Lieutenant Colonel J. Hilliard Rorke
248th (Grey) Battalion

The enthusiasm of Lt.-Col. J. Hilliard Rorke is catching and the 1000 Leaguers of all over the County have got the spirit of extreme optimism and are entering upon the campaign with renewed vigour.

(Flesherton Advance, 15 Feb 1917, 4)

Facing the dismal late-war recruiting environment, Joseph Hilliard Rorke devised a new strategy to fill his battalion. In January 1917, he formed the “1000 Thousand League,” composed of one thousand citizens in Grey County who each pledged to secure one volunteer by 1 March. Born on 30 November 1876 in Thornbury, Ontario, Rorke was a graduate of McGill University, a journalist, and business executive. An expert shot, he had served in the Boer War and was member of the 31st Regiment and the McGill C.O.T.C. His cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Victor Rorke commanded the 20th Battalion on the front from December 1916 to June 1918.

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