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Armistice Day, 1918

Beacon
Nov 16/1918
St. Andrews Celebrates
The glad news of the signing of the armistice reached St. Andrews at 7:30 on Monday morning, and immediately the Town Bell began to peal, and was soon joined by the several church bells, all of them being rung at intervals throughout the day. All day the citizens were hard at work decorating their premises, the streets and public buildings in preparation for the demonstration on Tuesday, which was proclaimed a Public Holiday by the Mayor.
Tuesday was a glorious day, in every sense of the word, the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky from rising to setting, and the night was equally fine, the weather being unusually mild for the season of the year. The ending of the long and bloody world war, in which so many of her brave sons had borne a gallant part, and alas! So many of them had sacrificed their lives, brought great rejoicing to St. Andrews. Every heart was filled with joy, and it was manifested in the most remarkable demonstrations ever held in the Old Shire Town or in any other place in Charlotte County. The decorations of the streets, public buildings sores, and private residences and grounds were on an elaborate scale, and most artistic. Where all were so fine it would be invidious to particularize, but the windows of the stores of Mr. Edwin Odell and Mr. G. H. Stickney are certainly entitled to special mention. The illuminations at night were particularly fine, especially on Water Street, the colored electric lights festooning the streets by the Market Square being the most conspicuous. /The lights were furnished from the dynamo of Mr. Davis’s Picture show, and Mr. A. W. Mason is entitled to much praise and thanks for their beautiful installation.
The following is the Official Programme of the day’s celebrations, with lists of the several committees who had charge of the arrangements:

Programme
12 O’clock
Royal Salute at Block House
Ringing of Bells, Blowing of Whistles

1:45 pm
Raising of Victory Loan Honor Flag and Band music on Market Square

2 pm
Parade
1. Town Marshall
2. Autos Mayor and Council, Clergy, school board
3. Autos—With civilians, carrying flags
4. Naval Float
5. Band
6. Returned Soldiers. Car and on horseback
7. Fenian Raid Veterans. Car.
8. Floats—Nations, teams, Red Cross, teams
9. Fire Engine
10. School Children
11. Hobo Band
12. Khaki Club Float
13. Float—peace. Bicycle Parade on both sides.

3:14 pm
Thanksgiving Service
Doxology by Band and United Church choirs.
Lords’ Prayer, by Rev. Father O’Keefe
Psalm 67, by Rev. G. H. Elliot
National Anthem

7:30 pm
Selections by Band
Exit of Kaiser

National Anthem

Members of the Committees
T. A. Hartt, M. P., Chairman
F. L. Mallory, Secretary

Parade
W. J. McQuoid
Wellington Carson
W. F. Crane

Music
Dr. J. F. Worrell
Rev. Gilman
R. D. Rigby

Finance
T. A. Hartt
G. W. Babbit
F. L. Mallory
D. W. Stinson
Goodwill Douglas

Decoration
P. E. Odell
W. F. Kennedy
Fred Young

Fireworks and Noise
G. H. Lamb
Wright McLaren
W. F. Kennedy
Joe Handy
S. J. Anning
E. A. Cockburn
R. Davis
A. W. Mason

While the ringing of bells and the toting of horns and steam whistles, went on almost continuously Tuesday morning, the general observation of the day began at noon with the firing of a Royal Salute of twenty-one guns at the Block House. The old cannon there was requisitioned for the purpose, after many years of disuse, and it was aided by a little salute cannon belonging to Mr. G. H. Lamb, which made a louder report than its big brother.
            Fifteen minutes before the great procession began to move, the Victory Loan flag was raised on Market Square, thus indicating that St. Andrews had already “gone over the top,” in contributing more than its allotted portion, $100,000 to the Loan.
            At 2 pm the procession started, headed by Mr. W. J. McQuoid and Mr. W. F. Craig, general directors, on foot, followed by Marshall Sinne; and Mr. Edwin Odell mounted on spirited chargers. Immediately behind were a number of returned soldiers mounted and they were followed by automobiles conveying the School Trustees, the veterans of the Fenian Raid, the Mayor and Aldermen in shiny new silk hats. There were many other vehicles in the procession besides the various floats to be described. A body of schoolgirls carried the new school flag donated by Mr. E. Atherton Smith. There were many horseback riders and a large number of men, girls and boys on gaily decorated bicycles. Here were many floats, all of them displaying great taste and skill in their construction. It is impossible to described them all in details, but mention must be made of the O.U.U. boat of Mr. Thomas Pendlebury, the submarine chaser of Mr. Elmer Rigby, and the “Tank” of Mr. Hector Richardson. It was marvellous that such splendid representations could have been produced at such short notice, or even at all. The float of the Y. W. P. A. represented the Allied Nations, Mrs. A. b. O’Neil personifying Britannia; Mrs. W. V. Lamb, Serbia; Miss Marjory Babbitt, Belgium; Miss Freda Wren, France; Miss Mattie Malloch, Canada; Miss Madge Rigby, ?; Miss Alice Holt, Australia; Miss Mary Hannagan, Scotland; Miss Viola McDowell, Japan; Miss Bessie Thompson, Italy; Mrs. Warren Stinson, United States; and Mrs. Ralph Goodchild, Russia. The team was driven by Mr. Martin Greenlaw, who figured as John Bull. The Y. W. P. A. was also represented by an automobile with a large banner on which  were displayed the initials of the Society.
There were two Hobo Bands, one of boys all of ages in grotesque costumes and unfamiliar faces preventing recognition; and the other of young ladies who have been identified as the Misses Bessie Malloch, Annie Ross, Phyllis Cockburn, Hellen Young, Carol Hibbard, Dorothy Lamb, Gladys Thompson, Francs Thompson, Marie Douglas, Annie Halliday, and Marjorie Hanson; and Messrs. Arnold Mears and Hope McQuoid. A most realistic Kaiser was dragged along at the rear of their conveyance.
            Mrs. Thos. Coughey had a most artistic float, a large rowboat filled with children, with herself as Britannia. The Red Cross Society portrayed most beautifully and impressively the “Greatest Mothers in the World,” the ladies, who were all dressed as Red Cross nurses, being Mesdames G. H. Stickney, G. H. Elliot, S. Shaughnessy, Percy Hanson, W. F Kennedy, Richard Keay, E. A Cockburn, and R. D. Rigby. Four little boys, Joe Finnigan, Harry Higgins, George Higgins, and Rolland Dixon followed as stretcher-bearers.
            The navy was represented by a decorated buckboard filled with sailors in most attractive naval uniforms: Mrs. Charles Mallory, and the Misses Anna Outhouse, Elsie Finnigan, Hilda Finnigan, Fern McDowell, Ethel Cummings, Alice Anderson, Ina Rankin, and Muriel Davis; Mr. Caddie Norris, Captain.
            The Khaki Club had a pretty red-and-white float, Miss Maud Greenlaw, as Peace, was particularly charming. In a phaeton drawn by a white horse, Willie O’Neill, as Khaki, led the horse, while little Jimmie O’Neill, as a cherub, blew a golden horn. A bevy of young girls on rose-trimmed bicycles, surrounded by Peace.
            Mr. Warren Stinson as a very realistic Uncle Sam, and Mrs. W. F. Kennedy, as an equally realistic hobo, preceded the Band. Two knights of Phyhias, in most fantastic costumes, occupied another float and attracted much attention. We fear we are overlooking some others prominent features of this most gorgeous and realistic pageant, but our readers must kindly bear in mind that our reporter and others members of the staff took part in the procession itself, and thus were not in a position to view the procession as a whole.
            The parade, which was at least a mile in length, formed at the Market Square and proceeded up Water Street to the head of the Town and across to Montague Street, and down this to the lower end of the Town and across to Water Street to the Railway Station, where a turn was made, and thence along Water Street to the starting point.
            At the Market Square, a short thanksgiving service was conducted as indicated in the programme, closing with the National Anthem, of which two stanzas were sung. After this three hearty cheers and a ? were given for the King, and then the same for “Our boys Over There.” The Band then played several selections.
            The evening’s proceedings began by the “Exit of the Kaiser,” who was burnt in effigy and so that there might be no mistake about the exit, the dethroned and fugitive fiend was burnt in effigy a second time. From eight to nine o’clock the Band gave a concert which was much appreciated by the very large crowd assembled. Unfortunately the fireworks ordered for the occasion did not  arrive in time, but there were several bonfires in various parts of the Town, and the glowing illuminations of the streets, and especially the brilliant colored electric lights at the Square, made up for the lack of fireworks which were really not missed at all.
            Never before was there more enthusiastic or successful celebration in the Old Shire Town. A feature, a conspicuous as it was commendable, was the absence of speech making. Just before the great parade started, Mr. T A. Hartt, M. P., speaking from the bandstand, made a few remarks appropriate to the occasion, but beyond that there were no speeches whatever.
            No DESCRIPTION THAT WE CAN WRITE OF THE DAY’S CELEBRATIONS CAN DO IT AMPLE JUSTICE BUT OUR ACCOUNTING THE HISTORICAL EVENT WOULD BE ENTIRELY INADEQUATE IF WE FAILED TO BESTOW OUR TRIBUTE OF PRAISE UPON THE COMMITTEE WHO HAD THE ARRANGEMENTS IN HAND. NEVER HAS OUR POPULAR M. P. WORKED HARDER OR MORE SUCCESSFULLY THAN ON THIS OCCASION, AND AS HE WORKED SO DID EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEES. THEY HAD THEIR REWARD IN THE ENTIRE SATISFACTION WHICH THE PROCEEDINGS GAVE TO ALL WHO HAD THE PLEASURE OF witnessed THEM.
            To those who participated in the spectacular display unstinted praise is due. Visitors present who had seen parades and pageants in other places—in large towns and cities on great occasions—confessed to having seen nothing to surpass Tuesday’s display in St. Andrews. We speak whereof we know when we say that in London at the Lord Mayor’s Show on November 9, 1901, there were no groups that surpassed some of those in the parade on St. Andrews on November 12, 1918.
            We conclude our account of a great and historical demonstration by expressing—and we are sure the whole community joins us therein—our very great appreciation of the services rendered by the Band, which  did more than any other single featured to make the celebration the great success it was. With but little time to practice and several of the old members now serving overseas, Bandmaster Gilman did wonders in getting together such a number of skilled musicians, two of whom, Mr. Newton and Mr. Roy, are recent comers to town, and one, the veteran cornetist, Mr. g. H. Stickney, has not played in a and for years. But the perfect harmony of the Band, and the splendid selections played to freely during the afternoon and evening, gave no indication of lack of practice or of only recent combination. They played like musicians associated together for years and in constant practice, and the townspeople were delighted to hear the town Band once more.