A Soldier's Life: Being the Personal Reminiscences of Edwin G. Rundle

In Short

This concise 1909 autobiography records the military career of Edwin G. Rundle, an English joiner’s apprentice who enlisted in the 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot. His simple, direct narrative follows his steady rise to sergeant-major and instructor across decades of garrison duty, transport voyages, and colonial deployments. From drilling in English camps to garrisoning Ireland, standing against Fenian incursions in Canada, and managing a civilian factory, Rundle’s story endures as a crisp, authentic portrait of ordinary military life, duty, and quiet resilience during the shaping of a young Canadian nation.

The Story

Beginning in the late 1830s, the narrative opens in Cornwall, where Edwin G. Rundle grows up under the strict temperance principles of his paper-maker father. Bound to a trade as a carpenter, the young Englishman instead chooses the colors, enlisting in the British Army and rising steadily through a mixture of discipline, physical prowess, and educational zeal. Early service at home introduces him to the machinery of mid-Victorian soldiering—guarding Crimean prisoners at Millbay, running long-distance races, and enduring grueling field days at Aldershot under the watchful eye of the Duke of Cambridge.

When international tensions flare, Rundle’s regiment steps onto the world stage. Mobilized during the Trent Affair to reinforce British North America, he supervises the stowage of winter supplies at Haul Bowlin before enduring a stormy Atlantic crossing to Halifax. The threat of war with the United States diffuses, giving way to garrison routines, ice-skating, and the creation of regimental literary and theatrical societies. Yet security remains precarious; Rundle takes part in emergency postings to Bermuda and Jamaica, returning to Canada just as the Fenian raids threaten the border.

In Canada, Rundle reaches the high point of his military influence. Appointed instructor and lecturer to the Military School at Toronto, he trains hundreds of Canadian cadets and volunteers to defend their frontier. After returning briefly to Great Britain, personal tragedy strikes when his wife falls terminally ill. Rundle forfeits the remaining service needed for a full pension to bring her home to Halifax, where she passes away shortly after their arrival.

Civilian life does not keep him from the frontier for long. Re-engaging for service, he leads recruits to Winnipeg, serves with the provisional battalion, and spends years organizing militia companies along the Red River. Deeply respected wherever he settles, he survives a dramatic river rescue in Emerson, works for years in a Toronto department store stockroom, and finally retires due to failing health, leaving behind a modest record of a life defined by loyalty, order, and steady service.

How It Unfolds

An apprentice takes the colors Raised in Cornwall on strict temperance principles, young Edwin Rundle leaves his joiner’s apprenticeship to join the Leicestershire Regiment. He rapidly earns his first promotion to lance-corporal and earns praise as a long-distance runner.

Garrison duty and imperial routine Stationed at Plymouth and Aldershot, Rundle guards Russian prisoners of war, undergoes summer setting-up drills, and performs before Queen Victoria. He discovers a passion for regimental administration, music, and literary societies.

Across the Atlantic for the Trent crisis Dispatched to North America during the tense aftermath of the Trent Affair, Rundle oversees ship stowage at Haul Bowlin before sailing through winter gales to Halifax. Finding the conflict averted, the troops adapt to cold Canadian winters with ice-skating and amateur theatricals.

Mobilized against the Fenian threat As Fenian incursions threaten British North America, Rundle moves between Halifax, Jamaica, and Toronto. He takes up the vital role of instructor at the Toronto Military School, training hundreds of Canadian cadets to defend the border.

Tragedy and a return to the west Following the death of his beloved wife in Halifax, Rundle leaves the regular army but soon answers the call to lead recruits to Manitoba. He helps establish order in the Red River region, organizing local militia companies in young frontier towns.

A quiet civilian retirement After years of frontier service, Rundle settles into civilian employment in Toronto, managing stockroom operations until age and ill health force his final retirement. His memoir concludes with an attached historical account of his regiment’s tactical engagements in the Afghan War.

The People

• Edwin G. Rundle, the narrator, is a temperance-raised Cornishman who seeks self-improvement, military advancement, and useful service. Driven by order, fitness, and a passion for teaching, he rises from private to sergeant-major, evolving from a raw recruit into a beloved instructor and community figure.
• Lieutenant-Colonel McKinstry is the veteran commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, 17th Regiment. Mindful of his men's individual histories and welfare, he maintains strict discipline while recognizing Rundle’s administrative talent and leadership potential.
• Sergeant-Instructor John Smith is an educated, artistic comrade who leads regimental literary and theatrical initiatives. He serves as an inspiring peer, using drama and music to elevate the minds and morale of the soldiers in overseas garrisons.
• Mrs. Rundle, a trained nurse from Halifax, is Rundle’s devoted wife. Her failing health prompts Rundle to forfeit his pension track to bring her home, marking the pivotal turn from his regular army career to civilian life in Canada.

In Its Own Voice

"My father was a paper-maker, and lived all his lifetime in the town. He was a strict teetotaler, and brought up his family, four boys and one girl, on the principles of temperance, which he assured us would form the basis of our future prosperity and happiness." Rundle reflects on his early upbringing in Penryn, Cornwall, which shaped his lifelong discipline.

"We were quite pleased to meet with our old friends and comrades again, and our social intercourse was extremely pleasant." The author describes the warm camaraderie among troops stationed in Halifax following their Atlantic crossing.

"I soon found I had some good material to work with; they were full of military enthusiasm and were anxious to graduate and get away in order to educate the recruit and fit him to defend his home and country." Rundle recalls his time training Canadian cadets at the Toronto Military School during the Fenian scare.

What It's Really About

Beneath its sequence of marches, barracks duty, and troop transports, A Soldier's Life is fundamentally about the quiet power of self-improvement and moral discipline within the institutional rank and file. Rundle’s story refutes the contemporary stereotype of the nineteenth-century private as a shiftless brute, presenting instead a world where temperance, literacy, physical fitness, and artistic expression allow a working-class man to forge a meaningful life. It explores how personal character builds civic duty, showing how the quiet efficiency of non-commissioned officers laid the administrative foundation for both the British Empire and the emerging nation of Canada.

Why Read It Today

A Soldier's Life offers a rare, ground-level window into the everyday existence of the Victorian rank and file. Readers accustomed to high-level campaign histories will find Rundle’s perspective delightfully grounded; he focuses on barrack-room layouts, troop concerts, winter sports in Halifax, and the mechanics of stowing winter gear rather than grand strategy.

The narrative reads with an unvarnished, understated warmth. While modern readers may encounter periodic Victorian attitudes regarding colonial subjects, Rundle’s tone remains straightforward and remarkably free of bravado. His account carries the genuine weight of a life lived through discipline, loss, and modest devotion to duty.