Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Lambton County Museums Logo

Contact Us
  • Lambton Heritage Museum
    • About LHM
    • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
    • LHM Collections and Research
    • LHM Events & Programs
    • LHM Exhibits
    • Get Involved @ LHM
    • Museum @ Home
    • Visiting LHM
    • News
    • LHM Virtual Education
  • Oil Museum of Canada
    • About Us
    • Collections and Research
    • Events
    • Exhibits
    • Learn
    • Visit the Museum
    • Get Involved
    • News
  • Lambton County Archives
    • About LCA
    • LCA Blog
    • LCA Collections and Research
    • LCA Events & Programs
    • LCA Exhibits
    • Get Involved @ LCA
    • Visiting LCA
    • News
  • Donate

Blue background. On the left are two photos of training, on the right is a photo of a child, a red tag for "Good-Bye day" and the "Lambton at War" logo. In the Center is the text "The First World War".

The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie

More
Home...Lambton At WarThe First World WarThe Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

Children shared in the excitement and the uncertainty of the era. Many would remember the first world war as a period of great high adventure, capped by the return of fathers or brothers from exotic places and distant wars. Many others, especially those whose loved ones never came home, would remember it as a time of economic hardship, grinding tragedy, or unbearable grief.

The war affected all children, but older children participated directly in a wide variety of ways, often through recreational clubs, community groups or service organizations. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides collected money for the Canadian Patriotic Fund and other social support agencies. Young girls made bandages for the medical corps and knit articles of clothing for care packages. Children assumed greater responsibilities in homes and in the labour force, and many worked on farms or in businesses at an early age.

This uniform belonged to Edward ‘Ned’ McRobie who was the son of John McRobie, Petrolia‘s mayor during the First World War. Ned was made the mascot of Lambton’s 149th Battalion in 1915 and travelled throughout Ontario with his parents to aid the provincial recruiting drive. Postcards of him in uniform were sold for 10¢ each with proceeds going towards Canada’s Patriotic Fund which assisted families of soldiers in need. During the First World War children assumed greater responsibilities in homes and many worked on farms or in businesses at an early age.

Photo of a child in a military uniform with a drum, link.

Postcard

Some 10,000 postcards of Ned in uniform with his drum were printed and sold as part of a fundraiser to support family members of soldiers overseas.

A brown military uniform for a child, link.

Uniform and Hat

This uniform and hat were donated to the museum by their original owner, Ned McRobie. Museum staff were able to contact Ned in the 1990s after coming across a newspaper article about him published in Toronto. He had kept the uniform with him, and even loaned it to his grandchildren as a Halloween costume.

Lambton Heritage Museum
    • About LHM
      Toggle Section About LHM Menu
      • Acknowledgement of Ancestral Lands
      • Contact LHM
      • Facility Rentals
      • LHM Story
      • Services
    • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
      Toggle Section Canatara Cabin Fundraising Menu
      • Canatara Cabin Supporters
    • LHM Collections and Research
      Toggle Section LHM Collections and Research Menu
      • Researcher Access
    • LHM Events & Programs
      Toggle Section LHM Events & Programs Menu
      • LHM Education Programs
        Toggle Section LHM Education Programs Menu
        • At the Museum
        • LHM Travelling Trunk
      • LHM Events
      • Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
      • Return of the Swans
        Toggle Section Return of the Swans Menu
        • The Tundra Swan
        • Tundra Swan Migration
        • Thedford Bog
        • Tundra Swan Migration Calendar
        • Tundra Swan Trivia
        • Origami Swans
      • LHM Virtual Education
        Toggle Section LHM Virtual Education Menu
        • LHM Interactive Lessons
        • LHM Live Sessions
        • LHM Virtual Tours
        • Museum @ Home
          Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
          • Activities
          • Lambton Heritage Highlights
          • LHM Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home
    • LHM Exhibits
      Toggle Section LHM Exhibits Menu
      • Current Exhibits
        Toggle Section Current Exhibits Menu
        • Historic Buildings
      • Virtual Exhibits
        Toggle Section Virtual Exhibits Menu
        • Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame
          Toggle Section Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Menu
          • 2021 Dona Stewardson
          • 2021 Kevin Marriott
          • 2021 Sid Fraleigh
          • 2020 Bert Vandendool
          • 2019 Leonard McNeil
          • 2017 Brandon Bros. Stables
          • 2017 Robert and John McCormick
          • 2016 Art Griffith
          • 2016 W.P. MacDonald
          • 2015 Raymond Moorhouse
          • 2015 Tony Noorloos
          • 2014 Jerry Tiffen Ferguson
          • 2014 Charles Lawes
          • 2013 Ralph Ferguson
          • 2013 Lorne Henderson
          • 2012 J. Edgar Evans
          • 2012 Russell Hazzard
          • 2011 John Goodison
            Toggle Section 2011 John Goodison Menu
            • Goodison Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • 2010 Lorne Gordon
        • Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton
          Toggle Section Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton Menu
          • Women Changing Roles
            Toggle Section Women Changing Roles Menu
            • The Evolution of Home Crafts
            • Changing Fashion, Changing Times
            • The Birth of Women's Rights
            • Women in the Military
          • Women Working Together
            Toggle Section Women Working Together Menu
            • The Temperance Movement
            • Bringing Art to Sarnia
            • Women's Institutes
            • Agricultural Societies and Fall Fairs
          • Local, Provincial & National Achievers
            Toggle Section Local, Provincial & National Achievers Menu
            • Teresa Altiman
            • Patricia Davidson
            • Charlotte Eleanor Englehart
            • Maud Hanna
            • Sadie Knowles
            • Pauline McGibbon
            • Maud Menten and Mary Jane Hutton
            • Eleanor Nielsen
          • Women at Work
            Toggle Section Women at Work Menu
            • Businesswomen Through Time
            • Agricultural Bees
            • Unusual Jobs
            • A Working Hymn
            • Telephone Operators
          • Women Who Provide
            Toggle Section Women Who Provide Menu
            • Guarding Family Knowledge
            • Early Nurses in Training
            • Family Ties in First Nations Communities
          • Women Sharing Wisdom
            Toggle Section Women Sharing Wisdom Menu
            • Teaching in the Community, Women's Institute
            • Teaching in the Home, 4-H
            • Teaching in the Classroom
          • Guiding Beacons
            Toggle Section Guiding Beacons Menu
            • City of Sarnia
            • Enniskillen Township
            • Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston
            • Municipality of Lambton Shores
            • St. Clair Township
            • Town of Petrolia
            • Town of Plympton-Wyoming
            • Township of Dawn-Euphemia
            • Village of Oil Springs
            • Village of Point Edward
            • Warwick Township
          • Thank You
        • Lambton At War
          Toggle Section Lambton At War Menu
          • The Rebellion of 1837-1838
          • The Fenian Raids and the Boer War
            Toggle Section The Fenian Raids and the Boer War Menu
            • Fenian Raid Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • Boer War Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • The First World War
            Toggle Section The First World War Menu
            • WWI Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • Remembering War
            • The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
            • Charles Oliver Fairbank
            • The 149th Battalion
              Toggle Section The 149th Battalion Menu
              • First Nations in the 149th
          • The Second World War
            Toggle Section The Second World War Menu
            • WWII Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • The Gibson Girl
            • A Legacy of Poetry and the Written Word: Malcom Moncreif MacDonald
          • Modern Conflict
            Toggle Section Modern Conflict Menu
            • Brent Poland Artifacts
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
      • Past Exhibits
        Toggle Section Past Exhibits Menu
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
        • Paint Ontario
        • North Lambton Quilter's Guild Show
        • Memories of Rural Life
        • Capturing the Moment: Photography in Lambton County
    • Get Involved @ LHM
      Toggle Section Get Involved @ LHM Menu
      • Donate to LHM
        Toggle Section Donate to LHM Menu
        • Artifact Donation
        • Support the Museum
      • Membership
      • Volunteering
    • Museum @ Home
      Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
      • Activities
        Toggle Section Activities Menu
        • Origami Swans
        • Interactive Schooldays
        • Make a Photo Cube
        • Make a Sampler
        • Crazy Quilt Collage
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • A County Named for Radical Jack
        • The Lambton County Crest
        • Ask A Curator Day
        • Pressed Glass
        • The Blue Water Bridge
        • The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder
        • Summer Nights at the Lakeview Casino
        • Sweet Maple Sugar
        • A Tale of Two Tunnels: The St. Clair Tunnel
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
        • The Kettles of Kettle and Stony Point
        • Samuel Smith: Early Surveyor of Lambton County
        • Crunch! A Bite About Our Apple Industry
        • Ask a Curator Day September 15, 2021
        • Collection Highlight: Outerwear and Accessories
        • Looking into Lambton’s Closet
      • LHM Virtual Tours
    • Visiting LHM
      Toggle Section Visiting LHM Menu
      • Accessibility
      • Gift Shop
      • Lambton Shores Farmers' Market
      • Group Tours
      • Woodland Heritage Trail
    • News
    • LHM Virtual Education
      Toggle Section LHM Virtual Education Menu
      • LHM Interactive Lessons
      • LHM Live Sessions
      • LHM Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

County of Lambton logo

About Us

Lambton County Museums is the home of Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives.

Website

  • Lambton Heritage Museum
  • Oil Museum of Canada
  • Lambton County Archives

Resources

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback

Discoveries that Matter Logo

Copyright © Lambton County Museum 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.