Harold Henry Simpson 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.
John Walter Ellis was born in Reading, England in February, 1895. At some time unknown he emigrated to Canada and settled in Tillsonburg, Ontario. In May, 1916 he enlisted at Tillsonburg. He served overseas in France, where he was killed on May 13, 1917. The majority of the letters are addressed to his wife Katherine (Kitty) in Glasgow, Scotland who, when her husband enlisted, returned to Scotland to live with her parents. The collection consists of more than thirty letters, several photographs, and a small number of postcards.
Hebert (Bert) Franklin Ball was born in February, 1889 in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Alberta where his family was homesteading. Herbert enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta in January, 1915 with the 51st Battalion, and later served overseas with the 38th Battalion. Ball was killed November 18, 1916. The collection currently consists of two photographs, one clipping, and ten letters.
William Orlando Clay was born in Newmarket, Ontario in February, 1885. He enlisted in February, 1916 in Toronto with the 180th Battalion. The collection currently consists of his discharge certificate, several photos, and his diary from 1916.
Albert Evans was born in Cheshire, England in May, 1889 [his attestation papers give his date of birth as 1899, but it would be likely that the actual date was 1889, as he lists his age as 26 in 1916 at the time of his enlistment. However the Commonwealth War Graves Commission list his age as 29 at the time of his death in 1917]. Evans came to Canada sometime prior to the war and enlisted in Alberta in February, 1916. He served overseas with the 50th Battalion (Alberta Regiment) and died in September, 1917. The collection consists of one letter to his sister from 1917.
Daniel Austin Lane was born in Pelham Union, Ontario in December, 1894, and enlisted in April, 1916. At the time of his enlistment he was a student at the University of Toronto and while there had studied Arabic at Victoria College. Due to his Arabic studies he was recruited to join the South Persian Rifles by the British and arrived in the Persian Gulf in August, 1917. Lane returned to Canada and practiced law in Calgary. He died in 1966. The collection consists of more than thirty letters written to his friend Helen Davis, as well as several photographs.
Sydney Thomas Hampson was born in England in October, 1893. Prior to the war he emigrated 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.
Joseph McCartney was born in Liverpool, England in 1882 and emigrated to Canada sometime prior to the war. He enlisted in Calgary, Alberta in May, 1916. McCartney had worked for the Allin family near Whitby, Ontario, and continued to corresponded with their daughter Curtie during the war. He was killed in France on April 8, 1918, age 36 years, and is buried in the Thelus Military Cemetery at Vimy Ridge. Three of the letters were written by Joe to Curtie, and one letter was from Curtie to Joe. That letter of March 8, 1918 was returned to Curtie following Joe's death in France. One letter is from his brother in England to Canada requesting the return of Joseph's personal effects. This collection consists of five letters written between December 1917 to September 1918.
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.
Edward (Ted) Brock served overseas with the 48th Highlanders and fought in the Italian campaign and later in Holland. As a Lieut. Platoon Commander is was Brock's duty to write letters to the families of men killed or missing from his platoon. The collection consists of a letter of condolence, reponses from families to whom he wrote, and a short memoir.
Harry Henry Foote was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1892 and enlisted in September, 1914. The collection consists of one letter written enroute to England in October, 1914 and one photograph taken at Valcartier, Quebec in 1914.
Maurice Wilfred Bracewell was born in Yorkshire, England in March, 1895. Bracewell moved to Vancouver, British Columbia prior to the war, where he enlisted in December, 1915. Bracewell fought at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, where he was wounded. He died in Vancouver in 1973. The collection consists of an undated memoir of his participation at Vimy Ridge.
The two letters in the collection were originally published in a Charlottetown newspaper in late 1916 and the clippings were part of a scrapbook kept by one of the residents of the city during the war. Few details are known about either the individuals in the letters or the circumstances of publication. The Cudmore letter was from John Richard Cudmore, born on Prince Edward Island in May, 1898. Cudmore enlisted in March, 1916 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Herbert H. King enlisted and served with the Newfoundland regiment. Both soldiers appear to have survived the war. If anyone can provide any further information about these letters, please contact The Canadian Letters and Images Project.
WIlliam John McLellan was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1894 and was a student at The University of Alberta at the time of his enlistment in February, 1916. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters and more than twenty photographs.
Harry Austin McCleave was born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia in February, 1892. McCleave won the Rhodes Scholarship for Nova Scotia in 1915 and admitted to Balliol College, Oxford University. Unfortunately due to the war he was unable to enroll. He enlisted in September, 1915 in Halifax, Nova Scotia with the 64th Overseas Battalion. Oversead McCleave served overseas with the 13th Battalion until his death in October, 1916. The collection currently consists of his diary from 1916 and a newspaper clipping announcing his death.
Robert John Galloway was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in March 1898. He later moved to Cabri, Saskatchewan and enlisted in Swift Current, Saskatchewan in April, 1916. Galloway served with the 102nd Bn until his death at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917.
Francis (Frank) Michael Scandiffio was born on December 24, 1913 and served as a Pilot Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war. Frank was killed on July 15, 1944. The collection consists of twenty-nine letters written home by Tom as well as official correspondence relating to his death. See also the correspondence of his brother Thomas.
Harold John "Jack" Andrews was born in November, 1919. Andrews enlisted with the RCAF in Vancouver, British Columbia in September, 1940. He served overseas as a wireless operator until his return to Canada in 1945. The collection currently consists of his paybook, miscellaneous items, and an extended memoir rewritten from a daily diary he kept from his enlistment to the end of the war.
Ralph Tilburt was born in Michigan in 1893 and emigrated to Canada in 1907. He enlisted in 1917 at Sussex, New Brunswick, served overseas, and returned to Canada after his discharge in the spring of 1919. The collection consists of one letter and one photograph.
George Cameron was born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1893 and enlisted in the artillery there in May 1917. He served in the 7th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery in France and Belgium. The diary covers his experiences in England and at the front from January 1918 to March 1919.
Dr. Charles Alexander McLaughlin Thrush was born in Byng, Ontario in 1880 and then later moved to Dunnville, Ontario where he practiced medicine. He enlisted in March, 1916 with the 114th Battalion (Brock's Rangers) and then served overseas as part of the Canadian Medical Corps. The collection consists of one letter written to his hometown newspaper in 1917, as well as three photographs.
Robert Rollo Paul was born in Lavant, Ontario in April 1888. Paul enlisted in October, 1914 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He served overseas with the 28th Battalion and returned home to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of a memoir recounting his escape from a Prisoner of War Camp.
Melville Alexander Bradshaw was born in Toronto, Ontario in August, 1898. While still a student, Bradshaw enlisted in November, 1916 in Toronto, Ontario with the 67th O.S. Depot Battery, C.F.A. The collection currently consists of two photographs, and his diary from 1918.
Samuel Hugh Ramsay was born in Aylmer, Quebec in June, 1894. Ramsay enlisted in November, 1915 with the Canadian Grenadier Guards Overseas Battalion and served overseas in France and Belgium. The collection consists of two letters, a field card, and one photograph.
Francis Harold McLorg was born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, worked as a barrister,and then enlisted for overseas duty in October, 1914. He saw duty in France, where he was wounded in 1916. McLorg recovered and continued to serve until the end of the war, by which time he had been promoted to the rank of Captain. The collection consists of eight letters, telegrams, and photographs.
