William Cameron Hay was born in Toronto, Ontario in March, 1925 and joined the RCAF in 1943. He served overseas with the RCAF until the end of the war. The collection consists of more than forty letters from 1943 to 1945 between Bill Hay and his girlfriend and later wife, Hilda Cook.
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.
Arthur Calvin Smith was born in Dunnville, Ontario in April, 1897. Smith enlisted in February, 1916 in Dunnville, Ontario with the 114th Battalion, Brock's Rangers. While overseas he was transferred to the 19th Battalion. He was wounded in the Battle of Lens August 16, 1917 and died the same day. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters, photographs, postcards, and other miscellaneous items.
Gerald Dow enlisted on January 11, 1943 and served overseas with the Essex Scottish Regiment. Dow was taken prisoner at Caen, France on July 20, 1944 and remained a prisoner until his liberation by American troops in April 1945. The collection currently consists of eight letters, three telegrams and three postcards.
Flight Lieutenant C.A. "Tony" Selfe served with the RCAF during the war. On D-Day, June 6, 1944 he was captain and pilot of a Halifax flying a late evening bombing mission. The following is an account of that mission, written in 1990, in which the crew had to bail out and the aircraft was destroyed. Tony Selfe died in Chemainus, British Columbia in July, 1990.
This collection currently consists of one letter written in 1943 to Tom Paterson from his father while Tom was serving in Italy.
Like other Women's Institutes across Canada, the Stony Plain Women's Institute of Alberta was an important link between the soldiers overseas and the homefront. Through their members they contributed financial aid to organizations such as the Red Cross as well as sending parcels to overseas soldiers. The collection consists of thank-you letters from soldiers, acknowledgement cards for parcels, receipts for the Institute's donations to the Red Cross, and miscellaneous correspondence.
David Pool was born in Annan, Scotland in October, 1888. He emigrated to Canada and resided in Blaine, Saskatchewan until he enlisted in May, 1916 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan with the 232nd Battalion. David Pool was serving with the 5th Canadians when wounded in August, 1918, and he died in a military hospital in September, 1918. His older brother William Pool was born in Annan, Scotland in March, 1884. He joined the CEF in January, 1918 in Calgary, Alberta. William Pool was serving with the 10th Battalion at the time of his death in September, 1918. The collection currently consists of two letters from David, one photograph, a Christmas card, remembrance cards for both brothers, and death notices for both brothers.
Albert James Gilmore was born in Wooster, Ohio in February, 1884. He later lived in Toronto, Ontario where he worked as a linotype operator for the Toronto Star. Gilmore enlisted in Toronto in August, 1915. He served overseas with the Canadian Field Artillery and was killed September 15, 1918. The collection consist of one letter, a photograph of Gilmore, and a newspaper death notice.
Sydney Arthur Row was born in Whitewood, Saskatchewan in June, 1897. Row enlisted in Winnipeg in October, 1914 and served overseas with the 27th Battalion. Row may possibly been only 17 at his time of enlistment, although his attestation papers state his age as 18. Both his brothers Francis Dibley Row and John Row Jr. served oveseas with him in the 27th. The collection currently consists of five letters.
Stanley Winfield was a member of the Allied Control Commission (Disarmament) assigned to Germany in the late spring of 1945. The collection consists of the notes for the training course for personnel assigned to the Commission, as well as a short memoir written in the summer of 1945 while in Germany detailing his experiences as part of the Commission.
William Lowry was born in Bannbridge, Ireland in 1893 and emigrated to Prince George, British Columbia sometime prior to World War One. He enlisted in January, 1916, served in France and was wounded late in 1916. He was sent first to England and later back to British Columbia to recover. The collection consists of seventeen letters covering his convalescence both overseas and in Canada.
Ronald Francis Broome enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba in August, 1940. Broome served overseas during the war with the 3rd Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The collection currently consists of letters, photographs, his paybook, a regimental history, a copy of The Maple Leaf Scrapbook, and other miscellaneous items.
Robert Robinson enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in January, 1900 at the age of twenty-five and served with the Canadian Mounted Rifles during the South African War. The collection consists of three letters written back to Canada from April, 1900 to September, 1900.
Ewen Nicholson was born in Grimsay, Scotland in May, 1892, and emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1912. Nicholson enlisted in September of 1914, and served overseas in Belgium and France in 1915 and 1916. He was killed June 3, 1916. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters.
Percy Roy Shannon was born in Walkerton, Bruce County, Ontario in December, 1887. Shannon first enlisted in March, 1915 as a stretcher-bearer in the 34th Battalion. At that time he was a medical student at The University of Toronto. He went overseas but was sent back to complete his medical training and graduated in 1917. Shannon received his commission and served with the No. 12 Field Ambulance of the R.A.M.C. He was killed serving with the Field Ambulance on November 3, 1918. The collection consists of two letters and one photograph.
William John Howe left Valcartier with the 1st Contingent in September 1914, arriving in England in October. He was killed in action on 24 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, while serving with the 3rd Battalion. Private Howe’s body was never found; he is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. The collection consists of four letters he wrote to his wife in Toronto, including one written just two days before his death.
James Wells Ross was born in Toronto, Ontario in August, 1890. At the time of his enlistment in September, 1914 he was a medical student at the University of Toronto. He served overseas during the war, and at the end of the war returned to Canada to practice medicine. The collection consists of several diary enteries and more than eighty letters, the majority of which are an extended dated journal entry that begins in 1914. See also the Gladys Hope Sewell Ross collection in WWI (his wife) and the Colin Sewell Ross collection in WWII (his son).
Arthur Donovan Corker was born in February, 1894 in Victoria, British Columbia. Corker enlisted in September, 1914 and was part of the First Canadian Contingent. He was serving with the 7th Battalion when he was taken prisoner during the Second Battle of Ypres on April 24, 1915. As a prisoner, Corker attempted to escape six times, was recaptured, and finally succeeded in his seventh attempt in 1918. The collection consists of one letter written shortly after he made his escape to Holland. As well, Corker did an interview in 1983 describing his escape, which is part of the University of Victoria archives. To listen to Corker, click here.
Thomas James Leduc was born in Cache Creek, British Columbia in February, 1882. In 1911 he joined the B.C. Horse, and then enlisted in December, 1914 in Victoria, British Columbia. Leduc served overseas with the 2nd C.M.R. and returned to Canada at the end of the war with the rank of Major. The collection currently consists of five letters.
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.
Herbert Stanier Beckton was born in Cannington Manor, Saskatchewan in June, 1892. He later moved to British Columbia and served with the 88th Victoria Fusiliers. Beckton enlisted in February, 1915 while overseas. The collection consists of an undated memoir, one letter, and five photographs.
Lt. Harvey Simion Burnard was from Theodore, Saskatchewan. Burnard enlisted in January, 1942 and served overseas with the South Saskatchewan Regiment, R.C.I.C until he was killed at age twenty-five on July 25, 1944 in France. The collection consists of more than fifty letters written by Burnard.
Herbert Laurier Irwin was born in Weston, Ontario in 1896. Irwin enlisted in Toronto, Ontario in October, 1915 with the 41st O.S. Battery and served overseas in France and Belgium. The collection consists of twelve letters, four postcards, and two photographs.
