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HALIFAX DISASTER RECORD OFFICE
CHRONICLE BUILDING
HALIFAX, N. S.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE
Lieut. C. A. MacLennan, M. C.
Of the 76th Regiment, attached to Composite Battalion.

Description. Short, medium build, Light blue eyes, sallow complexion, dark hair. Dent in chin. Language, free.

On the morning of December 6th he was standing at the north end of the officer's quarters in Wellington Barracks, along with Lieutenant Balcom, Captain MacNeil and Lieutenant Coleman. They had heard the fire-bells and the engines going to the fire along Barrington Street, and had come out to see the fire. They were watching the burning ship. "Best fire I ever saw in my life." There was a tall column of black smoke. Through it would come a rush of flame clear up to the top. Thought it was oil-barrels vaporizing. "Then she went up". He was knocked down, but did not see or hear anything. Got up and jumped down into the moat; his idea being to get under cover, and did so "before any steel arrived". When he got out, he found Balcom lying underneath the other two men. The other two were not injured. McLennan was "sort of dazed". Balcom said "My leg is all knocked to Hell!" A fragment of iron (piece of shell) had hit him on the under side of the right thigh, had ripped up his breeches but, apparently, not torn the flesh. McLennan did not see any blood. There were about a hundred men lined up for guard mount and "an A. M. C. bunch" attached to us for quarters. Did not know how many in latter unit. McLennan doubled up into the square to get a Sergeant-Major from the Army Service Corps, and a stretcher. Came back with it, saw