Lieutenant-Colonel H.S. Gamblin
5th Armoured Regiment (8th Princess Louise’s Hussars)

I was 17 years old at the time of my enlistment and therefore had to have the consent of my parents, which they reluctantly gave … I had discovered that anyone under the age of 18 would not be accepted for overseas duty. Therefore when the time came for my enlistment in the 4th Overseas Siege Battery, I gave my age as 18 and had no trouble about it.

(Gamblin interview, “Memories of WWI,” c. 1980)

Born on 21 December 1897 in Cody’s, New Brunswick, Harold Seymour Gamblin was a farmer, First World War veteran, and commanding officer of the 8th Princess Louise’s (New Brunswick) Hussars since 1938. He had served as a gunner and sergeant with an artillery battery in France until August 1918 when he was wounded by a shell explosion. After the war, he worked for the Soldier’s Settlement board and joined the militia.

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