Gambling at Sea

Heroes Remember

Gambling at Sea

And when we came home on the boat eventually, the Crown and Anchor games, did you ever play crown and anchor? That was a favorite game. I don't know how many of them had Crown and Anchor games going and by the time I got across to home to Halifax, why, the money got into a comparatively few hands and then they had a huge big poker game and one man walked off with pretty near all the money. There was 3000 troops on that ship all got a pound a piece to spend Somebody took a lot of money off there. I knew better. They didn't get my pound.

Mr. Burton describes the huge game of Crown and Anchor in which many of the three thousand aboard took part on the voyage back to Canada. Mr. Burton, not a gambling man, arrives home with all of his money safely in hand.

Robert Burton

Robert Burton was born on February 21, 1896 in Dundas, Ontario. After public school, he was accepted into university which he attended from 1914 to 1916, in the Canadian Officer Training Corps. For a time, he worked at Massey, checking shrapnel shells. Despite being shortsighted, Mr. Burton was recruited into the 13th Brigade in Mar, 1916. In England, he joined the 5th Division, a reinforcement unit, and deployed to France with the 2nd Division as a sapper. Mr. Burton became a mounted courier at Courcelette, and had several interesting experiences in that capacity. He witnessed and was attacked by Gotha bombers at Arras, and was shelled at St.Pol. Mr. Burton also served in the trenches at Amiens. During the 2nd World War, he was a very successful engineering instructor at camp Petawawa, where he attained the rank of Major.