William Fraser Stagg was born in Inverness, Scotland, in May 1876. He immigrated 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 immigrated 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.

Henry Crozier Smith was born in Scotland in 1875. Sometime prior to the war he immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, where he worked as a rancher. Smith enlisted in Vernon, British Columbia, in May 1915 and then served overseas in France until his death in November 1916. The collection currently consists of seventeen letters.

Horace William Wilson was born in Newport, England, in February 1896 and immigrated to Waseca, Saskatchewan, prior to the war. Wilson enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in April 1916. The collection currently consists of photographs, as well as the diary he kept during the war.

Corporal John Henry Anderson, known as “Henry,” was born January 26, 1892, in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, to parents Augustus J. and Albertina Anderson. In 1898 the family moved from the United States to Canada.

Anderson was working as a brakeman on the Canadian Pacific Railway prior to his enlistment with the 54th Battalion in Vernon, British Columbia, on May 28, 1915. Anderson proceeded overseas to England with the 54th Battalion, and was sent to France on January 5, 1916, where he was attached to the 7th Battalion. He was killed in action during the battle for Vimy Ridge between April 8-10, 1917. He was buried at Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt, Pas de Calais, France.

Content notes:
Two of the collection’s letters were sent home by Anderson from France in early 1917. The other two are condolence letters to Anderson’s family written by fellow soldiers following his death at Vimy; one is from Corporal Hugh Gordon Baxter, the other author is unknown. Included in the photographs is a group picture of the officers and N.C.O.’s of the 7th Battalion, No. 4 Company, taken in France in January of 1917.

External links:
Cpl. John Henry Anderson’s service record (Serv/Reg# 442007) 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 Anderson can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Cpl. Hugh Gordon Baxter’s service record (Serv/Reg# 116358) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated December 13, 2022. Letter transcription and image files have been reviewed and any errors found corrected. Photo descriptions have been added, and one duplicate photo removed. The Collection Description has been revised and expanded.]

Edward Bracey was born in London, England, in July 1883 and sometime before the war immigrated to Montreal, Québec. Bracey enlisted in Montreal in July 1915 and served overseas as a Lance Corporal with the 73rd Highlanders. Bracey was killed November 2, 1916. The collection consists of two postcards.

Eric Hearle was born in 1893 and enlisted in Hamilton, Ontario in September, 1914 with the 4th Battalion. As a result of wounds received in France he returned to Canada and studied at the University of Guelph. Following his studies Hearle became an assistant entomologist with the federal government. The collection consists of thirteen letters and twelve postcards. It also contains more than 130 photographs, beginning in 1914 with the camps in Canada and England and including a series from convalescent hospitals in Canada. Hearle died in 1934 at the age of 41.

George Arthur Henry Stevens was born in London, England, in August 1887. He immigrated to Canada sometime prior to the war and enlisted in Brandon, Manitoba, in March 1915. Stevens served overseas with the 45th Battalion and returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection consists of two letters, several photographs, some personal items, and an extensive collection of postcards sent to his wife.

This collection consists of four letters written to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation during World War II. Two of the four letters recognize the contributions made for relief efforts for orphans both in Canada and in Britain, while another letter is from the Soviet Minister to Canada for contributions made for clothing to the Soviet Union. The fourth letter is announcing the awarding of the British Empire Medal to Chief Peter Moses, BEM.

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.

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.

Austin Newton Van Allen was born in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1919. He grew up in Alberta and enlisted with the RCAF in the fall of 1940. Van Allen flew with the 116th Squadron and died on September 9, 1941. The collection consists of more than twenty letters and several photographs.