The "Umpty Umps," the Ontario County 116th Battalion

The 116th Battalion was made up of Maud's and Ewan's neighbors and parishioners--of farmers and village workers and their sons. The "Honor Roll" of the dead, from the book The 116th Battalion in France, contains the names of six men from Uxbridge, Leaskdale's neighboring village, and dozens from villages and towns close by (Adjutant, 95-111).

When war broke out in 1914, Major Sharpe of the 34th Regiment of Uxbridge raised 200 recruits to fulfil Ontario County's part of the First Contingent sent overseas. These first recruits joined the 2nd and 4th Battalions. When Sharpe asked Ontario County in 1915 for enough men to create its own battalion, the response was overwhelming: eventually 1145 men were under the leadership of Lt.-Col. Sharpe as commanding officer of the 116th Battalion. The new recruits spent the winter of 1916 in Uxbridge.