Library and Archives Canada
Published on Nov 3, 2014

This film is a heritage item from Library and Archives Canada and is only available in English.

On March 19, 1919, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) detrain in Ottawa after 4 years 6 months and 16 days of service overseas in the First World War. The film opens with a wreath honouring the dead and a portrait of Princess Patricia. The troop ship Carmania, loaded with the PPCLI, docks. Colonel Hamilton Gault watches his men disembark. The troops then board trains for Ottawa. The Mayor of Ottawa and other city officials welcome the regiment at the train station. The men then leave the station and parade through the downtown streets. The Governor General (the Duke of Devonshire) reviews them and gives a speech which is cheered by the troops. He then meets the regiment's officers. The men parade through the streets again as thousands cheer. The PPCLI's Black Watch and Machine Guns are seen observing Remembrance Day at the Toronto Cenotaph. Captain Sidney Lambert of the PPCLI officiates. 

Source: Library and Archives Canada. J. Sowman fonds, 1969-0029. IDC: 51630.