72nd Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada engaged in Aid to Civil Powers for the Coal Miners' Strike on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo,1913 - 1914. Caption on page: "Pte. Hunt, Sgt. Lunn, Col. Sgt. Gillespie, Pte Herrmann, Priestley, Lce Cpl Bressey, Pte Kent, Barrington-Foote" on page Seaforths ready to dive into the water from a dock with a boat house in one piece bathing suits, Vancouver Island, 1913-1914. The photo shows from left to right: Pte. (Bandsman) Ernest Hunt, Sgt. Bernard Lunn, Sgt. Gillespie, Pte Herrmann, Pte Priestley, LCpl Frank Morgan Bressey, Pte Kent, and Pte Barrington-Foote. Frank Morgan Bressey served in the 72nd Regiment from 1910-14. He enlisted in the 16th Battalion, CEF in Sept 1914 as a private and went to France on 9 Feb 1915. On 2 June 1915, 28847 L/Sgt. Bressey was commissioned and was seconded to the 3rd Brigade Machine Gun Company until he was promoted to acting captain on 4 Sept 1916. He became a substantive captain on 10 Oct 1916. Bressey then went to the 3rd Brigade as a Staff Captain on 22 Jan 1917 and then to the Canadian Corps HQ on 2 Dec 1917. He was promoted to major on 29 Sept 1917. He became the 3rd Brigade Major after the war and discharged on 15 July 1919. Captain Bressey was awarded the Military Cross on 1 June 1917 and mentioned in despatches on 4 January 1917. The caption reads "Pte Barrington-Foote". In the CEF records there is a James Alfred Barrington (ex-Royal Field Artillery in Boer War) who joined the 72nd Battalion in 1915 and a Philip Ward Barrington-Foote (ex- Lt in 2nd Royal Fusiliers) who joined the 7th Battalion in 1914. Neither attestation record mentions the 72nd Regiment. The Vancouver Island Coal Strike began on 16 Sept. 1912 when miners at Cumberland declared a "holiday" to protest the firing of Oscar Mottishaw. Canadian Collieries locked them out and hired Chinese and strike breakers. The issues were safety (gas explosions had killed hundreds) and union recognition. Other employers followed the pattern in resisting any union. By spring 1913, 3,500 miners from Vancouver Island were off work with the United Mine Workers of America providing leadership and strike pay. In the summer of 1912, the Vancouver and Nanaimo Coal Co., settled with its employees, but not before rioting, arsons and "shoot-outs" had broken out in all the coal towns. Peace was restored when the BC government sent in 1,000 militiamen. The withdrawal of strike pay in the summer of 1914 and the beginning of WW I ended the confrontation. By then the mines were running at almost pre-strike capacity using newly hired labour.