www.ns.legion.ca 61 11 am armistice arrived. Eight days later, the 25th began a lengthy march to the Rhine River as part of the Allied "army of occupation". The regiment crossed the German border at 10:08 am December 5, continuing to Bonn, where it crossed the Rhine at 10:47 am December 13, 1918. After spending six weeks in Germany, the 25th returned to Belgium for a well-deserved rest. On April 9, 1919, the "MacKenzie Battalion" departed Belgium for Havre, France, where it boarded the Prince Arthur, a vessel that traveled from Boston, Massachusetts to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in the years prior to the war. The regiment arrived at Southampton the following day and proceeded to Witley Camp, Surrey, where it encamped for one month. Finally, on May 10, 1919, the men of the 25th began the final part of their journey home, boarding the SS Olympic at Southampton with the rest of the 5th Brigade's battalions. The battalion was "mustered out" at Halifax on May 16, 1919 and officially disbanded on September 20, 1920. Altogether, 263 officers and 4829 "other ranks" served with the 25th Battalion on the battlefields of France and Belgium. A total of 156 officers and 2557 "other ranks" were invalided as wounded or sick to England, and an additional 32 officers and 686 "other ranks" were killed in action during its tours of duty. Of its original personnel, only 2 commissioned officers and 96 "other ranks" were still with the unit at war's end. Unlike the other two Nova Scotian battalions that saw action in France and Belgium, the 25th Battalion was not perpetuated after the war. Its service record at the front remains as impressive proof of the sacrifices endured by the first Nova Scotian battalion to see combat in "The Great War". This postcard shows men of the 25th Battalion marching through Halifax, carrying their Ross Rifles, ca.1915. Brass Insignia
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