Robert William Shirley was born in 1897, and enlisted in February, 1916 at Swan Lake, Manitoba. He served overseas in France and was killed August 11, 1918. The collection consists of one letter from his commanding officer to his mother, and an undated obituary from the local newspaper.
Frederick Ernest Carter was born in Essex, England in 1871 and emigrated to Kamloops, British Columbia sometime prior to the war. His wife died in 1912, leaving him with two small children. Carter enlisted in May, 1915 at the age of 44. He served overseas in France where he was killed in action April 14, 1916, leaving behind two orphaned daughters in Canada. The collection consists of four letters.
Charles William Parker was born in Scarborough, England in June, 1896. He emigrated with his family to Vancouver Island in 1910. Parker enlisted in February, 1915 and served overseas with the 14th Battalion until his death on September 7, 1916. The collection currently consists of one letter, two photographs, and two miscellaneous items.
Malcolm Ronald Healy enlisted in June, 1941 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Healy served oveseas in Europe and was demobilized in November, 1945. The collection currently consists of nine photographs and miscellaneous personal items.
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.
Henry Crozier Smith was born in Scotland in 1875. Sometime prior to the war he emigrated 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.
Earl Winstel Sutherland was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1885. He enlisted in September, 1914 and served five years overseas until he returned to Hamilton in 1919. The collection consists of one letter written from France in 1919.
The collection consists of one letter from May Grenville, a nurse who had served overseas with the A.E.F. home to her mother in Thorold, Ontario, at the end of the war in 1918.
William John Parker was born in Birmingham, England in August, 1878. Prior to the war he emigrated to Canada where he worked as a plumber. Parker enlisted in July, 1915 in Guelph, Ontario and served overseas with the 34th Battalion. The collection currently consists of two letters written while at Bramshott.
John Henry Anderson was born in Malakwa, British Columbia, Canada in January, 1892. He enlisted at Vernon, British Columbia on July 14, 1915 and served with the 7th Bn. Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment). Anderson was part of the attack at Vimy Ridge and died between April 8th and April 10th, 1917. The collection consists of two letters from Anderson, two letters of condolence following his death, and several photographs. For Anderson's complete service file, click here.
Charles Frederick Ritchie was born in Trois Riviere, Quebec in October, 1888. Ritchie enlisted in Montreal in October, 1914 and served overseas until his return to Canada with the 24th Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada, in 1919. Ritchie returned to Canada with the rank of Lt. Col., as well as being awarded the DSO and an MC. The collection consists primarily of photographs, including photos of Canadian participation in a victory parade in London, England.
William Monro was born in County Down, Ireland in 1895 and immigrated to Canada sometime prior to the outbreak of war. He enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in July, 1915 and served overseas in France. The collection consists of seven letters.
Harry Morris was born in Montreal in 1882 and enlisted 87th Battalion in Montreal in November, 1915. He served in France with a trench mortar battery and was wounded early in 1917. Morris was discharged in February 1918 as a result of his wounds and returned home to Montreal. The collection consists of numerous photographs, telegrams, four letters, one poem, and miscellaneous documents. One of the letters is an extended account of the being wounded and the process of medical treatment.
George Byron Bennett was born in July, 1897 in Spencerville, Ontario. Bennett joined the CEF in early 1918 and was sent overseas to England in 1918. The collection currently consists of two letters written by Bennett.
Thomas Frederick Jackson was born in London, England in November, 1876. At the time of his enlistment in Vancouver, British Columbia in September, 1915 Jackson was living in Vancouver and was married. Jackson served overseas with the 47th Battalion and was killed April 13, 1917. The collection consists of one letter and one photograph, as well as a thank you letter from Buckingham Palace.
Karl Vincent Butler was born May 6, 1912, son of Horace and Violetta Butler of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Butler served as a Lance Corporal with the West Nova Scotia Regiment, R.C.I.C. and was part of the invasion of Italy in 1943. He was killed August 2, 1943 in Italy, age 31. The collection consists of more than seventy letters, some photographs, postcards, and other miscellaneous items.
James R. Chisholm was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1885 and emigrated to Canada sometime prior to the war. He enlisted at Lethbridge, Alberta in December, 1914. James served overseas in France and was killed June 3, 1916. Alexander Chisholm was born in Inverness, Scotland in March, 1888 and emigrated to Canada prior to the war. He enlisted in Brandon, Manitoba in April, 1915. He served overseas in France and was killed October 9, 1916. The collection consists of one undated photograph of the brothers.
Geoffrey William Francis Turpin was born in Montreal in 1916. In 1939 he joined the Victoria Rifles of Canada and in 1940 transferred to the Royal Montreal Regiment. He was sent to France in July, 1944 and returned to Canada in January, 1945. He died in Toronto in 1996. The collection consists of more than forty letters and more than forty photographs representing his time in service.
Lewis G. Billard was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1923. He joined the R.C.A.F. in 1943 and worked on the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in Lancaster bombers in England and in Mosquito Nightfighters in Europe. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters written home by Billard from 1943 to 1946.
William Stanley Lane was born in June, 1891. Lane was a law student at his time of enlistment in November, 1914 with the 29th Battalion. He served in France as signaller and was killed on April 6, 1916 in the Battle of St. Eloi. Three of his brothers also served - James Eldon Lane, Robert Wallace Lane, and Walter Ross Lane. The collection currently consists of seven photographs, four newspaper articles, and several miscellaneous items.
Reginald John Paul was born on December 14, 1895 in Burin, Newfoundland. He enlisted on December 21, 1914 and served with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Paul served both at Gallipoli and on the Somme and was killed on the first day of the Somme, July 1, 1916. The collection consists of two letters from the chaplain to his family, and one photograph.
Dr. Charles James McNeil Willoughby was born in Cookstown, Ontario in 1894. Willoughby joined the Royal Medical Corp in 1916 after graduating from the University of Toronto medical school. He was posted first to Mesopotamia, and then later served in England, France and Belgium. After the war he returned to Canada where he practiced medicine in Kamloops, British Columbia. Willoughby died in 1995. The collection consists of nearly two hundred letters as well as photographs.
Arthur James Hay was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1895 and enlisted July 22, 1915. Hay served oveseas in France with the 38th Bn. In 1917 he was wounded by a gas attack, and returned to Canada in July, 1918 as a result of his injuries. Arthur James Hay died in 1963. The collection consists of a photograph of Hay and a copy of his pension identification certificate.
Ed Gallagher was from Australia, born in 1916. He was a Wireless Airgunner who spent his war years (1941-1943) flying out of Mt. Batten (Plymouth, England) and Pembroke Dock (Wales) on Sunderlands. These two letters, part of a collection of 106 letters, describe his impressions of Canada as an Australian on his way to war in 1941 and in 1943 waiting to return to Australia. He was at the time writing to Molly Thomson, who he married in 1943 on his return to Australia.
George L. Adkins was born in England in 1889 and emigated to Canada prior to the war. He enlisted in March, 1915 in Edmonton, Alberta. The collection consists of four letters. Two of the letters are from George to his future wife written in 1915, and one to his mother written in 1916. In addition there is a letter written to George in 1928 from I.W. Anderson, who had been with Adkins in France, which recounts some of their experiences, and a letter to Louise after George's death.
