Description
Mr. Clemett describes in general how troops were mustered to the front line and details the responsibilities of his own unit
Lloyd Clemett
Mr. Clemett was born December 10, 1899, in Toronto, Ontario. Both his parents passed away when he was quite young and he moved to Omemee, Ontario, to be with close relatives. He was the youngest of four brothers that served in the First World War and was a bugle boy when he enlisted in January 1916, at the age of 16. He joined the 93rd Battalion in Peterborough as a private but was soon transferred to the 109 Battalion in nearby Lindsay. By July 1916, he found himself in England and a year later was stationed in Aubin St. Vast, France, working with the Canadian Forestry Corps. He stayed with the Forestry Corps until 1918, when he volunteered for duty on the front lines, however, the armistice was signed before he ever saw action on the front. Upon his return to Canada Mr. Clemett took advantage of courses offered by the army to help him obtain employment as a railway agent. He lost that job during the Depression and went to work for the old village of Leaside (now part of Toronto) and remained there until his retirement. At the time of this interview Mr. Clemett was 106 years old and one of only three remaining First World War Veterans in Canada.
Transcript
I enlisted, like I said, at the age of 16 in Peterborough, Ontario. I went in that night cause I was at work at the woolen mills and a man came around soliciting enlistees and I said "I'll go." So that night I went up to (inaudible) and I was enlisted and I was a soldier from then on, I was a soldier. Just fell in line (inaudible). They were more interested in setting up, the recruits did join the front line and that meant all the paperwork connection of each soldier as he recalled. And then the same thing goes with anybody that they had a (inaudible) and different places where they put guards around 24 hours and then I had one of those guards too. How I got to play the bugle, up to that point when I first went into Forestry Corps I was not bugling (inaudible) got out of that unit and you head for the unit that reinforces the front line. I was just . . . if you didn't know me or said anything I just played the bugle's notes and I had a vehicle. Nobody stopped and asked me what time is it? Until one day a chap whom I knew was the bugler for the camp. And he calls out (inaudible) you got it. So he came to me and he said "How would you like to take over the buglers job for a couple days? I'm going to London." And that's how I got into the buglers job. And from then on I wasn't actually designated out of the . . . say there's the bugler, we will attach him to the unit to go over seas?