John McGuire Taylor was born in November of 1917. Taylor served with the RCAF during WWII until his aircraft was shot down over North Africa, where he was taken prisoner in November of 1941. He remained a prisoner of war for the remainder of WWII. After being taken prisoner in Africa, Taylor was a POW in Italy, and then finally sent to Germany, where he spent time in Stalag Luft 3. The collection consists of an extended, illustrated memoir written while as a prisoner, as well as photographs, letters, cards, and his flying log.
Roland Hayes was born in Armstrong, British Columbia in October, 1895. He worked as a farmer until he was concripted in 1917. Hayes served with the 72nd Battalion in England and France and returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of one letter and two photographs. We are grateful to the Historic O'Keefe Ranch in Vernon, British Columbia for sharing these materials.
Private Walter Elliot Middleton enrolled with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 16, 1940. Middleton served overseas in the United Kingdom, Europe, and in the Mediterranean before returning to Canada and demobilized on September 4, 1945. The collection consists of a letter written on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Reginald Walwin Fisher was born in Alliston, Ontario, in March 1895. Prior to the war he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he went to school and then later worked in the city assessor's office. Fisher enlisted in February 1916 in Regina with the 195th Battalion and then later was transferred to the 52nd Battalion when overseas. He was killed October 26, 1917. The collection currently consists of a clipping announcing his death in a Regina newspaper.
John George Bryce Hall was born in England in December 1876. Prior to the war he immigrated to Canada where he worked as an acountant in Toronto. Bryce enlisted in August 1915 in Toronto with the 83rd Battalion. He served overseas in England and France with the 124th Battalion and returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of thirty postcards and his medals.
William Pash was born in London, England, in January 1889. Sometime prior to the war he immigrated to Brantford, Ontario, where he worked as a baker. Pash enlisted in Brantford, Ontario with the 125th Battalion and served overseas. The collection currently consists of twenty one postcards.
Henry Johnston was born in Huntley, Ontario in May, 1895. Johnston enlisted in June, 1915 in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) with the 52nd Battalion. He proceeded overseas with the 52nd and was severely wounded in June of 1916, and subsequently invalided back to Canada. The collection currently consists of one letter, one postcard, and one photograph of the "A" Coy, 52nd Bn. taken in 1915.
William Fradley was born in Bristol, England in July, 1891. He enlisted in Toronto in July, 1915 with the 35th Battalion and sailed to England in October, 1915. Fradley was transferred to the 23rd Reserve Battalion and then later to the 3rd Battalion, in which he was serving at the time of his death on September 23, 1916. The collection currently consists of a photograph of Fradley and a copy of his will.
Edward Freeman Sweet was born in Switzerville, Ontario, in January 1898 and was a farmer prior to the war. Sweet enlisted with the 146th Battalion in Kingston in January 1916, just after his eighteenth birthday. He died in Kingston, Ontario, February 4, 1916. The collection currently consists of one photograph of Sweet at the time of enlistment.
Ian Gordon Hunter McIntyre was born in September, 1921. He attended school in Courtenay on Vancouver Island, British Columbia until 1936 when, at the age of 15 he signed on with the British training ship the HMS Conway. After two years he then joined Donaldson, Black and Company. He sailed with them, including the Murmansk Convoy until his ship, Empire Whale was torpedoed and sunk March 9, 1943. McIntyre was killed at that time and is remembered on the Halifax Memorial. The collection currently consists of a number of miscellaneous personal items.
External links:
As a member of the Canadian Merchant Navy, Third Mate Ian Gordon Hunter McIntyre does not have a service record available through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring McIntyre can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Clair Barrey was born in Cayuga, Ontario, in March 1894. He enlisted in Dunnville, Ontario, in February 1916 with the 114th Battalion, known as "Brock's Rangers." Barrey was serving overseas with the 7th Battalion when he was wounded in August 1917 at Hill 70, resulting in the amputation of much of his right leg. The collection currently consists of one photograph of Barrey, as well as two letters home which were subsequently reprinted in the local newspaper, the Dunnville Chronicle.
Francois Boutin was born in Alida, Saskatchewan, on August 6 1928. Boutin enlisted in Shilo, Manitoba, with the Royal 22nd Regiment in 1947. He served as a paratrooper in Korea before being injured in 1952, shot in both shoulders. He recovered in a hospital in Japan before returning to Canada in June 1953. This collection currently consists of twenty-four photographs and a few personal items.
William Henry George McRobbie was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in August 1897 and moved to Leross, Saskatchewan, with his family prior to the war. McRobbie enlisted in May 1916 at Watrous, Saskatchewan, with the 214th Battalion. He served oveseas with the 5th Battalion and was killed November 10, 1917. The collection currently consists of a photograph and a few personal items relating to his service.
James DeArze Gill McKie served with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and the 2nd Canadian Guards. During World War ll he served with the PPCLI in Italy. McKie retired with the rank of Sgt. Major in 1962, having served in the Canadian Army since 1937. He died in 1987. The collection currently consists of three letters and one photograph.
John McCallum LeRoy was born in Quebec in October 1886, and later moved with his family to Bogend, Saskatchewan. LeRoy enlisted in January 1915, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He served overseas with the 5th Battalion Canadian Infantry until his death on April 28, 1917. The town of LeRoy, Saskatchewan, formerly Bogend, is named after him. The collection currently consists of six letters, two photographs, a postcard, a note from the Red Cross, his Circumstances of Death record, and a report regarding his death from a soldier.
Thomas Joseph Roche was born in Toronto, Ontario in April, 1918 and enlisted with the RCAF where he served as WO II. He served overseas with the 106 Sqdn. Roch'e aircraft and crew were lost on a raid against Hamburg, Germany on July 28, 1943. The collection currently consists of one letter, and two photographs.
External links:
Warrant Officer Thomas Joseph Roche’s service record (Serv/Reg# R115295) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Roche can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Walter Thomas "Tommy" Robus was born in Shoreditch, England in August of 1893. Robus was the first man to enlist from the town of Norwood, Ontario. He enlisted in August of 1914 with the Second Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, arriving in France in February of 1915. Robus served in France for the duration of the war as a member of the colloquially-named “Suicide Club” First Canadian Contingent bomb squad, and saw the Second Battle of Ypres and The Somme. Robus was wounded on four occasions, returning to France each time before his final return to Canada in December of 1918. This collection currently consists of Robus’ letters written to Rev. A. M. Irwin of Norwood, Ontario and newspaper articles written after his death.
Wilfred Entwisle Bury was born in England in 1881 and moved to the Vermillion, Alberta, area in 1909. Bury enlisted in Vermillion in January 1915 and served overseas with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles (Saskatchewan Regiment) until his death on November 15, 1917. See also the Ernest Mosley Taylor, also from Vermillion, to whom he was related by marriage. The collection currently consists of six letters.
Humewood School is a school in Toronto, Ontario which during WWII sent parcels to ex-Humewood students who were serving during the war. This unique collection currently consists of more than forty letters of thank you back to the school for Christmas parcels sent for Christmas of 1944.
Jack Crawley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in October 1893. He enlisted in December 1914 in Brandon, Manitoba, and served overseas with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles. Crawley was killed June 5, 1916. His photograph is also a part of the Perry Sanderson collection. Sanderson mentions him in his letters; he was killed one day after Crawley. The collection currently consists of one photograph.
Wesley Andrew Stevenson was born in Norwood, Ontario, in November 1898. He enlisted in August 1916 at Kingston, Ontario, with the 74th Battery, C.F.A. Stevenson was one of the correspondents with Reverend Arthur Mansell Irwin from Norwood, Ontario, whose collection also apppears in this project. The collection currrently consists of one letter.
Malcolm David Sloan was born in Norwood, Ontario, in 1896 and was enlisted in 1917 under the Military Service Act and served in England in 1918. Sloan was one of the correspondents with Reverend Arthur Mansell Irwin from Norwood, Ontario, whose collection is also contained in this project. The collection currently consists of one letter.
Russell Scriver was born in Norwood, Ontario, in October 1896. He enlisted with the 57th Regt. in December 1915 in Peterborough, Ontario. Scriver was one of the correspondents with Rev. Arthur Mansell Irwin from Norwood, Ontario, whose collection also appears in the project. He was serving with the 18th Battalion at the time of his death on October 9, 1918. The collection currently consists of one letter.
Erle Beavis Laing was born in Havelock, Ontario in August, 1895. He was enlisted under the Military Service Act and served in England until his return to Canada in 1919. Laing was one of the correspondents to Reverend Arthur Mansell Irwin from Norwood, Ontario, whose collection is also contained in this project. The collection currently consists of one letter.
Arthur Mansell Irwin was born in July of 1867 in Dalyrimple, Ontario and came to Norwood, Ontario between 1913 and 1914 as Pastor of Norwood Methodist Church. As a church and community leader, Irwin mentored Norwood's youth and maintained diligent correspondence with many young men serving overseas during WWI. Irwin's son Pte.Karl Webster Irwin also served overseas, leaving Norwood in 1917. This collection consists of multiple clippings and articles pertaining to Canadian servicemen from Norwood, as well as one letter and two telegrams. Irwin's correspondence with numerous Canadian soldiers from Norwood comprise multiple collections on this website and are linked to this collection.
