John Sinclair Matthews was born on Prince Edward Island in October, 1897 and sometime prior to the war he and his family moved to Chatham, New Brunswick. Matthews enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in November, 1916. He served overseas in France and Belgium, and was killed at Passchendaele on October 31, 1917. The collection consists of two letters, a greeting card, and two pages of his pay record.
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.
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.
Harold Gregg Keating was born in Kemptville, Ontario in February, 1892. Keating enlisted with the 72nd in Vernon, British Columbia in June 1915, and served overseas with the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade. He was awarded the MM. The collection currently consists of numerous photographs and postcards, as well as some miscellaneous items.
Donald Calderwood Reid was born in Middle Musquodobit, Nova Scotia in January, 1895. Reid enlisted in May, 1916 and served overseas with the 85th Overseas Battalion, the Nova Scotia Highlanders. He was killed September 25, 1918.
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.
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.
William Menzies McLeish was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1891. He emigrated to Canada sometime prior to World War One, where he lived in St. Verdun, Quebec and worked as a clerk. McLeish enlisted in September, 1914, served overseas, and was taken prisoner sometime prior to December, 1917, based on information in a Red Cross Letter. He remained a prisoner of war for the duration until repatriated back to England. The collection consists of one letter from the Red Cross, photographs from England, and photographs and musical programs from the prisoner of war camp.
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.
Joseph Richard Boucher was born in Kent County, New Brunswick, in December, 1885. Boucher enlisted in March, 1915 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He served overseas and was wounded twice before returning to Canada in 1919. The collection currently consists of a family record and a diary of his service.
Arthur Westwood was born in Toronto, Ontario in November, 1896. Westwood enlisted with the 75th Bn. CEF in Toronto, Ontario in August, 1915. The collection currently consists of one letter, his discharge papers, and a Christmas Day 1917 menu.
Neil McMillan was born at Uragaig, Scotland in May, 1885. Sometime prior to the war he emigrated 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.
Vaughan Whitier Pearson was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1898 and was a student at The University of Toronto when he enlisted in April, 1916. He served overseas in France until the end of the war. Vaughan Pearson was the third of three sons to serve overseas, following his brothers Marmaduke and Lester, a future Prime Minister of Canada. The collection consists of six letters from Vaughan, a post card, a Christmas card, a newspaper clipping, and one photograph.
Joseph Roy Ferguson was born in Innisfil, Ontario in July, 1884. Ferguson enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in October, 1915 with the 4th Overseas University Battalion. The collection consists of one extended letter written on the S.S. Lapland during his voyage to England, and two photographs.
William Henry Bell was born in Chatham, Ontario in 1897 and moved to Innisfree, Alberta to farm with his family. Bell enlisted at Vegreville, Alberta in February, 1916 with the 151st Battalion. He was killed at Vimy Ridge, April 10, 1917. The collection consists of twenty letters and one poem.
Einar Stefansson Long was born in Iceland in December, 1891. He emigrated to Canada prior to the war and was a student in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Long enlisted in February, 1916 in Winnipeg. He served overseas with the 8th Battalion and was killed on August 9, 1918. The collection consists of one photograph of Long and his friend Gudmunder Gudmundson.
Thomas Poolton was born in Birmingham, England in May, 1888. At some time prior to the war Poolton emigrated 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.
Walter James Lantz was born on Prince Edward Island in 1891 and enlisted at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in October, 1915. He served overseas as a gunner in France and was killed July 12, 1916. The collection consists of a memory book of photographs compiled by one of his friends and fellow soldiers and sent to Lantz's parents following his death. The entire individual pages have been reproduced as well as individual photographs on those pages.
Ralph Richards was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1889. He emigrated to Canada sometime before the First World War, and enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Sydney, Nova Scotia in September, 1915. The collection consists of one photograph and one long memoir, writtten sometime during World War II, which recounts his experience during World War I as a prisoner of war.
Archibald "Archie" MacKinnon was born in July, 1894. He first enlisted with the 74th Battalion and later served overseas with the 58th Battalion. MacKinnon was seriously wounded in September, 1916 and discharged as medically unfit in June, 1917. The collection currently consists of twenty letters. See also the collections of his uncle William MacKinnon and his brother Ronald MacKinnon.
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 died 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.
Samuel Greenway, from Cedar (Nanaimo) British Colulmbia was born in May, 1889 and enlisted in Vancouver in January, 1918. He served overseas with the 7th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment) until his death in September, 1918. The collection currently consists of fourteen letters, several photographs, telegram, and some official correspondence.
John Ernest Fitzgerald was born on January 27, 1925, the son of John and Effie Fitzgerald of New Westminster, British Columbia. Fitzgerald served as a Flight Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was killed August 27, 1944 when his Lancaster was shot down. Fitzgerald and all the crew members are buried in Denmark. The collection consists of more than forty letters, twelve photographs, telegrams, and other personal items. See also the excellent Danish site for more information about the crash and crew.
