Perth Courier - World War I.
supplied by Christine M. Spencer of Northwestern University, Evanston, Il., USA.
Lanark
Document #13
From the Perth Courier of December 1, 1917
In Memory of the late Ronald Gamble
Somewhere in France he lies at rest
For King and Country he did his best
And he did his duty with a loyal heart
He marched away so bravely
His young head proudly held
His footsteps never faltered
His courage never failed
Then on the field of honor
He calmly took his place
He fought and died for Britain
And the honor of his race
You are not forgotten, Ronald, dear
Nor ever shall you be
As long as life and memory last
We shall remember thee.
Perth’s Honor Roll
Casualties:
1.)
Pte. Ronald Gamble, killed in action.
Much sympathy is felt in town for Mr. and Mrs. James Gamble in the death
of their son Ronald Gamble who was on Monday officially reported killed in
action between the 3rd and 4th November.
Evidently it was his first time to go in to the trenches as in one of his
last letters he said his unit was on the march and that he would write again
when he reached the front lines. In
one of his last letters he said “we have been traveling around the country and
have seen some lovely scenery. There
is so much dust here as it has done nothing but rain this week and we are over
the boot tops in mud where ever we go. We
will likely be meeting our friends across the way in a few days.”
Ronald enlisted with the 240th Battalion on the 10th
September, 1916 and left Canada for overseas with this unit on the 25th
April, 1917. He went to France this
past September and thus was there but a brief period before he was added to that
long list of Canadians who have their last resting place in France.
He was but 18 years of age and a very fine young man.
Before enlisting at Perth he was employed in the printing and box making
department of the Henry K. Wampole Co.
(transcriber’s note, a letter from this company was not transcribed.)
2.) Pte. George Leggatt Killed in Action
Mr. and Mrs. James Leggatt of town are
mourning the loss of their eldest son George Leggatt, aged 20, who has given his
life on the fields of Flanders. The
telegram conveying this sad news was to the effect that he was killed in action
between the 3rd and 4th November. He went overseas with the 240th Battalion in May
last and to France with a draft for the 21st Battalion only last
September. He was but a short time
in France and it was perhaps his first time in the trenches.
Before enlisting he was employed in the Caldwell Company at Appleton.
The last word received from him was in a letter written to Rev. D’Arcy
Clayton which was written on the 1st November in France in which he
stated he was well. He leaves to
mourn his loss his parents, three brothers, albert and James at home and Gordon
at Belleville and four sisters, Bessie, Millie, Francis and Helen at home.
3.) Pte Bruce Hope Dies of Wounds
Word was received here on Saturday of
the death in a hospital in France on the 3rd November of Pte. W.
Bruce Hope, only son of Mr. and Mrs. William Hope of Edson, Alberta and formerly
of Perth, from wounds received a short time previous. The deceased was about 20 years of age and went overseas with
an Edmonton battalion. Peter Hope
is an uncle of the deceased.
4.) Pte. Craig Greer Dies While a Prisoner Of War
On Monday, 12th November, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Greer of Maberly were notified by the Record Office at Ottawa of the death of their son Craig while a prisoner of war in Germany. He was a military policeman in Perth while the battalion was recruiting. He went to England with the 130th Battalion and to France with a draft of the 76th. After the Vimy Ridge engagement on the 9th April, he was reported missing and later a prisoner of war. Shortly afterwards his parents were notified of his removal from Limberg to Dummen at which place he stated they were allowed to write two letters a month and a card every Sunday. His parents received a letter early in June stating that he was in a run down condition in health and was in need of money. About the same time a letter to Mrs. (Rev) Coles of Maberly (then deceased) was written saying he was not getting enough to eat. In his last letter home dated 13th July, he made no mention of his physical condition but wished to be remembered to all and further stated that he knew but one sergeant in the place. Possessed of a humorous and genial disposition Crag was a favorite with all in his community. His brother George died in France of pneumonia on the 6th October and another brother James is training at Witley Camp in Surrey, England.
5.)
Lance Corporal George Cordick Dies of Wounds—Mrs. Robert Cordick
of town received a telegram Monday conveying the sad information that her son
had died of wounds on 8th November in #3 Casualty Clearing Station in
France. They consisted of a gunshot
wound in the head and chest. He was
twice wounded. The first time was
in August of 1916 and he was in England following this until May of this year
when he returned to France where he has been up to the time of his death.
Before enlisting he had been living in Halleybury(?) for six years and
was 26 years of age. He enlisted with the Canadian Grenadier Guards in April of
1915 going overseas shortly afterwards. In
the last letter received from him dated 31st Oct., he states that he
was well. Those left to mourn his
loss are his mother, the five brothers Samuel, Richard, William and Robert at
home and James of Saskatchewan and five sisters Myrtle to home, Mrs. Bionee(?)
Bionce(?) of Perth, Mrs. R.P. Donnelly of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Mrs. James
McParlan and Mrs. S.P. White of Stanleyville.
6.)
Pte. Elmer Boles—In the list of those who have fallen in France
this week is the name of Pte. Elmer Boles, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Boles of
Fallbrook and formerly of Maberly. He
enlisted with the 130th Battalion and had been a year in France.
He is survived by his parents and two brothers one in France and one in
Winnipeg and three sisters, Mrs. Thomas Ferguson of Manion, Mrs. Benjamin Avery
of Fallbrook and Mrs. Ferguson of Vancouver.
7.)
Pte. James Wilson—photo accompanies article—The telegram wires
are constantly carrying messages of sorrow these days and no more regretful
message was received in Perth this week than that arriving on Wednesday stating
that Pte. James Clyde Wilson, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wilson, had
fallen in action in France. He
enlisted in November of 1915 with the 130th Battalion going overseas
this year. He fell on the 7th
November and had been one yaer in France, attaining his 20th birthday
in July last. In the last letter
from Clyde received by Mrs. Wilson, he was expecting to take part in a big
advance; this was received on Wednesday. Clyde
attended the public schools here and was attending the Perth Collegiate
Institute when he enlisted. He was in the headquarters office of the battalion while
recruiting was going on. He was a
manly young fellow whose death is deeply regretted by all. Three brothers, Herb, Tom and Creighton, are overseas.
Wounded:
1.)
By telegram relatives in Canada were informed of the wounding of Pte.
Fred Lappin of the Princess Patricias.
He was admitted to the 1st Western General Hospital in
Liverpool on the 4th November with a gunshot wound in the collarbone.
He was slightly wounded before in the hand.
2.)
Mr. John McKay of town received a telegram on Tuesday with the
information that his son Corp. John Allen McKay of the medical service
had been admitted to the #149 Field Ambulance on the 10th November
with a gunshot wound in the shoulder.
3.)
Peter Kantlakon(?) of Perth received notice on Friday from the Record
Office in Ottawa that his brother Pte. James Kantlakon(?) of Smith’s
Falls is officially reported admitted to the 6th Field Ambulance
Depot on the 6th November with a gunshot wound in the hand.
4.)
Peter Stafford of Lanark received word that his son Pte. Harry
Stafford, infantry, had been admitted to the #6 Field Ambulance Depot on the
6th November with a gunshot wound in the thigh and legs.
5.)
Mrs. Arthur Turner of Appleton received word a week ago of the wounding
of her brother Lance Corporal William Service who was shot through the
hand. This is the third time the
young man has been wounded. He
enlisted with the 8th Montreal Rifles in Ottawa in January of 1915
and spent two years in France.
6.)
James Palmer of Perth received word that Pte. Arnold Warner,
infantry, was admitted to the #1 Field Ambulance Depot on the 6th
November with gunshot wounds in the left shoulder, leg and back. He went overseas with the 130th Battalion Band
making his home before he enlisted with Mrs. James Palmer.
7.)
News was received by Mr. A.F. Craig of Brightside on Monday that his
nephew Corp. C.C. Craig had been wounded though not seriously. His is a son of Alfred Craig, formerly of Watson’s Corners
but now of Wetaskiwin(?), Alberta.
8.)
George C. Fredenburg of Westport was officially notified that his son Sgt.
Wilfred Fredenburg had been wounded by gunshot in the side and left arm on
the 7th November.
9.)
A telegram was received by George Shire of the Delta station that Pte.
Harold Shire had been admitted to the 1st Eastern General
Hospital at Cambridge on the 14th November as dangerously ill.
10.) Lt. William Hope was wounded and gassed—photo accompanies notation
Lt. William Hope, eldest son of Mr. and
Mrs. Peter Hope of town was this week reported wounded and gassed but exact
particulars have not been received although cabled for.
District Casualties:
1.)
Mrs. Ella Halford of Balfour, Manitoba who is at present visiting with
Mrs. A. Lashley of Watson’s Corners was informed on Tuesday that her eldest
son Pte. John Thomas Halford, infantry, had been killed in action between
the 26th and 28th October.
2.)
On October 30th, Pte. Arthur Templeton of the Princess
Patricias, youngest son of Robert and Mary Templeton of Belleville had been
killed in action in Flanders, aged 23.
District Wounded:
1.)
Pte. Robert E. Gilbert of Appleton
2.)
Pte. G.E. Malone of Almonte
3.)
Pte. H. Keill, Sharbot Lake
4.)
Pte. Herbert Patterson, Christie’s Lake
5.)
Pte. S.A. Minnsfield, Smith’s Falls
6.)
Pte. A. L. McNab, Merrickville
7.)
Pte. E. L. Boulton, Smith’s Falls
8.)
Pte. F. Moorhouse, Renfrew
9.)
Pte. R.S. Shields, Smith’s Falls
10.)
Pte. W. Wilson, Cobden
11.)
Pte. Herbert Davidson, Beachburg
12.)
Pte. S.(?) L. Perry, Franktown
13.)
Pte. W. P. Meagher, Smith’s Falls
14.)
Capt. Demming T. McCann of Westport
15.)
Pte. A.T. Burgess of Pakenham
16.)
Pte. C.L. Watt of Merrickville
17.)
Pte. Charles Hogan of Merrickville
Died of Wounds:
1.)
Pte. H. McVeigh, Sharbot Lake
2.)
Pte. E. B. Galbraith, Yorker (Yarker?), Ontario
3.)
Pte. E. W. Gemmell, Galbraith, Ontario
Gassed:
1.)
Pte. Edgar W. Burgess, Pakenham
2.)
Pte. John Hill, Carleton Place
3.)
Pte. Alexander McNaughton, Cobden
4.)
Pte. W. P. Banks, Smith’s Falls
5.)
Pte. Allan Thrasher, Forrester’s Falls
6.)
Pte. Russell Riddell, Clarendon
7.)
Lance Corp. R.E. McPherson, Oso Station
8.)
Pte. William Eroy(?), Almonte
Further Casualties:
The following additional casualties are
of young men from this district:
1.)
#410771, Pte. C.N. Henophy, Cardinal, killed in action
2.)
#639280, Pte. Charles A. Hurlburt, Kemptville, killed in action
3.)
#204240 Pte. Morvin(?) Miskelly(?), Merrickville, killed in action
4.)
#639417 Acting Lance Corporal C. Watts, Cardinal, killed in action
5.)
#639946(?) Pte. F. Barton, Spencerville, wounded
6.)
#650175 Pte. C. Hogan(?), Merrickville, wounded
7.)
#745093 Corporal W. Jones, Prescott, wounded
8.)
#639821 Pte. L. W. Todd, Cardinal, wounded
Pte. E.G. Rock, pastor of the Baptist
Church in Walkerton, received an official wire on Wednesday morning of last week
stating that his eldest son Lt. George McLeod Rock had died of wounds on
the 10th November. The
late Lt. Rock was born in Wingham, Ontario about 39 years ago and was a resident
of Perth with his father, who was the Baptist minister here for some ten years.
He was a graduate of the Perth public school and Perth Collegiate
Institute and took a diploma in the Federal Business College here.
He was city manager of the Monarch Life Assurance Company at Brandon,
Man., where he enlisted with the 43rd Battalion in December of 1914.
He was subsequently transferred to the 45th Manitoba Rangers
with which force he crossed overseas as a sergeant.
He was later appointed as an instructor in physical and bayonet work at
Shorncliffe, England, but subsequently resigned as a sergeant and reverted to
the ranks in order to more speedily get into the fight.
After serving eight months at the front as a private with the 52nd
Ft. William Battalion, he was recommended for a commission at Vimy Ridge.
He returned to England and qualified for a lieutenancy and had only been
back to the front a few months when he met his death in the recent great
Canadian drive in Flanders
Herb McCann,
son of John McCann of town who went overseas with the Army Medical Corps this
summer, has returned to Canada to complete his course in dentistry.
A number of students were permitted to return for this purpose.
The following letter was received by Miss Annie Wilson of the Scotch Line from her brother Stuart Wilson, on active service in France.
28th October, 1917
(not transcribed in full)
Dear Annie:
We have been on the move this last week. I suppose you can guess where we are. At least the papers will tell you where the Canadians are attacking again. We have been sleeping in hay mows and straw piles with the pigs, chickens, etc. Our present billet is a big barn. I have slept very comfortably everywhere we have yet been. Lots of straw and a couple of blankets; may it never be worse. We have stopped here for several days resting up before going up any further. It has rained a lot lately and the mud is bad but what must it be further up? They say they are swimming in it. What with lice, mud, rain, shells, gas, bombs from planes, when he is out the soldier has a lot to contend with. When one thinks what the men were up against the first winter we are in comparative comfort. If the Russians had only kept to their part but this fall would have seen the finish of it. The Italians seem to be getting theirs now. This is good farming country fully level and pretty wet at all times. They grow a lot of sugar beets for stock and also for sugar making. You were asking me about Red Cross work. I cannot say much about it except from here say and that is praise. I see lots of ambulances carrying wounded men running around with labels on them “donated by such and such Red Cross Society in Canada”. A lot of views some of these soldiers have taken from “Jack Canuck” and I thank that paper which keeps hollering about what it is doing for the private soldiers would be better suppressed. I believe your work is also shown in comforts to men in hospitals. A box every fortnight from now on would be acceptable. Cakes, jams, chocolate, etc., is the stuff. Two boxes came tonight to two of the crew and we had quite a feast. We had salmon and sardines, preserved cherries, peanut butter, and chocolate. That with our regular stuff is a real help.
Yours, Stewart
Sgt. F. Lees
returned to Perth last Friday from overseas having spent several months in
France. He went overseas with the
130th Battalion previous to which he has been employed farming in
this district.
Photo of Pte. Craig Greer
Pte. Craig Greer,
son of Mr. and Mrs. George Greer of Maberly, recently died while a prisoner of
war.
From the Exemption Tribunal
Lanark Village—Exemptions Refused:
Thomas Majaury, Lanark
Carl Thompson, Lanark Township
John Molyneaux, Lanark, RR#4
John R. Ashby, Fallbrook
George M. Sommerville, Middleville
David G. Sommerville, Middleville
John J. Walters, Lanark, RR#1
Melville L. Woods, Lanark
John Rankin,
Hopetown
Lanark Village—Temporary Exemptions—Exempted until they cease to be employed as farmers:
Joseph H. Moulton, Lanark
Archie W. Taylor, Middleville
Wesley R. Playfair, Drummond
Wilbert E. Skillington(?), Lanark
George A. Molyneaux
Norman F. Darou, Fallbrook
William H. Poultnery, Drummond
N. McLaren, Drummond
Robert J. Ashby, Fallbrook
Harold McLean Blair, Drummond
James Vincent Doyle, Lanark Township
John Ross Skiffington
John Earle Manson, Middleville
Wilfred J. Barr, RR#2, Lanark
William Fair, Watson’s Corners
Joseph Lloyd Erwin, Fallbrook
Joseph V. Badour, Ferguson’s Falls
Robert Carl Cameron, Fallbrook
George Ray Taylor, RR#4, Lanark
Wilfred McLaren, Drummond
Archibald Davidson, Drummond
Edward T. Shiffington, Dalhousie
L. Scott, Watson’s Corner
Gilbert F. Closs, RR#3, Lanark
James T. Hickey, Lanark
Thomas J. Carberry, RR#1, Lanark
Robert Legary,
Lanark
James S. Somerville,
Middleville exempted until he ceased to be employed as a cheesemaker
Arthur Ferguson,
Lanark, exempted until he ceases to be employed as a textile spinner, producing
war material
Exemptions and the following reasons:
George B. Jamieson, Lanark, E
E. James Yuill, Hopetown, E
Michael James O’Donnell, Lanark, blind
Fred J. Darou, Lanark, C3
William R. Foster, E
Arthur M. Blackburn, Middleville, B2
Russell E. Borrowman, Lanark, C1
Lloyd R. Bolton, Innisville, E
William J. Foster, Lanark, E
William Cross, Lanark, E
William H. McFarlane, Lanrk, E
James C. Dodds, Middleville, C1
Rutherford McIlquham, Drummond, C3
Matthew McCardy, Lanark, B2
Ralph Affleck, Lanark township, E
Hugh Stead(?), Lanark, B2
Charles Stewart, Lanark township, C1
Robert Stewart, Lanark township, C1
Lawrence H. Flemming, Fallbrook, C3
John Legard, Lanark, B2
Robert W. Graham, Lanark, E
John W. McQuatt, Lanark, #4, C1
William G. Sommerville, Middleville, illness and infirmity
Robert J. Burns, Lanark, not within set(?)
Alfred Luteman, B2
Ralph Affleck, Lanark township, B2
Charlie Affleck, Lanark township, B2
Daniel C. James, Lanark township, C1
Thomas J. Stewart, Lanark township, E
Terence J. Gray,
Ferguson’s Falls, B2
Exemption Tribunal McDonald’s Corners:
Exemptions Refused:
David L. Gemmell, McDonald’s Corners
John W. DeQuitteville, Manion
James T. Love, Elphin
John A. McLellan, McDonald’s Corners
Daniel Ferguson, Elphin
Jas. Machan,
Watson’s Corners
Exemptions Granted:
Dr. Haggard
James McCulloch(?)
Nelson Fair
Earle E. Gemmell
Vincent Hall
Albert E. McDonald
James Harper
Robert J. Ferguson
(below group all of McDonald’s Corners)
Paul Griffin
Russell Fair
Howard McInnis
James Legary
James D. McBain(?)(or M. Bain?)
Albert E. Closs
James G. Dungau(?) or Dungan(?)
James D. Sergeant
Febian Garreau
Fred Jackson
Allan J. Watt
Arthur J. Wilson
James Warrington
Wilfred J. Closs
Benjamin F. Avery
(below group all of Watson’s Corners):
Charlie Park
Melville R. Jackson
Allie M. Craig
Morton Storie
Thomas J. Easton
Donald R. McInnes
Robert Raymond Paul
Pollack McDougall
Arthur J. Crosbie
William L. Conroy
Alfred J. Horn
Clayton Storie
Stanley Jackson
Calvin L. Caldwell
Albert L. Horn
Andrew G. Fair
Thomas D. Scott
H. Russell McDougall
Walter R. Forbes
(below listed all of Elphin):
Russell Ferguson
Gladson Linton
Roy Ferguson (or Ray)
Robert J. Balfour
James McVean
A. Haddon Wilson
Alexander Love
Adam Geddes
David Nosbot
William E. Geddes
John W. McVean
(below all of Manion):
Guy Leonard
Thomas J. Mahon
Ralph M. Miller
(below both of Fallbrook):
James E. Cameron
G. Mervyn Cameron
Roy Fournier, Snow Road
John Scott,
Dalhousie Lake
Henry B. Chaplin and Howard Roberts,
under age, not within the act
Deferred:
William B. Donald, McDonald’s Corners, case transferred to Lanark
Fred L. McInnes, McDonald’s Corners
Melville G. Rodgers, Watson’s Corners
Lawrence V. Close, McDonald’s Corners, ordered to be medically examined
Howard McDougall, Elphin
John E. Millar, Elphin
Walter N. Griffin, Manion
James Park,
Watson’s Corners, ordered to be medically examined
Tribunal Lavant Station:
Exemptions Refused:
Willie Burns, Marble Bluff
Gilbert White, Poland
Samuel Sproule, Lavant Station
Robert H. Percy,
Lavant
Exemptions Granted:
(below all of Caldwell’s Mills):
Thomas Ferguson
William Moffat
Alive Ferguson
Archibald Gray
Albert Duncan
R.M. Desjardine
Donald Cameron
Robert Deachman
Earl Closs, Flower Station
William E. Allan
John F. Richardson
Alexander Virgin, Lavant Station
Edward Kelly(?), Lavant Station
John Majaury, Lavant Station
Charles Virgin,
White
(below all of Poland):
Hugh W. McKenzie
D.A. McIntosh
Clement J. Paul
William J. White
Milton Paul
Herbert R. Hart
William J. Lorimer
William O. Percy
Mellville Reid, Lavant
John H. Reid, Lavant
Harold Robertson, Lavant
John Burns, Marble Bluff
William G. Craig, Brightside
W.W. McDougall, Brightside
Melville Larocque, Brightside
Louis Ranger, Green Mountain
Victor R. Currie,
Lammermore
Decisions Deferred:
William Prosky, Folger Station
Milner Reid, Lavant
Robert Stewart
James W. Hart, Poland
A.W. Jacob
John Thomas, Lavant
J. A. Roach,
Wilbur
Perth Exemption Tribunal
The Perth Exemption Tribunal has
concluded its duties on all scheduled names to come before it. The final list in addition to those published heretofore is
as follows:
Disallowed:
Laurence Consitt
Daniel Horan
Dawson Kerr
Lawrence Cavers
George J. Bennett
James C. Publow
Ernest V. Cooper
John E. McLaren
Basil Walsh
Joseph Mahon
John J. MacMillan
Michael J. Conway
Gilbert R. Phillips
Orville Publow
Richard Warren Shaw
Robert Publow
Thomas Truelove
From Two to Ten Months Exemptions:
Mowat Cullen
William E. Stewart
William E. McGregor
James E. Doyle
Wilbert R. Tysick
William J. Noonan
Edmund J. Tovey
James Malcolm Barrie
Thomas E. Moore
John McShane
Leslie A. Stewart
Earl Doyle
Leo F. Thompson
George W. Armstrong
Simon L. Manion
George A. Gallipeau
Michael P. McParlan
Linus L. Leaver
Albert McViety
William Smith
Frank Conway
William Drennan
James Stewart
George E. Tovey
Allowed While Specially Employed:
Nelson I. Meredith
William E. McGregor
George Matthews
Andrew Ray McLean
B,C,D,E Categories:
Michael Collins, E
Russell E. Morris, E
John L. Emerson, C1
Peter Herbert Cuthbertson, B2
Creighton Orser, E
Fred Free, E
Thomas F. Wilson, C1
Edward Furlong, E
John J. Manion, B2
Allan MacMartin, C3
Ambrose Conlon, B2
John Lloyd Noonan, B2
Melville Allan, E
Clark McLaren, E
Scott Andrew Mather, B2
John D. Hogan, E
Harold J. Coutts, E
Roy E. Keays, B2
Herb Noonan,
C3
David M. Hart, B2
William p. Lee, E
Robert C. Young, E
William J. Nixon, C3
Robert William Tysick, E
Edward Ferguson, B2
Harry Joseph McCann, B2
Edward E. Waddell, E
Herman Buchanan, B3
Michael Manion, E
Neil McGlade, E
John R. Spaulding, B2
Lorne M. Quigley, E
William H. Rankin, B2
James Ross Watson, B2
Fred Hanna, B2
Walter C. Cameron, B2
Roy Cavanaugh, C1
Oswald R. Mengies, E
Arthur Finlay, E
James Arthur Steele, C3
James W. Hone, C1
Ira Churchill, B2
John Bernard Hanlon, C1
William R. Hogan, C3
John Lawrence Horan, E
Harold Ferguson, C3
Clifford Wilson, E
Wilfred Publow, E
William James Dickson, E
Anthony Rupert Mackler, E
Elle Karnkowsky, E
James M. Noonan, B2
Ira Ferguson, E
Joseph Simon Collins, E
Percy Fenwick, E
Archibald McLaren, E
William Burke, E
Michael O’Neil, D
Lloyd Walker, E
William C. Cheaters(?), E
Thomas T. Tovey, E
Lt. Col. Gardiner
of Kingston was in town on Tuesday.
Driver Leslie Smith
of the Signaling Corps., Ottawa, is spending his last leave with Miss Roberta
Allan, 4th Line Bathurst.
A descriptive letter from France by Alexander Walker
Miss Lillian Walker received the following interesting letter from her brother Alexander Walker this week
Somewhere in France, 29th October, 1917
Dear Lillian:
(not transcribed in full)
At present we are having one terrible time of it. The banging of the big guns are never silent. Every night Fritz bombs us behind the lines from his aeroplanes and life is just one continued nightmare all the time. This is just about the toughest corner of the front that we have been on yet and each day has its toll of casualties but if we are suffering then God help Fritz because he must be living in a veritable hell. The drive on Lens was certainly a hot affair. We had a cable trench to dig but Fritz caught us in his barrage. It was awful, big shells and overhead shrapnel. I got a slight scratch on my hand, that is all, while in front and behind me men were knocked over like bowling pins. God knows how I ever got through that drive but I did and as soon as I was again in billets I immediately gave thanks to God for bringing me safely through. On that front we had a deep dugout in which to get away from the big shells but on this front all we have is bivouacs but we are still in the game and Fritz knows who he is up against when the Canadians start. It seems to me that they shove the Canadians on every hard part there is to take. We have the reputation of always gaining our objective and once taken we hold them. Some of the battalions have incurred heavy losses since we came here but Fritz has suffered 100% more. Well, sister, I think often of you and mother and I pray god will see me back safely but if my time to go has come I am ready to go. I never plan ahead any more because of what use? I never can tell for even a moment whether I will be alive the next minute or not. I think the Germans have suffered more in the last few weeks on this front than they did in all the rest of the war. We are driving ahead every day slowly to be sure, because of the mud and the hard proposition of moving up the guns but we are still driving them back. I do not know when the war will cease. He is fighting desperately and stubbornly and every battle is contested in the strongest possible way but I hope the big ones on both sides will soon see the awful havoc that is being wrought and come to some kind of understanding. Well, dear, I must close even though I do not write you right away, you write again soon. God be good to dear mother and keep you both safe until I return and now little sister good night and I will write again as soon as this offensive is over.
Your Affectionate Brother, Alex
Photo of Pte. Fred McCallum
Mr. and Mrs. Neil McCallum were informed
by telegram on Monday of the wounding of their son Fred by gunshot in the face
and left arm. He was admitted to
the #3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station on 17th November.
No further particulars have been received but it is thought he was
assisting with the wounded when injured. He
has been in France upwards of a year and a half going overseas with the 52nd
Battalion of Calgary.
Casualties:
Killed in Action:
1.
Pte. Joseph M. Seeley who for several years made his home with
John Kerr, town clerk, has been reported killed in action.
His parents are residing at Beamsville.
While at Perth he attended the separate school, Perth Collegiate
Institute and later the Federal Business College. From Perth he went to Hamilton and enlisted early in the war
with an infantry unit. After
training for some time in England, he was taken ill and spent several months in
the hospital. After coming out of
the hospital his unit had been drafted elsewhere; he was drafted to a Highland
unit before going to France. He was
20 years of age and is well known in Perth, a brother Arthur is with the Royal
Flying Corps and his eldest brother Charles is also overseas.
2.
Pte. G. A. Tennant, only son of Mrs. F.J. Tennant, Toronto, and
nephew of Mrs. J. Lestor, 10th Line Lanark, where he was well known,
is reported killed in action.
3.
Stanton Hudson, son of Daniel Hudson of Burritt’s Rapids and
formerly of Perth is this week reported killed in action.
Wounded:
1.
Pte. C.C. Forrest, Lombardy, next of kin Miss Jeannie Forrest,
Lombardy.
2.
James A. Smith—A telegram came to Perth this week directed to Thomas
Lannin of Christie’s Lake, stating that Pte. James A. Smith, infantry,
#225404 was admitted to the #9 Field Ambulance on the 17th November,
with gunshot wounds and a skull fractured.
Presumed To Have Died:
1.
Pte. T. J. Irvine of Perth is reported on Monday’s casualty
list.
Killed in Action:
1.
Pte. John English Douglas
2.
Pte. D. Morrow, Renfrew
3.
Pte. T. R. Hendry, Renfrew
4.
Pte. T.W. Lett, Eganville
5.
Pte. C.L. Portes, Renfrew
6.
Cpl. N.R. Mc:Phail, Carleton Place
Died:
Pte. Percival Moore,
Carleton Place
Gassed:
1.
Pte. D.L. Fitzgerald, Renfrew
2.
Pte. W. J. Harrasin(?), Pembroke
Died of Wounds:
1.
Pte. Herbert Dowdall, Carleton Place
2.)
Pte. J. T. Wilson, Pembroke
Wounded:
1.
Pte. A. Conits, Rideau Ferry
2.
Pte. H. Rouselle, Renfrew
3.
Pte. C. McCreary, Smith’s Falls
4.
Pte. F. L. Cahill, Smith’s Falls
5.
Pte. D. Watkins, Ardoch
6.
Pte. Elijah Thompson, Harlowe
7.
Pte. Christie Halladay, Smith’s Falls
8.
Pte. T. J. Charboneau, Westport
9.
Pte. Cochrane Clayton
10.
Pte. H. M. Main, Renfrew
Pte. Edgar McKarracher in a letter received by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McKerracher, Fallbrook, states that he was along with Clyde Wilson of Perth and Elmer Bales of Falls when they fell in action. Edgar also says that after this battle he and Dr. Scott’s son of Lanark were practically for four days without any food but at last reached a farm house where they obtained food.
Posted: 11 February, 2005