Canadians Killed After Armistice

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 332, 18 April 1928, Page 1

Canadians Killed After Armistice

lively libel action ' TESTIMONY of soldiers (United P.A. —By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian Press Association) Reed. 9.5 a.m. COBOURG, Tuesday. Lively exchanges featured in the hearing of General Sir Arthur Currie's libel suit against the publishers of the “Port Hope Guide" for publishing an article asserting that Canadians were killed at Mons after the armistice was signed.

rpHE suggestion was that General Currie, who was in command of the Canadians, ordered the fighting so it could be said that the Canadians fired the last shot in the war. Colonel John R. Currie, of Toronto, was threatened by Mr. Justice Rose with imprisonment for contempt of court, and severely rebuked for his answer as to General Currie’s military character.

Several ex-servicemen gave evidence of seeing Canadian casualties at Mons after the armistice was signed. The defence counsel declared that he believed there was a determination by the officials to refuse to disclose the true state of affairs regarding the casualties of the Canadian Corps on Armistice Day.

An Ottawa message of March 10 read as follows: — General Sir Arthur Currie, who commanded the Forces in France in the Great War, has arrived at Cobourg, Ontario, in connection with his action for £. 10,000 damages for alleged libel against Mr. F. W. Wilson, publisher of the “Fort Hope Guide,” and Mr. W. T. R. Preston, author of an article published in that journal in June, 1927. This alleged- that there had been a useless sacrifice of human life in order that the Canadian headquarters staff might have the honour of saying the Canadians fired the last shot in the war and captured the last German entrenchments. Under examination in connection with the suit, General Currie said: “We were through Mons and on the other side before the armistice was signed, and yet I am accused of having sacrificed the lives of Canadians to take the city. Nothing could be more false. Not only was there no useless sacrifice, but all the Canadians did was to straighten out the line and secure a good place to kick off from before the armistice became effective. I had difficulty in holding the troops back.”