Cullen Hay Perry was born in Whitby, Ontario, in 1898 and enlisted in the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada on August 12, 1914. Perry went to Europe with the First Canadian Contingent where he was wounded in the Battle of St. Julien, wounded again in 1916, and wounded a third time at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. After recovering from his wound, Perry joined the Royal Flying Corps, and his letters represent his training time in England, then on to France, and finally to Alexandria, Egypt, where he was stationed. On February 3, 1918, Perry was killed in a plane crash in Alexandria, and was buried in the Chatley Cemetery in Alexandria. The biographical information for Perry has been extracted from Chronicles of a County--Whitby Past and Present (1999) by Brian Winter, Town of Whitby Archivist. This collection consists of seven letters written by Cullen Perry home to his mother in Whitby, Ontario, and one photograph.
Garfield Willard Weston was born in Toronto, Ontario, in February 1898. Weston enlisted in February 1917 in Toronto with the Divisional Signallers, Engineering Company. Weston served overseas during the war, and following the war he was a successful businessman, philanthropist, and served as an MP in the British Parliament during WWII. For further information on Weston, see the Weston Family Foundation website. The collection currently consists of one letter and three photographs.
Laura Margaret Morton was born in Kingston, Ontario, in March 1891. She trained as a nurse in Ontario and in 1917 she enlisted with the CAMC. Morton served overseas in France and Britain during the war. The collection consists of her photograph album from her time at the Winwick Hospital in Britain, which during the war was known as the Lord Derby War Hospital. We have scans of the complete album pages as they appeared, as well as the individual photographs on those pages.
Trooper Val Max Harold Rimer was born in Toronto, Ontario, on February 8, 1923. His family later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He served in World War II with the 2nd Armoured Regiment, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians). Shipped overseas in 1943 aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth, Rimer fought in the Italian Campaign, where he took part in the Battle for the Melfa River, and then in Belgium and Holland. Following the end of the war Rimer returned to Canada in 1946, travelling once again aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth.
In 2005 Rimer received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation award in recognition of his work “in numerous community initiatives devoted to the care and support of Veterans.”
Content notes:
The collection’s only letter was written by Rimer to his mother in December of 1943.
Please note: there is some uncertainty regarding Rimer’s full name. In the collection’s letter his name was written with his service number and rank as “Rimer, M.H.” and the letter signed as “Max.” Following the war it appears that the name he went by publicly was “Val Rimer,” which, for example, is the name in which his Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation was issued. The collection name incorporates both war-time and post-war name formats.
External links:
Tpr. Val Rimer’s service record (Serv/Reg# H102549) is not currently open to public access through Library and Archives Canada.
Rimer’s receipt of the Government of Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation.
[Editor’s note: Collection updated July/2023. One new postcard added, letter transcription reviewed and jpg files added, duplicate letter posting error corrected, and Collection Description updated. The collection name was originally posted as “Rimer, Val”.]
James Stokesbury Thorpe was born in Iowa, U.S.A., in January 1889 and immigrated to Canada in the pre-war years. Thorpe enlisted in July 1915 at Vernon, British Columbia, and served as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. Thorpe was killed on June 13, 1916, and is buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium. The collection consists of one letter written from Flanders home to his mother and older sister.
Joseph Barnes, MM, was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in February 1892. Barnes emmigrated to Canada prior to war and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario, on November 11, 1914. He served overseas with the 19th Battalion until his discharge in February 1919. Barnes was wounded in 1917, and was also awarded the Military Medal. The collection currently consists of his paybook, photographs and postcards, letters, and other miscellaneous items connected to his service.
John Jackson Beck was born in Sheffield, England, in June 1882. Prior to the war Beck worked as an architect in England, Toronto, and New York before serving with the 32nd Siege Battery. Beck was a prolific writer, writing several hundered letters betweeen 1915 and his demobilization in April 1919.
Albert Norman Gould was born on July 19, 1923, the son of Albert and Dorothy Gould of Toronto, Ontario. He enlisted with the RCAF in early 1943. Following his training in Canada, Pilot Officer Gould was posted overseas in 1944. Gould was flying with the 101st Squadron when he and his crew were shot down over Speck, Germany on November 4, 1944. He and his crew are buried at the Rheinberg War Cemetery in Germany. The collection currently consists of thirty-seven letters.
External links:
Pilot Officer Albert Norman Gould’s service record (Serv/Reg# J95288) 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 Gould can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Private William Menzies McLeish was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on December 12, 1891. Having immigrated to Canada with his family prior to the outbreak of WWI, he enlisted at Valcartier, Québec, on September 25, 1914, with the 5th Regiment Royal Highlanders of Canada.
Shipping for England on board the SS Alaunia in October of 1914, he proceeded to France on April 1, 1915, as part of the 13th Battalion Canadian Infantry, 1st Division. He was captured on April 24, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, and interned at the Münster (Rennbahn) Prisoner of War Camp in Westphalia, Germany.
McLeish remained at Rennbahn until repatriated following the Armistice in November of 1918. He returned to Canada and was demobilized on March 29, 1919.
The McLeish Collection includes rare materials from the Rennbahn P.O.W. Camp, including photos and programmes of prisoner theatrical performances of works such as Roll on Blighty, as well as miscellaneous items from both his time prior to and following imprisonment, such as postcards of England’s Salisbury Plain Flood in January of 1915.
Private George Buford Williams, who is listed among the performers of Roll on Blighty in the McLeish Collection, is also connected with the Private Ralph Clement Gale Collection. Like McLeish, Pte. Gale also spent time as a German P.O.W. in the Rennbahn Camp, and Pte. Williams was among the fellow prisoners whose correspondence with the Gale family was preserved.
External links:
Pte. William Menzies McLeish’s service record (Serv/Reg# 24446) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Pte. George Buford Williams, service record (Serv/Reg# 16487)
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[Editor’s note: Collection checked/updated February 18/2022. Some additional materials have been added and some changes to categorization of Collection Contents have been made; no materials have been removed.]
Horace Kelvin Conners was born in May 1893 in Montreal, Québec. Conners enlisted in Montreal in June 1915 and served overseas with the 60th Battalion until he was demobilized and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection currently consists of five letters, as well as numerous postcards and photographs. See also the collection of his brother, Robert John Conners.
John Vernon Davey was born in April, 1918. Davey enlisted with the R.C.A.F. in July, 1940 and was sent overseas in 1941. While flying with the 112th R.A.F. Squadron he was reported missing over North Africa in May, 1942. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters, as well as telegrams, and one photograph.
External links:
Flight Sergeant John Vernon Davey’s service record (Serv/Reg# R74906) 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 Davey can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
This collection consists of three letters from the Cape Breton region from WWI which are part of the collections of the Beaton Institute, University College of Cape Breton.To Lieutenant James Murphy from his mother, April 2, 1917. James Murphy was born in Margaree, Cape Breton in 1893 and worked in coal mine at an early age until he enrolled at St. Francis Xavier to complete his high school education. During his first year at college war broke out and he was selected to go to the Royal Military College where he obtained his commission as Lieutenant. His army career began in 1916, serving at Somme and Vimy Ridge, where he was wounded and received the Military Cross. After the war Murphy moved to the United States and settled in Detroit. He died in 1972. To Gerald Liscombe from his mother, Mrs. Edward Liscombe, January 17, 1919. From Alex Morrison to his mother, Bessie Morrison, August 26, 1917. Alex C. Morrison was born in Sydney in 1897 and enlisted with the Cape Breton Highlanders 185th Battalion in 1916 and later transferred to the 25th Battalion in 1918. He fought in the battle of Amiens for which he was decorated with the Military Medal. He died in Sydney in 1998 at the age of 100. From Lieutenant Percy Willmot to his sister Dorothy, November 1, 1917.
Charles John Bunbury was born in Burhampore, East Indies, in November 1871. At the time of his enlistment in July 1916 with the 143rd O.S. Batt. he was the Chief of Police in Kamloops, British Columbia. The collection currrently consists of an undated book of poems entitled "Disarmament and Other Poems" likely written during the war and published after his death.
Neil McMillan was born at Uragaig, Scotland, in May 1885. Sometime prior to the war he immigrated to Canada, settling in Toronto, Ontario, where he worked as a teamster. McMillan enlisted at Toronto in February 1916 and served overseas with the 48th Highlanders. McMillan was killed on August 8, 1918. The collection consists of one photograph of McMillan, photographs of the Colonsay War Memorial and of his CWGC headstone.
Ira Layton Holmes was born on Prince Edward Island in July, 1893. Holmes enlisted in Regina, Saskatchewan in January, 1915 and served overseas. The collection currently consists of two letters, a short diary from 1916, photographs, and miscellaneous items.
John Labatt Scatcherd, MC, was born in Batavia, New York State, in October 1895. At sometime prior to 1914 he immigrated to London, Ontario, where he enlisted in July 1916. He served overseas in France and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in 1917. He was killed in action September 3, 1918. The collection consists of five letters written from 1914 to 1915, and one photograph.
Arthur Louis Sedgwick was born in November 1920, the son of Thomas and Jane Sedgwick of Toronto, Ontario. Sedgwick was a pilot with the 419 Squadron during the war. On the night of November 18, 1943 he was flying a Halifax on a return mission from Mannheim when the plane went into a dive. Sedgwick remained at the controls while the rest of the crew evacuated safely, but was unable to escape himself before the plane crashed. He was twenty three years of age at the time of his death. The collection currently consists of more than twenty letters, as well as photographs and miscellaneous documents.
External links:
Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Sedgwick’s service record (Serv/Reg# R141113) 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 Sedgwick can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Bertram "Bert" Parker enlisted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in August, 1941. He was 23 years of age. During the war Parker served overseas with the 420 "Snowy Owl" Squadron, R.C.A.F. The collection currently consist of more than one hundred photographs from his time with the R.C.A.F.
James Simeon Bicknell was born in Birmingham, England, in August 1888. Bicknell immigrated to Canada sometime before the war, residing in Calgary. He enlisted in December 1914 in Calgary, Alberta, and served overseas with the 50th Battalion. The collection currently consist of his paybook, a notebook, and his discharge certificate.
Thomas Poolton was born in Birmingham, England, in May 1888. At some time prior to the war Poolton immigrated to Canada and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario, in November 1914. He served overseas with the 20th Battalion and was wounded in 1916 as indicated by the postcards to him. The collection consists of a number of postcards to Poolton, as well as a number of miscellaneous items.
Gunner Walter James Lantz was born in Pinette, Prince Edward Island, on February 2, 1881, to parents Joseph T. and Bessie Lantz. Prior to WWI he served two years in the Militia with the 82nd Regiment (Abegweit Light Infantry).
Lantz enlisted with the 98th Canadian Siege Battery (C.S.B.) in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on October 6, 1915. Shipping for England on board the S.S. Lapland in late November, he proceeded to France in late May of 1916, where he continued to serve with the 98th C.S.B. until he was killed in action by a German shell on July 12, 1916. Lantz was buried at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, France.
After Lantz was killed, his old school friend and fellow 98th C.S.B. soldier Lieutenant James Parker Hooper (later promoted to Major) made a memorial photo album for Lantz’s parents with pictures of Walter and other members of the 98th taken in and around the front-line trenches in the Somme/Mametz region of France. The photographs were taken by Hooper and Lantz in the weeks immediately preceding Lantz’s death in July of 1916. Images of each page of the album, including both the text and photographs, have been posted with transcriptions in the Collection Contents “Album” section; additionally, larger views of each of the photographs have been posted separately in the Collection Contents “Photos” section.
More information about the album’s creator can be found on the WWI Collection page of Major James Parker Hooper, MC.
Several other members of the 98th C.S.B. who appear in the album’s photographs have been identified as: Gunner Ernest Franklin Kelly (page 4); Major William Stephen Trenholme (page 7); Major Temple William Faber MacDonald’s (page 8); Sergeant Percy Wilfred MacNevin (page 8). The crosses in the forefront of page eleven’s photograph of Dartmoor Cemetery mark the graves of two soldiers of the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, United Kingdom: Corporal B.A.G. Creasey and Private James Sharpe.
External links:
Gnr. Lantz’s service record (Serv/Reg# 92921) 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 Lantz can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Major James Parker Hooper’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned*).
Gnr. Ernest Franklin Kelly’s service record (Serv/Reg# 92875).
Major Temple William Faber MacDonald’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned*).
Sgt. Percy Wilfred MacNevin’s service record (Serv/Reg# 92891).
Major William Stephen Trenholme’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned*).
Cpl. B.A.G. Creasey’s burial information, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Pte. James Sharpe’s burial information, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
*[WWI officers were not routinely assigned Service/Regimental #s]
[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated September 2022. Some additional materials have been added and some changes to categorization of Collection Contents have been made; transcription of the album’s written content has been added; photo descriptions have been reviewed and expanded.]
Thomas Roy Stevenson was born in Lower Woodstock, New Brunswick, in 1888. During the war he joined the British Army as a sapper. The collection consists of four letters written to his sister and brother in Lower Woodstock in 1917 and 1918.
Ronald MacKinnon was born on August 27, 1893, and enlisted in Toronto on September 10, 1915, serving first with the 81st Battalion. The unit went overseas in April 1916, but was broken up to reinforce other battalions, with Ronald being transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment. He reached France in June, and shortly thereafter was wounded in the fighting at Sanctuary Wood, near Ypres. In November 1916 he was passed fit for duty and was posted to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Private Ronald MacKinnon was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9 -10, 1917. The collection currently consists of thirty nine letters and two photographs. See also the collections of his uncle William and his brother Archibald MacKinnon.
Lieutenant Ivan Clark Maharg was born in Teeswater, Ontario, in 1897 and enlisted in Brandon, Manitoba, in March 1916. He served in France with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles (Saskatchewan Regiment). Maharg was killed in France September 29, 1918, at the age of 21. The collection consists of one extended letter, his diary from 1918, and five photographs.
