World War I Fallen: T-Z

Daniel Thomson was born in Alvinston, Ontario, on June 24, 1894, the youngest son of Daniel Sr. (a carpenter, born about 1858) and Ellen (nee Gunn) Thomson, who was 12 years her husband’s junior. After getting married on January 6, 1891, in Alvinston, Daniel, 33, and Ellen, 21, spent some time in Dawn Township before moving to 338 Cameron Street in Sarnia. They were blessed with five children: Alvin Ernest (born April 10, 1891); William James Connell (born September 15, 1892, passed away at the age of 11 on October 23, 1903 due to diptheria); Daniel Alexander Edward (born 1894): Mary Margaret (born September 2, 1896); and Kathleen (born August 21, 1898).

Tragedy struck the Thomson family in March 1899 when Daniel Sr. passed away. At the time, Daniel Jr. was only four years old, and their daughter Kathleen was only seven months old.

Ellen Thomson remarried on December 30, 1902, to Lawrence “Larry” Roberts, a labourer in Kent County. Ellen and Larry had three daughters together—stepsisters for Daniel and his siblings: Katherine “Katie” Elizabeth (born March 18, 1905); Annie Violet (born June 14, 1908); and Velma (born February 10, 1911). In 1911, the Thomson/Roberts family was residing together at 458 George Street, Sarnia. Living Larry and Ellen Roberts were their children: Alvin (age 20, employed as a machinist, along with Alvin’s wife Fyrne Levina); Daniel Jr. (age 16, employed with the railroad); Mary (age 14); and Kathleen (age 12) Thomson; and Katie (age 6); Annie (age 3); and Velma (age 8-months) Roberts.

Daniel’s older brother, Alvin Ernest Thomson, 24, also enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary

Force in Sarnia, on December 22, 1915. He did so two weeks after Daniel Jr., had enlisted. Employed as a machinist, Alvin was residing at 276 Maria Street at the time, with his wife Fyrne Levina Thomson, who he recorded as his next-of-kin. Alvin, like his brother, became a member of the Lambton 149th Battalion. 

Nine months later, Alvin was discharged, the result of being A.W.L. Three months later, on December 27, 1916, Alvin enlisted again with the 149th Battalion in London, Ontario. Alvin and Fyrne were residing at 196 Penrose Street in Sarnia at the time. Unfortunately, for Private Alvin Thomson, he never had the opportunity to serve overseas. Two months after his second enlistment, on February 9, 1917, he was struck off strength from the 149th Battalion, declared as medically unfit for service (his index and middle finger of his left hand were missing, lost in a corn shredder accident).

Daniel Alexander Edward Thomson, 21, enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on December 7, 1915, in Sarnia, two weeks before his older brother Alvin enlisted. Daniel stood five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was single, and recorded his present address as Sarnia, Ontario. He also recorded his trade or calling as labourer, and his next-of-kin as his mother, Ellen Roberts, who was residing in Dawn (R.R. #2, Sarnia), Ontario. Her address was later changed to 252 Shamrock Street, Sarnia.

Daniel became a member of the 149th Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment, CEF, and during his initial training, he was injured a couple of times. On July 22, 1916, he sprained his ankle and was admitted to the hospital at Camp Borden. He was discharged three days later. On November 7, 1916, he was promoted to the rank of lance corporal. On January 22, 1917, he was admitted to the Military Hospital in London, the result of a sprained wrist and injury to his hand. After having a splint applied and with his injuries improving, he was discharged from the hospital on January 30, 1917.

Approximately 15 months after enlisting, on March 25, 1917, Daniel Thomson Jr. embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Lapland. He arrived in Liverpool on April 7, 1917, and from the Segregation Camp, was transferred to the 25th Reserve Battalion, CEF, at Bramshott. Less than two months later, on June 1, 1917, he was taken on strength into the 161st Canadian Infantry Battalion at Camp Witley. Eight months later, on February 28, 1918, Private Daniel Thomson Jr. proceeded from Camp Witley and arrived in France where he became a member of the Canadian Infantry, 47th Battalion, British Columbia Regiment.

Early in the summer of 1918, Allied Commanders proposed a plan to take advantage of German disarray following their failed Spring Offensive. Canadian troops were to play a key role as “shock troops” in cracking the German defences. They spent two months preparing for what became their Hundred Days Campaign.

Approximately five months after arriving in France, Daniel was taking part in this 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—but it came at a cost of 11,822 Canadian casualties.

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 DQ (Drocourt-Queant) Line was the very heart of the German defence system in this area of France—the Germans had spent two years building this heavily fortified and well-defended barrier. The assault began on September 2 at 4:50 a.m. with Canadian troops leaping from their forward trenches and moving forward closely behind a massive creeping barrage. Against nearly unimaginable odds, bombed mercilessly by enemy shellfire, and raked by machine guns, the battered Canadians advanced through two days of intense fighting, and succeeded in breaking the DQ Line. Some military experts called the attack on this objective the hardest single battle of the war for the Canadian Corps.

On September 3, 1918, during this brutal offensive on the DQ Line, Private Daniel Thomson Jr. of the 47th Battalion, was killed in action. His body was never recovered. He was simply recorded as the following: Date of Casualty: 3-9-18. Killed in Action.

Shortly after Daniel was killed in action, communication from the military about his death was sent to his mother, Mrs. Ellen Roberts c/o Mr. George Pilkey, R.R. #1 (12th Line), Corunna, Ontario.

Twenty-four-year-old Daniel Thomson Jr. has no known grave. He is memorialized on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Edward Arthur Timpson was born in Great King’s Hill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, on August 25, 1893, the son of Edward Osborne and Hester Augusta (nee Fulford) Timpson, both of Great King’s Hill, England.

NOTE: This birthdate is based on what Edward recorded on his Attestation Paper when he enlisted. Therefore, in his military Personnel Records, his age at enlistment and age at death are based on this birthdate; however, in both the 1901 and 1911 England and Wales Census records, Edward’s birth year is recorded as 1897. The England and Wales Civil Registration Birth Index record his birthdate as sometime in October-November-December 1896. [These records also list his first name as Edwin vs. Edward. Throughout his military Personnel Records, he signed his first name as Edward]. Based on the England/Wales census and birth index, it is possible that Edward Timpson lied about his age at enlistment. He may have been three or four years younger than the age he recorded.

On December 19, 1880, Edward Osborne Timpson, born 1856 in Buckinghamshire, England, married Hester Augusta Fulford of Hertfordshire, England, who was also born in 1856. The marriage took place at St. James in Paddington, Westminister, England, and, over the years, Edward Sr. and Hester were blessed with 10 children together: Charles Edward (born 1881); Mary Augusta (born 1883); Claritta Elizabeth Ellen (born 1884); Lilian Eliza (born 1886); Frank (born 1888); Harry Osborne (born 1890); Lucy Alice (born 1892); William Herbert (born 1894); Edward Arthur (born 1893 or 1897); and Isabel Elizabeth (born 1899).

In 1891, the Timpson household included parents Edward Sr. and Hester and their six children: Charles Edward, Mary Augusta, Claritta, Lilian Eliza, Frank and Harry Osborne Timpson. In 1901, the Timpson family was residing in Great King’s Hill where Edward Sr. supported his family as a carpenter and nine children lived with them: Charles Edward (a carpenter), Lilian Eliza, Frank, Harry Osborne, Lucy Alice, William Herbert, Edwin Arthur (age 4), and Isabel Elizabeth. Ten years later, in 1911, most members of the Timpson family were still residing together in Great King’s Hill, England—parents Edward Sr. (a carpenter) and Hester and their five children: Frank (age 23, an upholsterer); Harry Osborne (age 21, a grocer); William Herbert (age 16, a baker); Edwin Arthur (age 14); and Isabel Elizabeth (age 11), and a granddaughter Gertrude Clarrita Timpson (age 8).

Older brother Charles Edward Timpson, who married in 1905, immigrated to Canada in 1913, along with his wife Elizabeth (nee Shorey) and their three children at the time: Ena Myrtle, Stanley Frederick and George Edward. Charles and Elizabeth Timpson resided at 178 Penrose Street, Sarnia, and Charles supported his family by working as a carpenter. Charles and Elizabeth had two more children together: Margaret and Jean Timpson.

Edward Arthur Timpson immigrated to Canada the year after his older brother Charles. Edward departed from Southampton, England, and Cobh, Ireland, aboard S.S. Andania and arrived in the port of Quebec on May 10, 1914. He was recorded as 19 years old, his intended destination as Sarnia, his former occupation as gardener, and his intended occupation as fruit farmer.                                                        

Prior to enlisting, Edward was employed by A. Macklin, florist, in Sarnia. In 1915, both Charles and Edward Timpson were residing at 295 Mitton St., N. Twenty-one-year-old Edward Timpson enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on January 14, 1915 in Sarnia. He stood six feet and one inch tall, had hazel eyes and black hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as gardener, and his next-of-kin as his father, Edward Timpson Sr., of Great King’s Hill, Buckinghamshire, England. Edward Timpson became a member of the 34th Battalion, CEF.

Nine months after enlisting, on October 23, 1915, Private Edward Timpson embarked overseas bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. California. He arrived in England on November 1, 1915, and was initially stationed at Camp Bramshott. Three months later, on February 3, 1916, he was transferred to the 23rd Battalion, stationed at West Sandling, and three weeks after that, on February 26, he was promoted to acting corporal.

Three months later, on May 25, 1916, Edward reverted to the rank of private on his request and was transferred to the 2nd Battalion. The next day, May 26, Private Edward Timpson arrived in France, where he was taken on strength into the 10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment. He departed the Canadian Base Depot in France on June 6, 1916, where he joined the 10th Battalion in the field the next day. Nine days later, on June 16, 1916, Edward was promoted in the field to lance corporal in the 10th Battalion.

For more than a year-and-a-half after Timpson joined this unit, as part of the 1st Canadian Division, the 10th Battalion took part in many of the significant battles involving the Canadian Corps in France and Belgium. This included the Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916)—one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in history; the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9-12, 1917)—the first time (and last time in the war) that all four divisions of the Canadian Corps, with soldiers from every region in the country, surged forward simultaneously; the Attack on Hill 70 and Lens (August 15-25, 1917)—where they faced enemy flame-throwers and mustard gas for the first time; and the Battle of Passchendaele (October 26 – November 10, 1917)—one waged in unceasing rain on a battlefield that was a nightmarish mess of rotting, mangled corpses, gagging gas, water-filled craters, and glutinous mud.

Miraculously, Edward Timpson survived these momentous battles, and on two occasions during that time, he was promoted in rank: on August 22, 1917, he was appointed acting corporal, and less than two months after that, on October 10, 1917, he was promoted to corporal in the 10th Battalion.

Early in the summer of 1918, Allied Commanders proposed a plan to take advantage of German disarray following their failed Spring Offensive. Canadian troops were to play a key role as “shock troops” in cracking the German defences. They spent two months preparing for what became their final great campaign of the war. Edward was soon embroiled in this campaign, one that featured intense and brutal fighting as the end of the war neared.

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—but it came at a cost of 11,822 Canadian casualties.

On August 15, 1918, ten days before his 25th birthday, Corporal Edward Timpson was wounded in action—hit by enemy shellfire, during the final days of the Battle of Amiens. He was taken to No. 47 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) where his wounds were recorded as “SW (shell or shrapnel wound) penet. Abdomen and SW hand and leg right and neck.” Later that day, Corporal Edward Timpson passed away as a result of his wounds at No. 47 Casualty Clearing Station. Edward’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records him as Date of Death: 15-8-18. Died of Wounds – No. 47 Casualty Clearing Station. S.W. Penet abdomen etc…

Edward’s remains were buried in Dury Hospital Military Cemetery, ¾ miles South of Amiens, and later exhumed and reburied at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.

In mid-September 1918, Charles, still residing at 142 Penrose Street, received the news of his brother’s death. Edward was the second Timpson son to lose his life in the war. Three years prior to Edward’s death, his brother William Herbert Timpson, had been killed in action with the British Army in Flanders. Private William Herbert Timpson, of the 10th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, was killed in action on September 25th, 1915.

A third brother, Harry Osborne Timpson, had also enlisted with the British Army when the war broke out. Harry Timpson survived the war. It is worth noting that Edward’s mother, Hester Augusta Timpson, and her sister, Mrs. Nash, both residing in England, had ten sons in their families, eight of whom enlisted. Of the three Timpson boys who enlisted, two lost their lives in war—Edward Arthur and William Herbert.

Edward Arthur Timpson, 24, is buried in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Somme, France, Grave VI.AA.10.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Norman Towers was born in Sarnia, Ontario, on October 7, 1887, the youngest son of Thomas Foard and

Mary Ann (nee Huggart) Towers. Thomas Foard Towers, born November 1845, in Airth, Stirlingshire, Scotland, emigrated from Scotland with his family in 1856. Sixteen years later, on September 17, 1873, 27-year-old Thomas married 27-year-old Mary Ann Huggart (who was born July 1846, Durham, Ontario) in Putnamville, North Dorchester, Middlesex, Ontario.

By 1875, Thomas and Mary Ann Towers were residing in Sarnia, and eventually at 231 College Avenue, N., where they raised six sons together: Alfred St. Clair (born April 21, 1875); Robert Irwin (born October 29, 1876); James Crawford (born November 17, 1879, passed away on November 15, 1910 due to carcinoma of liver, leaving behind his wife Florence and their 7-month old son James); Gordon King (born June 18, 1881); Thomas Logan (born July 15, 1884) and Norman Ewart (born 1887). Over the years, Thomas Towers supported his family by working at a number of occupations, including being a bookkeeper, a clerk, an accountant, and a hardware merchant. In 1895, Thomas was a member of the Lambton 27th Battalion, St. Clair Borderers, along with his 19-year-old son Robert.

In 1891, the Towers household in Sarnia included parents Thomas (a book keeper) and Mary Ann, along with their children: Alfred (a bank clerk), Robert, James, Gordon, Thomas and four-year-old Norman Ewart, along with 70-year-old Agnes Towers, the mother of Thomas. Ten years later, in 1901, the Towers household included parents Thomas (an accountant) and Mary Ann, along with their children: Robert (a barrister), James (an assistant bookkeeper), Thomas, and 13-year-old Norman Ewart, along with their general servant, 22-year-old Mary Toban.

Two of Norman’s brothers, Robert Irwin and Thomas Logan, also served overseas during the Great War. Thirty-eight-year-old Robert Irwin, a barrister at law, enlisted on September 14, 1915, in London, Ontario. Robert completed his Officers’ Declaration Paper soon after and was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel with the 70th Battalion, CEF. In April 1916, he embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom. In England, he was appointed a member of the Board for adjustment of Regimental Funds. In February 1917, Robert was appointed President of Regiment Funds Board. He returned to Canada in May 1917. Robert Towers was discharged from service and struck off strength in October 1917.

Thirty-year-old Thomas Logan, a physician, enlisted in Guelph in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on January 25, 1915. Initially, Thomas was appointed the medical officer of the 108th Regiment with the rank of lieutenant. In June 1915, he embarked overseas, and once in England, was taken on strength into the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC). He was appointed captain, and was initially attached to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Monks, Horton. On July 6, 1916, the then Major Thomas Towers arrived in France, as a member of the CAMC. He served in a number of general hospitals and Canadian field ambulance units in France. Thomas Towers survived the war and was struck off strength on general demobilization in May 1919.

Norman Ewart Towers was educated at Sarnia’s public and high school and then attended the University of Toronto, first receiving his Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) 1905-08 degree, followed by his law degree in 1911. Norman became a barrister and practiced law in Port Arthur, Ontario, with the firm of Keefer, Keefer & Towers.

Twenty-seven-year-old Norman Towers enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on April 15, 1915, in Port Arthur, Ontario (he completed a second Attestation Paper on April 30, 1915). Norman stood five feet seven inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was single, and was employed as a “barrister-at-law”. He

recorded that he was a member of the Active Militia, the 96th Lake Superior Regiment, and that he had four years prior military experience in the 1st Hussars, Canada. He also recorded his next-of-kin as his father, Thomas F. Towers, of Sarnia. Norman became a member of the Army, 52nd Reserve Battalion, CEF. Just prior to going overseas, Norman returned to Sarnia to visit his parents, family, and friends.

On June 17, 1915, Norman embarked overseas from Montreal bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Scandinavian with a special draft of 250 men from 52nd Battalion. On June 29, 1915, in England, he was transferred to the 32nd Reserve Battalion, CEF. One month later, on July 29, 1915, Lieutenant Norman Towers’ April 15, 1915 Attestation Paper was certified by a magistrate, and his Certificate of Medical Examination was signed at Shorncliffe Camp, England. Two months later, on September 23, 1915, he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). Five weeks later, on November 1, 1915, Lieutenant Norman Towers arrived in Boulogne, France, with the RCRs.

On November 15, 1915, Norman wrote a letter from France to his parents Thomas and Mary Ann in Sarnia. The following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Father,

I presume that by now mother will have received my letter and also post card. At present we are comfortably settled at billets. Each company billets by itself and there are seven of us in one room no larger than our sitting room at home and there we eat, and sleep and live, and also do our own cooking, but it is surprising what one can get used to when you try, and it is warm at night, which is a big consideration. Yesterday we saw a wonderful sight, aeroplanes dodging the anti-aircraft guns and on a tremendous scale it reminds one of trying to shoot hawks at a great height.

This country is an awfully pretty one, more so than England, and is just like the pictures one sees – particularly the long rows of tall trees laid in absolutely straight lines. Naturally, I can’t tell you anything of our position or movements, etc., but as yet we have not been in the front trenches, though we may be soon. Persistent rumors of peace negotiations are circulating, but I daresay you people at home know more about that than we do. The mail service is excellent and last night I got yours and mothers letters, and some others… I was the most envied man in the company that night, for letters are the main thing over here.

I find that I have brought over practically everything that I need, although my boots have shrunk a bit with the continued wet and I have come to the conclusion that the only way to do it is to buy boots at least two sizes too large – they are one of the main troubles over here, as there is lots of marching to do. In spots the mud is fearful, but nothing to what it would be if this war were round Oil Springs. Do you remember some of our trips out there and in particular the one when you and I and Rob and mother got lost coming home at night – it is still fresh in my memory.

Where we are just now, although the enemy were at one time in possession of it, there are no signs of war. Perriman and I were out for a walk today and it was just like one at home in the country. We both wished it might have been. From now on my letters will have to be shorter as the opportunities for them are few and as a rule we are dog-tired. I am enjoying the life immensely and will continue to do so for a time anyway – every moment there is something new. Be sure to write often as letters are doubly welcome now, and even if I only send a card, it will serve

to let you know that I am well and going. Much love as ever, to you both, and you are constantly in my thoughts, as I am sure I am in yours.

Yours lovingly, Ewart

Lt. N.E. Towers, “D” Company, R.C.R. Canadian Corps

Four months after writing the above letter, on March 13, 1916, Norman became a member of the 7th Canadian Light Trench Mortar Battery. Three months after that, on June 14, 1916, he was promoted to temporary captain, in command of the 7th Canadian Light Trench Mortar Battery.

Norman Towers was soon immersed in the gruesome fighting of the Battle of the Somme. Waged from July 1-November 18, 1916, it was one of the most futile and bloody 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. It was during this second major offensive of the Somme battle where Norman Towers was killed in action.

On September 19, 1916, three months after being promoted, Captain Norman Towers of the 7th Canadian Light Trench Mortar Battery was wounded in action during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette—he was hit multiple times by enemy gunfire. A Medical Case Sheet recorded that “Lieutenant Norman Towers of the RCR… was admitted to No. 2 Red Cross Hospital, Rouen, at about 4:00 a.m. on September 19, 1916”. Also on the Medical Case Sheet, the doctor recorded that Towers had “GSW Multiple” and “was suffering with multiple wounds involving scrotum and penis, right thigh and buttock, and left thigh”, and “On admission he was very collapsed and there were signs of ‘gas’ infection of the thighs”. Norman Towers was operated on by two doctors that morning at 9:30 a.m., where one doctor recorded, “shell fragments were removed from both thighs and gas gangrene present.”

The next day, on September 20, at No. 2 Red Cross Hospital, Rouen, Norman Towers was recorded as “GSW (gun-shot wound) buttock, dangerously ill”. Later the doctor added to Norman Towers Medical Case Sheet that “The patient never rallied & never became quite conscious & died at 1 A.M. Sept 20, 1916”.

Norman Towers’ Commonwealth War Graves Register records him as Date of Death: 20-9-16. Died of Wounds No. 2 Red Cross Hospital, Rouen.

On September 20, 1916, Norman’s parents in Sarnia received two telegrams, both from the official war records office in Ottawa. The two official telegrams read as follows:

Thos. F. Towers, Sarnia, Ont.

Sincerely regret to inform you Captain Norman Ewart Towers, artillery, officially reported dangerously ill at Red Cross Hospital, Rouen, Sept. 20th. Gunshot wounds. Will send further particulars when received.

Signed, Officer in Charge, Record Office.

and

Thos. F. Towers, Sarnia, Ont.

Deeply regret to inform you Captain Norman Ewart Towers, artillery, officially reported died of wounds, Sept. 20 at No. 2 Red Cross Hospital, Rouen. Signed, O.I.C.R.O.

Sarnians learned of the death of Norman Towers in the September 22, 1916, edition of the Sarnia Observer. The front-page headline read Two Sarnia Young Men Make Supreme Sacrifice (Sarnians also learned that Lance Corporal Robert Palmer Crawford had died of wounds eight days earlier – Robert Crawford’s story is also included in this Project).

Twenty-nine-year-old Norman Towers is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France, Grave Officers, A.101.5. On his headstone are inscribed the words BORN IN SARNIA, CANADA.

His name is also inscribed on the First World War Memorial in Osgoode Hall’s Great Library, Toronto. The Osgoode Hall memorial contains the names of law students and graduates who died as a result of the war.

There is also a memorial stone in Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia. Inscribed on it are these words: 1887-1916 CAPT. N.E. TOWERS O.C. 7^TH CAN. T.M.B. FELL AT COURCELETTE FRANCE SEPT. 16, 1916 FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH I WILL GIVE THEE A CROWN OF LIFE.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Clifford George Vallis was born in Pimlico, London, England, on March 10, 1893, the eldest son of William George and Kate (nee Fanner) Vallis. On April 3, 1892, 28-year-old William Vallis (born March 1864, Worcester Park, Surrey, England) married 26-year-old Kate Fanner (born September 1866, Stepney, Surrey, England) in St. Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park Hounslow, England. William and Kate were blessed with two children together: Clifford George (born 1893) and Herbert William (born February 24, 1897 in Pimlico, England). In April 1897, four-year-old Clifford started school at Holy Trinity School in Westminster. In 1901, the Vallis family—parents William (a coachman) and Kate Vallis, along with eight-year-old Clifford, and four-year-old Herbert, were residing in the county of Kensington, Brompton Ward, in London, England.

In September 1910, 17-year-old Clifford Vallis immigrated to Canada from London, England. He arrived aboard the passenger ship Lake Erie at the Port of Quebec on September 29, 1910, with his stated destination as Toronto, Ontario. In early 1911, his parents William (a motor car washer) and Kate, along with their 14-year-old son Herbert, were still residing in London, England.

Later that year, Clifford’s 44-year-old mother Kate, and his younger brother, Herbert, immigrated to Canada. They arrived in Montreal aboard the Grampian on May 8, 1911. Initially, Kate and her two sons resided in Toronto where they lodged with George and Esther McBride. Cliffords’ occupation was recorded as an inspector in a department store, and Herbert’s occupation was a clerk in a wholesale store. William Vallis arrived in Canada in July 1911 to join his wife and sons. Unfortunately, on March 5, 1912, William, the patriarch of the family, passed away from pneumonia in Toronto at age of 48.

Twenty-three-year-old Clifford Vallis enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on July 17, 1916, in Sarnia and Camp Borden. He stood five feet nine-and-three-quarter inches tall, had grey eyes and brown hair, was single, and lived at home with his mother Kate at the time, at 253 Devine Street, Sarnia. Clifford recorded his trade or calling as shipping clerk (he was employed with Mueller Mfg. Company), and his next-of-kin as his widowed mother, Kate Vallis on Devine Street. At the time, Clifford was helping to support his mother by giving her $40.00 a month. Clifford also recorded that he had prior military experience, having served four years (1910-1913) with the Queens Own Rifles, Toronto.

Clifford became a member of the Canadian Infantry, 213th Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment, CEF. Three months after enlisting, on October 17, 1916, he was transferred to the 173rd Battalion, Canadian Highlanders, CEF, with the rank of private. Just over three weeks later, on November 10, 1916, Clifford was admitted to the Sussex Military Hospital in New Brunswick and was diagnosed with nephritis. He was given treatment and remained in hospital for five weeks. After recovering, and five months after enlisting, Clifford embarked overseas in mid-December 1916, bound for the United Kingdom to join his battalion. The previous month, on November 14, the 173rd Battalion had embarked overseas from Halifax aboard S.S. Olympic.

On December 28, 1916 in England, Private Clifford Vallis was transferred to the 40th (Reserve) Battalion, Canadian Infantry. Less than two weeks later, on January 7, 1917, he was admitted to Moore Barracks Canadian Hospital, Shorncliffe, diagnosed again with nephritis. While in hospital, he was made a member of the 40th Reserve Battalion. At Moore Barracks Hospital, his Medical Case Sheet recorded that Clifford had influenza and rheumatism last winter, and was laid up for two and a half months in Toronto. His first attack of nephritis followed immediately. Second attack developed in Sussex, New Brunswick, 10-11-16. He was treated in St. John N.B. for five weeks. This the third attack commenced four days ago. First he noticed his face swollen, weakness and headache with some backache followed.

On February 10, 1917, Clifford was reported as much improved but will not be fit for service being boarded for discharge to Canada. He was discharged from Moore Barracks Hospital on March 12, 1917, with his diagnosis changed to “nephritis chronic”. The next day, he sailed from Liverpool on the hospital ship Letitia, returning to Canada for discharge.

The next month, on April 15, 1917, at the Discharge Depot in Quebec, Private Clifford Vallis was “Struck off Strength” from the 213th Battalion, discharged as “medically unfit”. Less than four weeks later, on May 10, 1917, Clifford was re-attested and taken on with the 213th Battalion in London, Ontario for further medical treatment. On that day, he was admitted to the Military Hospitals Commission of Canada (MHCC) at Wolseley Barracks in London.

Seven months later, on December 20, 1917, at 1:15 p.m., Private Clifford Vallis lost his life at Wolseley

Barracks Hospital in London, Ontario. The cause of death was recorded as nephritis and Vincent angina (infection of the pharynx). Clifford’s Canada War Graves Register records him as Date of Death: 20-12-17. London, Ontario Military Hospital. Nephritis – Discharge at Quebec, 15-4-17 but re-attested with M.H.C.C. for further medical treatment May 10th, 1917. Given every care and attention.

Kate Vallis later received a War Service Gratuity of $180.00 for the loss of her son Clifford. In 1921, she moved to Greenwood Avenue, Toronto. On December 28, 1920, Clifford’s 23-year-old brother, Herbert, married 22-year-old Mary Annie Phillips (born Watford, Ontario) at St. John’s Church in Sarnia, Ontario.

Clifford Vallis, 24, is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, London, Ontario, Plot Section X.R.1. Originally, a wooden cross was erected over Clifford Vallis’ grave with all the particulars. The wooden cross was later replaced by a headstone. On his headstone are inscribed the words, AT REST. On the Sarnia cenotaph, his name is inscribed as H. Wallis.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Robert Wade was born in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, England, on August 24, 1890, the son of William Alfred and Mary Ann (nee Robshaw-Burkhill) Wade, of Yorkshire, England. William Wade (born 1861) married Mary Ann Robshaw-Burkhill (born 1865) in December 1886, in Yorkshire. William and Mary Ann were blessed with nine children together: Sarah Ann (born 1887); John William (born 1888); Annie Elizabeth (born 1889); Robert (born 1890); Alfred (born July 25, 1893); Walter (born April 19, 1895); Herbert (born 1896); Emily (born 1898); and Hetty (born 1906).

In 1891, the Wade family was residing in Humberton, Yorkshire. The family comprised parents William (an agricultural worker) and Mary Ann, along with their children: Sarah Ann, John William, Annie Elizabeth and infant Robert Wade. Ten years later, in 1901, the Wade family was residing in Harrogate, Yorkshire, where William supported Mary Ann and his children by being a waggoner at a corn mill. Living with their parents were Sarah (age 14), Annie (age 11), Alfred (age 7), Walter (age 5), Herbert (age 4) and Emily (age 2). In 1911, some of the Wade family were still residing together in Yorkshire. By then, William worked as a hay cutter, and Mary Ann looked after the house and the children: 15-year-old Walter (an apprentice boot maker); 12-year-old Emily; and 5-year-old Hetty, who were both still in school.

Two of the Wade boys immigrated to Canada in 1911: 21-year-old Robert and 23-year-old John departed Liverpool, England, aboard S.S. Corsican. They arrived in Halifax on March 30, 1911, with $70 between them. Their intended destination was Sarnia to work as farm labourers. Other members of the Wade family would follow, and they resided at 301 Cameron Street in Sarnia.

In the 1914 Sarnia Directory, residing at 301 Cameron Street, were father William (labourer), sons Alfred (Broderick & Co.), and Robert (W.J. McIntyre) Wade. In the 1917-18 Sarnia Directory, residing at 301 Cameron Street, were William, Alfred (a soldier), and Walter (a soldier) Wade.

Three of the Wade boys served in the Great War. All three of them enlisted in the same year, and all three of them fought and were wounded in the same battle, only days apart.

Twenty-two-year-old Alfred (#402867) was the first to enlist, signing up with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on January 29, 1915, in Sarnia. He stood five feet eleven inches tall, had blue eyes and fair hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as a clerk (later changed to tailor’s cutter – apprentice), and his next of kin as his father, William, at 301 Cameron Street, Sarnia. He became a member of the 34th Battalion and arrived in England on June 30, 1915, and was transferred to the 11th Reserve Battalion. On August 3, 1915, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion, and arrived with that unit in France the next day.

After serving for more than a year in France, on September 3, 1916, Private Alfred Wade was wounded in action—a gunshot wound to the thumb—during the Battle of the Somme. He was treated in several hospitals in France including at Boulogne, Etaples, and Havre, before being returned to Moore Barracks Canadian Hospital in Shorncliffe, England, on October 14, 1916. Suffering from frequent colds, cough, and steady loss of weight for

months, he was also treated for “bronchitis” while there. His condition was later diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis, the result of his time in the trenches.

In late December 1916, he was moved to Hastings Sanatorium Hospital. In mid-January 1917, he was invalided to Canada, sailing from Liverpool because of his “general debility”. In Canada, he entered Queen Alexandra Sanatorium in Byron for treatment. He was discharged on November 30, 1917, in London, Ontario “being no longer physically fit for war service”. He returned to his parents’ home on Cameron Street in Sarnia. Alfred Wade passed away on August 18, 1958, at the age of 65.

Twenty-year-old Walter (#90886) was the second Wade to enlist, doing so five months after his older brother Alfred. Initially signing up with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on June 24, 1915, he became a member of the 29th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, 1st Howitzer Brigade. One month later, on July 20, 1915, he was transferred to the 34th Battalion. One month after that, on August 30, 1915, Walter completed another CEF Attestation Paper in Sarnia, becoming a member of the 70th Battalion (#123033). Walter stood five feet five-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and brown hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as a butcher, and his next of kin as his mother, Mary Ann Wade on Cameron Street, Sarnia.

In late December 1915-early January 1916, Walter was in a London, Ontario, hospital for a week due to bronchitis. Back in 1908, Walter had had pneumonia and was ill for six months. He recovered from this bout of pneumonia, but his bronchitis had persisted ever since.

On April 26, 1916, Walter embarked from Canada bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Lapland. He arrived in England on May 5 (with his brother Robert) and became a private with the 70th Battalion. Less than two months later, on June 28, 1916, Private Walter Wade was transferred to the 24th Battalion and arrived the next day with that unit in the field in France (he arrived with his older brother Robert, who was in the same battalion). Soon after arriving in France, Walter experienced increased coughing and shortness of breath. His expectorations got worse, and he lost weight. He reported sick at LeHavre, and was put under treatment by his Medical Officer. 

Despite his ill-health, Walter soon found his way to the front. On September 12, 1916, Private Walter Wade was wounded in action, hit on his abdomen by a piece of shell that knocked him over during the Battle of the Somme. His brother, Alfred, had been wounded only nine days earlier in the same battle. Walter was laid out for about two hours, and was taken to a dressing station and then to a field ambulance about six hours after being hit. On September 19, he was assigned to a rest camp and the next day was sent to 16th General Hospital at LeTreport. For almost three weeks, he vomited some blood and vomited after every meal. He was moved to other hospitals for treatment in France before returning to England. In England, he convalesced at Graylingwell War Hospital, Chichester (Oct. 11-23), and Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Epsom (Oct. 23-Dec. 13).

In mid-December 1916, he was in Moore Barracks Military Hospital, Shorncliffe, diagnosed with bronchitis. One week later, he was moved to Ontario Military Hospital, Orpington, Kent, where his symptoms of coughing and expectoration, shortness of breath, and loss of weight persisted. He was diagnosed with the disability “tubercle of lung” and was eventually discharged from hospital on April 11, 1916. On May 3, 1916, he was invalided to Canada for further medical treatment. At Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto, he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Walter Wade was discharged from the military on August 31, 1917, in Toronto, declared as “medically unfit for war service”, and returned to Sarnia.  

On March 31, 1914, 23-year-old Robert Wade (a clerk) married 23-year-old Vanny Louisa Twiner in Sarnia. Robert’s brother, Alfred, and his sister, Emily (of 301 Cameron Street), were the witnesses on the Marriage Certificate. (Alfred would be the first Wade boy to enlist in January 1915). Vanny Louisa Twiner was the daughter of Joseph (a farmer) and Elizabeth (nee Pash) Twiner. Robert and Vanny resided at 317 Maxwell Street, Sarnia.

Approximately 1 ½ years after getting married, 25-year-old Robert enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on October 8, 1915, in Sarnia. His two younger brothers had already enlisted in that same year: Alfred in January, and Walter in June 1915. Robert stood five feet five-and-a-half inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, and recorded his trade or calling as grocer’s clerk, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Vanny Wade of 317 Maxwell Street. Robert became a member of the 70th Overseas Battalion, CEF.

Six months after enlisting, on April 24, 1916, Private Robert Wade embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Lapland, arriving in England on May 5, 1916 (with his brother Walter). Two months later, on June 28, 1916, he was transferred to the Canadian Infantry, 24th Battalion, Quebec Regiment, at Shorncliffe. The next day, June 29, 1916, Private Robert Wade crossed the Channel and moved with the 24th Battalion to the front in France. His younger brother Walter, also with the 24th Battalion, arrived in France with him. Their brother Alfred had arrived in France with the 1st Battalion ten months earlier.

The three Wade brothers were soon engulfed in the horrendous mass butchery of one of the most gruesome battles of the war—the Battle of the Somme. Waged from July 1-November 18, 1916, it was one of the most futile and bloody 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.

Incredibly, all three Wade brothers were wounded in a two-week period at the Somme in September 1916, one fatally. On September 3, Private Alfred Wade was wounded in action, hit in the hand by enemy gunfire. Nine days later, on September 12, Private Walter Wade was wounded in action, hit in the abdomen by a piece of enemy shellfire.

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 Wade was killed in action.

On September 16, 1916, four days after his brother Walter had been wounded, Private Robert Wade of the 24th Battalion, was killed in action on the battlefield during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. In his Personnel File, there are five entries recorded in sequence: Reported from base wounded Sept. 16th, 1916 – shell shock; Reported wounded Inquires have been made; Previously reported wounded now missing since Sept. 16th, 1916; Previously reported missing now for official purposes presumed to have died on or since Sept. 16th 1916; and Previously reported missing presumed dead now reported killed in action Sept. 16, 1916.

Robert Wade’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records him as Date of Death on or since: 16-9-16. Previously reported Missing now for Official purposes presumed to have died – now Killed in Action. At some point, Robert’s remains were exhumed from the original place of burial, and then reburied in Adanac Military Cemetery, 6 ¼ miles North East of Albert.

His widow, Vanny Wade, received a War Service Gratuity of $180.00 for the loss of her husband. She resided at 128 Essex Street, Sarnia, for a time, and later moved to Water Lane, Selsley, Nr. Stroud, Gloucester, England.

Robert Wade, 26, is buried in Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont, Somme, France, Grave II.B.2.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Edward Phillip Watson was born in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan, USA, on July 8, 1895, the youngest son of Edward Proctor Watson Sr. and Ella (nee Barron) Watson. On January 21, 1893, 23-year-old tinsmith Edward Sr. (born May 29, 1869 in Sarnia) married 20-year-old Ella Barron (born February 26, 1872 in Sarnia) in Port Huron, Michigan. Both Edward Sr. and Ella were residing in Sarnia at the time. Edward Sr. and Ella were blessed with two children: Harold Barron, born March 24, 1893, and Edward Phillip Jr., born 1895. Though parents Edward Sr. and Ella were both born in Sarnia, their two sons were both born in the USA.

In 1901, the Watson family in Sarnia included parents Edward Sr. (age 31) and Ella (age 28), and their two boys: eight-year-old Harold and five-year-old Edward Jr. Father Edward Sr. supported his family by working as a tinsmith at the time. Ten years later, in 1911, the Watson family was residing at 147 Watson Street, Sarnia. Ella was a homemaker; Edward Sr. was employed as a tinsmith at Goodisons, and their two teenage sons were working as well: Harold, 17, was a book seller and Edward Jr., 15, was an express clerk.

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.

Twenty-two-year-old Edward Jr. was drafted under the Military Service Act of 1917, Class One. He underwent his medical examination in Sarnia, on November 6, 1917, and was called to service on January 9, 1918, reporting to the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment in London, Ontario. He stood five feet ten-and-three-quarter-inches tall, had grey eyes and dark brown hair, was single, and lived at home with his parents on Watson Street at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as hammer operator and his next-of-kin as his father, Edward Sr. of Watson Street, Sarnia.

On February 21, 1918, Edward Jr. embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Cretic. He arrived in England on March 4, 1918, and the next day, was taken on strength into the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion at Bramshott.

Five months later, on August 18, 1918, Private Edward Watson Jr. proceeded from Camp Witley bound for France, where he became a member of the Canadian Infantry, 1st Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment. He arrived at the Canadian Base Depot in France on August 20 and arrived three days later at the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp (CCRC). Twelve days later, on September 1, 1918, Edward Watson joined the 1st Battalion in the field at the Front.

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.

Early in the summer of 1918, Allied Commanders proposed a plan to take advantage of German disarray following their failed Spring Offensive. Canadian troops were to play a key role as “shock troops” in cracking the German defences. They spent two months preparing for what became their final great campaign of the war.

On arriving at the front in France, Private Edward Watson Jr.  was soon embroiled in this pivotal campaign, one that featured intense and brutal fighting as the end of the war neared. 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—but it came at a cost of 11,822 Canadian casualties.

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 and 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. Private Edward Watson Jr. of the 1st Battalion lost his life during this third offensive in France.

On October 1, 1918, exactly one month after arriving at the front, Edward was killed in action. His loss was originally recorded as Reported missing after action October 1st, 1918. In mid-October 1918, his parents Edward Sr. and Ella in Sarnia received information from the War Office that their youngest son EDWARD WATSON, HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY REPORTED MISSING.

By the end of that month, Private Edward Watson Jr.’s death was officially recorded as Previously reported missing, now reported killed in action October 1st, 1918. His Commonwealth War Graves Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 1-10-18. Reported from Base Missing. Now Killed in Action. Buried Sancourt British Cemetery, 10 ¾ miles S.E. of Douai, France.

Approximately five weeks after Edward Watson’s death, the Great War came to an end.

Edward Watson Jr., 23, is buried in Sancourt British Cemetery, Nord, France, Grave I.C.5. In Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia, there is a memorial grave marker in honour of Edward Watson. The marker reads IN MEMORY OF EDWARD PHILIP WATSON 1895-1918 PTE. 1^ST BTN. W.O.R. FELL AT CAMBRAI OCT. 1, 1918 BURIED IN SANCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY FRANCE ‘FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH I WILL GIVE THEE A CROWN OF LIFE’.

On September 23, 1920, Edward Jr.’s 27-year-old brother, Harold Watson, married 32-year-old Alice Victoria Millard (born November 6, 1887 in Sarnia) in Sarnia. The following year, in 1921, parents Edward Sr. (a tinsmith with Imperial Oil) and Ella Watson, along with their son Harold (a meter reader) and his wife Alice, were residing together at 147 Watson Street, Sarnia.

Seven years later, in 1928, a stain glass memorial window was unveiled in Parker Street United Church in Sarnia to commemorate the sacrifice made by Private Edward Watson. The inscription at the base of the window reads In Loving Memory of Pte. E.P. Watson Killed in Action on Oct. 1, 1918. The window is still there today, in what is now called Lighthouse Community Church.

Edward Sr. and Ella Watson, along with their son, Harold, and his wife Alice, are all buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Alfred Weston was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, on August 14, 1893, the son of Thomas William and Florence Emma (nee Wells) Weston. Thomas Weston (born 1861 in Staffordshire, England) and Florence Wells (born 1867 in Worcestershire, England) were married in 1892 in England. Their union produced six children: Charles Thomas (born 1892); Alfred (born 1893); Arthur E. (born May 6, 1896); Hilda Florence (born October 2, 1897); Horace (born June 22, 1899); and William Sayers (born 1904).

In 1901, the Weston family was residing in Aston Manor, Warwickshire. Thomas supported Florence and their five children by working as a hinge finisher. Residing with Thomas and Florence were their children: Charles (age eight), Alfred (age seven), Arthur (age four), Hilda (age three), and Horace (age one). William Wells, 39, also boarded with them.

At some point between 1901 and 1911, the patriarch of the family, Thomas, passed away. In 1911, the Weston family was still residing in Warwickshire, England and, if nothing else, had diverse occupations: widowed mother Florence was a bullet maker; Alfred (age 17) was a lathe hand; and Arthur (age 15) was a rubber maker. Hilda (age 13) and Horace (age 11) were in school, and six-year-old William was still at home.

In the summer of 1913, at the age of 20, Alfred immigrated to Canada. He departed from Avonmouth, England, aboard the Royal Edward and arrived in the port of Quebec on August 30, 1913. Alfred declared his final destination as Toronto, and his intended occupation as labourer.

Over the years, most members of the Weston family followed Alfred to Canada. His mother arrived in Quebec alone in June 1914 and ended up residing in Hamilton. Alfred’s brother, Charles, had also immigrated to Canada some time before the war and resided in Sarnia. On August 24, 1914, Charles Weston married Beatrice Hall (of London, England), at St. John’s Rectory in Sarnia. The couple returned to England, where Charles served with the British Army during the war.

Alfred’s brother, Arthur, married Dora Ellen Pugh in July 1919 in England. Arthur and Dora Weston immigrated to Canada two months later. In June 1921, Arthur and Dora were residing at 384 S. Vidal Street, Sarnia, along with his brother, Horace, and sister-in-law, Eva. Arthur and Dora Weston had two children—Alfred Arthur and Norman—and the family later resided in Fort Gratiot, St. Clair, Michigan.

Alfred’s brother, Horace, had also immigrated to Canada, and on December 25, 1920, he married Eva Harriet Pugh (of England) in Sarnia. Horace and Eva Weston were blessed with two children: Dorothy and Kenneth. Eventually, the family settled in nearby St. Clair, Michigan. Alfred’s sister, Hilda, also immigrated to Canada, and on April 11, 1919, she married Frank Cooke (of England) in Sarnia. Hilda and Frank Cooke had three children: Hilda May (born December 1920 in Sarnia); William Edward (born September 1923 in Point Edward); and Frank Thomas (born July 1929 in Michigan). Hilda and Florence Cooke later resided in Wayne County, Michigan. Alfred’s youngest brother, William, also immigrated to Canada and, on July 10, 1926, he married Canadian Evelyn F. Carson in Hamilton.

On August 25, 1915, two years after arriving in Canada, Alfred Weston, now 22, married 18-year-old Rebecca Jane “Jenny” Baker (born in Harrowgate, England, the daughter of William and Jane Baker) in Sarnia. The young couple resided at 337 Mitton Street, Sarnia.

On September 7, 1915, just two weeks after getting married, Alfred enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Sarnia. He stood five feet seven-and-a-half inches tall, and had dark blue eyes and light brown hair. He recorded his trade or calling as electrician, and his next-of-kin as his newlywed wife, Jennie, who was residing at 337 Mitton Street, Sarnia. Alfred became a member of the 34th Battalion, CEF. Six weeks later, and two months after getting married, Alfred embarked overseas aboard S.S. California as part of the 2nd Canadian Contingent. Alfred arrived in England on November 1, 1915.

Initially stationed at Bramshott, Alfred was transferred three months later on February 3, 1916, and taken on strength into the 23rd Battalion at West Sandling. Three months later, in May 1916, he completed his Military Will (a perforated sheet from his Pay Book) writing, “I, Pte. Alf Weston 603167 E Com, 23 Batt leave everything I possess to my wife Jenny Weston 337 Mitton St. Sarnia Ontario Canada.”

Days later, on May 25, 1916, Private Weston was transferred to the 2nd Battalion and then proceeded to France. The next day, on May 26, he was taken on strength into the Canadian Infantry, 10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment.

Private Alfred Weston was soon engulfed in the horrendous mass butchery that was the Battle of the Somme. Waged from July 1-November 18, 1916, it was one of the most futile and bloody 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.

On July 31, 1916, approximately two months after arriving in France, Private Alfred Weston was hit by enemy gunfire during the Battle of the Somme. He was initially recorded as Dangerously wounded at No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station July 31st, 1916. That same day, his status was changed to Died of wounds No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station July 31st, 1916 GSW (Gun shot wound) abdomen. Alfred’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 31-7-16. Died of Wounds. No. 3. Can. Casualty Clearing Station. Burial: Soldiers’ Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, 1 ¾ miles S.W. of Poperinghe.

One year later, in August 1917, the Sarnia Weekly Observer included three “In Memoriams” to Alfred Weston, submitted by his family members. Following is his wife Jenny’s memoriam: In loving and honoured memory of my dearest husband, Private Alfred Weston, who died of wounds one year ago today, July 31, 1916, “Somewhere in France.” Gone but not forgotten. Alfred’s mother, sister and brothers added the passage: “The Lord said unto him well done, thy good and faithful servant, enter thou into eternal rest.” Alfred’s sister, brothers, and niece also added another passage:

And when he saw his work was done,

He gently called to him: My son! My Son!

I need thee for a greater work than this

Thy faith, thy zeal, thy fine activities

Are worthy of My larger liberties.

Then drew him with the hand of welcoming grace

And side by side they climbed the heavenly ways.

Florence Weston, Alfred’s widowed mother, received her Memorial Cross for the loss of her son at her house at 337 Mitton Street, Sarnia. Alfred’s widow, Jennie, later remarried becoming Jennie Causley, and she resided at 230 South Brock Street, Sarnia.

Alfred Weston, 22, is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium, Grave VII.D.16.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

George Percival Wheatley was born in Blackwell, in the Township of Sarnia, Ontario, on June 28, 1880, the youngest son of Thomas Coulson (a farmer) and Gratia Abigail (nee: Clark) Wheatley, of RR #3 Sarnia. Thomas Wheatley was born in 1841 in the hamlet of Froomfield, a village located just south of Sarnia, which was named after early settlers in the area, brothers Froome and Field Talfourd. George’s paternal grandfather was John Wheatley (1815-1891), who was also an early settler to this area. John Wheatley had come from England in 1837 at the age of 22 as a fully qualified (7-year apprenticeship) wheelwright or wagon maker. John served in the local militia for two years and married Alvira Proctor (1822-1913), who was also an immigrant. John and Alvira were blessed with thirteen children together, and George’s father, Thomas Coulson, was the oldest, born November 4, 1841, in Moore, Sarnia Township.

Thomas Coulson Wheatley (referred occasionally in records by the initials T.C.), married 26-year-old Gratia Abbie Clark (born 1846, daughter of Peter and Angeline Clark) on July 16, 1872, in Sarnia. Thomas and Gratia resided in the Lakeshore area near Blackwell Station, and they had five children together: their first was a still-birth, Mary Florence (born March 30, 1875); John (born 1876); Thomas Edward (born 1878); and their youngest George Percival (born 1880). On December 29, 1884, when George was only four years old, he lost his mother, Gratia. The 38-year-old matriarch passed away as the result of exophthalmic goitre (Grave’s disease, an endocrine disorder).

Thomas Coulson Wheatley remarried on June 20, 1888, in Sarnia, to Margaret Jane “Jennie” Campbell (born in Dundas in 1851, daughter of John and Margaret Campbell). Thomas and Margaret Jennie Wheatley had three children together: Margaret (born November 1889); and twins Charles Coulson and Addison Campbell (born October

29, 1890). Thomas and his family settled on land between Lake Huron and Wawanosh Swamp (which was later

drained). In 1891, the Wheatley household in Sarnia included parents Thomas (a farmer) and Margaret, along with

their children: Mary Florence (age 16); John (age 14); Thomas Edward (age 13); George Percival (age 10); Margaret (age 2); and twins Charles and Addison (age 5-months).

Ten years later, in 1901, the Wheatley household included parents Thomas (a farmer) and Margaret, as well as their children: Florence (age 26, a teacher); George (age 20, a farm labourer); Margaret (age 11); and twins Charles and Addison (age 10). Thomas Wheatley was a skilled, active, and very successful farmer and market gardener. He was also a leader in the community; for example, he was a “stand-in” Methodist clergyman and choir leader and became chairman of the school board (Blackwell School). In 1911, a decade later, the Wheatley household included parents Thomas (a farmer) and Jennie, and their children: Florence (age 36, a teacher); Margaret (age 21, a teacher); and 20-year-old twins Charles (a farmer) and Addison (at school).

To earn money for college, George’s eldest brother, John, worked in a lumber camp in Minnesota for a time. John fell in love there with a young woman who had emigrated from Norway, and they were married in Cookstown, Minnesota on October 4, 1899. George and his older brother, Edward, both attended the wedding in Minnesota, with George acting as the “best man” at the wedding. John and his wife eventually returned to the Sarnia (Blackwell) area, but for brothers George and Edward, the Minnesota trip generated an interest in life out west. This was at a time when the government was offering free or very low-priced land to young Canadian males as an incentive to settle the west.

Edward Wheatley moved to Watrous, Saskatchewan, around 1905, and George, at age 25, moved to Alberta about the same time. George took a large piece of land in the Peace River area of northern Alberta and, starting from “scratch”, became a rancher/farmer. When war broke out, George sold his cattle at the end of the season and headed to Edmonton to enlist.

Thirty-five-year-old George Wheatley enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on December 20, 1915, in Edmonton, Alberta. He stood five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as labourer, and his next-of-kin as his father, Thomas Wheatley in Sarnia. George became a member of the 66th Overseas Battalion, CEF.

Four months later, on April 28, 1916, Private George Wheatley embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Olympic. He arrived in England on May 7, 1916, and one month later, on June 8, he was transferred to the 14th Field Artillery Howitzer Brigade. A month passed before he was transferred again, taken on strength into the 9th Reserve Battalion in Shorncliffe on July 6, 1916.

[A note on George’s two nephews in the above photo: The older nephew Clark died at age ten. The younger nephew,

Lloyd, served in World War II, as part of an RAF bomber crew. After his aircraft was shot down over Germany,

Lloyd was captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW. He survived the war and returned to Canada.]

A little over one month later, in August 1916, George was transferred again, this time to the 102nd Battalion, British Columbia Regiment. He crossed the Channel with that unit and arrived at Havre, France, on August 20, 1916. When he completed his Military Will, he bequeathed all of his property and effects to his brother, Edward, in Dellwood, Saskatchewan, including; his bank account in the Bank of Commerce in Watrous, Saskatchewan, one saddle, and one rifle. By the end of September 1916, Private George Wheatley and the 102nd Battalion, part of the 4th Canadian Division, had arrived at the Front Lines.

George Wheatley was soon immersed in the gruesome fighting and mass butchery that was the Battle of the Somme. Waged from July 1-November 18, 1916, it was one of the most futile and bloody 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.

Approximately one month after arriving at the Somme, on October 22, 1916, Private George Wheatley suffered a gunshot wound to his face (nose) and one finger on his left hand. That day he was evacuated through an Australian Casualty Clearing Station and then moved to No. 3 Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne. Two days later, he was transferred to No. 7 Convalescent Depot in Boulogne, where he remained until November 9, 1916. George rejoined the 102nd Battalion on November 21, 1916, one month after being wounded.

It appears that sometime between the time that he was wounded and the day that he returned to his unit, George’s documents were lost or destroyed; in fact, all the original files for members of the 102nd Infantry Battalion were destroyed, likely either in a fire, or by enemy action. As a result, all members of the unit went through a new enrolment in France in December 1916. So, on December 7, 1916, Private George Wheatley, age 36, completed a second Attestation Paper with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF). He stood five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was single, and recorded his trade or calling as farmer, and his next-of-kin as his father, Thomas Coulson Wheatley, at R.R. #3 Sarnia, Ontario.

On December 23, 1916, George and the 102nd Battalion were temporarily attached to 182 Tunnel Company, Royal Engineers. Their work with the engineers involved repairing and building defensive positions, field fortifications, communication trenches, and transportation tunnels. The tunnels were used, for example, to bring ammunition forward and the wounded back to medical facilities. The engineers of the Tunnel Company provided the knowledge and leadership, while the infantry provided the labour. As the Canadians made preparations for the upcoming offensive at Vimy Ridge in April 1917, much of the work was done at night under the cover of darkness, while under enemy fire.

On January 16, 1917, Private George Wheatley of the 102 Battalion was killed in action in the Somme area of France. He had been sent “up top” to take compass readings that would determine the path of the next section of the underground tunnel. Unfortunately, he was spotted by a German sniper and killed. His body was buried the next day. George’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records him as Date of Casualty: 16-1-17. Killed in Action. Buried: Villers Station Military Cemetery, 1 mile N.W. of Villers-au-Bois, 3 ¾ miles S.W. of Aix-Noulette.

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.”

The 102nd Battalion went on to distinguish itself in the fighting at Vimy Ridge in April 1917, and lost most of its men in the process. After the war, surviving members of the battalion erected a memorial on Vimy Ridge on which were recorded the names of unit members who had been killed or who had died from wounds received during the war. Of note, a number of battalions erected memorials at Vimy Ridge to commemorate their fallen comrades. Several years after the war, after the Government of Canada decided to construct a National War Memorial on Vimy Ridge, all unit memorials were ordered removed from the Ridge. The 102nd Battalion’s memorial was dismantled, transported to Canada, and re-erected in a place of honour. For many years it was at Canadian Forces Base at Chilliwack, British Columbia. When this base closed, the plaque was moved to an armoury in Kamloops, British Columbia. George Wheatley’s name is included on that memorial plaque.

George Wheatley, 37, is buried in Villers Station Cemetery, Villers-Au-Bois, Pas de Calais, France, Grave VI.A.17. George’s father, Thomas Coulson Wheatley, passed away only eight years later, on March 28, 1925 in Sarnia, at the age of 83.

George’s stepbrother, Charles Wheatley, 27, was drafted to serve in the war under the Military Service Act of 1917, Class One. 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.

Charles underwent his medical examination in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on November 16, 1917, and was called to service on January 5, 1918, reporting to the 1st Depot Battalion, Manitoba Regiment in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He stood five feet six inches tall, had blue eyes and red hair, was single, and was attending Manitoba Agricultural College in Winnipeg at the time. He recorded his trade or calling as farmer, and his next-of-kin as his father, Thomas C. Wheatley, who was residing at R.R. #3 in Sarnia, Ontario. Charles also recorded his birthdate as October 29, 1889, making himself one year older than he actually was (his birthdate was October 29, 1890). Private Charles Coulson Wheatley did not go overseas, and in late January 1919, he was struck off service in Winnipeg on demobilization.

In Sarnia, George Percival Wheatley is memorialized by the naming of a street after him—Wheatley Drive. Louis Bratanek, a local developer, was responsible for naming the street in 2005, coinciding with the Year of the Veteran. In that year, Sarnia City Council asked Bratanek if he would consider naming a street he was currently developing off Michigan Avenue after a local fallen soldier. Bratanek agreed, and when he read the list of Sarnia’s fallen, he saw the name “G. Wheatley” and knew he’d found his street name. Bratanek had no idea who G. Wheatley was, but he recognized the surname Wheatley. Over three decades earlier, his father had purchased a farm in Blackwell from Abigail Wheatley, a market gardener. As it turned out, Abigail was George’s niece who was a teenager when her uncle was killed in war nearly nine decades earlier.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Frederick Williams was born in Sarnia, Ontario, on December 6, 1874, the son of David J. and Melissa Ann (nee Finch) Williams. On September 9, 1871, David Williams (born 1846 in Wales), age 22, married 21-year-old Melissa Finch (born January 1951) in Port Huron, Michigan (they were both residing in Sarnia at the time). David and Melissa had nine children together: Ella M. (born May 1870); Charles Herbert (born June 16, 1872); Frederick James (born 1874); Frank B. (born March 2, 1877); Arthur David (born March 11, 1880); Elmer Clarence (born April 25, 1882); Mabel Alice (born March 10, 1885); George H. (born October 15, 1887); and Gordon W. (born May 16, 1890).

In 1881, David, a labourer, and Melissa were residing in Sarnia with their five children: Ella (age 11), Charles Herbert (age 8), Frederick James (age 6), Frank (age 4) and Arthur David (age 1). Ten years later, in 1891, the Williams household in Sarnia included parents David, now a farm labourer, and Melissa, and eight of their children: Charles (age 19, a farm labourer); Frederick James (age 16); Frank (age 14); Arthur (age 11); Elmer (age 9); Mabel (age 6); George (age 3); and Gordon (age 1).

Tragedy struck the William’s on February 22, 1901, when the patriarch of the family, David, passed away at the age of 55. Later in 1901, the Williams household included widowed mother, Melissa, along with her children: Charles (age 27, a soldier); Frank (age 24, a sailor); Arthur (age 21, a painter); Elmer (age 19, a sailor); Mabel (age 16); George (age 13); and Gordon (age 10). Two of Frederick’s brothers also served in the war. 

Frederick’s younger brother, Arthur David, enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on September 20, 1915. The 35-year-old stood five feet five inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, and recorded his trade or calling as contractor, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Mrs. Letitia (nee Corcoran) Williams, who was residing at 360 Maria Street (later 167 North Brock Street), Sarnia. Arthur also recorded that he had four years militia experience with the 27th Regiment and had served 13 months with the U.S.A. Force in the Spanish American War.

Arthur Williams became a member of the 34th Battalion with the rank of lieutenant. The following month, on October 23, 1915, he embarked overseas bound for the United Kingdom. He continued his training in England at Bramshott and Shorncliffe, and in mid-March 1916, was transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion and then the Royal

Canadian Regiment (RCR). In early June 1916, he was seconded from the RCRs to become a member of the 7th 

Brigade, Machine Gun Company and then proceeded to France.

Three months later, in mid-September 1916, Lt. Arthur Williams was hospitalized at #14 General Hospital in Boulogne, and then at #2 Western General Hospital in Manchester. He had been diagnosed with severe myalgia, later sciatica “due to exposure in trenches” while in the Ypres Salient. He was returned to England and remained in hospital for 50 days.

Arthur was returned to Canada on leave in November 1916 aboard S.S. Grampian. The Medical Board in Canada recommended extending his leave to June 6, 1917, due to his ill health. The Board later determined that he had an attack of acute articular rheumatism, and now had a valvular disease of the heart, a permanent condition. On December 19, 1917, Lt. Arthur David Williams was discharged, struck off strength, and assessed as being “medically unfit for overseas service”.

On May 26, 1941, Arthur Williams passed away at the age of 61 in Sarnia. His cause of death was recorded as, “Cerebral haemorrhage, arterio-sclerosis, etc. Death was due to service.” Arthur Williams is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Frederick’s older brother, Charles Herbert, enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on October 8, 1915, in Sarnia, Ontario. The 43-year-old Sarnian stood five feet six inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, and recorded his trade or calling as acid stiller, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Zillah (nee Worsley) Williams. They had resided at 273 Cameron Street; then at 481 George Street and at 215 Water Street; and finally at 360 Nelson Street. (Note: For some reason, the recruiter recorded Charles’ age as 35. There is the possibility that he may have lied to the recruiter about his age—it was not uncommon for “older” recruits to lie about their age to improve their chances to be selected for service.)

Charles also recorded that he had six years military experience with the U.S.A. Force in the Spanish American War. He became a member of the 70th Battalion, and six months later, on April 26, 1916, he embarked overseas bound for the United Kingdom. During training in England, he advanced in rank from private to sergeant. Four months after arriving in England, in late August 1916, Charles reverted to the rank of private on his own request to proceed across the Channel.

Private Charles Williams arrived in France as a member of the 18th Battalion Canadian Infantry on August 27, 1916. During his time in France, Charles was one of the fortunate ones who escaped being wounded or gassed. He survived the war unscathed. After being discharged on demobilization on May 24, 1919, he returned to Sarnia, where he raised his family, and worked as a labourer at Imperial Oil. On June 12, 1943, Charles Williams passed away four days before his 71st birthday. He is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Sometime during 1892, Frederick James and his future wife, Eva Scott, moved to Michigan. Eva was born November 18, 1875, in Sarnia, along with her twin sister, Alice. The two girls were the daughters of George, a Grand Trunk Railway switchman, and Christina (nee Ferguson). On May 1, 1893, Frederick, 19, married 18-year-old Eva in Detroit, Michigan. Frederick and Eva were blessed with three children together, all born in Michigan: Pearl (born January 1893); Vera (born August 1894); and George (born March 1897). In 1900, Frederick and Eva, along with their three children, were residing on Miller Street in Detroit, and Frederick was employed as a bartender at the time.

Ten years later, in 1910, Frederick and Eva were residing on Lysander Street in Detroit with their two children: daughter Pearl G. (age 17) and their son George E. (age 13). Also residing with them were Frederick’s 21- year-old brother, George; brother-in-law, Herbert B. Shannon, 25; and sisters-in-law Cassie B. Shannon, 27, and Margaret F. Scott, 24. Frederick was employed as a manager of a café at the time.

On July 10, 1917, at age 42, Frederick Williams enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Windsor, Ontario. He stood five feet three-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and black hair, and recorded his present address as 432 Pingree Avenue, Detroit. He also recorded his trade or calling as an assembler, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Mrs. Eva Williams, who was residing at 432 Pingree Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. Frederick became a member of 21st Regiment, Overseas Company and was soon transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment, CEF. Sometime after her husband enlisted, Eva returned to Sarnia, where she resided at 189 College Avenue.

Five months after enlisting, on December 21, 1917, Private Frederick Williams embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Grampian. He arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 31, 1917. Later, in Bramshott, England, he was transferred to the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion. Just over three months after arriving overseas, on April 7, 1918, Frederick was posted to the Canadian Infantry, 18th Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment. He arrived in France with the 18th Battalion the next day, and two days later, he arrived at the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp. About one month later, on May 7, 1918, Private Frederick Williams joined the 18th Battalion in the field at the front lines.

Early in the summer of 1918, Allied Commanders proposed a plan to take advantage of German disarray following their failed Spring Offensive. Canadian troops were to play a key role as “shock troops” in cracking the German defences. They spent two months preparing for what became their Hundred Days Campaign.

Private Frederick Williams soon found himself embroiled in this pivotal and final campaign of the war. Waged from August 8 to November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium, it 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—but it came at a cost of 11,822 Canadian casualties.

It was during the Battle of Amiens with the 18th Battalion that Frederick Williams suffered wounds that proved fatal. On August 9, 1918, three months after arriving at the front lines, he was wounded in action, hit multiple times by enemy gunfire. Frederick was admitted to No. 16 General Hospital in Le Treport with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and right leg. He was also recorded as “dangerously ill, may be visited”. Four days later, on August 13, he was recorded as “previously dangerously ill, now seriously ill”.

One month after being wounded at Amiens, on September 14, Frederick was recorded as “still seriously ill”. Five weeks after he was wounded in action, Eva received a telegram at her home at 189 College Avenue which informed her that her husband PTE. FRED JAMES WILLIAMS, INFANTRY, IS SERIOUSLY ILL AT SIXTEENTH GENERAL HOSPITAL, LE TREPORT.

On September 23, and still at No. 16 General Hospital, Frederick was recorded as “GSW abdomen and right leg, removed from seriously ill list”. One week later, on September 30, he was again recorded as, “dangerously ill, may be visited”. Several days later, on October 3, 1918, Private Fred Williams passed away at No. 16 General Hospital, Le Trepot, the result of the wounds he had received in action at Amiens. His Commonwealth War Graves Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 3-10-18. Died of Wounds – No. 16 Gen. Hosp. Le Treport.

In mid-October 1918, Eva received a telegram officially informing her that her husband PRIVATE FRED JAMES WILLIAMS, INFANTRY, WAS OFFICIALLY REPORTED AS HAVING DIED OF WOUNDS AT THE 16TH GENERAL HOSPITAL, WOUNDS IN HIS RIGHT LEG.

Approximately one month after Frederick’s death, the Great War ended.

Frederick Williams was survived by his widow Eva, and their three children: Pearl, Vera, and George. He was also survived by his mother, Melissa, and his eight siblings George; Charles (18th Battalion) in France; Frank in Sarnia; Elmer in New York; Gordon in London; Lieut. Arthur D. Williams, who saw service in the Spanish-American War and WWI; and his two sisters, one in Detroit and one in the northwest.

A little over a year after the Great War ended, on February 5, 1920, Frederick’s wife Eva passed away at the age of 44. Frederick’s post-war medals, decorations, scrolls, and Memorial Cross were all delivered to his mother, Mrs. David (Melissa Ann) Williams in Sarnia.

Frederick Williams, 43, is buried in Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport, Seine-Maritime, France, Grave VIII.G.10B.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Thomas William Wright was born on the Isle of Guernsey, England, on April 15, 1881, the son of John Albert Wright, a shoemaker, and Julia Elizabeth (nee Le Noury), also from Guernsey. John and Julia had eight children together: Flora (born November 1876, died in July 1904); Albert Ernest (born April 1878); Maud Mabel (born October 1879); Thomas William (born 1881); Walter Edward (born July 16, 1882); Harriet (born November 1883, died in 1884); Julia (born 1885); and John Albert (born in September of 1886, three months after the death of his father). In June 1886, when Thomas was only five years old, his father, John, passed away from heart disease.

After the death of the patriarch, the family broke apart. Maud and Julia Wright went to an orphanage on Guernsey; the two oldest, Florence and Albert Wright, resided with relatives; and John Wright lived with his mother, Julia. Thomas and his brother, Walter, ended up in the Leopold House, in London, England. Both Thomas, age 13, and Walter, age 12, were sent to Canada by Annie MacPherson Homes as British Home Children. They arrived in the summer of 1894, where they were placed on nearby farms in Forest, Ontario.

Between 1869 and 1948, over 100,000 children, most between six and fifteen years of age, were sent to Canada from the British Isles during the “British Child Emigration Movement”. Circumstances in Britain had resulted in their families experiencing hard times. There was no social system in place to help these families through difficult circumstances. Over 50 organizations, including churches and philanthropic groups, sent these impoverished, abandoned, and orphaned children to Canada in the belief that they would have a better chance for a healthy, moral life in rural Canada. Both the British and Canadian governments supported the program. Canadian families welcomed them; however, often siblings were separated, and far too many were used as a source of cheap farm labour and domestic help.

Following is a portion of a December 1895 article from Ups and Downs, a monthly Toronto publication, under the auspices of Dr. Barnardo’s Homes:

Two of our little men of whom we have the highest expectations are Thomas and Walter Wright… who came out to Canada in the summer of 1894, are aged 15 and 13 respectively. They have good homes close to each other in Bosanquet township. Each is striving hard to do his duty. It may almost be said that Thomas has already engaged in stock raising on his own account, his employer last Christmas rewarding him for his good conduct with a ewe, which in the spring gave birth to a lamb… One of the greatest sources of happiness to the young brothers is that they are able to see each other frequently. As they grow older we fervently trust that the strong bond of love which at present unites them may lose nothing of its strength, and that under God’s guidance they may side by side build up a future of happiness and prosperity.

Six years later, in 1901, Thomas was recorded as a domestic, who was residing with the Lusby family in Bosanquet Township, Lambton East. The head of the house was 69-year-old Joseph Lusby, a farm labourer, who lived with his 96-year-old mother, Martha Lusby. Also residing in the house was 51-year-old Julia Simmons (born in England, had immigrated to Canada in 1894), who was also recorded as a domestic.

Thomas remained at his placement for at least three years, earning a medal for Good Conduct and Length of

Service from Dr. Barnardo’s Homes in recognition for his hard work. The medal is inscribed with the words Who so shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. In August 1903, the Ups and Downs publication wrote; Our friend Thomas Wright, we look upon as not only one of those who has done the highest credit to the Homes, but who is himself a staunch ally of the work. We frequently hear from Thomas in connection with applications from farmers and others in the neighbourhood of Forest, where he is now a salesman in one of the principal stores and a highly respected citizen.

In February 1905, Thomas, now residing in Forest, married English-born Harriet Selena Wisby. Harriet was the daughter of David Samuel and Harriet (nee Knights) Wisby, who were married in July 1877, in Cambridgeshire, England. David and Harriet Wisby had three children together: Margaret (born April 6, 1878 in Cambridgeshire, England); Harriet Selena (born November 4, 1879 in Harston, South Cambridgeshire, England); and William John (born and died in early 1881). In early 1881, one-year-old Harriet lost her mother Harriet (Sr.), who passed away at the age of 33 (likely a result of birth complications).

Later that year, the young Harriet Wisby was residing in Harston, Cambridge, England, along with her two-year-old sister, Margaret, and their 30-year-old widowed father, David (a flour and pollard dealer, and farmer of eighteen acres), and his 68-year-old widowed mother, Lydia Wisby. Ten years later, in 1891, 11-year-old Harriet was still residing in Cambridge County, England, along with her 12-year-old sister, Margaret, and their 40-year-old widowed father David Wisby (a farm merchant), and his 79-year-old widowed mother, Lydia Wisby.

On January 20, 1900, sisters Harriet and Margaret lost their father, David, who passed away on that date at the age of 49 in Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England. One year later, 21-year-old Harriet was residing in Croydon, England, where she was employed as a domestic servant in the home of George and Ellen Watts and their five children. In 1905, Harriet, age 25, immigrated to Canada. Departing from Liverpool, England, aboard S.S. Pretorian, she arrived at the port of Halifax on February 5, 1905. Harriet recorded her occupation as domestic-to-be married and her intended destination as Forest, Ontario.

Only five days after arriving in Canada, on February 10, 1905, Harriet Wisby, age 25, married 24-year-old Thomas Wright (a clerk residing in Forest) at the Methodist Parsonage in Toronto, York County, Ontario. Thomas and Harriet resided in Forest, and had three children together: Herbert Wisby (born February 26, 1906); Ellis John (born December 16, 1909); and Florence Ada Wright (born October 15, 1911). In early 1911, the Wright family in Forest included parents Thomas (a salesman) and Harriet “Hattie” Wright, along with their two children at the time; Herbert (age five) and Ellis John Wright (age one).

One year later, tragedy struck the Wright family, and Thomas in particular. On February 28, 1912, Thomas’ wife Harriet, age 32, passed away a result of tuberculosis. And only a few days after Harriet’s death, their infant daughter, Florence Ada, also passed away from meningitis.

In 1901, Harriet’s sister, Margaret Wisby, then 22 years old, was residing in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, England, where she worked as a servant-cook in the home of Mackenzie and Adelaide Butlin, along with their two children, and two other servants: 19-year-old Susan Hopwood (housemaid), and 21-year-old Rosina Hopwood (nurse). Five years later in 1906, and a little over one year after her sister Harriet had immigrated to Canada, Margaret immigrated to Canada. Departing from Liverpool, England, aboard S.S. Tunisian, 28-year-old Margaret arrived at the port of Montreal on June 8, 1906. She recorded her occupation as cook and her intended destination as Forest, Ontario.

Four years after her arrival, on June 2, 1910, Margaret Wisby, age 32, married 35-year-old Charles Umferille Kershaw (a farmer, originally from England) in Forest, Ontario. Charles and Margaret (nee Wisby) Kershaw had one child together: Mary Umfreville Kershaw, born August 17, 1911. Tragically, on August 30, 1911, only two weeks after the birth of their daughter, Charles Kershaw, age 35, a gardener, passed away in Forest, the result of arterio-sclerosis and nephritis.  

Thomas William Wright (father of two) and Margaret Wisby (mother of one) were now both widowed. On March 5, 1914 in Forest, Ontario, 32-year-old Thomas Wright married 35-year-old Margaret (nee Wisby) Kershaw, the older sister of his first wife, Harriet Wisby (who passed away in February 1912). When Thomas married Margaret (nee Kershaw), he recorded his residence as Port Huron, Michigan. Thomas and Margaret Wright had three children together: Clifford Wisby (born September 1914); and twins Edith Selena and James LeNoury Wright (born August 19, 1916).

Thomas and Margaret Wright’s son, James LeNoury Wright, later served in World War II and tragically lost his life while serving. Flying Officer-Pilot James LeNoury Wright’s story is included in this Project.

*Thomas William Wright and James LeNoury Wright are the only father and son combination from Sarnia to both lose their lives while serving Canada in two different World Wars.

Two of Thomas Wright’s brothers also served in the Great War. Older brother Albert Ernest (born 1878), enlisted in the British Army at the age of 14 and went on to serve the entire war. Younger brother Walter Edward (born July 16, 1882 in Guernsey, Channel Islands), enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on January 27, 1916, in Sarnia, becoming a member of the 149th Battalion. Walter, age 33, was a married fireman residing in Sarnia at 514 Christina Street at the time. He recorded his next-of-kin as his wife, Mrs. Myrtle Wright, on Christina Street, and that he had prior military experience serving 1 ½ years in the U.S. Army.

Walter Wright had married Myrtle Adella Mann, the daughter of Levi and Sarah Mann of Sarnia, on December 31, 1907, in Sarnia. Walter did not have the opportunity to serve overseas. Approximately nine months after he enlisted, on October 10, 1916, though his conduct and character were recorded as “Good”, Walter was discharged at Camp Borden, declared medically unfit. Walter returned to Sarnia and worked as a fireman. Later, residing at 178 Cotterbury St., Walter and Myrtle had four children together, all born in Sarnia: Harold Chester (born November 1908); Stewart Malcolm (born June 1913); Doris Victoria (born May 1915); and Lloyd George (born March 1921).

Prior to enlisting, Thomas William Wright operated a grocery store on Christina Street in Sarnia (it later became Glaab’s barber shop). Thomas was a member of Sarnia Lodge No. 126, I.O.O.F., and a member of the Sarnia Citizens Band and the Forest Band. When he enlisted, Thomas was residing at 128 Penrose Street in Sarnia with his wife Margaret, and their four children at the time: Herbert Wisby and Ellis John Wright (from Thomas’ first marriage); Mary Umfreville Kershaw (from Margaret’s first marriage) and Clifford Wisby Wright.

Thomas, age 34, enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) on February 18, 1916, in Sarnia (three weeks after his younger brother Walter had enlisted). He stood five feet two-and-a-half inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, recorded his trade or calling as grocer, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Margaret Wright at 128 Penrose Street. Thomas became a member of 149th Battalion, CEF. The Wright family later resided at 240 Bright Street, Sarnia. Six months after he enlisted, in August 1916, Thomas and Margaret’s twins, Edith and James, were born.  

Seven months after enlisting, in September 1916, Thomas spent nine days in hospital at Camp Borden, recovering from a scabies infestation. In January 1917, Thomas Wright completed a form that was required to be filled out by all men joining units for overseas service. On the form, Thomas recorded his wife, Margaret, and he lived at 128 Penrose Street and the names of his six children living with them: Herbert Wisby (age 11), Ellis John (age 7), Mary Umfreville Kershaw Wright (age 5), Clifford Wisby (age 2), and twins James LeNoury and Edith Salina (age 4 months). Thomas also recorded that his mother, who was still alive, was Julia Peters, of Canada House, 68 Mt. Durand Guernsay Channel Is., England. 

Almost 14 months after enlisting, on April 2, 1917, Private Thomas Wright was transferred to the 216th Battalion. Just over two weeks later, on April 18, he embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Scandinavian. He arrived in Liverpool on April 29, 1917, and the next day, was transferred to the 3rd Canadian Reserve Labour Battalion at West Sandling.

Just over two months later, in early July 1917, and still at West Sandling, Thomas was transferred to the Central Ontario Regimental Depot, and a week later, to the 1st Labour Battalion. On July 19, 1917, Private Thomas Wright arrived in France, as a member of the 3rd Canadian Labour Battalion. The 3rd Canadian Labour Battalion was later designated, in November 1917, as the 11th Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops (CRT).

Seven months after arriving in France, on February 18, 1918, Thomas Wright, in his role as a sapper, was awarded a Good Conduct Badge in the field.

The term “sapper”, is derived from the French word sappe (“spadework,” or “trench”), and has been associated with military engineers for many generations. In World War I, sappers carried out dangerous work in support of the infantry. Tasks included digging trenches and tunnels for mines underneath enemy trenches; building roads, bridges, rail lines, and field fortifications; setting up communication lines; breaching obstacles; ensuring safe water supplies; and joining the infantry as fighting troops when necessary.

Early in the summer of 1918, Allied Commanders proposed a plan to take advantage of German disarray following their failed Spring Offensive. Canadian troops were to play a key role as “shock troops” in cracking the German defences. They spent two months preparing for what became their Hundred Days Campaign. Approximately one year after arriving in France, Thomas was embroiled in this pivotal campaign, one that featured intense and brutal fighting as the end of the war neared.

Waged from August 8 to November 11, 1918, in France and Belgium, it 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.

There were three major offensives in Canada’s Hundred Days Campaign in France. The first offensive 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 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”.

The third offensive was the Battle of Canal-du-Nord and Cambrai in France(September 27-October 11, 1918). Against seemingly impossible odds and a desperate and 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”

On October 22, 1918, Thomas Wright was appointed the rank of acting lance corporal, 11th Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops. Twelve days after being appointed that rank, on November 3, 1918, Thomas was admitted to No. 56 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) where his condition was recorded as “dangerously ill, influenza”.

Six days later, on November 9, 1918, Thomas passed away at No. 56 CCS, the result of broncho-pneumonia. (Note: his rank was originally recorded as sapper, but was later changed to acting lance corporal).

Acting Lance Corporal Thomas Wright’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 9-11-18. Died (Influenza & Broncho-pneumonia) No. 56 Casualty Clearing Station. Buried: Grevillers British Cemetery, 1 mile W. of Bapaume, France.

Two days after Thomas’ death, the Armistice was signed, ending the Great War.

In early November 1918, after Thomas had been overseas for a little over two years, Margaret received a telegram at their home on Penrose Street, informing her that her husband, Private Thomas Wright, was dangerously ill with influenza. Almost two weeks after the Great War ended, Margaret received the sad official news that her husband 845567 PTE. THOMAS WILLIAM WRIGHT HAS DIED OF BRONCHO PNEUMONIA AT A CASUALTY CLEARING STATION ON NOVEMBER 9TH. Thomas left behind his wife, Margaret, and their five children: Herbert, Ellis, Mary, Clifford, Edith and James.

In late November 1918, the secretary of Sarnia Lodge No. 126, I.O.O.F. received a letter that had been written by Thomas Wright prior to his death. Thomas was proud to be a member of the order and had been anxiously waiting his return home, so he could attend the meetings of his beloved order. Following is that letter:

Somewhere in France, Oct. 6, 1918.

Wm. Batten, Sec’y I.O.O.F. Sarnia

Dear Sir,

A few lines to let you know I have not forgotten Sarnia Lodge No. 126, I.O.O.F. I am very proud of being an Odd Fellow and, moreover, I must thank the lodge for the kindness tendered to my wife and family during my absence. I am very sorry to hear the sad news of the death of the late James Galbraith. He was always ready with a helping hand to help any brother in need no matter who he was. So Sarnia loses a good brother. I am very sorry not to have written a few lines before but I trust we shall meet again. The boys out here in France have learned some good lessons and you can count on having a good number of our boys once we are permitted to return home. I am looking forward to being able to meet again in 126 lodge room. How good it would be to be there. Yet we must wait a while longer. We are very cheerful and the news at present one can hardly wait to see the paper. May it continue and then victory. Germany is certainly in a very bad position. The sooner he gives in the better for him and us all. I am writing this few lines on a German field letter card, having picked it up on the battlefield along with the enclosed iron cross ribbon and needle found in one of the German trenches. I can’t tell you where, but some day I hope to. Kindest regards to all the boys of 126 lodge.

                                                                                                            Yours, in F.L. & T.   Thos. Wright

Thomas William Wright, 37, is buried in Grevillers British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, Grave XVII.E.8.

Thomas’ first wife, Harriet, passed away in Forest in 1912, and his second wife, Margaret, who was Harriet’s sister, passed away in Sarnia in 1964. Both sisters are buried in Beechwood Cemetery in Forest. An empty spot still lies between them, for their husband, Thomas William Wright. That spot will always be there, as Thomas Wright is buried in France with his fallen brothers in arms.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Andrew Wyseman was born in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, on August 7, 1879, the eldest child of Robert and Agnes (nee Gibb) Wyseman. Robert Wyseman (born December 30, 1856 in Stirlingshire, Scotland) and Agnes Gibb (born June 13, 1860 in Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland) were married on June 13, 1879, in Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Robert and Agnes were blessed with six children together: Andrew (born 1879); Richard Gibb (born September 28, 1885); Robert Gibb (born February 24, 1888); William (born December 10,1891); James Hunter (born 1898); and Mary (born 1900).

In 1891, Robert and Agnes Wyseman were residing on Thornhill Road in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, with their children: Andrew (age 11), Richard (age 5), Robert (age 3) and William (age 3-months). Robert supported his family by working as a moulder. Ten years later, in 1901, the Wyseman family was still residing on Thornhill Road, Falkirk, and Robert was still working as an iron-moulder; however, they had more mouths to feed for the family had swelled to Robert, Agnes and their six children: Andrew (age 21, employed as an iron-moulder like his father); Richard; Robert; William; James, and Mary.

The Wyseman family immigrated to Canada in 1907. The patriarch Robert left first on April 20, 1907, departing from Glasgow, Scotland aboard the Corinthian. He arrived in Montreal, Quebec, on May 6, 1907, recording his occupation was moulder and his intended destination was London, Ontario. One month later, in late May 1907, Agnes, age 47, along with their children Robert, William, James, and Mary, departed Glasgow, Scotland, aboard the Corinthian. They arrived in Montreal, Quebec, on June 4, 1907, and also recorded their intended destination as London, Ontario.

Not long after, the Wyseman family was residing at 130 South Brock Street in Sarnia. Robert supported his family working as a moulder in Sarnia. On December 10, 1910, tragedy struck the family when Andrew’s younger brother, Richard, who was employed as a moulder in Sarnia, passed away in Sarnia at the age of 25, due to infantile paralysis. Three-and-a-half years later, on June 16, 1914, Andrew’s youngest brother, James (of 130 S. Brock Street, Sarnia, a cashier), married Anna Elizabeth Scott, a stenographer who was living at 133 Essex Street.

Two of Andrew’s younger brothers also served in the Great War. Brother William, age 23, was the first Wyseman brother to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, on February 10, 1915, in Sarnia. On his Attestation Paper, William recorded the spelling of his surname as “Wiseman”. William stood five feet seven-and-three-quarter inches tall, had dark blue eyes and fair hair, was single, and recorded his occupation as machinist, and his next-of-kin as his father Robert Wiseman of 130 Brock Street, Sarnia.

Private William Wiseman became a member of No. 3 Stationary Hospital, Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC). He arrived in England in mid-April 1915. Once there, William spent a lot of time in hospitals as a patient, since he was persistently burdened with illnesses, including gastritis, para-typhoid, and a recurring influenza. Fourteen months after arriving overseas, on June 3, 1916, William arrived in France. He served in France with the 7th Canadian General Hospital, the 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital, and the 2nd Canadian Field Ambulance. William Wiseman survived the war and was discharged on demobilization in London, Ontario, in May 1919.

Robert Gibb, 27, was the second Wyseman brother to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Robert enlisted on April 19, 1915, in Hamilton, Ontario, and became a member of the 36th Battalion, CEF. He was working as a moulder at the time, and was married (he had married Marion Kath Lawson three-and-a-half years earlier, on October 5, 1911). Robert stood five feet five-and-three-quarter inches tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair, recorded his occupation as a clerk, and his next-of-kin as his wife, Marion Wyseman at their home address of 25 West Street in Brantford, Ontario (she later resided at 171 Kathleen Avenue, Sarnia).

On June 19, 1915, Private Robert Gibb Wyseman embarked overseas bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Corsican and arrived in England on June 28, 1915. Robert served only in England, as a sergeant with the Canadian Ordnance Corps (COC), and Canadian Army Pay Corps (CAPC). Robert was not allowed to embark to France or Belgium because of a congenital defect with his vision. Sergeant Robert Wyseman survived the war and was discharged in London, Ontario, on June 4, 1919.

At some point, Andrew Wyseman moved out west and was residing in Alberta. On February 1, 1916, at the age of 36, Andrew enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Edmonton, Alberta,

where he became a member of the 138th Battalion, CEF. Andrew stood five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes and

light brown hair, was single, was residing at 70 May Street, Edmonton, and was employed as a mail carrier at the time. He recorded his next-of-kin as his father, Robert Wyseman, who was living at 130 Brock Street, Sarnia. Andrew also recorded that he had seven months of prior militia experience with the 101st Active Militia. One month after enlisting, on April 8, 1916, in Edmonton, Andrew completed an “Application for Entry for a Homestead”. The application was made for a section of agricultural land that he planned to reside on and to cultivate for his own.

Approximately six-and-a-half months after enlisting, on August 21, 1916, Private Andrew Wyseman embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom aboard S.S. Olympic. He arrived in Liverpool, England, on August 30, 1916.

Two months later, on October 26, 1916, Andrew was transferred to the 137th Battalion at Camp Witley. Two- and-a-half months after that, on January 10, 1917, he was transferred to the 21st Reserve Battalion, Alberta Regiment at Seaford. Just over one month later, on February 16, 1917, he was transferred again, to the 31st Battalion. The next day, Private Andrew Wyseman arrived in Havre, France.

From the Canadian Base Reinforcement Depot, Andrew and the 31st Battalion arrived at the front five days later, on February 22, 1917. They made their way to an area in northern France dominated by a long hill known as Vimy Ridge. The Canadians arrived at the Vimy front in staggered marches, beginning in late October 1916. The muddy, cratered western slope was an immense graveyard, littered with the remains of thousands of unburied corpses and fragments of bodies. Above them, the Germans had transformed the ridge into a virtually impregnable defensive position with deep concrete dugouts, rows of barbed wire, underground tunnels, and multiple lines of soldiers with rifles, mortars and machine guns, all protected by artillery. The Canadians were tasked with capturing the ridge, something that French and British troops had failed to do.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9-12, 1917) was the first time (and the last time in the war) that all four divisions of the Canadian Corps, with soldiers from every region in the country, would surge forward simultaneously. The first day of the battle, April 9, 1917, was the single bloodiest day of the entire war for the Canadian Corps and the bloodiest in all of Canadian military history. The four-day victory at Vimy Ridge was a seminal battle, a turning point in the war for the Canadian Corps and a significant victory for Canada, later referred to as “the birth of a nation”.  Of the 97,000 Canadians who fought at Vimy Ridge, approximately 7,004 were wounded and 3,598 were killed in four days of battle

Though the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge occurred over four days in April, the fighting in the area continued in the following weeks, as the Germans attempted to dislodge the Canadians from the high ground. On May 3, 1917, Private Andrew Wyseman of the 31st Battalion, was killed in action during fighting in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge. On May 3, after an attack against the enemy, Andrew was not seen again. He was originally reported missing. As the days passed, no further information was furnished from the casualty branch. Months later, Private Andrew Wyseman was recorded as Previously reported missing, now for official purposes presumed to have died on or since May 3rd, 1917.

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.”

In June 1917, his mother Agnes on Brock Street in Sarnia received the following letter from one of her son’s comrades, conveying that he was missing:

Dear Mrs. Wyseman,

I am sorry to inform you that Andy is missing. I don’t know if you have been informed through the War Office or not, but before we went into the line, Andy gave me his address, and I gave him mine, and we promised each other if anything should happen, we would write home after several days. There is a great possibility of him being taken a prisoner, for the day we went over the top, Andy and myself were together and we were surrounded by Germans, but we drove them back and in the excitement, I lost Andy. He is reported missing and I have been waiting this last week thinking I might hear news of him. As I have not heard anything, I thought I would let you know. My address is Pte. Maurice Kew, No. 811605, 31st Canadian Battalion E.F., France. My home address is Kidmore, Reading Berks, England. I joined up with Andy, being in the 138th Band with him, and have been with him right along. Therefore I miss him very much, and I am awfully sorry this has happened. We must hope for the best. If you should hear of him as a prisoner or otherwise, you might let me know and I will certainly do the same, therefore, wishing you the best of luck will close. I am yours very truly.                                    Maurice Kew

Eight months later, in late January 1918, the Deputy Adjutant-General, G.H.Q., 3rd Echelon, Canadian Division, completed a “Missing Man (Acceptance of Death for Official Purposes)” form. In reference to Private Andrew Wyseman of the 31st Battalion, the following was recorded: Reference has been made to the Unit, the Record Office and the Base, on the printed missing list, but no evidence of material value has been received which would indicate that he is not dead. In accordance with the decision of the Army Council, this soldier is to be regarded for official purposes as having died on or since 3-5-17. It also recorded that no Will, either in his Pay Book, or as a separate document, was ever received.Andrew Wyseman’s Commonwealth War Graves Register records the following: Date of Casualty: 3-5-17. Previously Reported Missing now for Official purposes presumed to have DIED on or since 3-5-17. 

Andrew’s parents, Robert and Agnes, resided at 130 Brock Street in Sarnia for the rest of their lives. Robert Wyseman passed away at the age of 74 on February 6, 1932. Agnes Wyseman passed away at the age of 75 on February 8, 1935. Both Robert and Agnes Wyseman are buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Andrew Wyseman, 37, has no known grave. He is memorialized on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. On the Sarnia cenotaph, his name is inscribed as A. Wiseman.  

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo