72nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, CEF's departure to Europe with crowds at the railway tracks at the Hastings Station, 16 April 1916. From the Regimental History, page 15: "It goes without saying that public interest in the Battalion during its encampment at Hastings Park rose to a high pitch. It grew more intense as the time for leaving for overseas drew near. Illustrating the difficulties that were encountered in making the start, it may be mentioned that on Thursday night, April 13th, the men had been granted four or five days' leave. At 9 p.m. on the following day the news came that the Battalion was to be entrained on Sunday morning, the 16th. Not a man was left in camp and the Battalion was distributed to various areas. It speaks well for the esprit de corps which had been established that after the wires had been kept hot for several hours by imperative messages, not a man was absent when the last roll was called on Sunday morning. The final move was made on Sunday, April 16th, 1916. Before marching off from the Park a church service was held; Captain the Rev. Dr. [John] Mackay [sic McKay], D.D., the chaplain of the 72nd Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, officiating. The day was fine and a very large crowd, estimated at 30,000, gathered to see the Highlanders off on the first lap of their journey to the battlefields of Europe." VANCOUVER ARCHIVES ITEM DETAILS PAGES ATTACHED