Before long a year of hard training had passed. The brigade had exceeded all expectations in their training and was deemed ready for combat. Following the presentation of the colours by Lady Bordon in September, the brigade boarded the RMS Olympic, sister ship to the ill fated Titanic, on October 11th. The men arrived in Halifax by train and marched through the streets to the pier. The battalions of the brigade had organised a meet and greet on the commons before boarding the ship so they could meet with their families and friends before sailing off to war. Sadly, the 85th never received the message, and marched directly to the Olympic, where they boarded and were not allowed to return ashore. A few hours later the remaining battalions arrived and boarded. The Olympic embarked for England on the 13th as part of a larger convoy, disembarking in Plymouth harbour on the 19th.
The battalion commenced its new training in England. The men lived in huts on salsbury plain and continued to train in the digging of trenches and the manner in which the war was to be fought. In early 1917, the Canadian corps commanders had realized that a 5th division was unnecessary, and that it would be better to have 4 full strength divisions, than 5 weak ones. This meant that the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade would no longer be needed, reduced instead to one battalion, the 85th, and one reserve battalion, the 185th. In mid January, the Companies of the 193rd, 219th, and 243rd battalions were piped away from the camp to be reorganized into reserve battalions. This was a major moral blow to the men of the 85th, but it did not destroy morale entirely. Despite the loss of the highland brigade, paired with rumors that they'd be acting as a work battalion upon arrival in France, morale remained high throughout their preparations for embarking to France in February of 1917.
The battalion commenced its new training in England. The men lived in huts on salsbury plain and continued to train in the digging of trenches and the manner in which the war was to be fought. In early 1917, the Canadian corps commanders had realized that a 5th division was unnecessary, and that it would be better to have 4 full strength divisions, than 5 weak ones. This meant that the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade would no longer be needed, reduced instead to one battalion, the 85th, and one reserve battalion, the 185th. In mid January, the Companies of the 193rd, 219th, and 243rd battalions were piped away from the camp to be reorganized into reserve battalions. This was a major moral blow to the men of the 85th, but it did not destroy morale entirely. Despite the loss of the highland brigade, paired with rumors that they'd be acting as a work battalion upon arrival in France, morale remained high throughout their preparations for embarking to France in February of 1917.