Pte. Peter Munroe 195757

 Peter Munroe

93^rd Peterboro Overseas Battalion

Regimental Number 195757

Peter Munroe was born on January 15^th 1871 in Brighton, Ontario.
 
Peter was living in Warsaw, Ontario and working as a labourer when he enlisted as a private in the 93^rd Peterboro Battalion in that city on February 19^th, 1916.  He was 45 years old and listed his wife Margaret as his next of kin. His religion was Methodist.  Peter stood 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 154 pounds and sported a fresh complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.  He declared having previous military experience, having served 3 years with the 14^th Field Battery, an artillery unit, in the Canadian militia.  Despite being on the extreme end of the age limit for recruits, he was examined by medical officers and found fit for overseas service.
 
Private Munro remained in Peterborough to train with the 93^rd throughout the winter of 1916 while the battalion recruited up to full strength. By the mid-March, having secured nearly the full 100 man compliment, the battalion entrained for the Canadian forces training camp at Barriefield, near Kingston.  Here the battalion went through an additional four months training before continuing the journey overseas

It was at Barriefield that Peter Munro ran into trouble, as explained in an account taken from the Peterborough Examiner:

“Shortly after the arrival of the 93^rd Battalion at Barriefield, two north country members of the battalion, Pte. Peter Munroe and Stephen Emmorey, either tiring of mud or growing suddenly homesick, elected to pay a visit to haunts to which they were accustomed. Unfortunately   they overlooked the formality of securing a pass and as a result when they failed to answer the next roll call they were reported to Peterborough as absent without leave.
 
According to their own story the pair walked all the way form Barriefield with a little assistance in the shape of a ride on a farmer’s wagon now and then. They cut across country and finally got into familiar territory when they stuck the head of Stoney Lake, the country around which they know like a book. Building a raft of logs, according to the story they told the military police, they crossed Stoney Lake and took up residence with the relatives at the depot farm about five minutes north of Mount Julian.
 

link to Peter Munroe's Service File

Unfortunately for the two coy soldiers, information as to their whereabouts reached the authorities. Pte. Munroe had come from Warsaw to enlist and accordingly Constable Clements of Warsaw was notified that the doughty warrior was wanted.  He had little difficulty in deciding where to look for Munroe and on Monday arrested him and brought him into Peterborough and he was taken down to Barriefield under escort on Thursday morning. Emmorey was in the woods nearby, but Constable Clements did not know that he was wanted.”
-Evening Examiner, ”Military News cont.” June 16 1916, P10
 
For his troubles, Munroe was given 11 days detention.  This didn’t seem
to have the desired effect for long as his military service file notes another instance a month later in early July, that Munroe was charged with being absent without leave and fined two day’s pay and 5 days detention.
 
The timing of this last detention would nearly coincide with the preparations of the battalion to embark via train for Halifax, Munroe was one of a handful of men found medially unfit in one last inspection before heading overseas.  He was discharged on July10th 1916 and returned home to Warsaw shortly after. 
 
Sources

Canada. "Military Service File of Peter Munroe." Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa: Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 6494-40. Item Number 207312.
Evening Examiner. “Military News continued”  June 16 1916, P10.