Wallace Aubrey Reid was born in Peterborough, Ontario in 1891 and moved to Vermillion, Alberta with his family in 1911. Reid enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta in September, 1915 and served overseas in France. The collection consists of one letter written to his mother in 1916, which was subsequently reprinted in The Peterborough Review in February, 1917, as well as one photograph.
Mm. Marie-Louise Depreaux was an American born woman who lived in Paris with her French husband, Albert Depreaux, during the German Occupation. The collection consists of an ongoing letter written to her two sisters to relate to them the details of her life during that time, written between August, 1940 and September, 1944. The spelling in the original has been retained as closely as possible in the transcription.
This collection includes letters from area soldiers published in The Speaker, as well as other articles from that paper pertaining to local soldiers and activities in the town. Overall the collection provides an excellent sense of the connection that a small town in Ontario had to World War One through the pages of its local paper. Whenever possible we have linked the names of individuals appearing in the paper with their attestation papers and/or their commemoration through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Canadian Letters and Images Project is indebted to Dion Loach for graciously sharing his research.
Sydney Amyas Winterbottom was born in Calgary, Alberta in June, 1896. He was a student at the time of his enlistment in Vernon, British Columbia in July, 1915. Winterbottom served overseas with the 29th Battalion until his death on November 6, 1917. The collection consists of more than sixty letters written by Winterbottom, as well as several photographs.
Edward Bryer was born in May, 1920, the son of George and Annie Bryer of Marchwell, Saskatchewan. He enlisted with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and served overseas until his death on August 3, 1944. Bryer is buried in Brettevill-sur-laize Canadian cemetery in France. The collection currently consists of seven letters.
Frank Skeet was born in Yorkshire, England in October, 1897. Skeet enlisted with the 226th Battalion in Swan River, Manitoba in January, 1916. He served overseas with the 16th Battalion until his death in August, 1918. The collection currently consists of more than seventy letters written by Skeet.
Thomas Ernest Eardley was born in Shropshire, England in January, 1890. Eardley moved to Alberta prior to the war, and enlisted in Medicine Hat, Alberta in December, 1914. He served overseas with the Canadian Mounted Rifles until he was taken prisoner in June, 1916. Eardley remained a prisoner of war until his release in 1918. The collection consists of more than eighty letters from 1914 to 1918.
Alexander Ewen was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1881 and emigrated to Canada prior to the war, where he lived in the London, Ontario area. He enlisted in September, 1914 and served overseas. The collection consists of eight letters and four photographs.
John Pritchard Sudbury was born in London, England in 1894. He emigrated to Montreal where he worked for the Montreal Gazette before enlisting in Montreal in July, 1915. He was sent to Belgium in February, 1916. He served throughout the Front including the Ypres Salient in 1916, the Somme in September of 1916, Vimy Ridge in April of 1917, and at Passchaendaele in October of 1917, where he was wounded. The collection consists of more than sixty letters written to his family, photographs, a poem, a pay book, a Christmas card, and two magazines.
Russell Shaw was born in Arthur Township, Ontario in July, 1894. He was a farmer before his enlistment in Arthur, Ontario in March, 1916. Shaw served with the 47th Battalion in France. The collection consists of one letter and one photograph of Shaw.
James Orian Aitken was born in Treherne, Manitoba in August, 1895. He was working as a school teacher when he enlisted in November, 1916 in Winnipeg, Manitoba with the 76th Battalion. The collection currently consists of one photograph.
Lt.-Col Lewis Herbert Beer was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in December, 1873. Beer enlisted initially in October, 1914 and then received his commission as Lt.-Col. in 1916. The collection consists of a portion of his diary from May to August, 1917.
Alexander McCheyne was born in Scotland in April, 1893, and sometime before the war he emigrated to Manitoba where he worked as a farm labourer. McCheyne enlisted in January, 1915 at Virden, Manitoba. He served overseas and was awarded the Military Medal for his actions on October 30, 1917 at Passchendaele Ridge. The collection currently consist of thirty six letters he wrote to his sister Mary.
James Howard Bennett was born in Spencerville, Ontario in 1894, enlisted in February, 1916, and served overseas in France. The collection consists of more than three dozen letters covering the period 1916 to 1918.
Robert, Charles, and George Rooke were born in England and moved with their parents William and Hannah Rooke to Saskatchewan to homestead. Robert Percy Rooke, age twenty-two, enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 9, 1900 with the Lord Strathcona's Horse. His brother Charles Winn, age twenty-four, also enlisted on January 9, 1900 with the Lord Stathcona's Horse. Both served in South Africa and returned to Canada early in 1901. They both re-enlisted with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, along with their brother George Cyril, age twenty, who enlisted in December, 1901, and served in South Africa until the end of the war. The original letters have been donated by the family to the National Archives in Ottawa. The collection consists of more than 40 letters written by the brothers to their family back in Canada.
Owen Harper was born in Cheshire, England, in December, 1891. Prior to the war he emmigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he worked as a printer. Harper enlisted in June, 1916 in Winnepeg, Manitoba. He served overseas with the Canadian Field Artillery as a driver until his death in September, 1917. The collection currently consists of more than twenty letters.
Amos William (Will) Mayse was born in Lincolnshire, England in March, 1880. Mayse served in South Africa with the York and Lancaster Regiment Imperial Forces, where he was twice wounded and discharged with the rank of corporal. He later emigrated to Canada and was a Baptist clergyman in Manitoba before he enlisted in January, 1916 in Emerson, Manitoba. Mayse served overseas in France and Belgium until the end of the war. Mayse later settled in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he continued his work as a clergyman. The collection consists of more than two hundred letters, as well as other personal items.
Charles Thomas Armstrong, the brother of Alex Armstrong of Cumberland, British Columbia, served with the 6th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps. Armstrong died November 24, 1915 of wounds received at Gallipoli age 34. The collection currently consists of more than sixty images from his album.
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Clarence Reginald Gass was born in Bayfield, Nova Scotia in April, 1894. He enlisted in Halifax in November, 1915 and served overseas until the end of the war. The collection consists of more than forty letters, as well as photographs, telegrams and miscellaneous items related to the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) with whom he served.
Bertam Howard Cox was born in the Barbadoes in 1894. He emigrated to Canada and prior to the war and worked as a bank clerk in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Cox enlisted in Winnipeg in March, 1916. The collection consists of nearly forty letters from 1916 to 1919.
Louis Dureault was from Wolseley, Saskatchewan. Dureault enlisted in 1943 and served overseas with the South Saskatchewan Regiment, including the D-Day invasion. He was wounded in August, 1944 and remained in various hospitals until he returned home in October, 1945. He died in 2005 at the age of eighty. The collection currently consists of more than seventy letters from 1944 and 1945.
William Lowrie Hill was born in Harrington West, Ontario in December, 1888. Hill enlisted with the 49th Battalion in Edmonton in January, 1915. He served overseas with the 49th until his death at Mount Sorrel in June, 1916. He was the brother of Edward Robert Hill who was killed at Passchandaele in October, 1917. The collection currently consists of two photographs and one 49th Battalion card.
Daniel Serrick was born in Jollimore, Nova Scotia in September, 1920. In 1938 Serrick went to England and joined the Manchester Regiment, serving with 'B' Company until his evacuation from Dunkirk in June, 1940. He then transferred to the British Commandos and then to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in July, 1942. From there Serrick volunteered for the joint American and Canadian The First Special Service Force and was killed in the Italian campaign on May 29, 1944. Daniel Serrick is buried in the Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy. The collection consists of one letter to his sister as well as several photographs.
