John (Jack) Arthur Cowles was born in Oxford, England in March, 1893. He was a member of the Balliol Boys Club, a club run by the students, graduates, and tutors of Balliol College in Oxford. It was under the Club's auspices that Jack came to Canada in 1913. Jack enlisted with the Canadian forces in Saskatchewan in 1914. Cowles served overseas with B Coy. 28th Battalion and he was killed June 6, 1916. The collection consists of several letters to his sister and to the Balliol Boys Club, three postcards, four photographs, and a letter of condolence from Sam Hughes.
Bertam Howard Cox was born in the Barbadoes in 1894. He emigrated to Canada and prior to the war and worked as a bank clerk in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Cox enlisted in Winnipeg in March, 1916. The collection consists of nearly forty letters from 1916 to 1919.
Herbert Laurier Irwin was born in Weston, Ontario in 1896. Irwin enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in October, 1915 with the 41st O.S. Battery and served overseas in France and Belgium. The collection consists of twelve letters, four postcards, and two photographs.
Harold Keith Davey was born in Enterprise, Ontario in July 1897. Davey enlisted with the 4th Battalion Canadian Engineers in Toronto in June of 1916. He served in France before being discharged and returned to Canada in May 1918. This collection currently consists of two diaries, two photograhs, three postcards, and a letter.
Lola Passmore was born in 1899 and lived in Peel County, Ontario near the village of Huttonville. Around 1916 she and her family moved into the city of Toronto. The collection consists of twenty-two letters from her male friends from Huttonville written to her during the war. The largest portion (15 letters) is from George Henry Tripp, who was killed May 5, 1917. As well there are letters from John (Jack) Booker and his brother Alex Booker, one from George Edward Manners, and one from her uncle, Dr. James Fraser, a Major who served with the Ambulance Corps.
Thomas Marion was born in Toronto in 1894. He was a student in Montreal at the time of his enlistment in November, 1916. Marion was a member of the Irish Canadian Rangers and served overseas where he was wounded. The collection consists of one letter from hospital describing his wounding. The actual date of the letter is unclear. Although it is dated 1915 would be likely 1917 or possibly 1918, given that he did not enlist until 1916.
Leslie Neufeld Abram was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan in 1922. Neufeld was part of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, "C" Coy, some of the first Canadians to land in France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was killed early on the morning of the 6th in an assault on a concrete bunker. The collection consists of his last letter home written on June 4th, a photograph, and some poems written by Neufeld while in high school.
George Hedley Kempling was born June 1, 1884 in Toronto, Ontario and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in August, 1915. He survived the war and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection consists of his diary entries from July 12, 1916 to October 7, 1916.
Cuthbert King Matthews was born in London, England in June, 1892. He emigrated to Canada at age nineteen, where he began homesteading in Saskatchewan. Matthews enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba in March, 1916. He served overseas in Belgium and France until wounded in August, 1918 and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection consists of eleven letters written by Matthews.
William Fraser Stagg was born in Inverness, Scotland in May, 1876. He emigrated to Canada prior to the war and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in January, 1916. Stagg served overseas during the war with the 10th Field Coy., Canadian Engineers. While returning back home at the end of the war, Stagg was killed in a train derailment outside of Edmunston, New Brunswick on December 31, 1918. The collection currently consists of thirty letters, photographs, telegrams, and postcards.
Joseph Handley Smith was born in Lincoln, England in November, 1890. He emigrated to Canada prior to the war and enlisted in September, 1914. Smith served overseas until he was demobilized in 1919. The collection currently consists of his paybook, postcards, and miscellaneous personal items.
William George Calder was born in Truro, Nova Scotia in 1898 and later lived in Ashcroft, British Columbia prior to the war. He enlisted in Vancouver, British Columbia in May, 1916, served overseas, and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection consists of more than forty letters, extensive images, both photographs and postcards, as well as diaries and numerous miscellaneous items.
Joseph Mack Freeman was born in March, 1909 in Innisfail, Alberta. Freeman joined the army in 1941 and returned to Canada in August, 1945. He died in Didsbury, Alberta in October, 1953. The collection consists of his scrapbook of photographs, postcards, and clippings from his time in the army.
This collection consists of three letters from the North Shore Archives, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, dated between December 1916 and November 11, 1918.
Alfred Chapman Tresham was born on March 25, 1866 in Leamington, Warwickshire. He was trained in military music at Kneller Hall, Twickenham, and served in two English regiments, the 91st Warwickshire and the 62nd Wiltshire. In 1885, he immigrated to Canada where he served as a bandsman in the Royal Grenadiers Active Militia, the Infantry School Corp at New Fort Barracks, Toronto, and the 2nd Battalion of the Queen's Own Rifles until 1889. In 1895, Tresham resumed his military career as band leader of the 7th Fusiliers in London, Ontario. Two years later, he joined the Dufferin Rifles Active Militia (38th Regiment) in Brantford as band leader. Tresham was invited to join the 2nd Canadian Contingent, Special Services, R.C.R. in the South African War. He was deployed as the Sergeant Bugler in October 1899, and invalided due to rheumatism exactly a year later. The eight letters in this collection originally appeared in the Brantford Courier. Five were written to commissioned officers of the Dufferin Rifles, and three to the Editor of the Brantford Courier. They span, rather unevenly, the period from November 1899 to June 1900. Upon his return to Canada, Tresham remained with the Dufferin Rifles Band & Orchestra until his resignation from military life in 1911. He died in Hamilton of natural causes on August 19, 1943, and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Brantford.
Edward (Ted) Gerrard Vaughan 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.
Alexander Ewen was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1881 and emigrated to Canada prior to the war, where he lived in the London, Ontario area. He enlisted in September, 1914 and served overseas. The collection consists of eight letters and four photographs.
John Pritchard Sudbury was born in London, England in 1894. He emigrated to Montreal where he worked for the Montreal Gazette before enlisting in Montreal in July, 1915. He was sent to Belgium in February, 1916. He served throughout the Front including the Ypres Salient in 1916, the Somme in September of 1916, Vimy Ridge in April of 1917, and at Passchaendaele in October of 1917, where he was wounded. The collection consists of more than sixty letters written to his family, photographs, a poem, a pay book, a Christmas card, and two magazines.
John Row was born in Whitewood, Saskatchewan in April, 1896. Row enlisted in Winnipeg in October, 1914 and served overseas with the 27th Battalion. Both his brothers Sydney Arthur Row and Francis Dibley Row served in the 27th with him. The collection currently consists of more than seventy letters.
Norman Sydney Richards was born in Bristol in 1897 and emigrated to Salmon Arm, British Columbia, in 1914. He returned to England to enlist and went to France in 1917, where he was severely wounded and remained in England. recovering until 1919. In 1919 he married a woman who had worked as a V.A.D. in the hospital and together they returned to Salmon Arm in 1919. Richards died in 1986 at the age of 89. The collection consists of miscellaneous documents relating to his life and service.
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.
James Howard Bennett was born in Spencerville, Ontario in 1894, enlisted in February, 1916, and served overseas in France. The collection consists of more than three dozen letters covering the period 1916 to 1918.
John Melody Dever was born in Montreal, Quebec in June, 1897. He enlisted in August, 1916 at Kingston, Ontario. Dever served overseas in France until the end of the war, when he returned to Canada. The collection consists of several postcards, photographs, his signalling certificate, and a copy of Arthur Currie's special order for the troops of March 27, 1918.
Robert, Charles, and George Rooke were born in England and moved with their parents William and Hannah Rooke to Saskatchewan to homestead. Robert Percy Rooke, age twenty-two, enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 9, 1900 with the Lord Strathcona's Horse. His brother Charles Winn, age twenty-four, also enlisted on January 9, 1900 with the Lord Stathcona's Horse. Both served in South Africa and returned to Canada early in 1901. They both re-enlisted with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, along with their brother George Cyril, age twenty, who enlisted in December, 1901, and served in South Africa until the end of the war. The original letters have been donated by the family to the National Archives in Ottawa. The collection consists of more than 40 letters written by the brothers to their family back in Canada.
Roderick Anderson Todd was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1890 and emigrated to Canada prior to the war. He enlisted in Victoria, British Columbia in February, 1914. He served overseas in France and was wounded in 1917. The collection currently consists of fifteen letters written by Todd, most of them while in hospital.
