World War I Fallen: A-B

Ralph Louis Ackerman was born in Sarnia on November 16, 1891, the son of Wilbert Albert and Jane Elizabeth (nee Malcolm, born June 1859 in Hamilton, Scotland) Ackerman. Wilbert and Jane were married on October 14, 1885 in Norwood, near Peterborough, Ontario. To support his family, Wilbert worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad, first as a railway brakeman and later a conductor. The Ackerman’s had four children together: Florence Annetta (born March 22, 1888); Clarence Franklin (born September 24, 1890); Ralph (1891); and George A. (born in 1908). The older children grew up in Point Edward, but the family moved later to 390 Russell Street, Sarnia.

Ralph’s sister Florence Annetta married Albert Ernest Chambers (from Cobalt, Ontario) on March 31, 1909 in Sarnia. Two years later, Albert (a barber) and Annetta Chambers were residing at 132 College Street (they later moved to 146 Mitton Street). Albert and Annetta would have a son, Harold Wilbert Chambers, born October 28, 1911, a nephew for Ralph Ackerman. Harold Wilbert Chambers would go on to graduate from Sarnia Collegiate, and enter the military, becoming a Captain in the Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps (RCAPC).

Little is known about Ralph’s early life, but his family dynamic changed drastically when his mother Jane passed away on August 19, 1912 in Sarnia at the age of 53. Ralph was 20 at the time, but his youngest sibling, George, was only four years old when their mother passed away. Years later, widowed father Wilbert remarried a widow, Mary Evelyn McLean, in Sarnia on August 29, 1916.

Ralph’s life also changed dramatically when, at age 23, he enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on August 16, 1915 in Sarnia. Joining the 34th Battalion, he stood five feet eight-and-one-half inches tall, had blue eyes and red hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as switchman (railway). He listed his father who was living at 390 Russell Street as his next-of-kin.

Ralph Ackerman embarked overseas on October 23, 1915 with the 34th Battalion aboard S.S. California and arrived in England on November 1, 1915. He trained at various English camps that included Aldershot, Bramshott, and Shorncliffe, and on February 3, 1916 at Bramshott, Ralph became a member of the 23rd Reserve Battalion.

Just over three months later, on May 25, 1916, he was transferred to the Canadian Army Infantry, British Columbia Regiment, 7th Battalion. The next day, he arrived in France with the 7th Battalion and twelve days later, on June 7, 1916, he was in the field. During his time in France, Ralph wrote a number of letters home. The following are portions of a few of them:

To his sister Mrs. Albert Ernest Chambers (Florence Annetta), living on North Mitton Street, on July 10th, 1916:

Somewhere in France

Dear Sister,

Just a line or two to let you know that I am well and hoping this letter finds you the same. We are having lovely weather over here now and the roads are pretty dry. I had a letter from Dad just before we went into the trenches the last time. I met Andy McIntosh and a bunch of the 70th boys the other day. They had not been in the trenches, but expected to go in soon. It has a fellow a little scared the first time in, but you soon get used to it and don’t pay any attention to all the bullets whistling and zipping round you. I have certainly seen some interesting sights since being over here, and if I get back safe and sound will tell you all about it…. Say, don’t send me any tobacco, for we get all we can use issued to us. We get it in the trenches just the same as when we are out. We also have our mail delivered to the trenches. I suppose it is pretty quiet around town now. I have certainly met a lot of fellows from home here. I met Charlie Warren the other night. He was in the hospital with fever the same time as myself…. I have got a big bunch of German souvenirs. I would like you to see them. There are lots of them to be had, but I don’t bother with them much. I suppose Harold is growing like a weed. There is hardly any need of money over here. We get fifteen francs every two weeks, and we don’t even have to buy tobacco with it. Well Sis, I guess I have told you all the news for this time so will sign off.

From your loving brother, Ralph

Ralph wrote Florence two letters in August 1916 from “Somewhere in France”. Portion of these letters read as follows:

Dear Sister,

Just a line or two to let you know that I am well and hoping that this letter finds you the same. I received your letter today and am answering it right back… The trenches are nice and dry and I have been on “listening post” every time I have been in the trenches. It is a pretty good job, and exciting at times. You have to go out in “No Man’s Land” and lay and listen and watch for “Fritz.” You have lots of bullets and rifle grenades flying around, but you soon get used to them. I was out one night and I had a fellow with me who was not on it before with me. It was certainly a lively experience for the beginner. We spotted three “Fritzs” working on their wire entanglements. They were about fifty yards from me. You could see them quite plain, but were a little too far away to toss a bomb at, and our scouts were out patrolling. I didn’t dare take a chance at bagging them. I was out another night when the trenches were only 40 yards apart. I was out pretty close to them on this occasion. You could hear them talking in their trenches quite plain… Fritz has a shell they call a sausage. They are about three feet long, and are awful high explosives. You can see them coming through the air and can generally get out of the way of them. They make an awful noise when they explode. But we have just as good, and a lot better explosives than he has though, and can always give him twice the amount he serves us…

In his second letter, Ralph, in his matter-of-fact way, gives more details about the dangers of life on the front lines.

Dear Sister,

We have been having nice weather over here. It has been pretty dry. The farmers are all busy cutting their crops. It seems funny to see them cutting grain just a few miles from the firing line… It is pretty near three months now since I landed here. It doesn’t seem that long, but I have had some warm times in that period, and I suppose, will have warmer yet before it is through. We had a mine sprung on our line just recently, a big one too. I thought Fritz was going to send a bunch of our boys up in the air, but we came out lucky. A mine is a tunnel dug under the ground. They generally dig right under the trench and fill it up with high explosives. When it goes off, you would think it was an earthquake the way it shakes the ground. The one he sprung on us was thirty feet deep. I was just a little way from it… We have lots of straw to lay on, and lots of lice and rats for company. The latter are pretty thick.                                                                                                                                      Ralph

At his Russell Street home, Wilbert heard from his son, still “somewhere in France”, in January 1917.

Dear Dad,

It is a beautiful spring day here today, but I suppose you have lots of snow at home. We have been having pretty good weather lately, but pretty cold. We sure had some Christmas dinner. We were pretty lucky this year. This is a list of the few things we had for Christmas, so you can imagine if we enjoyed it or not: roast beef, roast pork, mince pie, fried potatoes, cabbage, water cress, nuts, apples, oranges and a lot more stuff… We had a pretty good time before the day was over. Christmas only comes once a year, and we sure made it a merry one. There are about 40 of us in the bombers and we got our own dinner up. Our officer helped us out a lot. He is an awful nice fellow… Say Dad, I could write a book about France now and what I have seen. I’ve witnessed some sights that some people would give thousands of dollars to see. I have had the pleasure of seeing some nice air duels, only one time, our pilot came out second best, being forced to land in our lines, but the pilot himself was not hurt. Another time an enemy airplane started to fall after a battle with one of our aviators, and his gasoline tank exploded and he came down in one big flame. The pilot was burned so bad that you could not recognize him. He fell within a few feet of where we were stationed. In an attack one day in which I participated, we were accompanied by two tanks. It was a great sight to see them go after Fritz.

PS. Believe me dad, if I am spared to come home, I will have lots to tell you.                   Ralph

Ralph’s letters may have minimized the dangers all around him, but they were very real as he soon discovered. On September 27, 1916, he was admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance for shell shock. He would be out of the front-line action for two weeks before rejoining his unit on October 11, 1916. In late January 1917, he was admitted to No. 23 Casualty Clearing Station due to impetigo, a highly infectious skin disease caused by bacteria. He was transported to No. 20 General Hospital in Camiers on February 1, 1917 where he was again diagnosed with impetigo, and then six days later was moved to No. 26 General Hospital in Etaples for further treatment of skin disease. On February 13, 1917, he was discharged to Base Details Camp at Etaples, diagnosed with impetigo.

Private Ackerman rejoined his unit on March 1, 1917, but he wasn’t with them for long. On April 10, 1917,

he was admitted to No. 8 Station Hospital at Wimereaux as a result of a “gun shot wound to the scalp, slight”. The

next day he was moved to No. 1 Convalescent Depot in Boulogne. Three days later, on April 14, 1917, he was discharged to Base Details Camp at Boulogne. Two weeks later, on April 28, 1917, he rejoined his unit in the field.

In mid-August, 1917, the 7th Battalion was in the vicinity of Lens, and would take part in the second-largest Canadian military undertaking up to that point in the war, second only to Vimy. The Attack on Hill 70 and Lens in France (August 15-25, 1917) was the first major battle orchestrated by Canadian commander Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie and the first time German forces used flame-throwers and mustard gas against the Canadians. It later became known as “Canada’s forgotten battle of the First World War”.

The German-held Hill 70 overlooked the ruined, but heavily fortified city of Lens. The Hill had been in German hands since 1914, and was well-protected by a maze of deep trenches and dugouts, deep mines, coiled barbed wire, and was bristling with German machine-gun strongpoints. The Germans knew an attack was coming.

On August 15 near Loos, the attack began at 4:25 a.m. with Canadians surging forward into No Man’s Land behind a creeping barrage. They pushed up the Hill through a shell-torn landscape into the face of enemy fire. The first objective was captured with fairly light casualties, but enemy fire became heavier as the battalions advanced, with very heavy machine-gun fire and active sniping troops. In less than two hours of fierce fighting, the Canadians were able to capture many of their objectives, including the high ground.

The 7th Battalion, like the others, advanced shell hole to shell hole toward their final objective, but were outflanked by the enemy and enfiladed from the right. The unit withdrew to the intermediate objective and consolidated. It was on August 15, 1917, that Private Ralph Ackerman was reported “missing in action” while fighting on the first day of the Attack on Hill 70, France.

Over the course of the next four days and nights, the Germans launched 21 determined counterattacks, that included firing between 15,000-20,000 mustard gas shells on Canadian positions on August 18. Their attempts to recapture the Hill failed.

With the victory at Hill 70, the corps commanders decided to push into the city of Lens, launching attacks on August 21 and 23. The Canadians were overextended and inexperienced in urban combat, while the Germans held all the observational and positional advantages. The Canadians had successfully captured Hill 70 but were unable to take the city of Lens. The 10-day battle came at a cost of approximately 9,100 Canadians listed as killed, wounded or missing.

On September 2nd, 1917, his father Wilbert in Sarnia received the following telegram about his son from the Officer in charge of records: SINCERELY REGRET TO INFORM YOU 602916, PTE. RANDOLPH LOUIS ACKERMAN, INFANTRY, OFFICIALLY REPORTED MISSING AUGUST 15TH, 1917. WILL SEND FURTHER PARTICULARS WHEN RECEIVED.

It was not until late-March 1918, that Private Ralph Ackerman of the 7th Battalion was officially recorded as killed in action (previously reported missing) on August 15, 1917. The Circumstances of Death Register records him as; Date of Casualty: 15-8-17. Previously reported Missing, now reported Killed in Action. Casualty occurred at Hill 70.

Twenty-five-year-old Ralph Ackerman has no known grave. He is memorialized on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. On the Sarnia cenotaph, his name is inscribed as, Ackerman, R.H.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Alfred Adams was born in Sarnia on January 13, 1886, the third son of Joshua Fourth and Jessie Loretta (nee Clarke) Adams, of 191 Brock Street, Sarnia. Joshua Adams (born April 22, 1840 in Carleton, Ontario) married Jessie L. Clarke (born 1851 in Markham, Ontario) in Sarnia on October 25, 1876. Joshua’s work as a customs officer in Sarnia supported Jessie and their four sons: Charles Frederick (born March 13, 1880, who would become a schoolteacher in Calgary); Ernest Joshua (born May 9, 1882); Alfred; and George Percy (born December 31, 1889). Tragedy, however, struck the family in their Brock Street home in 1896. On May 29, George, the youngest in the family, passed away from diphtheria at age six.

What distinguished Alfred before the war was his musical talent that made him prominent in musical circles. After residing in Sarnia for many years, he left for Goderich a few years before enlisting. His talent, especially in playing the piano and organ led him to becoming the leader, organist, and choirmaster at Goderich’s St. George’s Anglican Church from 1910 to 1914.

At age 29, Alfred Adams enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on June 17, 1915 in Sarnia with the 29th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery. He stood five feet six-and-one-half inches tall, had blue eyes and fair hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as civil engineer. Alfred listed his father, J.F. Adams on Brock Street, as his next-of-kin. Alfred trained initially at Guelph and embarked overseas on S.S. Missanabie on February 23, 1916. He disembarked in the U.K. at Plymouth on March 12, 1916, moving first to Bramshott Camp and later to Witley Camp. On June 21st 1916, Alfred wrote to his mother from Witley Camp, in Surrey, England where he was training. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mother,  

I know it is a long time since I wrote, but it was pretty hard to do any writing while we were on our tick to Larkhill, and they have formed a habit recently of springing parades of one kind or another on us for Saturday afternoons and Sunday, so that leisure time is rather a scarce article. We had quite a time on our “trek.” It was done under actual service conditions. We left here on the 5th about 8 a.m., the whole brigade the 29th, 41st, 44th and 46th

Batteries, travelled of course at a walk. Every hour we would halt for about 10 minutes, see that everything was alright, then on again. Any time near noon we would halt where there was a stream of water to water the horses, feed them and eat a sandwich ourselves. We moved by easy stages only about 12 to 16 miles a day, usually reaching our bivouac for the night about 2 or 3 p.m….

He later described his stay in the area of Over Wallop: … In the evening as soon as the horses are fed and watered, we had a hot meal usually a stew, then we would wander off to the town to see what it looked like. Then there was a roll-call at 9:30 so we didn’t have much time to look around. It is broad daylight here now at 9:30 with the daylight saving bill in force, Summer time as they call it. Reville was at 4 a.m. and we moved off again at 6. Of course we

slept in the open with a rubber sheet and two blankets, fortunately we did not get much rain at night…. The soil all through is chalk but there is plenty of good sticky mud on the surface, and even a short shower turns the place into an abominable mud hole. The first contingent must have suffered tortures in such a place during the rainy season…. It will not be long before we move to France now by the looks of things and I guess leave is hard to get then, but the war will soon be over. I think this brings my tale nearly up to date so I’ll end here. Everything is going fine, good health and everything else. I’m glad father is keeping up. Hope everything is O.K.               

Yours, Roy

Sergeant Alfred Adams disembarked in France with the 11th Howitzer Brigade on July 15, 1916. In the ensuing months, he participated in many historic battles and, amazingly, escaped with no major physical injuries. In late-November 1916, he was hospitalized at No. 5 General Hospital in Rouen due to influenza. Approximately three weeks later, he rejoined his unit.

In April 1917, he became a member of the 8th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery. In January 1918, Alfred took his Officer’s Training Course (OTC) in Witley Camp, Godalming, England, and attained the rank of Lieutenant. He returned to the front in June 1918 as a member of the Canadian Army Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade. While in France, Alfred took part in the battles at Vimy Ridge, the Somme, Arras, Ypres, Passchendaele, Cambrai and others. His good fortune ended when he participated in what became known as The Hundred Days Campaign.

The Hundred Days Campaign (August 8 – November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium) was the “beginning of the end” of the Great War. Canadians were called on again and again over the three-month period to lead the offensives against the toughest German defences. The series of victories repeatedly drove the Germans back, culminating in Germany’s unconditional surrender on November 11, but it came at a high price: approximately 46,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing.

The first offensive in the Campaign was the Battle of Amiens in France (August 8-14, 1918), a truly all-arms battle, one in which all four Canadian divisions were involved. Over the course of one week, in a battle that British Field Marshal Douglas Haig called “the finest operation of the war”, the Canadians would advance nearly 14 kms.

The second offensive in Canada’s Hundred Days Campaign was the Battle of Arras and Breaking the DQ

Line in France (August 26-September 3, 1918), where Canadians were part of a spearhead force tasked with crashing one of the most heavily fortified positions, the Hindenburg Line—a series of strong defensive trenches and fortified villages. General Sir Julian Byng called the Canadian victory at the 2nd Battle of Arras and breaking of the DQ Line “the turning point of the campaign”, but it came at a cost of 11,400 Canadian casualties. 

Near the end of the 2nd Battle of Arras on September 4th, 1918, Lieutenant Adams fractured his skull when a shell burst near him on the front lines. He would be confined to No. 20 General Hospital in Camiers, France where he was operated on and a piece of shell was removed from his skull. His doctors thought he was recovering well enough to move him to No. 3 London General Hospital in Wandsworth, England on October 2nd, 1918.

Two weeks later, on October 17, 1918, seriously ill, the lieutenant from Sarnia died. Alfred Adams was officially recorded as Died of wounds – 3rd London General Hospital (England), Wandsworth Common, S.W. Approximately three weeks after Alfred’s death, the First World War ended.

Alfred’s family received his British War Medal and the Victory Medal posthumously. His father, Joshua, passed away less than two years later in Sarnia, in April 1920 at the age of 79. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia. At St. George’s Anglican Church in Goderich, not long after the war, a plaque was unveiled in Alfred Roy Adams honour. The plaque is still in the church today and reads

TO THE GLORY OF GOD

AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF

A. ROY ADAMS

LIEUTENANT 9TH BATTERY 3RD BRIGADE C.F.A.

SOMETIME ORGANIST OF THIS CHURCH

WHO DIED OCTOBER 17TH 1918 OF WOUNDS RECEIVED AT

THE STORMING OF DROCOURT QUEANT SWITCH LINE

Thirty-two-year-old Alfred Adams is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom,

Grave III.D.12.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Arthur John Allan was born in Palmerston, Wellington County, Ontario on September 18, 1891, the son of James Alexander (born October 1, 1863) and Florence (nee McArthur, born March 11, 1863) Allan. At some point, the Allan family moved to Sarnia where James found work with the Grand Trunk Railroad. It was fortunate he did for his steady job helped support Florence and their nine children: Mabel Florence (born November 15, 1884); William Albert (born March 18, 1886); James Howard (born December 23, 1887, see below); Mary Violet (born June 8, 1889); Arthur; Robert Earl (born August 1, 1893); Sarah Gladys (born December 1, 1894); Edna B. (born 1899); and Velma (born November 1900). The Allan family were members of Central United Church and lived at 382 Brock Street and later moved to 239 Mitton Street. 

At age 23, Arthur enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Sarnia on January 13, 1915, with the 34th Battalion (his older brother James enlisted seven months later). He stood five feet six inches tall, had blue eyes and dark hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as a rig brakeman. Arthur listed his father, James, who was then living on Brock Street, as his next-of-kin.

Arthur and his brother James embarked overseas together with the 34th Battalion, ‘D’ Company, aboard S.S. California. They disembarked in England on November 1, 1915 and were initially posted to Camp Bramshott with the 23rd Battalion. On May 25 1916, the Allan brothers were transferred to the 2nd Battalion and the next day were deployed to France.

Upon arriving in France on May 26, Privates Arthur and James Allan were immediately transferred to 7th Battalion, Canadian Army Infantry, British Columbia Regiment. Both Arthur and James fought in the June 1916 Battle of Mont Sorrel. Over two weeks of fighting that resulted in almost no change in the ground held by both sides, the “June Show,” as the battle was known informally, came at a cost of over 8,700 Canadians killed, wounded, or missing. Arthur survived this battle, but his brother James was killed in action on June 13, 1916. Arthur was then transferred to the Somme Front.

The Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916) was one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in

history. The Somme, a battle of attrition, lasted for more than four brutal months and saw the Allies advance around 10 kilometers. A more telling statistic is the number of injuries and deaths: of the 85,000 Canadian Corps, there were more than 24,000 Canadian casualties.

The second major offensive of the Somme battle was the week-long Battle of Flers-Courcelette (September 15-22). It was here where tanks made their first appearance in the war. The Battle was a stunning success for the Canadians, but it came at a cost of over 7,200 casualties. Only days after this battle, another one of the many soldiers that the Battle of the Somme claimed was Private Arthur Allan of Sarnia. On September 27, 1916, Arthur Allan was killed during fighting at Hessian Trench near Courcellette, a mere three months after his older brother was killed in action.

On Brock Street, James Allan Sr. received the following message about his son from the militia headquarters at Ottawa not long afterwards: Sincerely regret to inform you, 602258, Private Arthur John Allan, infantry, officially reported missing since Sept. 27th, 1916. Will send further particulars when received.                                                                                                                  Officer in charge record office.

Later, James received letters from two young Sarnians who were on active service in France. Both men informed James of Arthur’s death. The circumstances of his passing provide insight into the chaotic nature of the WWI battlefields. Arthur was initially reported missing in action, but four weeks elapsed before authorities confirmed that he was now killed in action Sept. 27, 1916. His Circumstances of Death Register reads as follows: Date of Casualty: 27-9-16. “Previously reported missing, now reported Killed in Action”. Killed in trench leading up to Regina Trench in the Area of the Somme, France. No record of burial. Killed in area of the Somme, France.

Twenty-five-year-old Arthur Allan is buried in Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, Somme, France, Grave III.A.6.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

James Howard Allan was born in Palmerston, Wellington County, Ontario on December 23, 1887, the son of James Alexander (born October 1, 1863) and Florence (nee McArthur, born March 11, 1863). At some point, the Allan family moved to Sarnia where James found work with the Grand Trunk Railroad. It was fortunate he did for his steady job helped support Florence and their nine children: Mabel Florence (born November 15, 1884); William Albert (born March 18, 1886); James Jr.; Mary Violet (born June 8, 1889); Arthur John (born September 18, 1891, see above); Robert Earl (born August 1, 1893); Sarah Gladys (born December 1, 1894); Edna B. (born 1899); and Velma (born November 1900). The Allan family were members of Central Baptist Church and lived at 382 Brock Street and later moved to 239 Mitton Street.

Twenty-seven-year-old James Allan enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on August 21, 1915 in Sarnia with the 34th Battalion (his younger brother Arthur had enlisted seven months earlier). He stood five feet five inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as railway brakeman. James listed his father, who was then living on Brock Street, as his next-of-kin.

James and his brother Arthur embarked overseas together with the 34th Battalion, ‘D’ Company, aboard S.S. California. They disembarked in England on November 1, 1915 and initially were posted to Camp Bramshott with the 23rd Battalion. On May 25 1916, the Allan brothers were transferred to the 2nd Battalion and the next day were deployed to France. Upon arriving in France on May 26, Privates James and Arthur Allan were immediately transferred to 7th Battalion, Canadian Army Infantry, British Columbia Regiment.

Both James and Arthur fought in the June 1916 Battle of Mont Sorrel in Belgium (June 2-13, 1916). Mont Sorrel, a 30-metre hill, was the last remaining high ground in the Ypres salient still in British hands. Over two weeks of fierce fighting that resulted in almost no change in the ground held by both sides, the “June Show,” as the battle was known informally, came at a cost of over 8,700 Canadians killed, wounded, or missing.

Private James Allan was killed at Mont Sorrel, less than three weeks after he had arrived in France. On late June 12 and into June 13, 1916, his unit was tasked with attacking enemy positions. Despite incessant rain, heavy artillery bombardment, and machine gun fire, the unit took its assigned objectives, held them, and then reinforced its position.

On June 13, 1916, James died while fighting on the final day of the Battle of Mont Sorrel, Belgium. Arthur, his younger brother, fought in the same battle, and survived to fight another day, but was killed in action only three months later in the Battle of the Somme. James Allan was later officially recorded as Killed in Action. Ypres (Mt. Sorrel). Cemetery: Railway Dugouts Burial Ground. (Transport Farm). Commune:Zillebeke. 157/c.28.I.21.c.6.8.

In early November 1916, Central Baptist Church held a memorial service for the Allan brothers. Following is a portion of the story from the Sarnia Observer on the service:

The evening service on Sunday at the Central Baptist church was in memory of two young men of this city who have been killed in action – Private James Howard Allan and Arthur John Allan, sons of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Allan of Brock street south, who went overseas in the 34th Battalion, and upon that unit being broken up in England, went to the front as members of the Seventh Battalion. In the fight at Hill 60 the first named laid down his life. Arthur passed safely through the same action, and later was transferred to the Somme front, and there in one of the many engagements, he too made the supreme sacrifice. Appreciation of their service for king and country, and sympathy for the twice stricken family, were evident throughout the entire service, which opened with Chopin’s Funeral March. The pastor’s remarks included, “Only faith in the righteousness of our cause, in the honorable action of our national leaders, and in God, could lead men to endure what our men have endured and to meet so heroically every demand made upon them.” Pastor McKay concluded his address by reading some extracts from letters written

amidst the carnage of the battlefield showing deepest love for home, country and the cause for which they were giving their lives.

Twenty-eight-year-old James Howard Allan is buried in Allan Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm), Belgium, Grave VI.D.17.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Charles Barnes was born in Oil Springs, Ontario on February 15, 1898, the third oldest child of George and Annie (nee Campbell) Barnes, of 413 Confederation Street, Sarnia. George Barnes (born August 14, 1866) and Annie Campbell (born December 1872) were married on November 2, 1892 in Oil Springs, Ontario. Their marriage blessed them with six children in the next dozen years: George Walter (born February 1894); John Thomas (born February 4, 1896); Charles; Robert Clayton (born February 20, 1899); Reta Mae (born August 1902); and Kathleen Victoria (born August 1904). Sadly, their first son, George, died at age three in January 1897, one year before Charles was born. The other siblings, however, reached adulthood. John Barnes enlisted in the United States Medical Corps, attaining the rank of Sergeant, while Reta and Kathleen became nurses.

Charles’ younger brother, Robert, a former blacksmiths helper at the Mueller Company, also served in the Great War with Charles. On May 27, 1918, Robert, 19, and Charles, 20, enlisted together in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in London, Ontario. Their lives in the military soon took divergent paths.

Robert Barnes embarked overseas to England on June 29, 1918 and two months later arrived in France on August 19, 1918, as a Sapper with the 7th Battalion, Royal Canadian Engineers. Robert survived the final months of the war—Canada’s Hundred Days Campaign (August 8 – November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium). This was the “beginning of the end” of the Great War. Canadians were called on again and again over a three-month period to lead the offensives against the toughest German defences. The greatest victories of the Canadian Corps took place in this critical period, but it came at a high price: approximately 46,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing. The Great War ended on November 11, 1918. Robert Barnes was discharged in March 1919 on demobilization.

Charles’ story is much different. Prior to enlisting, he worked as a Still Helper at the Imperial Oil Company. Enlisting with his brother in May 1918, Charles stood five feet seven inches tall, had brown eyes and brown hair, was single, and was residing at home with his family on Confederation Street at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as Still Helper Imperial Oil Co. and his next-of-kin as his father, Mr. George Barnes of 413 Confederation Street. At enlistment, he became a member of the Army, Canadian Infantry, Western Ontario Regiment, 4th Reserve Battalion with the rank of Private. In mid-July 1918, he spent four days in the Military hospital in London, Ontario (Wolseley Barracks) with measles.

Charles left London, Ontario, for overseas on September 27, 1918. He was on his way to join his brother in Canada’s Hundred Days Campaign, but he never made it. On October 10, two weeks after departing and on his way to England, while on board HMS City of Cairo, he lost his life while at sea. He died as a result of acute broncho-pneumonia and was buried at sea.

One month after Charles’ death, the Armistice was signed ending the Great War. In mid-October of 1918, George Barnes Sr. was officially notified that his son Private Charles Harris Barnes 2356758 had died at sea on route to England, on board the SS City of Cairo, October 10th of broncho-pneumonia. Charles Barnes was later officially recorded as Died on board H.M.T. ‘City of Cairo’ of acute bronchial pneumonia. Buried at sea.

Twenty-year-old Charles Barnes has no known grave. He is memorialized on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Panel 1.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Robert Batey was born in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, on June 14, 1901, the oldest child of Robert Thomas Batey Senior and Blanche Isabel (nee Rowe) Batey. Robert Thomas Batey Sr. (born February 8, 1877) and Blanche Isabel Rowe (born December 1880 in Chatham, Kent, England) were married in April 1900 in Maidstone, Kent, England. Robert Batey Sr., a railway worker in England, immigrated to Canada in 1910. Two years later, he was joined in Sarnia by Blanche, age 30, and their children Robert Arthur, 11, Douglas, 7, and Hilda Mary, 3. They arrived from Liverpool aboard S.S. Virginian in Quebec City on May 31, 1912.

In the next eight years, Robert and Blanche saw their family grow. Along with their eldest Robert (born June 1901); Douglas (born June 1905 in Heaton, Newcastle); and Hilda (born July 4, 1909 in Backworth, Northumberland); the following children were born in Sarnia: Arthur Aitchison (born April 25, 1913); William (born 1915); Margaret Lillian (born December 15, 1916, would later marry becoming Margaret Waller); and Blanche (born 1920). Robert Batey Sr. worked for the Grand Trunk Railway, and the family moved often—their various addresses included 106 Julia Street; 274 Campbell Street; 124 South Savoy Street; 165 South Mitton Street; and 561 Christina Street.

At age 14, in September 1915, Robert Batey enlisted as a bugler in the Pioneers. One month later, on October 4, 1915, he completed his Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force Attestation Papers in Sarnia. Robert was residing with his family at 106 Julia Street at the time. He brought with him to the recruiter a single sheet of paper—a brief letter penned by his 34-year-old mother on Grand Trunk Railway System letterhead that would change his life.

Dear Sir,

This is to certify that I give my consent for my son R.A. Batey to enlist in his Majesty’s Service.

The youngster must have been desperate to serve. On his Attestation Paper, he wrote his birthdate as being June 14, 1898, a deliberate lie which, for official purposes, made him three years older than he actually was. The minimum age to join the military was 18, although 17-year-old applicants were accepted with parental consent, with the promise that their sons would not see front line action (the military later changed the minimum age to 19). Robert recorded his trade or calling as “Call boy” and his next-of-kin as his mother, Blanche Batey of 106 Julia Street. So, at age 14 years and 4 months, the five feet five-and-three-quarter inches tall Batey, with gray eyes and dark brown hair, joined the army, becoming a member of the 70th Battalion. Robert joined an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 other underage Canadians who served in the First World War.

On April 24, 1916, Robert embarked overseas from Halifax aboard S.S. Lapland. After arriving in England on May 5, he was transferred to the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) Battalion, Bombing Section, 2nd Quebec Regiment. A month later, on June 7, 1916, he arrived in France as a Private and a member of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles. It was one week before his 15th birthday.

When the war began, many of the traditional generals were not yet ready to concede that the day of the horse was over; however, as the war progressed, faced with deep trench complexes, machine guns, mechanized artillery, and barbed wire, there were few cavalry charges on the Western Front, as horse-mounted troop regiments became an outdated mode of warfare. Often the cavalrymen were required to dismount and fight as infantry during the larger battles. Other duties included mounted patrol work, escort duties, traffic control, trench mapping, stretcher bearing, as well as pursuit of the enemy during offensive operations.

The teenager fought and lost his life in the Battle of the Somme in France (July 1-November 18, 1916), one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in history. The Somme, a battle of attrition, would last for more than four brutal months and saw the Allies advance around 10 kilometers. A more telling statistic is the number of injuries and deaths: of the 85,000 Canadian Corps, there were more than 24,000 Canadian casualties.

The second major offensive of the Somme battle was the week-long Battle of Flers-Courcelette (September 15-22). It was here where tanks made their first appearance in the war. The Battle was a stunning success for the Canadians, but it came at a cost of over 7,200 casualties. It was during this second major offensive of the Somme battle where Robert Batey was killed in action.

On September 15, 1916, he was initially reported as “wounded and missing after action”. Later, he was recorded as “presumed to have died on or since 15-9-16”. Robert’s Circumstances of Death Register records the following: Date of Casualty: On or since 15-9-16. “Previously reported missing, now for official purposes presumed to have died.” Courcelette Sector. Stretcher-bearers did not find or identify his body.  

Robert Batey was 15 years 3 months old when he lost his life in France. He has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Sarnia cenotaph. Of the 288 names inscribed on Sarnia’s cenotaph, Robert Batey is our youngest fallen soldier.

He is also memorialized on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Pas de Calais, France. Unveiled in 1936, it took 14 years to create the monument, built atop the site of one of Canada’s greatest military victories in history. There are 11,285 names inscribed on the ramparts of the memorial—Canadian soldiers killed in France during World War I whose final resting place is unknown. Research conducted by Veterans’Affairs Canada has determined that Robert Batey is the youngest soldier inscribed on the Vimy Memorial.  

Such was the chaotic nature of the battle that few details were immediately available about how the young Sarnian was killed; however, in late September 1916, Private Beecher Carr wrote a letter to his parents Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Carr in Corunna. Edward John Beecher Carr, born in June 1895 in Sarnia, was a farmer when he enlisted in November 1915 in Sarnia, and went overseas with the 70th Battalion. Two of his other letters home are included in The Sarnia War Remembrance Project. In his September 1916 letter home, he described his own wounding, and he makes mention of Robert Batey. The following is a portion of his letter:

France, Sept. 28, 1916

Dear Mother,

Well, I suppose you no doubt have heard of the work the Canadians have been doing on their new front in taking part in the great offensive. In every scrap we have come out on top until we have the Germans pushed away back. Every day there are new gains. On the morning of the 15th we went over in an assault on his front line. The scene cannot be described as under cover of our curtain of fire we went over in one line… At exactly the same moment, the whole line – Canadians, British and French leaped out and rushed across. Men were falling on every side. How I myself escaped I do not know, but I never got a scratch. Out of our little squad of 10: Timmins, a man from the United States was killed; Paget, was shot dead; Moore, a boy from London was wounded in three places. I dressed him and helped carry him out when we were prevented by the German guns from getting him all the way. We had to leave him on the stretcher and return. I heard a big shell landed on top of him afterwards – too dreadful to think of. He always was a close friend of mine. Being only just a kid I always sort of looked after him. We always had the same dugout, etc., and many a trial and discomfort we shared together. The corporal, myself and another man were all that returned. However I got it at last and in a rather unusual place.

Since being relieved out of the line we have been doing working parties, making roads, etc. and the day before yesterday we had breakfast at 3 a.m., and then started out on a five mile walk. When we had gone about three miles Fritz started sending over shrapnel on the main road and I was the only man hit, although the balls fairly

rained around us. I got a ball just below the right knee, not bad, but the bone is rather sore and may take some time

to heal. I am now in the hospital and hardly know what to do with myself after the strenuous life. Art Gunn was killed, you know him. R.A. Batey was dangerously, perhaps fatally wounded. He is only 16 years old. He used to work “calling” in Sarnia. Keene from Oil Springs will lose a leg. S. Grooms, Canning Factory manager’s son, from Alvinston, was wounded. Our officer, poor fellow, was shot dead. Harry Beresford, the only old 70th officer we had with us was badly wounded. But their lives were not in vain. We took and held their front line and the battalion gets much credit along with the rest who went over, from the General. With love and best wishes.

                                                                                                                                    Pte. Beecher Carr

Blanche Batey was six months pregnant when she learned the fate of her eldest son. And, perhaps to compensate for their loss, the couple had their final child, a daughter, four years after Robert’s death. In 1921, three years after the Great War ended, the Batey family was residing at 124 Savoy Street—parents Robert Sr. (a janitor) and Blanche, and children Douglas, 17, Hilda, 12, Arthur, 8, William, 6, Margaret, 4, and Blanche, 1. The Batey family in Sarnia must have been crushed with the death of their oldest child and sibling.

It was a grief they took to their graves years after Robert was killed serving his country. Robert Sr., 69, passed away on August 5, 1946 and Blanche outlived her husband by nine years, passing away at age 74 on March 20, 1955. They are both buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

George Beaumont was born in Wyoming, Ontario, on April 8, 1895, the eldest son of George Beaumont Sr. (a railway employee) and Mary Jane (nee Young) Beaumont. George Beaumont Sr. (born April 24, 1857 in London, England) immigrated to Canada in 1870. Thirty-four-year-old George Beaumont Sr. (residing in Wyoming, Ontario at the time) married 20-year-old Mary Jane Young (born 1871 in Michigan) on February 8, 1892 in Wyoming, Ontario. George and Mary Jane resided at 212, and later 191 Cobden Street. They had five children together: Amy May (born January 30, 1893); George Jr.; John (born February 25, 1897); Julie Martha (born May 10, 1899); and Mary Gladys (born March 11, 1901).

The year 1901 was a difficult time for the Beaumont family. Mary Jane, the matriarch of the family, died two weeks after giving birth to their youngest child Mary Gladys. She was only 29 years old when she passed away from typhoid fever and pneumonia on March 24. The hard times of 1901 continued on August 17, when Mary Gladys, only five months old, passed away from bronchitis.

The following year, George Sr., now 44 and employed as a labourer, remarried someone familiar to the rest of the family. His second wife, who he married on April 24, 1902 in Sarnia, was 21-year-old Rachel Maria Young, the sister of their deceased mother and George’s former sister-in-law; in other words, the children’s former aunt, now their stepmother. George Sr. and Rachel Maria Young (born October 14, 1881 in Sanilac, Michigan), had two children together, step-siblings for George and his siblings. Tragically both would die very young. Eva Ruth (born January 22, 1908) was only eight months when she passed away on September 22, 1908, succumbing to cholera infantum. Lillian Margaret (born September 23, 1909) died at age 10 months two years later on August 3, 1910, from the same disease.

Prior to enlisting, George Beaumont Jr. had worked for some time as a butcher with Sarnian Alex Rose. When he was 20, Beaumont enlisted in Sarnia with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on December 13, 1915, becoming a member of the 149th Battalion. He stood five feet eight-and-a-half inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was single, and was residing in Sarnia at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as butcher, and his next-of-kin as his father, George Beaumont of 191 Cobden Street.

One year later, in mid-December 1916, George spent a week in London hospital recovering from pneumonia.

On March 25, 1917, he embarked overseas from Halifax aboard S.S. Lapland. He arrived in Liverpool, England on April 7, 1917. He was posted initially to Camp Bramshott where he continued his training as a member of the 25th Reserve Battalion. On June 1, 1917, he was taken on strength into the 161st Battalion, stationed at Camp Witley.

Beaumont initially had problems adjusting to the strict and unyielding discipline that the military demanded of its soldiers at all times. On three occasions while at Camp Witley, George was confined to barracks for several days, a punishment levied for such offences as, “When on Active Service dirty equipment and rifle”; “When on active service having untidy bunk”; and “When on active service improperly dressed on parade.” However, in mid-December 1917, George was awarded a Good Conduct Badge with the 161st Battalion at Camp Witley. In February 1918, the 161st Battalion was absorbed into the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion.

The following August 1918, George was deployed to France and was transferred into the 18th Canadian Battalion in Etaples. On August 23, 1918, he arrived at the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp, where he was transferred to the 43rd Battalion, Manitoba Regiment, of the Canadian Infantry. He would take part in what became known as “The Hundred Days Campaign.” As it turns out, he fought only six weeks before he was killed.

The Hundred Days Campaign (August 8 – November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium) was the “beginning of the end” of the Great War. Canadians were called on again and again over the three-month period to lead the offensives against the toughest German defences. The series of victories repeatedly drove the Germans back, culminating in Germany’s unconditional surrender on November 11, but it came at a high price: approximately 46,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing.

The first offensive in the Campaign was the Battle of Amiens in France (August 8-14, 1918), a truly all-arms battle, one in which all four Canadian divisions were involved. Over the course of one week, in a battle that British Field Marshal Douglas Haig called “the finest operation of the war”, the Canadians would advance nearly 14 kms.

The second offensive in the Campaign was the Battle of Arras and Breaking the DQ Line in France (August 26-September 3, 1918), where Canadians were part of a spearhead force tasked with crashing one of the most heavily fortified positions, the Hindenburg Line—a series of strong defensive trenches and fortified villages. General Sir Julian Byng called the Canadian victory at the 2nd Battle of Arras and breaking of the DQ Line “the turning point of the campaign”, but it came at a cost of 11,400 Canadian casualties. 

The third offensive in Canada’s Hundred Days Campaign was the Battle of Canal-du-Nord and Cambrai in France(September 27-October 11, 1918). Against seemingly impossible odds and a desperate, fully prepared enemy, the Canadians fought for two weeks in a series of brutal engagements. They successfully channelled through a narrow gap in the canal, punched through a series of fortified villages and deep interlocking trenches, and captured Bourlon Wood and the city of Cambrai. General Arthur Currie would call it “some of the bitterest fighting we have experienced” and it came at a cost of 14,000 Canadian casualties.

On October 1, 1918, while fighting in the Battle of Canal du Nord and Cambrai, Private George Beaumont

was killed by enemy machine gunfire. George’s Circumstances of Death Register provides these details: Date of Casualty: 1-10-18. “Killed in Action”. This soldier was killed by an enemy machine gun bullet, during an attack. Location of Unit at time of Casualty: Near Tilloy. Cemetery: Cameron British Cemetery. Tilloy, France. Commune: Tilloy.  

Approximately five weeks after his death, the Great War ended. On November 13th 1918, two days after the Armistice was signed and with the world celebrating peace, Rachel Maria Beaumont in Sarnia received the following overseas letter about her stepson:

Lieut. Smith, 43rd Canadians overseas, France, October 14, 1918

Dear Madame,

It is with deepest regret I have to inform you of the death of your son, Pte. George Beaumont, No. 844052, killed in action October 1, 1918. Your son was killed during a counter attack made on our newly won lines, by the enemy. He was killed instantly thereby suffering no pain. He died bravely facing the enemy and defending the honour of our cause. The officers and men of the company tender their sincere sympathy in the loss of your son and may God assist you to bear the sad bereavement. I am,                                        

Yours sincerely, S.G. Smith, Lieut. “D” Co’y, 43rd Can. Bn.

A few years later, Joseph Acton of the Salvation Army and the son-in-law of George Sr. and Rachel, had gone to France to visit George Jr.’s grave. Following is a portion of Acton’s April 1921 letter to George Sr. and Rachel:

… The location of the cemetery is in a splendid district situated on the brow of a hill three miles outside of Cambrai. There are about 60 graves in this cemetery, the neighbourhood in which George fell is all under crop now, the grain was about 4 inches high when I crossed the field to the cemetery. I walked over the ground no doubt George had walked many times. I viewed the town from the fields which he had viewed it from, only in his time, the field was all trenches. I traversed the streets leading to Cambrai which George and his comrades had fought in and driven the Germans out, the devastation is everywhere, houses are smashed to the ground. The very trees along the road which leads to George’s cemetery are being cut down while I was there as they are dead being hit with shrapnel. I took one or two pictures which I will forward to you later.

My visit to the battlefield was a wonderful education to me from many aspects. I saw the terrible picture which I had previously only read of. My heart ached as I looked at the many cemeteries everywhere. I was in one in Belgium with fourteen thousand British boys graves, there is another with twenty thousand graves. Another sad part is that many bodies are still being found. I saw 70 Germans being buried which had been picked up the day previous. A lamentable sad feature is the number of unknown soldiers. I went through a large cemetery and read the names on the crosses and found 70 out of every 100 unknown. The parents of these boys must often think of where their Jack is lying….

God Bless to all, Joseph Acton

George Beaumont, 23, is buried in Mill Switch British Cemetery, Tilloy-les-Cambrai, Nord, France, Grave C.16.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Arthur Bell was born in Point Edward, Ontario on March 26, 1891, the son of Harry “Henry” and Mary Jane (nee Brooks) Bell. Henry (born December 18, 1853 in England) and Mary Jane Brooks (born January 23, 1854 in Ontario) were married on September 23, 1875 in London, Ontario and later moved to 288 Campbell Street, Sarnia.

Henry was a railway porter when he married, later becoming a GTR conductor in Sarnia, and later the immigration inspector for Sarnia. As Henry’s work portfolio expanded, so did his family. Mary Jane and he would have seven children together over the next 15 years: Edith (born June 20, 1876); Ella (born May 6, 1877); Albert

James (born June 25, 1879); Harry Henry (born November 24, 1884); Alice Jane (born July 21, 1890); and Arthur

(1891). A half-sibling, Ettie, was born in 1882. Sadly, when Arthur was 19 years old, his mother passed away on April 28, 1910. Mary Jane Bell, only 56 years old, succumbed to bronchitis.

Those who knew Arthur described him as being well known and popular. He had lived most of his life in Sarnia, but had moved out west and resided in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Medicine Hat for a few years. Three years before enlisting, however, Bell had returned to his hometown where he worked as a machinist.

His life changed when he decided to enlist at age 24. He did so in Sarnia on October 26, 1915 when he joined the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force with the Depot Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles. He stood five feet six-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and brown hair, was single, and was residing in Point Edward at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as machinist and his next-of-kin as his father, Harry Bell of 288 Campbell Street. After some time spent training in London and Hamilton, Arthur embarked overseas on May 20, 1916 aboard SS Empress of Britain.

When Arthur disembarked in England on May 30, 1916, he was originally stationed at Shorncliffe. In mid-June 1916, he was transferred to the Fort Garry Horse Reserve Regiment (FGHRR). On September 17, 1916, he was taken on strength into the 9th Battalion and proceeded to France.

Once in France, he became a member of the 10th Battalion in late September, where he served for some time as a private in the infantry. The 10th Battalion took part in the Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916)—one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in history. The Somme battle lasted for more than four brutal months and saw the Allies advance around 10 kilometers. A more telling statistic is the number of injuries and deaths: of the 85,000 Canadian Corps, there were more than 24,000 Canadian casualties.

In March 1917, Arthur Bell was transferred to the Canadian Army Service Corps (CASC), Reinforcement Pool as a private. Not all infantry fatalities in the Great War were on the battlefield. Thousands of soldiers, including Arthur Bell, were victims of disease. On October 5, 1917, Arthur was suffering from tonsillitis and was admitted to No. 10 Canadian Field Ambulance. He was then moved to No. 6 Casualty Clearing Station. Still seriously ill six days later, he was transferred to St. John’s Ambulance Brigade Hospital in Etaples, France. Within a week and despite the doctor’s efforts, Arthur passed away as a result of infection on October 13.

In mid-October 1917, his father Henry received the following telegram:

October 17, 1917 to H. Bell, Immigration Inspector, Sarnia, Ontario

Deeply regret to inform you 226053, Private Arthur William Bell, previously reported seriously ill, now officially reported died at St. John’s Ambulance Brigade Hospital, Etaples, October 13th, 1917.             

Director of Records

Arthur William Bell’s Circumstances of Death Register reads as follows: Date of casualty: 13-10-17. “Died” (Tonsilitis) at St. John’s Ambulance Brigade Hospital, Etaples. Etaples Military Cemetery, France. Commune: Etaples. 1/100,000 Calais, 13-B-6-5-4. At the time of his death, Arthur was survived by his father Henry, his three sisters—Mrs. Wyckoff, Sarnia, Mrs. Finch and Mrs. Earl Foster of Medicine Hat—and his two brothers: Albert in Saskatchewan (a locomotive foreman) and Harry in Fort Frances, Ontario. Unfortunately, only three years after Arthur’s death, Henry, his widowed father, passed away on November 10, 1920, at the age of 67 in a London, Ontario hospital. Henry Bell is buried in Sarnia.

Arthur Bell, 26, is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, Grave XXX.C.15A. In October 1918, one year after Arthur’s death, the following ‘In Memoriam’ appeared in the Sarnia Observer: In loving memory of Arthur William Bell, who died October 13th, 1917, in St. John’s Ambulance Hospital, Etaples, France. Friends may think that he’s forgotten, when at times I laugh and smile, but they little know the loneliness. Which that smile hides all the while. Friends we were, and pals together, he but waits for me above.

A friend and pal

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

William Bendall was born in Marylebone, London, England on April 23, 1888, the eldest child of Mahala Ann Fonvielle (born April 1869 in Middlesex, England). Mahala had three children, all with the surname Fonvielle: William; Thomas (born May 7, 1889); and Mahala (born August 16, 1891). Tragically, Mahala lived for only two hours before she passed away.

Three years later, on August 5, 1894, Mahala married Joshua Scales in Marylebone Parish Church, England. They had five children together, step-siblings for William and Thomas. Joshua John Jr. (born July 1895); Albert Edward (born December 1897); Arthur Sidney (born December 26, 1899); Louis Stanley (born January 20, 1902); and Ena (born February 1, 1906) were all born in Marylebone, a borough of London, England. Unfortunately, William’s stepfather, Joshua Scales, passed away in 1909. William, 21, was residing with the rest of his family in London in 1911 and was employed as a clerk. The following year, he was working in the milk trade with his brother, Thomas, when he changed his surname to Bendall.  

The following year, William Bendall married Ethel Louisa Collins of London, England. Ethel did not have her father’s permission to marry, so they arranged a secret registry office wedding on January 23, 1913, in London and they later eloped. On May 15, 1913, the couple left England, travelling in steerage aboard the passenger ship Sicilian and arriving in Quebec two weeks later. William had intended to go into farming, but he had no experience.

By July 1913, William and Ethel (or Ethelwyn as he referred to her) had settled in Sarnia, residing at 132 Savoy Street. They later moved to 426 George Street, Sarnia. The young couple’s first child, William Harold George Bendall Jr., was born in Sarnia on June 7, 1914. Tragically, he passed away at six months on December 19, 1914 due to enteritis. He is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

In May 1914, William’s brother, Thomas (also now Bendall) immigrated to Canada. He arrived in Sarnia hoping to become a factory hand like William. Instead, he enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Sarnia on January 16, 1915. Thomas was 25 years old and single, recorded his trade or calling as labourer, and his next-of-kin as his mother Mahala Bendall in London, England. He stood only five feet three-and-a-half inches tall, and became a member of the 34th Battalion, CEF.

Private Thomas Bendall arrived in England in mid-June 1915. Two months later, on August 5, 1915, he landed in France as a member of 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry. During his time fighting in the trenches of France and Belgium, he had to recover from scabies and a severe case of pneumonia; however, he was lucky enough to survive the war. He was discharged on demobilization in November 1919, and then returned to Sarnia and resided at 121 Proctor Street. Thomas Bendall passed away at the age of 56 in January 1946 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

At least two of William’s step-brothers also served in the Great War. Arthur Scales and Joshua Scales Jr. both served with the London Regiment, British Army. Private Joshua Scales Jr, age 21, of the 19th Battalion, London Regiment, was killed in action on May 22, 1917 in France.    

Eight months after his brother Thomas enlisted, William did so in Sarnia on September 20, 1915. He joined the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force and became a member of the 70th Battalion. Twenty-seven-year-old William stood five feet five inches tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair, and he and his wife were residing at 132 Savoy Street at the time. William recorded his trade or calling as cooper and his next-of-kin as his wife Ethelwyn of Savoy Street (her address was later changed to 426 George Street, Sarnia). Seven months later, on April 24, 1916, William embarked overseas aboard S.S. Lapland.

After William landed in England on May 5, 1916, he was initially stationed at Shorncliffe and became a member of the 39th Battalion at West Sandling in early June 1916. In mid-August 1916, he was transferred to the 23rd Reserve Battalion and, by November 1916, had attained the rank of acting corporal while stationed at Dibgate. In January 1917, Bendall was transferred twice, first becoming the Officer Commanding of the 11th Battalion, and later a lieutenant with the 14th Canadian Reserve Battalion at Shorncliffe. At some point while William was overseas, Ethelwyn returned to England and resided at Hartismere House, Fulham, London. William and Ethelwyn had a second child, Denis Lendon, born on March 25, 1917, in London. 

In late-May 1917, William Bendall was transferred to the 8th Canadian Reserve Battalion in Shorncliffe and reverted to the rank of private. He arrived in France on June 27, 1917, as a member of the Canadian Infantry, Eastern Ontario Regiment, 38th Battalion. In mid-August 1917, he was evacuated to No. 12 Canadian Field Ambulance and then to No. 10 Canadian Field Ambulance because he was suffering from trench fever. He was re-deployed to his unit two weeks later and by mid-October 1917, Bendall arrived with the Canadians in an area of Flanders, Belgium known as Passchendaele.

The Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium (October 26 – November 10, 1917) was waged in unceasing rain on a battlefield that was a nightmarish mess of rotting, mangled corpses, gagging gas, water-filled craters, and glutinous mud. Overcoming almost unimaginable hardships and horrific fighting conditions, the Canadians achieved a remarkable victory that few thought possible; however, it came at a cost of almost 12,000 Canadian wounded and more than 4,000 Canadians killed.

On October 31, 1917, five months after his step-brother Joshua Scales Jr. had been killed in action, Private William Bendall was wounded in action at Passchendaele when a piece of enemy shrapnel penetrated his left side. He was taken to No. 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and died there as a result of his wounds. William’s Circumstances of Death Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 31-10-17. “Died of wounds” (Shrapnel Wound Left Side, Penetrating) at No. 2 Casualty Clearing Station. Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, 1 ¾ miles South West of Poperinghe, Belgium. Commune – Poperinghe.

He left behind Ethelwyn, his wife of four years, and his seven-month-old son, Denis. William Bendall, 29, is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium, Grave XXI.AA.18. On his headstone are inscribed the words, OMNIA VINCIT AMOR (Love Conquers All).

A year and a half after WWI ended, William’s widowed mother, Mahala (nee Fonvielle) Scales, immigrated to Canada. Departing Liverpool, she arrived in Halifax aboard the SS Caronia on May 15, 1920 with three of her children by Joshua Scales: Arthur Sidney, Louis Stanley and Ena. William George Phillips, the family’s enduring friend and protector, was also on board. Their destination was Sarnia. One month later, William’s step-brother Albert Scales, along with his wife Lillian (nee Sage) and their infant daughter, immigrated to Canada arriving aboard the same SS Caronia. Their final destination was Sarnia, Albert wanted to be a farmer. Mahala had lost two sons in war, but she made a new life with her remaining children in Sarnia, residing at 121 Proctor Street.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

James Bennett was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, England, on February 15, 1890, the eldest child of George and Mary A. Bennett, both of 89 Hall Street, Glossop, Derbyshire, England. James’ siblings included John, Millie, Mary, Hester and Frank. At some point, he left his parents and siblings behind and immigrated to Canada. He arrived in Sarnia where he found work as an oiler on a steamship.

In Sarnia, he made two decisions that changed his life. The first was that he married a young lady named Emily and the newlyweds made their home at 176 Ontario Street. The second was that on January 27, 1915, at age 24, he enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Sarnia and became a member of the 34th Battalion. He stood five feet four-and-a-half inches tall, had grey eyes and dark hair, recorded his trade or calling as “oiler on steamship”, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Emily of 176 Ontario Street, Sarnia. On October 23, 1915, James embarked overseas for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. California, and disembarked on November 1, 1915, at Bramshott Camp in Hampshire, England.

James, like many soldiers, was on the move before he was deployed to France. On February 3, 1916, Private Bennett was transferred to the 23rd Battalion which was stationed at West Sandling Camp. Later that month he took a cookery course at Blackheath. On June 6, 1916, he was transferred to the Canadian Infantry, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) Battalion, Quebec Regiment.

When the war began, many of the traditional generals were not yet ready to concede that the day of the horse was over; however, as the war progressed, faced with deep trench complexes, machine guns, mechanized artillery, and barbed wire, there were few cavalry charges on the Western Front, as horse-mounted troop regiments became an outdated mode of warfare. Often the cavalrymen were required to dismount and fight as infantry during the larger battles. Other duties included mounted patrol work, escort duties, traffic control, trench mapping, stretcher bearing, as well as pursuit of the enemy during offensive operations.

Private James Bennett arrived in France with the 5th CMR’s the following day. James fought in the Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916), one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in history. The Somme, a battle of attrition, lasted for more than four brutal months and saw the Allies advance around 10 kilometers. The futility of the Somme battle is revealed in the telling statistics of those wounded and killed: of the 85,000 Canadian Corps, there were more than 24,000 Canadian casualties. One of those victims was James Bennett.

Sometime on October 1-2, 1916, approximately four months after he arrived in France, Private Bennett was reported missing in action. Nearly one year elapsed before he was reported “now killed in action” between October 1st and 2nd.

It must have been a terrible time for his young wife, Emily, in Sarnia. She knew he was missing, but had to wait almost one year for confirmation that he was still living or had died in battle. The dreaded news arrived by telegram to her home on Ontario Street.

Adjutant General’s Office, Militia Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada

Certificate of Death

Certified that No. 602276, Private James William Bennett, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, Canadian Expeditionary

Force, has been officially reported as missing between the 1st and 2nd of October, 1916, and that, after full enquiry made no information has come to hand which would indicate that he is not dead. For official purposes, therefore, his death is presumed to have occurred on or since the last named date.

W.E. Hodgins, Major General, Adjutant-General. September 5th, 1917.

His Circumstances of Death Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 1/2-10-16. “Killed in Action”. This soldier was wounded during the advance on October 1st on Regina Trench and when his Battalion retired to its former position, he was missing. No further details are available relative to the actual circumstances of

his death. Location of Unit at the time of Casualty: Courcelette. Regina Trench Cemetery, Courcelette. Commune: Courcelette 61-22.c 4 ½ miles North East of Albert, France. 57.d.R.23.1.3.1.

Emily later resided at 430 Wellington Street and then 474 Davis Street, Sarnia. James Bennett, 26, is buried in Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt, Somme, France, Grave II.D.10. On his headstone are inscribed the words, GOD TOOK HIM HOME IT WAS HIS WILL BUT IN OUR HEARTS HE LIVETH STILL.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

David Bentley was born in Warwick Township, Ontario, on December 16, 1864, the son of John (of Yorkshire, England) and Julia Ann (nee Rogers) Bentley. John and Julia Ann were married on December 15, 1863 in Warwick, Lambton County. John worked as a farmer to support Julia and their five children: sons David Benjamin, George Albert (born October 1867); William Joseph (born March 3, 1871); John Rogers (born February 21, 1873) and daughter Anne Louisa (born June 1869). Tragically, when David was eight, his father passed away in Warwick on September 2, 1873 at the age of 35.

Education was important to David and it determined his path in life. He attended public school in Woodstock and then Woodstock College and Trinity Medical College in 1887. Four years later, he graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto. He was a busy young man.

On November 13, 1890 in Toronto, a year before he graduated in medicine, David, 25, married Ellen Evelyn Allen, 23, of Wyoming. Their union eventually produced three sons—Othel Allan (born January 24, 1891); Albert William (born August 9, 1893); and David Walter (born January 7, 1900). Before they had children, David and Ellen settled in Sarnia sometime in 1891 after they had resided in Oil Springs and then Forest. They resided at 197 Wellington Street where David practiced medicine. The Bentley family attended St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and needed all the consolation and prayers that the church community could offer when Ellen passed away on March 9, 1904 at the age of 37. It must have been a difficult time for the males in the family: for David who had also lost his father at a young age, and for their three young sons, now without a mother. 

In June 1904, David became a member of the Mason Victoria Lodge No. 56. Two years after his wife’s death, 42-year-old widower Dr. David Bentley remarried on October 31, 1906, in St. Mary’s, Ontario. His second wife was Alice Shaw, 38, (nee Shepherd, born in Plympton), and the family continued to reside at 197 Wellington Street. In August 1907, Alice gave birth to Margaret Alice, their only child.

Fighting in the Great War was a young man’s game, but someone forgot to tell David Bentley the rules. On September 23, 1914, after leaving behind his practice and his family, 49-year-old Dr. David Bentley enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force with the First Contingent at Valcartier Camp, Quebec. He stood five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes and grey hair, recorded his trade or calling as physician, and his next-of-kin as his wife Alice of 195 Wellington Street. He was made a member of the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC), 2nd Field Ambulance, with the rank of major. Doctors were an invaluable commodity for the military during the war.

Dr. David Bentley went overseas in October 1914, first spending several months stationed at Salisbury Plains, England. In late November 1914, he wrote a letter home to A.F. McVicar, a friend of his in Sarnia. Following is a portion of that letter:

November 28, 1914

Dear Friend Alf,

…. I am sitting on my sleeping bag in my tent, one of those hospital tents, and by the way they are pretty comfortable, not withstanding the fact that the weather conditions are bad, rain nearly every day and mud, very bad around the camp. The Downs or Plains, are ideal for training purposes…land is very rolling, hills and valleys making it ideal for all sorts of training for every branch of the service, artillery, cavalry, infantry, etc.. Weather conditions have interfered very materially with the training, but all are keen for business and very little grumbling is ever heard.

At present we are acting as a clearing hospital for two brigades. We only keep patients for four days and all who are not fit are sent to a general hospital. We have ten ambulance wagons and about fifteen G.S. wagons, about 260 men and 11 officers, so you can judge about the amount of road space we take up when on the march. I am in command of B Section…

This is a great life, there being just enough variation to it to prevent it becoming monotonous. If we get across the channel I am sure we will find less comforts than at present. Most of the medical work so far is being attended to in this country as the wounded can be brought over within 24 hours or 48 hours and I believe some are in hospitals within a few hours of their being brought back from the firing line.

                                                                                                Yours very truly, Major D.B. Bentley

In early January 1915 while still in England, David wrote a letter to his wife Alice about his holiday time there. The following is an excerpt from that letter:

January 10th, 1915

I found one of your letters waiting for me on my return from holiday…. Capt. Fraser and I went to London and spent New Year’s Eve at the Savoy. I sent you their social calendar, which shows a picture of how the last night of the year is spent by society in London. Dinner began about 11 p.m. after which or during which the fun began, all sorts of bon bons (as noisy as firecrackers) being pulled, and grotesque headgear, etc., resulting. All were soon properly decorated, and all were soon friends. A delightful orchestra in every dining room enlivened the place. Then all adjourned to the beautiful ballroom, where the most beautiful women with most exquisite gowns were in crowds. I had only two dances, but such a crowd. On the following day we proceeded to Birmingham, where we stayed with friends of Capt. Fraser… Here we had a most enjoyable, old-fashioned, home-like visit, in a splendid old English home, with such comfortable rooms, cheery fireplaces, hot water heating and too much to eat….

On Sunday night we went to Edinburgh, which we found in such a fog that our pleasure there was not so great. However, we saw through the castle and did a little running around, staying at a splendid hotel…. On our return, we found to our surprise that our camp had been deserted, and new quarters taken in a grand old manor…. Two of our sections (200 men), are now conducting a hospital, with good large rooms, well heated, grates and hot water radiators, clean and comfortable….

On February 11, 1915, Dr. Bentley arrived in France with the Canadian Army Medical Corps. He wrote this letter to Alice upon his arrival.

Sunday, February 14, 1915

S.S. City of Dunkirk

Here we are on the coast of France at St. Navaire, after being on board since Tuesday night. We embarked at Avenmouth, near Bristol and had a rather rough voyage. Fortunately I was one of the few who was not seasick and never missed a meal. It would appear that we are due to remain on board until midnight as the tide is out and several other troop ships are in port ahead of us waiting. This is a cattle boat and accommodation rather limited for officers, but we managed to get on ok. Our men of course had their blankets and had to do as best they could on the floors between decks. Our horses came through in very good condition, but the poor animals have had no chance to lie down. Where we will go of course is not known, but the whole contingent will be here and will likely have some weeks or longer on the lines of communication before seeing the trenches. At present we are anchored in a bay within sight of a town.

            Our last month has been a very comfortable one as far as housing is concerned and about which I have written rather fully. We are in hopes that letters written on the boat will reach you earlier than if we waited until ashore. We are rather a long way from where Will is but may go in that direction. Our men are in good condition and will be ready for any emergency. Being pretty well up in the seniority list, I had a good place to sleep on the trip. It was too rough to get about on the ship very much, but I managed to take one look around and found many who were quite done up with sickness. However, all are around this morning and look quite recovered. Many kept quiet and did not appear for meals, but say they were not ill. Our whole unit are on the boat together with some artillery and the headquarters staff of the Highland Brigade.

As there is nothing very important about which to write on a short voyage like this, I will close with love to all at home who will be glad to know that we have not been exposed to submarines and have reached terra firma again.                                                                                                                         D.B. Bentley

David’s younger brother, William Bentley, was also a doctor—a dentist. At the age of 43, William enlisted on September 23, 1914—the same day as his brother. Both brothers embarked overseas to England in early October 1914. Serving as a dentist with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, Dr. William Bentley rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The paths that the two brothers took as the war progressed were markedly different.

In early February 1915, William, who was also with the No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital, wrote a letter to his friend H. Gorman in Sarnia. The following is a portion of that letter:

February 8, 1915 Le Touquet, Boulogne Base, France

Dear Sir,

I wish to tender my personal thanks for the copies of the Observer. It is certainly a source of much satisfaction, I can assure you, to us members of this corps from the home town to receive them…. I am glad to say

that the Sarnia quota are all in the very best of health and in excellent spirits. Our hospital is a credit to the

Dominion… While it is not as large and commodious as some of the others, nevertheless it enjoys the reputation of being one of the most thoroughly equipped in France. We provide accommodation at the present time for three hundred patients… Since opening we have taken care of a large number of wounded. Many of the cases have proven most interesting from a professional standpoint and the success of numerous operations performed have reflected much credit upon the status of our Medical Officers. We were recently honored by a visit from H.R.H. Prince of Wales… He expressed himself as being most favorably impressed with what he saw. Even the minutest detail was not slighted during his tour of inspection, every ward being visited.

I might also mention the fact that following the futile attacks of the enemy upon the Allies’ lines on the anniversary of the Kaiser’s birthday, we have had the first prisoners of war interned in our hospital. Subsequently they were transferred via hospital ship to England from Boulogne base, as soon as favorably convalescent to warrant them taking passage across the channel.

Life while on active service is one strenuous demand in the discharge of duties. We are kept constantly on the “go” to use a common expression. Ambulance trains are continually arriving from “rail head,” at irregular and intermittent periods, in fact any hour of the day or night, we never can tell, as we get but brief notice in advance of their coming, possibly a half an hour at the extreme, that is all. Therefore it may be seen that we are required to hold ourselves in readiness at all times, in order to be able to take care of all emergencies…

                                                                                                            Sincerely yours, W. J. Bentley

Dr. William Bentley served in both England and France with the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) and the Canadian Army Dental Corps (CADC). In January 1918, he was made a Member of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire (Military Division). The war ended in November 1918, and in June 1919, for his valuable services rendered in connection with the Great War, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He was discharged in July 1920 on general demobilization. In October 1924, Dr. William Bentley married Helen Addah Taylor in Sarnia, and the couple resided at 193 Queen Street in Sarnia. William Bentley, age 63, passed away in March 1934, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Captain John Adda MacDonald of the Army Medical Corps in France sent this letter to his parents on South Brock Street. MacDonald’s letter references the Bentley brothers and describes the process of handling the wounded at No. 2 Stationary Hospital, First Canadian Expeditionary Force, Le Touquet, France.

March 28th, 1915

Dear Father and Mother,

I received your letter of February 24 a day or so ago and was more than delighted to get it and know that all are well. We receive our mail quite regularly, a noncommissioned officer being to go to Bontogne daily for that purpose. Our Canadian mail comes in about two weeks, although I have known some mail to come in thirteen days. We have now been in France almost five months. About the first of December, we came here and converted a large hotel into one of the finest Field hospitals in France, and have been busy constantly ever since. In your letter you ask how we handle the wounded etc. Well, I will endeavour to give you a brief outline of the way we do it.

When a train load of wounded arrive, the ambulance drivers are immediately warned for duty, also the squad for duty at the train and when ready leave for the station, some distance away. Meanwhile the hospital is got in readiness for the reception of the wounded. Hot cocoa and oxo are prepared in the kitchen and by the time the first

ambulance arrives the sisters have the wards prepared. The patients are transferred from the ambulance to the

reception room where the registrar gets all particulars concerning the patient, such as name, rank, age, regiment, length of service, religion etc. They are then removed to the wards; by the way, we have ten wards, each bearing the name of a Canadian province. Ontario being the officer’s ward.

On arriving in the ward, the orderly removes all the patients clothing which is often torn and covered with mud and blood, and gives him a bath, then the patient receives medical attention. Often the wounded present a pitiful appearance, men with frightful wounds, covered with mud, but full of pluck and very seldom, even a murmer comes from them although they are suffering terrible pain in many cases, We have had very few deaths among the patients, thanks to the constant attention and good nursing care of the sisters, and the skillful surgery and treatment by the physicians. Often bullets and splinters are located by means of the x-ray. When I see a man all smashed up I wonder that he is alive at all, so bad are some of his wounds.

 Capt. Bentley is kept busy looking after “Tommy’s” teeth, and has a beautiful dental office fitted up with

field dental instruments. Staff Sergeant C. Luscombe, Sergt. Jack Smuck and Corp. S. Battley are all well and kept busy. I may add that the rumor of Jack Ward’s death was unfounded and Jack is very much alive. Corporal Battley is now in the wards and is acquiring a great deal of valuable information in surgery.

I heard indirectly from Maj. D.B. Bentley a short time ago and the major was quite well. I was in Bologne a short time ago and saw a London man, Sergt. Murray, who is attached to the post office department. Last night a large bundle of Observers arrived for me per kindness of Mrd. McGibbon who sends a bundle about every two weeks. I can assure you they looked good to me; after reading them I pass them on to the rest of the boys.

Hoping to hear from you soon, believe me.                     Yours lovingly, J.A. MACDONALD

NOTE: Other soldiers of No. 2 Stationary Hospital were referenced by Captain MacDonald:

Capt. Bentley – (later Lieutenant Colonel) is William Joseph Bentley, a younger brother of David’s, and a dental surgeon with the Canadian Army Dental Corps.

Sergeant Major John Crawford Luscombe – born in Sarnia (son of James Luscombe) and survived the war.

Lance Sergeant John (Jack) Wesley Smuck – born in Point Edward (son of Emily Smuck) and survived the war; however, his brother, David Smuck, did not (his story is included The Sarnia War Remembrance Project).

Corporal Sinclair Battley – service #34267, survived the war.

Lance Corporal Jack Ward – born in Courtright, the son of Joseph E. Ward of Sarnia, and survived the war.

Note: Another letter written by Captain John Adda MacDonald is in The Sarnia War Remembrance Project.

In April 1915, Private John Carolan, of Sarnia, wrote a letter home describing how he owed his life to Dr. David Bentley. Pte. Carolan was hit on April 23 at Ypres. He was with his unit of the 1st Battalion and rushing to fill a breach in British defence lines when he declared he felt a burning pain in his head. The Observer covered the story in October of 1915. The following is a portion of that story:

Shot through the head during the hottest part of the engagement of Canadian troops at Ypres, Pte. John Carolan of Sarnia, declares he owes his life to Dr. Bentley. When Carolan was carried to the rear, among hundreds of others who had fallen under the grueling fire from the enemy’s guns, practically unconscious from the loss of blood and exposure on the battlefield, about the first face he recognized was that of Dr. Bentley. “Why that’s one of my boys” Carolan says he remembers coming from the doctor’s lips through the haze. Dr. Bentley at once gave Carolan the immediate attention that was needed if his life was to be saved. The result of that attention is that Carolan is now well on to the road to recovery. The wounds in his skull, where the bullet entered and plowed its way out, are practically healed, and give him little trouble he says, although at times there is a burning and almost unbearable pain in his head. His left arm is partly paralyzed, but this too, doctors have declared, will be better in time.

John Carolan was born in Ireland and resided for many years in Africa and the East. After being wounded, John was honourably discharged and returned to Canada. More information on John Carolan is in The Sarnia War Remembrance Project.

In late April 1915, while still in France, Dr. David Bentley wrote another letter home to his wife Alice. The following is a portion of that letter:

April 30th, 1915

My Dear Alice,

You have no doubt read of this terrific battle in which our good Canadian troops played such an important part. It is impossible for me to describe just what our brave men did. I had been waiting for several days for leave… when this sudden battle began. I am glad indeed that I had not got away for our experience was one which we may

never again witness. I was at the main dressing station and during the four days there passed through our hands an average of 600 wounded daily. I worked through it all and was able to give attention to a great number. I had two tables going all the time and had one patient being prepared while attending to another. This went on for hours and hours without let up. Two or three other officers were doing similar work, so you can imagine how fast they were cared for. Some of our officers and all of our bearers were at advanced dressing stations and in the trenches caring for and removing the wounded back. We had three of our men killed, 15 men wounded but no officers killed or wounded. Considering the severe character of the fighting it is really miraculous that our casualties were not greater. Our men worked unceasingly and bravely through it all and gave us every reason to be proud of them. James Mair and Sidney Smith, both from Sarnia, are among the wounded, and have been sent down to the base – neither are so far as I can learn, serious. As you will have read the Germans poured poisonous gases into the trenches, which rendered fighting very difficult, but it did not prevent our men from saving the situation and earning them the praise and gratitude of the British Empire.

At present we are some miles back in the country, giving our men a much needed rest for a few days. We are living in a field and bivouacking. I have a large tarpaulin for a tent, which is simply a pole with a water proof

covering over it…. Since coming here we have been sleeping, cleaning up and taking our ease and I can assure you

all very much needed the change after five days and nights of constant strain. When not working we could not rest for we were shelled out of every place we were in and some of the buildings which we occupied as dressing stations are now in ruins. It is feared that our last mail was burned, as our post office was set on fire by an incendiary shell and no trace so far has been found of it. Hoping to soon write you from England.

                                                                                                                        Yours lovingly, D.B. Bentley

During his three months in France, Dr. David Bentley served on the front lines between Armentieres and Ypres and then through the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium where he was slightly gassed. By the early part of May 1915, he had returned to England, where he was appointed to the command of the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Monk’s Horton Hospital, in Kent. He wrote a letter to Alice to inform her of the news. In part, it reads as follows:

London, May 4, 1915

My Dear Alice,

Just a few lines today to let you know that I am back in England and have orders to proceed to Shorncliffe tomorrow afternoon to take command of and to complete the organization of the Canadian Convalescent Camp. I received a very warm reception this morning when I presented myself to the General, due there is no doubt, to the fact that he has received none but good reports of the efficient work of the Canadian Field Ambulances in the recent engagements in Belgium. I have gone over all the correspondence having a bearing on the work of organization and find that although a lot has been done there still remains much to be done to complete the organization. I hope to be

able to call to my assistance several of my old officers and N.C.O.’s, particularly those who have already done good service under trying conditions and have earned a change. I have another reason to hope for this as it will make way for some of the officers of the later contingents to get nearer to the firing line where they will be better able to redeem the good name of their native land as some are reported to have said they intend doing.

This afternoon I took a trip out a few miles to see another convalescent home for Canadian officers, which has just been opened out at Bromley Park Hotel, Kent…. The city is still kept pretty dark at night, but the general gaity indoors keeps up pretty well. Most of the men in khaki that one sees however have a decided limp or are carrying an arm in a sling. I somehow felt as if I should find a quiet corner and keep in the shade as I have no sign of having gone through the horrors of war. I can tell a remarkably thrilling story however, if necessary, but so far I have not been challenged to say why I am here.                                               With love to yourself and the children.

                                                                                                                        Yours lovingly, D.B. Bentley

In June 1915, Dr. Bentley wrote a letter home to his friend Mr. Gorman in Sarnia, in which he described the

Canadian Convalescent Hospital, in Kent. The hospital’s purpose was to accept and to care for all convalescing Canadians from the many different hospitals in France and England. The following is a portion of that letter:

Monks Horton, Kent, England, near Hythe, June 20th, 1915

My Dear Mr. Gorman,

… we are now serving our mother land and camping on the grounds where the Royal Canadian regiment were camped 57 years ago. The old Cinque Ports are still interesting places and the old forts and canals still remain, though of no military value today…. The old Roman road from Hythe to Canterbury runs past this estate and I often think how nice it would be if we could exchange some of these old roads for the paved street in Sarnia which has to be taken up every winter and laid again in the spring…

The hospital is one which will most probably develop to immense proportions as it is intended as a clearing house for all Canadian sick and wounded who are ready to leave the ordinary hospitals in all parts of the British Isles, but are not as yet fit for duty. Here they will receive further treatment, will be fed, comfortably housed or tented, given such work or recreation as each individual case demands until such time as it is decided that they are again fit for duty or should be otherwise disposed of. We are being provided with indoor and outdoor games and the estate is one which lends itself admirably to all sorts of outdoor enjoyment. There are beautiful hedges, wooded areas, fine gardens and everything which goes to make one enjoy living…. We hope to have a number of motor vehicles in time with which to entertain our boys who so well deserve all the comfort which can be given them. Even now we seldom go on a business trip without taking one or more of them along for a motor ride…

Already we have had splendid results from this country life to poor chaps who came to us in very nervous conditions due to the effect of wounds and the shock of continued exposure to shell fire, and we hope to do great benefit to many more who might otherwise do badly….                                      Yours very truly, D.B. Bentley

In August 1915, Alice and her three step-sons Othel, Albert and David Jr., arrived in England from Sarnia.

While there, on August 26, 1915, David Jr., at the age of 15 years and seven months, enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. The medical doctor who examined him and pronounced him fit for service was his father, Major Dr. David Benjamin Bentley.

Private David Bentley Jr. served most of the war in England with the Canadian Army Medical Corps Base Depot Medical Stores. He did serve briefly in France at the end of the war with the Canadian Army Dental Corps at 4th Canadian Clearing Casualty Clearing Station. Private Bentley Jr. was discharged on demobilization in May 1919 and returned to Sarnia to 195 Wellington Street.

In September 1915, Dr. David Bentley wrote the following letter to his friends Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Chittick in Sarnia:

Malvern House, East Park Terrace, Southampton, August 18, 1915.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Chittick,

I wish to thank you for your thoughtful remembrances. Mrs. B. and the youngsters had a very nice voyage and got by without meeting any “tin fishes”. I met them at Liverpool and we came direct to this place. This town is quite a pretty place in which to live and our windows look out on one of its many pretty parks. It is only a short run by boat from here to the Isle of Wight. There are also some large Forest Parks not far from here, numerous military camps, remount depots with horses and mules by the thousand. There is a good “tram car” service and train service to all the places of interest near by.

We get a lot of rainfall here, and although the heat is not so great as at home the humidity of the atmosphere makes one feel rather lazy. David is not particularly pleased by the remarks which he hears passed about his bloomers. All the boys here, or nearly all, wear tight fitting long trousers. So he is quite an attraction. As the only Canadians in this town are my own small staff, we are quite conspicuous. English people however, have an unbounded respect for Canadians, as they all know the good work done by the mistrusted and unjustly criticized “First Canadian Contingent”                                                            With love, yours very truly, D.B. Bentley

The previous month, Dr. David Bentley, a major, had been appointed to command the Canadian Medical Stores, Base Depot, in Southampton, England. He wrote a letter home to his friends A.B. Johnston and Alex J. Kelly in Sarnia. The following is an excerpt from that letter:

August 18, 1915

My Dear Friends,

Just a few lines to let you both know where I am and what I have been doing. The fortunes of war have now

placed me as O.C. of the Canadian Medical Stores, Base Depot, Southampton, with a small unit made up of a quartermaster, one staff sergeant, two corporals and five men. Our work here is to assemble all technical, medical and ordnance equipment for Canadian hospitals going overseas….

My office is in the docks and here we see troops passing through daily, the train being run into the docks and the troops at once placed on board the numerous transports in waiting. We don’t ask questions or give information as to how many there are or as to their destination, but we know and see the best troops obtainable in the world passing on their way to do battle with our enemies in all parts of the war zone. Were it not for the presence of so many khaki uniforms one would scarcely know there was a war on. In this port too, we see numerous hospital trains daily coming to meet the hospital ships, take on their load of wounded and depart for the numerous hospitals in all parts of the British Isles…. The organization of the medical service from the firing line back to the hospitals in England is well high perfect, and I have had an opportunity of observing it from both extremes….

I hope some day to have an opportunity of giving you an account of some of our experiences during the last few days of April in Ypres, Brielen, Vlanenturghe and Poperinghe. It was one of the grandest and most terrific exhibitions of fireworks which I ever witnessed for with every explosion there was something happening either overhead, or around us. To attempt to write about it is rather a huge task. Give my regards to all the old boys.

Yours very truly, D.B. Bentley

Major Bentley had never been well after his time in France, but was always able to look after his duties. In mid-December 1916, he consulted a specialist who sent him to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley. He remained for some weeks but did not improve much. Diagnosed with “chronic interstitial Nephritis with high blood pressure”, his treatment included complete rest in bed, light diet and small doses of iodides. After spending a few days with his family, he was sent to a Canadian Hospital at Ramsgate in mid-February 1917, where he was listed as “dangerously ill”. For a few weeks his condition seemed to have improved; however, by the first of April he

developed pneumonia that his weakened body could not shake. On April 3, he was listed as “dangerously ill”. The next day his condition was assessed as “critically ill and sinking rapidly”.  

  During his last weeks in Ramsgate, Dr. Bentley longed for his beloved home on Wellington Street. On April 5, 1917, Major David Benjamin Bentley passed away at Granville Hospital, Ramsgate, Kent, England. At his bedside when he passed were his wife Alice, their daughter Margaret (age 10), his son David Jr. (age 17) and his brother, William. The cause of death was officially recorded as Nephritis Chr. And Lobar Pneumonia, Left.

Major Bentley was posthumously awarded the following medals: The British War Medal, the Silver Memorial Cross and the 1914-1915 Star. The Lambton County Archives is currently in possession of these medals. Alice presented additional personal items to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62, Sarnia. These items—the doctor’s officer’s riding crop and spurs—are preserved and on display at the Legion.

Fifty-two-year-old Doctor David Benjamin Bentley is buried at Ramsgate and St. Lawrence Cemetery, Kent, United Kingdom. Grave LA.657. He was laid there with full military honours—a large firing party of perhaps three

hundred from the Queen’s Regiment fired a salute and the Queen’s Buglers sounded the “Last Post”.

On his headstone are inscribed the words AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE SHALL REMEMBER THEM. At Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia, a headstone commemorates David and Alice Bentley. On their headstone are inscribed these words: IN MEMORY OF MAJOR DAVID B. BENTLEY M.D. 1864 – 1917 WHO DIED AND IS BURIED IN RAMSGATE, KENT ENGLAND. HIS WIFE ALICE BENTLEY 1868 – 1947. The name of Sarnia’s oldest fallen soldier in the Great War is inscribed on Sarnia’s cenotaph.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Cameron Bissett was born in Brooke Township, Ontario on October 30, 1896, the only son of Scottish born parents, Cameron R. Sr. and Margaret (nee Smith) Bissett. Cameron R. Bissett Sr. (born September 1863) and Margaret Smith (born February 1866) at some point immigrated to Canada, either with their families or by themselves. On May 18, 1892 they were married at Margaret’s residence in Plympton Township. Cameron Sr. farmed in Brooke Township to support Margaret and their children: Margaret Jane (Maggie, born August 21, 1892); Elizabeth (born November 13, 1893) and Cameron Jr. The Bissett family were members of St. Andrew’s congregation, Inwood. In 1901, four-year-old Cameron Bissett was residing in Brooke Township with George Bissett, 31, his uncle and the son of James and Jane Bissett, who had emigrated from Scotland in 1889.

Years later, Cameron’s two sisters both married. Elizabeth Bissett became Mrs. Ed Ironsides and resided in North Brooke Township. His sister Margaret Jane married George Reid on December 13, 1911 in Petrolia. Margaret Jane and George Reid resided at 136 Dundas Street, Sarnia. Despite being in her early twenties, Margaret Jane (nee Bissett) Reid became a war widow when her husband, George, was killed in a training accident in London, Ontario. George Reid’s story is included in The Sarnia War Remembrance Project.

As the war dragged on in Europe, with the Canadian troops thinning at an alarming rate, and no end to the war in sight, the government instituted the Military Service Act (MSA) in July 1917. Cameron, 21, was drafted under the Military Service Act of 1917, Class One. After undergoing his medical examination in Sarnia on October 9, 1917, he was called to service on January 9, 1918. Cameron immediately reported to the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment in London, Ontario. He stood five feet eleven inches tall, had hazel eyes and light hair, was single, and was residing on Dundas Street in Sarnia with his family at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as a farmer and his next-of-kin as his mother Margaret Bissett of 136 Dundas Street.

Bissett became a member of the Canadian Infantry, Western Ontario Regiment, embarking overseas from Halifax for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Grampian on February 5, 1918. When he arrived 11 days later, Cameron became a member of the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion, stationed at Bramshott. After over four months of training in the U.K., he arrived in France on June 2, 1918, as a member of the 47th Battalion, British Columbia Regiment.

Approximately 125,000 men were conscripted into the CEF, and only 48,000 were sent overseas. The first conscripts went to France in April 1918. That summer, thousands more of them, mostly infantry, were funnelled across the English Channel to Canadian Corps reinforcement camps in France. Only about 24,000 Canadian MSA conscripts reached the Western Front lines. They helped keep the ranks of the ragged infantry battalions at or near full strength during the crucial final months of the war, thus allowing the Canadian Corps to continue fighting in a series of battles.

Private Bissett ended up fighting in what became known as The Hundred Days Campaign. The Hundred Days Campaign (August 8 – November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium) was the “beginning of the end” of the Great War. Canadians were called on again and again over the three-month period to lead the offensives against the toughest German defences. The series of victories repeatedly drove the Germans back, culminating in Germany’s unconditional surrender on November 11, but it came at a high price: approximately 46,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing.

The first offensive in the Campaign was the Battle of Amiens in France (August 8-14, 1918), a truly all-arms battle, one in which all four Canadian divisions were involved. Over the course of one week, in a battle that British Field Marshal Douglas Haig called “the finest operation of the war”, the Canadians would advance nearly 14 kms.

The second offensive in the Campaign was the Battle of Arras and Breaking the DQ Line in France (August 26-September 3, 1918), where Canadians were part of a spearhead force tasked with crashing one of the most heavily fortified positions, the Hindenburg Line—a series of strong defensive trenches and fortified villages. General Sir Julian Byng called the Canadian victory at the 2nd Battle of Arras and breaking of the DQ Line “the turning point of the campaign”, but it came at a cost of 11,400 Canadian casualties. 

On September 3, 1918, three months after arriving in France and less than eight months after being conscripted to service, Private Cameron Bissett was killed by enemy shellfire while fighting in the 2nd Battle of Arras/DQ Line. Cameron Bissett’s Circumstances of Death register records the following: Date of Casualty: 3-9-18. “Killed in Action”. This soldier was instantly killed by an enemy shell bursting close to him as he was ‘digging in’ with the rest of his company just after an advance. Location of Unit at time of Casualty: Near Saudemont. Cemetery: Provisional & Missing Memorial. Reported location of Grave: Sht. 5lb.P.24.c.90.10.

In mid-September 1918, Margaret received a telegram informing her that her only son, Cameron, had been killed in action on September 3rd, 1918. Twenty-one-year-old Cameron Bissett has no known grave. He is memorialized on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

*[Note: Ontario Birth Records record Cameron’s middle name as Robertson, but his Military Records record it as Robert].

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Mason Bolton was born in Adelaide, Lambton County, Ontario, on June 18, 1895, the youngest son of Charles J. and Sarah (nee Scott) Bolton. Charles J. Bolton (born January 1863) and Sarah Scott (born December 1865) were married on October 20, 1886 in Warwick Township. Mason had an older brother, Frederick George, born in Strathroy on September 19, 1891. Charles initially supported his wife and two sons by farming. In 1901, the Bolton family was residing in Middlesex West District, but a decade later, they were residing at 122 South Forsyth Street in Sarnia. Sometime after 1911, the family moved out west, residing at R.R. #1, Chilliwack, British Columbia. Both Bolton sons served in the Great War.  

Frederick Bolton, 23, enlisted on May 1, 1915 in Montreal, becoming a member of the 27th Battery, 7th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery (CFA), CEF. He was employed as a Royal Bank clerk at the time and recorded his next-of-kin as his father Charles J. Bolton in Chilliwack, B.C. Gunner Frederick Bolton arrived in Plymouth, England on August 18, 1915. His rise in the ranks was rapid.

Five months later, Frederick embarked for France, arriving in Havre on January 18, 1916. In mid-November of 1916, he was appointed in the field as Acting Bombardier of the 7th Brigade. In late August 1917, he was promoted to Bombardier of the 4th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery.

His good fortune ran out two months later on October 30, 1917 when he was killed in action in Belgium. Bombardier Frederick Bolton’s Circumstances of Death Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 30-10-17. “Killed in action” at Zonnebeke. Brandhoek New Military Cemetery. 1 ¼ miles West of Vlamertinghe, Belgium. Frederick George Bolton, 26, is buried in Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3, Belgium, Grave I.M.16.

Frederick’s younger brother, Mason, was living on Welwyn Street in Vancouver, B.C. and working as a

mercantile reporter when he enlisted. Mason Bolton, 20, enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Vancouver on February 22, 1916 (nine months after his older brother Frederick had enlisted). A strapping young man, he stood six feet tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, and was single at the time. He recorded his next-of-kin as his mother Mrs. C. Bolton of Chilliwack, B.C. He was originally a member of the 68th Overseas Depot Field Battery, but by early June 1916, he was stationed at Camp Petawawa and was then transferred to the 3rd Section, 4th Canadian Division Ammunition Column (DAC), Canadian Field Artillery (CFA).

Private Mason Bolton embarked overseas from Halifax for the United Kingdom on September 12, 1916 aboard S.S. Northland. Disembarking in Liverpool, England 10 days later, he became a member of the 15th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, stationed at Camp Witley. Four months later, on January 25, 1917, Mason completed his Military Will on the required page of his Pay Book. He wrote, “In the event of my death I give the whole of my property and effects to my Mother Mrs. Chas. J. Bolton R.R. #1, Chilliwack, B.C. Canada”. He signed the Will with Mason W. Bolton, Driver, 3rd Sec. 4th DAC.

On March 13, 1917, Mason was posted to the 82nd Howitzer Battery. Five days later, he arrived in France as a member of the 2nd Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, with the rank of Gunner. Unfortunately, he survived only eight weeks of fighting in France. 

On May 11, 1917, Private Mason Bolton was killed as a result of multiple shot or shell wounds in his head, body and legs. He was taken from the battlefield but died as a result of his wounds at No. 4 Canadian Field Ambulance. His Circumstances of Death Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 11-5-17. “Died of Wounds” at No. 4 Canadian Field Ambulance. Aux Rietz Military Cemetery. South West of Neuville St. Vaast, 3 ¾ miles North of Arras, France.

His death, outside a formal, designated battle, was a common occurrence. In the daily exchange of hostilities—incessant artillery, snipers, mines, gas shells, trench raids, and random harassing fire—the carnage was routine and inescapable. High Command’s term for these losses was “wastage.”

Twenty-one-year-old Mason Walter Bolton is buried in La Targette British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, Grave II.A.14.

For parents Charles and Sarah Bolton, only five months after they learned that their son Mason lost his life in France, they were informed that his older brother Frederick, age 26, was killed in action in Belgium.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo