 from Bear River, and 38 from Tiverton.
Other war efforts in Digby included the Red Cross Units fundraising, knitting socks and sweaters, and boosting morale. The Digby Weekly Courier did its part by reporting the safe arrival home of local soldiers, the photos and names of the missing or dead, an “Honor Roll” listing the wounded, gassed, killed or medically unfit, and “Local Military Notes”.
Digby was as active in World War II as it was in the Great War. In the October 2001 edition of The Coastline, Robert Foster reports being stationed in a British submarine in Digby and Halifax during WWII. The submarine was named “The Upright” and was one of three submarines charged with the duty of patrolling Digby’s waters.
Date: 1914-1945
Reference: Yates - Admiral Digby Museum P1391
For more information, please contact the Admiral Digby Museum.
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