Raymond Harlan Brewster was born in Boston in 1893 and later moved to Victoria, British Columbia. At the time of his enlistment in May 1917 his father, Harlan Brewster, was the Premier of the province. Brewster served overseas and was killed November 1, 1918. The collection consist of three letters and four photographs.
Pilot Officer James “Jim” Roy d’Arcy Baker was born in Killarney, Manitoba, on May 22, 1921, to parents Hugh and Marjorie Baker.
Following his enlistment in 1939, Baker served overseas with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry until joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943. He served in the R.C.A.F. for the remainder of the war.
Content notes:
The majority of the nearly 250 letters in the Baker Collection were written to his mother Marjorie; included with his correspondence were eleven poems he wrote during the war.
Please note: All transcriptions have been provided by the collection donor without original documents.
External links:
P/O Baker (Serv/Reg#s J95017; K85260; R225139) survived the war; his service record is not open to public access at this time.
[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated January of 2023. Several Collection Contents categorizations have been changed (e.g. from “Printed Matter” to “Newspaper Article”); two new letters added; one duplicate & one blank posting corrected. Poems are now identified by their respective letter dates, and poem formatting updated. The Collection Description and some content descriptions have been added or expanded to provide more information, including the addition of Baker’s previously unknown middle names.]
Edward (Ted) Gerrard Vaughan, DFC, was a Pilot Officer with the RCAF. After training in Canada and Scotland Vaughan was posted to the 408 Squadron in January, 1944. The 408 was known as the Goose Sqaudron as their emblem was the Canada Goose. Vaughan successfully flew thirty six missions, and was awarded the Distinquished Flying Cross in 1944. The collection currently consists of personal letters, official correspondence, photographs, and other miscellaneous items.
Daniel Serrick was born in Jollimore, Nova Scotia in September, 1920. In 1938 Serrick went to England and joined the Manchester Regiment, serving with 'B' Company until his evacuation from Dunkirk in June, 1940. He then transferred to the British Commandos and then to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in July, 1942. From there Serrick volunteered for the joint American and Canadian The First Special Service Force and was killed in the Italian campaign on May 29, 1944. Daniel Serrick is buried in the Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy. The collection consists of one letter to his sister as well as several photographs.
External links:
Staff Sergeant Daniel Serrick’s service record (Serv/Reg# U1805) 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 Serrick can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Herbert Percy Blake was born in Victoria, British Columbia, in January 1886. He enlisted at Vernon, British Columbia, on October 5, 1915, and served overseas in France. He was killed in action February 27, 1917. The collection consists of two letters written in 1917.
The materials in this collection belonged to Emily Hager, the youngest of a family of nine. Four of her brothers served overseas during WWI. The collection consists of a photograph of her brother Wesley Hager who enlisted in Saskatoon in January, 1916, and was killed in France in November, 1916, a Christmas Day 1917 menu for Canadian troops training in England, and two letters sent to her during the war. One letter is from her brother Allen who was born in February, 1892 and enlisted in November 1914. and the other is from a family friend, Harold Panabaker, who fought at Vimy Ridge and describes in his letter his experiences of the attack.
James Arthur Lindsay, MM, was born in Lochwinnoch, Ontario in March, 1893. He enlisted at Ottawa in July, 1915 and served overseas with the 23rd Battery, C.F.A. Lindsay was awarded the Military Medal in October 1918, during the fighting at Cambrai. He was discharged in May 1919, and returned to Canada. The collection consists of three letters, a Christmas 1918 program and menu, a letter of appreciation from the Lochwinnoch Branch of the U.F.O., and one photograph.
James Stuart Holmes was born in Spencerville, Ontario in November, 1897. Holmes enlisted in March of 1916, and went overseas with the 156th Battalion. The collection currently consists of three letters written by Holmes.
Charles Gordon Shaw was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1895. He later moved to Peterborough, Ontario, where he enlisted with the 247th Bn. C.E.F. in October 1916, and served overseas with the 3rd Canadian Reserve Battalion. The collection consists of two letters.
Fred Nickle studied medicine at The University of Toronto and joined the British Navy to serve as a Surgeon Probationer. He served in England and at the end of the war returned to Madoc, Ontario where he practised medicine. The collection consists of eight letters written between 1918 and 1919 to his cousin Helen Davis. Other correspondents to Davis include the Daniel Austin Lane collection, the Gordon Shrum collection, and the William Grassie collection.
Donald Mackenzie was born in New Brunswick in 1877 and enlisted on November 9, 1914, in Victoria, British Columbia. Moore served as a Captain with the 30th Battalion. He was killed May 22, 1915. The collection consists of one newspaper clipping, three letters from Donald to his brother Art and one letter from their cousin Cyrus Peck regarding Donald's disappearance.
Thomas William Johnson was born in April, 1877 and enlisted at Swift Current, Saskatchewan in March, 1916. The collection consists of more than sixty letters that he wrote to his future wife 'Lulu'.
Walter Kenneth Runciman was born in South Shields, Durham, England, in June 1886. After emmigrating to Canada he was a rancher in Alberta. Runciman enlisted in September 1917 in Calgary, Alberta, with the 78th Batallion. The collection currently consists of seven photographs.
Harold Henry Simpson, MM, was born in March 1897 in Bayview, Prince Edward Island. Simpson enlisted in September 1915 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and served overseas in France, Belgium, and Germany until his return to Canada at the end of the war. The collection consists of more than one hundred forty letters from 1915 to 1919.
Ludlow Jackson Weeks was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, in September 1899. Weeks enlisted with the No. 10 Halifax Siege Battalion in Halifax in May 1917, having previously been rejected for being underage. He served overseas in 1918. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters, as well as postcards and photographs.
Wilfred Henry Stoll was born in July 1898 in Nottawa, Ontario, and enlisted at Collingwood, Ontario, in March 1916. He served overseas in France until he was discharged in 1918 for medical reasons. The collection consists of one photograph and one postcard.
Clifford Shaver was born in Mountain, Ontario, in 1896, one of ten children of William and Jessie Shaver. He enlisted on February 1, 1916, went to England in October of 1916, and then to France in May 1917. He was killed by a shell October 30, 1917, at the age of 21. His body was never recovered and he is commemorated at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium. The collection consists of six letters that he wrote home, three letters of condolence written to his parents and published in the newspaper, as well as several photographs.
Private Albert Evans was born on May 1, 1899 in Burwardsley, Cheshire, England, to parents Edward and Emma Evans.
Evans enlisted at Youngstown, Alberta, on February 19, 1916, with the 175th Battalion, and sailed to England from Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the SS Saxonia in October 1916. Once in England Evans was transferred to the 21st Reserve Battalion, and then to the 50th Battalion, with whom he was sent to France in March 1917. While serving with 50th, Evans was wounded near Lens, France on August 21, 1917, and died of his wounds September 2, 1917.
[Editor note: His attestation paper mistakenly lists his birth year as 1899, not 1889. He was 26 at the time of enlistment]
External links:
Private Albert Evans’s service record (Serv/Reg# 696403) 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 Evans can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Sydney Thomas Fisher was from Victoria, British Columbia. Fisher joined the RCAF, was attached to 35 Squadron RAF, and was shot down on September 15, 1941, and remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. The collection currently consists of his correspondence both before and during his time as a POW, as well as clippings and other miscellaneous items.
Sydney Thomas Hampson was born in England in October 1893. Prior to the war he immigrated to Canada and enlisted in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in January, 1915. The collection currently consists of thirteen letters, excerpts from his diary, photographs, and personal items.
George Henry Tripp was born in London, England, in July 1897. He immigrated to Huttonville, Ontario, and enlisted in July 1915 at Toronto, Ontario, with the 74th Battalion. Tripp served overseas with the 19th Battalion and was killed May 9, 1917. The collection consists of fifteen letters he wrote to his friend Lola Passmore. For more letters to Lola Passmore, see the collection of that name in the WWI collections.
Archie Thompson had worked on the Frank and Annie Fuller family farm in Quebec prior to the war. The letters were addressed to Donald Fuller, their son. Following his return from the war Archie Thompson moved to Montreal. The collection consists of four letters.
Henry Lawrence Davis was born near Ivy, Ontario, in 1913 and joined the RCAF in December 1940. He received his wings in September 1941 and was stationed to England in October 1941. Davis was killed with all his crew in a crash in Wales, May 28, 1942.
External links:
Flight Sergeant Henry Lawrence Davis’ service record (Serv/Reg# R85807) 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 Davis can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Sergeant Frederick William Barnes was born in Birtle, Manitoba, on October 17, 1895 to parents William and Harriet Barnes. Prior to his enlistment he was working as a jeweller.
Barnes enlisted with the 61st Overseas Battalion in Winnipeg, Manitoba on January 5, 1916. He shipped for England on board the SS Olympic in April of 1916, and then to France in July of 1916 where he served with the 8th Battalion. He was awarded the Military Medal in 1917. Barnes was killed in action August 31, 1918 and was buried at the Upton Wood Cemetery in France.
External links:
Sergeant Barnes’s service record (Serv/Reg# 461342) can be viewed/downloaded through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Barnes can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Frederick George Pearson was born in Lancashire, England, in September 1894. He immigrated to Canada in 1909 and settled in the Red Deer District. Pearson enlisted in Calgary in July 1916 and served overseas with the 10th Battalion. The collection currently consists of his diary from 1917.
