72nd Battalion on the SS Olympic troop ship at Southampton, 1919. The Olympic was chartered by the Canadian government from 1916 to 1917 to transport troops to Britain from Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1917, she gained 6-inch guns and was painted with a camouflage scheme to make it harder for those trying to determine where she was headed or her speed. The camouflage was dazzling with white, light blue, brown and dark blue. Olympic made quite a few trips to Halifax harbor transporting Canadian troops overseas safely and back home after the war. The people of Halifax saw the Olympic as a favorite symbol. The noted Group of Seven artist, Arthur Lismer, painted several artists of the Olympic in Halifax. During the war, the Olympic is reported to have carried up to 201,000 troops and other personnel, burning 347,000 tons of coal and travelling about 184,000 miles. Her impressive World War I service earned her the nickname Old Reliable. Her captain was knighted in 1919 for “valuable services in connection with the transport of troops. Photo from album which possibly belonged to Lt Reginald Vigars Prenter (RVP), 72nd Bn.