September 1917

"Our New Headquarters Camp is on the Old Sunken Road, just to the south of Neuville St. Vaast. The village itself is absolutely devastated, and there is not one stone left standing on another, and it is most pathetic to see from time to time the people who lived here before the War endeavoring to locate the spot where their homes previously stood. "
123 rd Pioneer Battalion CEF, War diary, September 1917.

Jack's Battalion was still under manned as September dragged on. On September 14th, HQ received more bad news, all other ranks in excess of Establishment were to be returned to Corps Reinforcement unit. Supernumeraries were not allowed to sent. 147 men were sent from the Battalion. Working strength was now 250 men. With furthers operations at the front coming up, the CO had grave concerns that their alloted work would be completed.

Even with the shortage of men, the CO and the rest of HQ staff was impressed with the amount of work done by the Battalion. For coming on to the front lines at the beginning of the month, the Battalion was able to complete 4 R.A.P's, an Advanced Dressing Station, a mile of trenches and a mile of light railroad, all under enemy fire.

For a complete history of the Battalion till September 1917, I have included the following:

Edward Albert Dowe

I'm going to jump a head and discuss, Edward Albert Dowe, my great uncle who died in the Second World War.

Born May 12, 1922, Edward the was second child for Jack and Alma Dow (my granddad Frank being the first.) I don't know much about his child hood except that he grew up in Toronto and graduated from one of the Polytechnic high school's there. In 1942, Edward followed his brother Frank (who had been in England since 1939) and joined up. Going against family tradition, Edward joined the RCAF instead of going into the army. In 1943, Edward was shipped overseas to England. Right before he left he married his girlfriend, Mildred.

As an air gunner, Edward participated in my bombing missions over Germany. On February 22nd 1944, while on one particular mission, Edward's plane was shot down over Germany. The RCAF had listed him as missing in action but it was soon changed to "persumed dead," he was 21.



My great-grandmother, Alma had carefully preserved all of the letters Edward had sent to her during his service. They are currently in the possession of my Dad, and as soon as I can get home again I will transcribed some. In 1947, the Ministry of Defence, presented Alma with Edward's medals along with the silver memorial cross. Every year on her birthday, Edward's widow, Mildred would send her a dozen flowers.

Edward Albert Dowe is buried in Eindhoven General Cemetery.

The Vimy Foundation

If you have not checked out the Vimy Foundation then do so. I just received in the mail from them, the Vimy Pilgrimage Commemorative Medal. From their website:

Commemorative Medal

To salute students for making the pilgrimage to the Vimy Memorial on April 9, 2007, the Vimy Foundation awarded each student a medal similar to that given in 1936 to the original pilgrims: World War I veterans attending the original unveiling of the Vimy Memorial. Students returning to Canada with their Vimy Pilgrimage Medals will help ensure the Vimy legacy lives on.

The Clasp
On the top of the clasp is an elongated Canadian maple leaf, which has been used as a Canadian symbol since the early 1700s. Within the maple leaf is the iconic beaver, which was first used as a Canadian symbol as early as 1621. On the clasp bar is the text “Vimy - April 9 Avril 1917”, saluting the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The Ribbon
The four vertical bands represent the four Canadian divisions which fought together for the first time on April 9, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The red represents the First Division, the dark blue the Second Division, the grey-blue the Third Division, and the green the Fourth Division. The order of the ribbon’s (left to right) colours reflects the positioning of the Canadian Divisions facing the German defences on the day of the battle.

The Medal (Front)
The word “Pilgrimage” (with the French “Pèlerinage”) was a term first used for the official return of 8,000 veterans to the official unveiling of the Monument by King Edward VIII in 1936. In the centre is the statue of “Canada mourning her Fallen Sons”, which is a central component of the Vimy Ridge Memorial and is set above the stone sepulchre representing Canada’s World War I dead. “Canada“ looks down mournfully upon the supreme sacrifice of Canadian manhood for the causes of Liberty and Peace, and holds in her hand the laurel of victory: however, the laurel hangs listlessly by her sagging body with her face showing no sign of victory, only sorrow.

The wreath of laurel located at the bottom of the coin symbolizes both the victory and honour gained by Canadian forces at Vimy Ridge.

The Medal (Reverse)
In the centre of the coin is represented the magnificent Vimy Memorial designed by Walter S. Allward, built between 1925 and 1936 by the Canadian Government on land given to the nation by France to honour Canada’s World War I sacrifice of 60,000 dead.

Charley's War

I've just starting reading the collections of the comic strip, Charley's War. First published in the 1980's in Battle Picture Weekly, Charley's War follows, Charley, a sixteen year old who lies about his age to join the British Army during the First World War. The comic strips document his experiences from the Somme to end of the War.

When I first picked this up at the Comic Shop, I was skeptical. I've always been disappointed in graphic novels based on historical events (with the exception of Persepolis and Berlin.) When I opened I was blown away. The script, the detail, the brutal honesty. Charley's War isn't a glorification of the First World War, some have even called it an anti war comic. I don't think it is anti war, it's just honest. Titan Books is currently republishing the comics in graphic novel format, I highly recommend them.

August 1917

Yes I know it has been a while since I've done a post. Work has slowed down and I just finished school, so more posts will be coming more frequently.

The months of August and September (which will be posted soon) 1917 were the calm before the storm.

The 123rd Pioneer Battalion was pulled of the line to rest in the first few weeks of August. The War Diary for this time is sparse on information, as nothing (at least to the higher ups in the 123rd Pioneer Battalion) important was going on. The men spent most of their time training or completing light duties. Many of the men organized athletic competitions with the other battalions in the area (a point the CO loves to point out, especially when the 123rd won.)



Tim Cook describes the activities the men under took in the rest areas in his book, "At the Sharp End." When the men returned from the front, they were paid and in cases of married men (like Jack) most of that pay would go to wives and children back home. With soldiers flush with money ($1.00 a day) cafes, restaurants, theaters, pubs. etc where overwhelmed by soldiers. One of the biggest problems the CEF faced in the course of the war: (besides the war itself) STD"s or venereal Disease. STD"s became such a problem in the CEF that the YMCA began to hand out free condoms to men on leave.



On August 18th, the Battalion received word that they would be heading to the front on the 22nd to construct trenches on the line. A Company was attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade at Les Brebis to build 200 yards of front line trench. C and D Companies were attached to the 7th and 9th Canadian Infantry Brigades and took up billets in Beis au Neulette. The day they returned to the front, the War Diary notes that the Battalion's Home Association had been doing excellent work to get the "creature comforts" to the men (my wording not the diaries.) It makes me wonder if my great-grandmother had participated in the organization?



C Company (which will become the hardest hit during the War) was unable to do any work on the night of the 25th, as some 600 shells landed in their work area. Luckily, there were no causalities. On August 26th, A and B Companies, along with Headquarters, were moved to the town of Bully Grenay, to build a light railway around Loos. C and D Companies, located in Marles les Mines (in range of enemy artillery) had taken up residence in the cellars of miners houses. When the CO had visited these companies on the 29th, he noted that the noise from allied guns (which were in close proximity) was deafening.

On August 31st, C Company suffered seven causalities, with one, L/Cpl Judge dying of his wounds. L/Cpl Judge had been with the Battalion since its inception in 1915.

August ended with the CO wondering about re-enforcements. All though on paper, the 123rd was at full strength it was noted that 400 men were off doing duty with another Brigade or the Division or the Corps. They were also short NCO's, with 30 of them not working directly with the Battalion.

Still under manned, it would only get worse....

Medals finally home

Every evening, as the sun sets in Ypres, Belgium, the long drawn-out notes of two bugles signal traffic to come to a stop at the Menin Gate Memorial.

The Last Post honours the 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers killed in the First World War whose only grave is that of the Unknown Soldier.

For nearly 80 years, that sombre ceremony was one of the only tributes to Frank Forsdike, a corporal from the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles killed in June 1916 at the Battle of Mount Sorrel in Belgium.

But next Saturday, thanks to the timely connection of long-lost cousins from opposite sides of the Atlantic, a public ceremony will be held in Berwick to present the unclaimed service medals of Cpl. Forsdike to Florence Layton, his recently found 94-year-old daughter.

"This means so much to Mom," Bert Layton, Florence’s son, said from his Berwick home. "She says it’s been a real blessing that she can celebrate him in such a public way."

Florence was only two years old when her father was killed in action and her mother remarried shortly after the war.

Read more here