Memories of the Great War

June 1917: Diary of George Edmund Thorpe

2010-01-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

June 4: Enemy plane flew over our lines dropping bombs, one of which landed 50 yards from my dugout.
June 8: Big raid by 3rd and 4th Canadian Division on enemy trenches which was very successful our objectives reached on time.
June 12: Major General Sir A.W. Currie KCMG, CB, takes over command of Canadian Corps.
June 14: I visited the town of Arras today. Everything has been smashed by the bombardment. The beautiful Cathedral and all the important buildings are a mass of ruins. On my way back to our billets I lost my way and landed in Petite Vimy.
June 17: Got letters from Home today. I learned foe first time that Jack Huron had died of wounds, May 9th.
June 26: 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions gained all their objectives in a raid on the enemy trenches. Our battalion working in conjunction had a man killed.

George Edmund Thorpe fond, 1915-1919, 1993. "Diary of Military Service" George Edmund Thorpe, Orderly Room Sergeant with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and subsequently Lieutenant, Canadian Engineers.

Found! Pte. Archibald Jefferies (1895-1918)

2010-01-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a detour from Jack to talk about another relative of mine. I discovered him a few days ago, by chance, while researching my great-grandmother, Edith Jefferies Coxwell. This was her older brother, Archibald James Jefferies, who fought and died with the Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front.

Archibald Jefferies was born in London England in 1895 to Thomas Edwin and Liz Jefferies. A trained Butcher, Archibald immigrated to Sydney Australia in 1913 and eventually settled in Walaroy, Kelso, New South Wales. On January 22 1916, feeling loyal to the country of his birth and his adopted one, Archibald enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force.

On April 14 1916, Archibald embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A40 Ceramic. Arriving in England in June, Archibald was admitted to the hospital due to illness. In September 1916, Archibald was assigned to the Headquarters of the AIF depot, where a month latter he was again sent to hospital for illness.

On February 25, 1917, Archibald was charged with absenting himself without leave from 12-2-1917 to 20-2-1917. He was sentenced to 18 days Field Punishment #2 and forefiture of 21 days pay. F.P. #2 was similar to F.P. #1, except the soldier was not attached to a fixed object, just shackled.

After months of more training another stint in the hospital (with scabies) Archibald was eventually assigned to the 45th Battalion and posted to France in March 1918. During this time period the AIF was engaged fighting off the German offensive of that Spring. Archibald and the 45th Battalion stayed in the Somme region through the late Spring and early Summer.

On June 16 1918, the 45th Battalion was in the lines near Daours. That afternoon a German barrage shelled the trenches were C Company was located. 10 soldiers were wounded, 1, Archibald, was killed. He was buried in Daours Communal Cemetery Extension (Plot III, Row C, Grave No. 40.)

Pte. Archibald Jefferies, 45th Battalion AIF, found after 92 years.

Service Record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia.

Some Found Pictures

2010-01-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Jack and Alma, another wedding photo

Jack with my Grandad, 1920. Compare this picture with the one taken in 1915, Jack looks like over 10 years older then he should.

Jack, later in life, with 48th Highlanders of Canada RSM

Jack and Alma, 1940's

May 1917: The Diary of George Edmund Thorpe

2010-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

May 1st: Some excitement today caused by the explosion of an old French ammunition dump in our lines.

May 2nd: Seen aeroplane flew over our lines today and dropped several bombs. There were several causalities.

May 3rd: Enemy plan flew over lines very low, but was driven off by our a.a and M.G. fore.

May 15th: Was in the 20th lines tonight. Met Bill Long and had quite a chat with him. The weather continues fine.

May 20th: Heard today that Troopship "Camerinia" which we came over from Canada had been sunk by a submarine in the Mediterranean.

May 31st: Moved from Maision Blanche to a point near Nerville St Vaas.

George Edmund Thorpe fond, 1915-1919, 1993. "Diary of Military Service" George Edmund Thorpe, Orderly Room Sergeant with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and subsequently Lieutenant, Canadian Engineers.

The Diary of George Edmund Thorpe: 123rd Battalion CEF (April 1917)

2009-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was done updating this blog but I feel after all most a year of looking back there is still more to write about Jack. Digging through Archives Canada, I found the Diary of George Edmund Thorpe, 123rd Battalion CEF. I was quite excited to get copies of this as I have yet to find, besides the 123rd War Diaries, primary documentation surrounding the battalion. The diary dates back to 1916 but I've decided to start in April 1917. Many thanks to Archives Canada for making such documentation available to the general public.

April 1917

April 3rd: Strong [eligible] on wind and rain raged all the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. Making the condition very miserable.

April 8th: Official word received that-United States-has declared war on GERMANY.Big operation on our part of the front night of April 8 and morning of 9th. Numbers of prisoners are being brought in by our men and a big advance is officially reported on this section. Managed to get a couple of souvenirs from some of the prisoners in exchange for a little grub. A shoulder strap from the 262nd Reserves and 3rd Bavarians. Buttons from 263rd Reserves and a German 5 [eligible] piece, all of which I mailed home. Vimy Ridge captured by the Canadians, Apl 9th at 530am.

April 15: Most of the Toronto Battalion came out of the line for a rest today and I was very pleased to see that the majority of old 123rd fellows came thru the scrap ok. Met Bill Long, who was fine.

April 20: Battalion moved from Bois de Alleaux to Maision Blance a point about 5 miles further on. Battalion HQ are in a dugout 40 feet underground which was originally a chalk mine, having been made habitable by the French when they occupied the trenches at this point. Confirmed in rank to Sergeant.

Prisoners taken by Canadians Corps Apl 9 1917
72 officers, 3063 men
7" " 496 " "
Total 79 3559

George Edmund Thorpe fond, 1915-1919, 1993. "Diary of Military Service" George Edmund Thorpe, Orderly Room Sergeant with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and subsequently Lieutenant, Canadian Engineers.

2009-01-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

After thinking about this a lot I've decided to end this blog. I feel like I have said what I wanted to say about my great-grandfather, his life and the war he fought in. I'll leave you know with the poem, "A Common Soldier" by Larry Vaincourt as I feel this captures Jack and his generation's experiences.

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.

And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,

All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,

For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.

Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,

And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,

But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land

A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives

Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.

While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.

It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,

That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know

It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,

Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?

Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend

His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

Alma Dowe 1985

2009-01-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

I found a photo of my great-grandmother Alma while I was at home. From 1985 it is of Alma, my cousin and I.

Bill Stone: 23 September 1900 – 10 January 2009

2009-01-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

The last veteran to serve in both wars. Joining the Royal Navy at age 18 (seven weeks before the Armistice) Bill Stone served as a stoker during the Summer of 1919 at Scapa Flow, where he witnessed the scuttling of the German Battlefleet. During the 1920's Bill served on the HMS Hood, the flagship of the British fleet. By the Second World War he was serving aboard the minesweeper, HMS Salamander. It was aboard this ship in 1940 that he was sent to Dunkirk to rescue British Troops. Bill Stone served the rest of the war in the Mediterranean, where he took part in the landings in Sicily, earning a mentions in dispatches in the process. Leaving the Navy in 1945 with the rank of Stoker Chief Petty Officer, Bill Stone ran a barber shop until retirement. He was 108.

The 123rd Battalion After the War

2009-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Toronto Daily Star May 1924

The Toronto Star, October 28th 1927

Toronto Star, October 5th 1927

Toronto Star, April 8th 1942

Not Quite the End

2008-11-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I just want to say that this isn't quite the end of Jack's story. I'm still doing research and will post when I can, but it will not be as often. I have, however, started a new blog, called Glory and Grief which will tell my Granddad and Edward's story of their service during the Second World War. I highly recommend you check that out.

Thank you to all my readers and all those who commented and emailed me. I appreciate your interest in my great-grandfather's story.

2008-11-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Canada's last First World War Veteran, John Babcock, passes the Torch on to Canada's Veterans.

"We must never forget our fallen comrades. I pass this torch of remembrance to my comrades. Hold it high,"

Pittance of Time....

2008-11-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

November 11th 1918

2008-11-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

And when they ask us / How dangerous it was
Oh we'll never tell them / No we'll never tell them
We spent our pay in some café / And fought wild women night and day
T'was the cushiest job we ever had.
And when they ask us / And they're certainly going to ask us
The reason why we didn't win the Croix de Guerre
Oh we'll never tell them / No we'll never tell them
There was a front / But damned if we knew where.

Soldier's song form the First World War

I did a brief overview of this a few months ago when I was covering the last half of Jack's war service. I'll give a recap of this time to save you from going back through the blog (though I encourage it!)

Finally released from the Epsom Convalescent Home (where he was recovering from his bout with appendicitis and a foot injury) Jack soon found himself back in the hospital. This time it was with influenza. Jack would not recover till January.

On November 11, 1918, when the armistice was announced, Jack was in the hospital. He was lucky. For months before hand the Canadian Corps had been fighting a series of campaigns against German forces, that became known as Canada's Hundred Days. The attack of appendicitis at Passchendaele and the foot injury might have saved Jack's life. For his comrades, even though the armistice was signed at 5am that morning, the war was still on. The previous day, General Currie ordered elements of the Corps to liberate Mons. By the 11am, the town, the site of beginning of the War, was liberated. The Canadian Corps suffered 280 casualties, including Pte. Price, who died at 10:58.

Canadians enter Mons

At 11am, after four years of war, the guns were silent. 68,000 Canadians were killed, about 10% of those who went over. Over the next few years more soldiers would die of old war wounds. Some remained hospitalized for the rest of their lives from injury or shell shock. Many more like Jack, went home and got on with their lives and made an effort to forget. They were just more casualties in a war long over.

1914-1918 Vigil Continued..

2008-11-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

1914-1918 Vigil

2008-11-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Starting tomorrow at sunset and going to sunrise on November 11th, the names of all 68,000 Canadians killed in the First World War.

The Last Man

2008-11-02T09:33:00.001-08:00

Born on December 5 1892 and conscripted in 1917, George Lawrence Price is considered to be the last Commonwealth soldier killed in the First World War.

On November 11th, George's company was ordered to take the village of Havre. After crossing the Canal du Centre into the town of Ville-sur-Haine, George and his patrol moved toward a row of houses, intending to catch a German machine gunner. After going house by house, pursuing the machine gunner and other German soldiers, George stepped out onto the street where he was shot by a German sniper. The time was 10:58am. Two minutes later the Armistice came into effect, the war was over.

George Lawrence Price is buried in St. Symphorien Commonwealth Cemetery, 75 metres away from John Parr, the first soldier killed in the First World War. In 1968 the men from his company erected a plaque in his memory.

To the memory of Private George Lawrence Price 256265 of the 28th North West Battalion, 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, killed in action near this spot at 10.58 hours, November 11th, 1918, the last Canadian soldier to die on the Western Front in the First World War. Erected by his comrades, November 11th, 1968

Keep the Memory Alive

2008-11-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

From the Royal Canadian Mint and the Legion you can buy a 2008 Limited Edition Poppy Bookmark, (featuring the new 25 cent Poppy coin, a dollar from each sale will go to the Legion's Poppy Fund) a limited edition Poppy silver dollar or a Commemorative set, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War (I picked that one up for myself.)

Link here to watch the ad

2008-11-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Head over to Ranting Owl to see Edward's service record....

"Known unto God"

2008-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Somme, 1916, Reverend David Railton comes upon a the grave a soldier. The cross rough, the lettering done in pencil. The grave was simply identified as belonging to an "Unknown British Soldier."

It was from this experience that led Rev. Railton, in 1920 to write to the Dean of Westminster proposing the idea of burying an unknown British soldier in Westminster Abbey to represent those soldiers who had no known grave. Afraid that it would re-open still fresh wounds of the War, King George V opposed it. With the support of the Dean and Westminster, David Llyod George and the still grieving public, the idea was adopted.

On November 7th, 1920, a body was chosen from four flag draped coffins at a chapel near Arras. The next day, the coffin was loaded onto a French military wagon, pulled by six black horses. At 10:30am, the procession, made up of hundreds of French school children, the French Cavalry and a division of French soldiers made its way down to the harbor at Boulogne.

On November 10th, the casket arrived at the Dover Maritime Railway station and from there was taken to Victoria Station, where it sat overnight.

The next morning, November 11th, the casket was loaded onto a gun carriage of the Royal Horse Artillery. The route followed Hyde Park Corner, the Mall and then to Whitehall where the cenotaph was unveiled. Crowds of ten to twenty deep crowded around Whitehall and Westminster Abbey, all there by invitation, all chosen by ballot from the mothers, fathers, wives, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters who lost a loved one. (The Unknown Soldier, Neil Hanson, Doubleday 2005, p445.) After a brief service, the coffin was interred in the far western end of the nave of the Abbey.

The scale of mourning involved in the burial of the Unknown Warrior was like nothing the world had seen. After the interment, the crowds around Westminster Abbey that had been gathering for days began to file in. In a week, it was estimated that 1.2 million people visited the tomb. The inscription on the grave reads:

BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY
OF A BRITISH WARRIOR
UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK
BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG
THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND
AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY
11 NOV: 1920, IN THE PRESENCE OF
HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V
HIS MINISTERS OF STATE
THE CHIEFS OF HIS FORCES
AND A VAST CONCOURSE OF THE NATION

THUS ARE COMMEMORATED THE MANY
MULTITUDES WHO DURING THE GREAT
WAR OF 1914 - 1918 GAVE THE MOST THAT
MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF
FOR GOD
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE
FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND
THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD

THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE
HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD
HIS HOUSE

80 years later Canada buried its own Unknown Soldier from the 1, 603 unknown Canadians buried near Vimy Ridge.

Toronto Star: March 1919

2008-10-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Passchendaele

2008-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

So I saw the movie and I'm ready to do my assessment of the film.

I'm going to saw I liked it and thought it was a powerful and emotional film that explores and important part of our history. But I also have to admit I didn't love it. The battle scenes, Vimy Ridge in the beginning, and Passchendaele at the end, were some of the most realistic combat scenes I ever saw in a movie. What Spielberg did for D-Day, Paul Gross has done for Passchendaele. The love story, however, I could have done without, simply because it was unnecessary. Paul Gross could have made a tremendous film if he stuck to exploring the Battle of Passchendaele instead of leaving it for the last half hour.

That being said, I think the movie is important, as I discussed on my other blog, it's a rare day when there's a Canadian made film about our own history. I found it emotional as most of you well know if you have been reading this blog, Jack was there as a stretcher bearer. Many other older people in the theatre thought as well as some of the them were visibly crying. A thought perhaps about a long dead First World War Veteran Father or Grandfather?

Bravo to Paul Gross for making the film but it could have been a tad better.

Resources

2008-10-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've been getting lots of emails from people asking for information on relatives that served in the CEF during the First World War. I appreciate the comments people have made and I've decided to list the websites I've used in the course of my research.

Canadian Great War Project

Great website that lists all the War diaries currently online as well as nominal rolls, links to other Great War websites and books. There is also a feature that enables you to upload information on your soldier, that other people can search for.

War Diaries of the First World War

Most Battalions diaries are up in varying degrees. From our friends at Library and Archives Canada.

Soldiers of the First World War

First stop for those starting their research. Once you have your soldiers attestation records you can order a copy of their service record from LAC.

CEF Study Group

Ancestry

Unfortunately not a free service. For those who decide on a subscription you will be able to search birth, marriage, death and census records.

The Work of the Pioneers

2008-10-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

From The War Illustrated

Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting The Great War 1917-18

2008-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

After a blitz reading (because its so good) I'm ready to do my review of Tim Cook's newest book, Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917-1918.

Unlike Volume 1, At the Sharp End, this book does not cover a lot of the social history of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Strategy and the momentousness battles (Vimy, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Hundred Days) are the main focus in this edition. As Shock Troops covers the most important battles Canadians fought in the First World War, I'm glad Cook had concentrated on that. I was also glad to see an in depth overview on the Hundred Days campaign (rightly called Canada's Hundred Days) During this period of time Canada was the spear point of the retreat and eventual defeat of the German Empire. During this time the CEF suffered 46,000 casualties.

To the British, French, Americans and even the Germans, the men of the CEF were regarded as an elite Corps of soldiers and I am glad that Tim Cook's book does the distinction justice. It was Canada's successes on the battlefield that enabled the country to forge its own separate identity from Britain.

Passenger Lists

2008-09-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Something new that Library and Archives, along with Ancestry.com (which you have to pay for) is doing. As you can see I found Jack.

A Reply from Veterans Affairs

2008-09-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I wrote to the Honours and Awards section of Veterans Affairs to see if they could re-issue Jack's Class "A" War Badge. Today I got a letter from them telling me all though Jack was entitled to that class of War Badge, they no longer re-issue them. It's too bad as we don't know what happened to the original and I would have liked it for sentimental/historical value.

2008-09-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

In Northern France there sits a tiny piece of Canada. It was on this piece of land in April of 1917 that the Canadian Corps took Vimy Ridge. In gratitude, the French government granted the land in perpuitity to all Canadians. It was here that the Canadian National Vimy Memorial was built. A memorial to the 66,000 Canadians killed in the First World War, it also contains the names of
11,285 names of Canadian soldiers with no known graves (who were killed in France.)

To the valour of their
Countrymen in the Great War
And in memory of their sixty
Thousand dead this monument
Is raised by the people of Canada

2008-09-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Not far from Menin Gate is another memorial to the fallen of the First World War. In fact it is the largest British Commonwealth cemetery in the world with 12,000 graves, of which 8,367 have "A Soldier of the Great War" engraved on their headstones. A stone wall that surrounds the cemetery has the names of 35,000 Commonwealth soldiers who fell between August 17 1917-November 11th 1918 and have no known grave.

1914 - HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT, BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL
GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH - 1918

Inscription engraved on the frieze above the panels which contain the names of the missing.

2008-09-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

Every night at 8:00pm, a familar tune is played in the town of Ypres. Roads are closed, while crowds of people and sometimes none at all, gather under a marble archway to remember the dead from the First World War.

Menin Gate is a memorial to the 54,896 Commonwealth Soldiers who have no known grave. On completion of the memorial in 1927 it was discovered that it would be too small to hold all the names originally planned. A cut off date of August 15, 1917 was chosen and a further 34,984 names are inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. 7,000 of names on the Mein Gate are Canadians.

One of the most tragic features of the Great War was the number of casualties reported as 'Missing, believed killed'. To their relatives there must have been added to their grief a tinge of bitterness and a feeling that everything possible had not been done to recover their loved ones' bodies and give them reverent burial. That feeling no longer exists; it ceased to exist when the conditions under which the fighting was being carried out were realised.

But when peace came and the last ray of hope had been extinguished the void seemed deeper and the outlook more forlorn for those who had no grave to visit, no place where they could lay tokens of loving remembrance...

It was resolved that here at Ypres, where so many of the 'Missing' are known to have fallen, there should be erected a memorial worthy of them which should give expression to the nation's gratitude for their sacrifice and its sympathy with those who mourned them.

A memorial has been erected which, in its simple grandeur, fulfils this object, and now it can be said of each one in whose honour we are assembled here today: 'He is not missing; he is here'."

From Lord Plummer's speech on the unveiling of Menin Gate

Some Good Reading

2008-09-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Tim Cook, curator of the Canadian War Museum and author of "Nowhere to Run" and "Cilo's Warriors" has written an excellent volume of books (with the new one, "Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917-1918) coming out on September 30th. Volume 1, "At the Sharp End" tells the history of the start of the First World War, the formation of the First Contingent and the first battles (Ypres to Mt. Sorrel) the Canadian Expeditionary Force faced.

I got to tell you this is an amazing piece of work and one of the few books I stayed up all night reading, simply because I could not put it down. From the inception of the First Contingent (on a shoe string budget) to the first action at 2nd Ypres to Mt. Sorrel, from the description Tim Cook puts forward you will feel like you are there on the Western Front.

The book, however, isn't all battles. The book also describes the boring day to day routine of the average soldier's life at the front. Fun and games and the British perspective of the Canadians are also talked about in great detail. From this first volume you begin to see how the First World War transformed Canada from British dominion into a distinctive country with its own identity.

A Land Fit for Heroes

2008-09-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

A Land Fit for Heroes? It was David Lloyd George who coined the term to describe what post-war Britain would be like after the war. The truth of it though depended.

Most soldiers found it hard to integrate back into civilian life. For those with disabilities, the government offered meager compensation. Jobs promised to soldiers at war's end didn't always happen. Many men found they had to start their lives over again while they watched "stay at homes" reap the rewards. An economic downturn in 1919-1920 saw 200,000 Canadians out of work, many of them former soldiers.

A letter, written by Walter Draycot to his former CO

August 21st, 1930.
Senator W. Griesbach,
Parliament Buildings,
Ottawa.
Honoured Sir,
In writing you may I respectfully recall a War episode by way of introduction: During the early stages of the Third Battle of Ypres you assumed command at Yeomanry Post at the critical moment.
As Sergeant in charge of Brigade Intelligence I volunteered the role of Despatch Carrier, in company with Capt. Wallis, as I had previously mapped and sketched the area.
You probably remember my Intelligence work on the Brigade and the field sketches which you have copies of.
I hope I am not trespassing on your time but I am desirous of your assistance if such lies in your power.
On 1-4-1923 my disability pension ceased and though letters were sent the Department for re-consideration of my case they were of no avail.
When making application for re-instatement of Pension in the Spring of this year I was granted 25 per cent from 1-3-30.
During the period 1-4-1923 to 1-3-1930 it was a great struggle to keep afloat and being unable to take on any steady work caused me to fall back so consequently my rates and taxes are in arrears.
A friend of mine in somewhat similar circumstances had been re-instated in his Pension and has received the full amount of the dormant period of his Pension allowance. In all fairness I anticipated the same treatment, as a comparative case, but received only an evasive reply to my enquiries. True enough the fortunate applicant is a well known politician, and I not so, which explains the comparison.
My overseas record, longer than any other Canadian of the C.E.F. in the constituency of Vancouver North, extends from 1914 (in the trenches at Dickebusch) to the latter end of 1918 as an original member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
Since my return the community has benefited by my services to them without salary or emolument as a School Board Trustee, Chairman of the Boy Scouts, founding Lending Libraries and Museums at six schools, and other public matters.
The granting of my dormant Pension allowance would clear me of debts incurred through my War disabilities.
I should feel indeed grateful if you could assist me in my case if it is possible for you to do so.

Resting,

Yours Respectfully,

Walter M. L. Draycot
J.P.

Now Jack was lucky. When he returned home, he found work in his father-in-law's (Frank Kerr) tannery, though the smell of the work drove Jack to quit a few months later. A skilled tradesmen, Jack soon found work with Toronto Hydro and stayed there till retirement. Many others, though, remained under employmed.

To respond to returning soldiers needs, the Government of Canada created the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment in 1918. At its peak, the department operated a number of hospitals (both medical and psychiatric), out patient clinics, programs for out of work veterans and vocational classes for those disabled veterans.

Like their American counter-parts, Canadian Veterans demanded a bonus ($2000) to be paid out to compensate for their services. Like the Americans, the government refused to listen. It was not until 1930 that the government passed the War Veterans Allowance Act, that provided poor veterans over 60, $40 a month (for married veterans) or $20 a month (for single veterans.) To help fight the Government for benefits, two organizations were created the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League (Royal Canadian Legion) and the Great War Veteran's Association.

The Rest of the Story

2008-09-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

You're probably wondering what happened with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion after Jack left them? Here's a summary of the actions they were involved in till May 1918.

In December 1917 the 123rd was pulled of the line to undergo further training and to accept new drafts of men. By Christmas the Battalion was back at work at the city of Maroc, setting up wiring. By the begining of the new year, the 123rd was back in the thick of things, suffering about twelve casualities in the first few days of January. By the end of the month they were again taken off the line and rotated to Ourton, for rest and further training.The 123rd was relocated back to Vimy in February to continue work fixing trenches and dugouts.

March 1918 saw the anniversary of the battalion's arrival in France. During this month, things did not change to much. For the last half of the month, the battalion was constantly being put on stand to due to the increasing German attacks. The battalion was put on notice that they might be required to move within two hours time as an attack on Vimy Ridge was a possibility. On april 12th the battalion was withdrawn from Vimy and returned to Maroc.

In May, the Battalion was suddenly broken up into the 7th, 8th and 9th Canadian Engineer Battalions. This was a huge blow to the men of the 123rd as the battalion had been in existence for over two and a half years. Today the 123rd, along with the 3rd, 58th, 124th, and 204th Battalions perpetrates The Royal Regiment of Canada.

Britian's Last Tommy

2008-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Harry Patch, age 110, one of two men left in the world to have fought on Western Front.

"Any one of them could have been me. Millions of men came to fight in this war and I find it incredible that I am the only one left."

Harry Patch was born in Combe Down in Somerset England on June 17th 1898. Conscripted into the British Army, he was posted with the 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, serving as an assistant gunner in a Lewis Machine Gun section. From June 1917 to September 1917 (when he was injured by shell fire) Harry Patch served at the front during the Battle of Passchandaele. After the war Harry continuted his work as a plumber.

It wasn't until his 100th year that Harry Patch finally talked about his war time experiences. Since that time, he has even authored a book, "The Last Fighting Tommy" about his life, from his birth at the close of the 19th century to the First World War, and his life after (and it's a good read to!)

Last Female First World War Veteran Dies

2008-08-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Gladys Powers, born in England in 1899, she lied about her age to join the British Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and then served in the British Women's Royal Air Force as a waitress. During the war she met Canadian soldier, Ed Luxford, and came to Canada as a War Bride. Gladys Powers moved to Abbotsford BC in 1992, where she lived at Valhaven Rest Home until her death at the age of 109.

Canada's Hundred Days

2008-08-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

A period of history I can't gloss over. 90 years ago, Canada was the spearhead in the eventual German defeat and surrender. Generally called the Hundred Days offensive, it can also be called Canada's Hundred Days. During this time the Canadian Corps fought at Amiens, the Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Bourlon Wood, Denian, Valenciennes and finally, Mons, on the last day of the War. All four Canadian Divisions defeated or caused the retreat of thirty-four German Divisions during this time. August 8th, 1918 became known as "the black day for the German Army" as the Canadians and Aussies broke through German lines at the Battle of Amiens and gained 8km. By August 10th, the Germans had pulled back.

Between August 26 and September 2nd, the Canadian Corps launched their attack on the Hindenburg Line, starting at Canal du Nord. The fighting was intense, costing 11,400 causalities, but the Canadians broke the line.

On September 27th, the Canadians and British Armies began their next offensive. On this day the Canadian Corps captured Bourlon Wood. This, along with the British Armies' achievements smashed the Hindenburg Line. By October 11th, Cambrai was captured and the Canadian Corps stopped as a whole at Canal de la Sensee. For the next month individual divisions continued the advance, taking Valenciennes and coninuting to Mons.

So Now What?

2008-08-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've traced Jack's service during the First World War and his life afterwards. I'm still researching and reading what I can so I will update when I find something new and interesting. There are still more pictures to post and a lot more I can talk about so please stay tuned.

November 1918-December 1969

2008-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

The war was finally over, but it would be many months before Jack would return back to Canada. He would not fully recover from his bout of influenza until February 1919. From there he was attached to C.C.C. Kinmel Park for return to Canada. On February 19th, Jack sailed home on the Empress of Britain.

Now this is a piece of history that isn't widely known, but there was a large scale riot of Canadian soldiers a few weeks after Jack left camp. Conditions at Kinmel Park were far from ideal. Even though the war was over days were filled with marches, military exercises, and medical examinations. The food was bad and local store owners inflated their prices, so any luxurious the soldiers could have bought were expensive. Many soldiers just wanted to return home and start up their lives again, but military bureaucracy slowed them down. On March 4th 1,000 soldiers stationed there had enough. Canteens were burned, local store owners had their establishments destroyed and looted. On March 5th, officers and a few "loyal" troops tried to take control of the situation. Five Canadian soldiers were killed, twenty-eight injured, fifty-one were eventually court martialed. The government covered up the mutiny and records of it still are sealed to the public.

Jack arrived back in Canada on February 25th 1919 and soon was TOS with the 2 District Depot in Toronto to be discharged. He had been away from home all most three years and no doubt the reunion between him and Alma was a happy one.

While at #2 D.D, Jack under went a medical board, where they found him unfit for further duty in the CEF. He was discharged to a convalescent home as an out-patient, where the ongoing injury to his foot was finally looked at properly.

His discharge came into effect on March 18th 1919. Given his war service gratituty and later his "mut and jeff" campagin medals, Jack's war was finally over.

Unlike many returned soldiers, Jack was able to secure work quickly at his father-in-law's (Frank Kerr) tannery. Jack soon left this job as he could not stand the smell. Using the skills he learned while with the 123rd Pioneer Battalion, Jack went to work as an electrician with Toronto Hydro. He and Alma quickly settled down and had four children, Frank (my grandfather) Edward, Patricia and Milton.

In 1939, war was declared with Germany again. Frank, part of the 48th Highlanders, was one of the first soldiers to go over to England. He spent most of the war in England, where he rose to the rank of first Lieutenant. Edward joined the RCAF and went over to England in 1943. In February 1944, his bomber was shot down over Germany. There were no survivors.

For Jack, who survived Vimy Ridge and the horrors of Passchandaele, the death of his son in the another European War, was huge blow that he never recovered from. Though, this new war did not stop Jack from trying to join up again. Deemed too old, he instead joined the Veterans Guard and spent the war guarding military installations.

After the war, Jack returned to Toronto Hydro and worked till his retirement in the 1960's. All though his health began to deteriorate from diabetes, he still played all the hockey he could. Finding his condition unmanageable, Alma and Jack made the decision to relocate closer to their son Frank and his family in Ottawa. In early 1969, Jack was admitted to Veterans Hospital as it was becoming difficult to care for him at home. On December 23rd 1969, Jack died in hospital with Alma and Milton by his side. He was given a simple soldier's funeral on Christmas Day.

Oh! It's A Lovely War!

2008-08-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

For those who doubted you make a musical about the First World War. I just saw it recently for the first time the other day and I was blown away. I never thought I could find a movie about this period funny but this one is. More satire than anything else, I think it's one of the most accurate movies about the War I've ever seen (all the songs sung were really songs from that period.)

2008-08-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

Alma and Jack's wedding, June 13th 1915.

Back row, unknown woman, Isey Leake, (Alma's mother) Margaret Vandervoort, (Alma's grandmother) Frank Kerr. (Alma's father)
Front row, Alma Kerr, Jack Dow, unknown woman.

2008-08-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

One More....

2008-08-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

Jack and Alma on the day of their wedding

Scans

2008-08-10T17:44:00.001-07:00

Here are more scans I did today. This time it is some of Jack's service record.

Pictures

2008-08-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well the day finally came, I bought my all in one printer, enjoy!

Jack and Alma by their home in Toronto before he shipped out

Another picture while on leave

Camp Borden, Jack is the one with sweater

December 1917-November 1918

2008-08-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've decided to do a brief summary of the time between December 1917-November 1918 as there isn't much information to do individual blog posts.

December 1917 saw Jack still in hospital recovering from appendicitis (and the complications from the surgery.) On December 17th Jack was discharged from the hospital. Upon leaving the hospital, he was given a new kit of clothing (new boots, uniform, etc.) Two days after being discharged from the hospital, Jack reported back to the dispensary do to an abraded right heel. The cause? Ill fitting boots. To protect his foot, the boot was cut and for the next five months Jack could not wear any type of shoe or even walk on it. To make matters worse, the heel soon became infected. Jack soon recovered from this latest medical emergency and sent to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park in Epsom to recover further.

On March 11, 1918, Jack was pronounced fit for duty and transferred to the Canadian Engineer Training Depot (CETD) in Seaford, where he trained to head back to the front. For whatever reason this did not occur and in May 1918, Jack was taken on strength with the 1st Canadian Engineer Reserve Battalion, where he worked as a driver.

On November 9th 1918 (a year since Passchandeale) Jack reported to the 13th Canadian Hospital in Hastings with a case of influenza. The 1918 Influenza pandemic would eventually kill 20 million people worldwide. Many soldiers at the front and back in England fell victim to the virus.

But with all the tragedy, some good finally came. At 11:00am on November 11, 1918, the armistice was announced. The war was over.

For Jack, it brought an end to all most two years of overseas service (with 9 months of service at the front.)

Michael McDonagh, diary entry (11th November, 1918)

Looking through my window I saw passers by stopping each other and exchanging remarks before hurrying on. They were obviously excited but unperturbed. I rushed out and inquired what was the matter. "The Armistice!" they exclaimed, "The War is over!"
I was stunned by the news, as if something highly improbable and difficult of belief had happened. It is not that what the papers have been saying about an Armistice had passed out of my mind, but that I had not expected the announcement of its success would have come so soon. Yet it was so. What is still more curious is that when I became fully seized of the tremendous nature of the event, though I was emotionally disturbed, I felt no joyous exultation. There was relief that the War was over, because it could not now end, as it might have done, in the crowning tragedy of the defeat of the Allies. I sorrowed for the millions of young men who had lost their lives; and perhaps more so for the living than for the dead - for the bereaved mothers and wives whose reawakened grief must in this hour of triumph be unbearably poignant. But what gave me the greatest shock was my feeling in regard to myself. A melancholy took possession of me when I came to realize, as I did quickly and keenly, that a great and unique episode in my life was past and gone, and, as I hoped as well as believed, would never be repeated. Our sense of the value of life and its excitements, so vividly heightened by the War, is, with one final leap of its flame today, about to expire in its ashes. Tomorrow we return to the monotonous and the humdrum. "So sad, so strange, the days that are no more!"

Edward Albert Dowe

2008-07-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

Originally posted on my other blog, Ranting Owl

November 1917 Part II

2008-07-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

When I last left off, Jack had just been taken off the lines and invalided back to England due to acute appendicitis. After leaving the casualty clearing station, Jack would have been put on a transport and taken back to England. There he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham on November 10th. By 1917 the 1st SGH had a capacity of 2400 beds. On November 17th, Jack was Struck off Strength from the 123rd Pioneer Battalion.

All though military hospitals could be upsetting places to be for the soldiers there, especially if one had lost a limb or the use of his legs, they were also seen as a refuge from the battlefield. After many months of living in trenches, a hospital must have seemed like a dream come true. Regular meals, clean sheets, baths, activities and leave to cities or towns, were all luxuries a soldier might not have experience in a while.

Jack was placed in Ward B1 and continued to recover from his surgery. Whether there were complications or Jack was just a slow healer, the Doctor noted that it was not till the 28th that the stitches were able to be removed and the surgical wound began to heal properly.

At the close of November, Jack still resided in the hospital, awaiting to be discharged and sent to one of the many convalescent hospitals in England.

November 1917: Part I

2008-07-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm doing November 1917 in two parts for reasons that will be made clearer as you read on. As I left off in the last post, Jack's battalion had just been sent to Ypres to participate in the capture of Passchendaele. He and three hundred and forty five other men in his battalion had just been picked as stretcher bearers to assist in carrying out from the battlefield the ever increasing causalities. On October 30th, the Canadians, along with two British divisions attacked the town and managed to gain the ruined outskirts of the village. From there, they hung on, through rain and shell fire.

For Jack, the 1st of November, began with an intense barrage near their billets. No casualties were reported and it soon became an every day occurrence. The job of a stretcher bearer was one of the most hazardous on the Western Front. With the heavy rains, it sometimes took four men to carry a stretcher, and then there was the mud. Stretcher bearers had to pull themselves out of the mud after every step.

Wallace Carroll, 15th battalion CEF, was detailed as a stretcher bearer during the Battle of Passchendaele for the 3rd Battalion.

So I don't now how that worked out but our company got detailed as stretcher bearers, and we had one stretcher to four men. And we went on up they kicked off early in the morning and oh about eight o'clock we were sent in to pick up the wounded. Well the Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion he wouldn't allow us to go on any further. It's no use he said, you'd never get them, and he said, you'll never be able to get them out. The mud and the water up there was terrific but by the time we got as far as we did we were all soakin' wet. The shell holes were so close together and everyone was full of water see, that was low land country up there and the canals and the dikes you know up there had all been cut you see. And the water overflowed into the low country and consequently every shell-hole up there were some shell holes up there you could get out and paddle around in a canoe in them, and they were quite big. You could drown up there quite easy if you happen to fall in them at night time.
Oral Histories of the First World War

I think it was Jack's experiences with this battle that led to his life long struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The torrential rains, the mud, the horribly wounded and killed soldiers that he had to attempt to take back to an Aid station, the intense shelling.... it's a wonder that Jack did not end up in a psychiatric hospital (like so many others) for the rest of his life. As my Dad put it simply, "he suffered."

On November 5th, a day before the town of Passchendaele was taken, Jack was taken to 4th Canadian Field Ambulance. The diagnosis, acute appendicitis. Jack could have been suffering for several days from pain on the lower right side of the abdomen, loss of appetite, fever, nausea and vomiting. From the field ambulance, Jack was taken to a Casualty Clearance Station, where he was evacuated to "blighty" (slang for England.) This part of Jack's war was over.

Thousands of over soldiers were not as lucky. On November 6th, the Canadian Corps took all of Passchendaele. Pockets of German resistance continued up until the 15th. 16,000 casualties were taken by the Canadian Corps in order to gain a few yards of territory. Four months later, the Germans retook the time.

Squire nagged and bullied till I went to fight,
(Under Lord Derby's scheme). I died in hell -

(They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight,
And I was hobbling back; and then a shell
Burst slick upon the duckboards: so I fell
Into the bottomless mud, and lost the light

At sermon-time, while Squire is in his pew,
He gives my gilded name a thoughtful stare;
For, though low down upon the list, I'm there;
"In proud and glorious memory" ... that's my due.
Two bleeding years I fought in France, for Squire:
I suffered anguish that he's never guessed.
I came home on leave: and then went west...
What greater glory could a man desire?
Memorial Tablet, Siegfried Sassoon

October 1917

2008-06-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Did Jack know what was awaiting him? No doubt he had heard reports and rumor from the front lines at Passchendaele. By October, Jack had spent seven months at the front, and the start of the month, his battalion was still resting behind the lines at the Vimy sector.

On October 5th, the battalion was completely pulled off the lines and sent to Hermin. There they received reinforcements and were able to hold their first Regimental Church Parade in months. The Chaplain, Captain Headley, is spoken of very highly in the war diary (like many Chaplains.) In their last camp at Neuville St. Vaast, he was instrumental in setting up a reading room for the men, that was quite popular (even with other battalions.) In their new camp, Captain Headley had secured the use of a school for the same purpose.

Over the next fews days Jack and the rest of the men rested and trained. On one particular night B and C Companies and the Band were treated to a movie in the neighbouring town. Before Jack left for the war, he was a "movie operator" in one of the Toronto theaters. Now I know I said I thought Jack was in D company, but as some of the writing in his service record in eligible I can't be sure. If Jack was in one of those companies who saw a movie or heard from somebody who was, it must have reminded him of home.

On October 12th, word was received that the battalion was to move to Belgium. At 0700hrs on October 19th, Jack and his Battalion were loaded up into Motor buses and driven to Ypres. They were billeted in Wieltje and in a preview of things to come, heavy rains fell the entire night. The next day, Jack was moved to west of Ypres, taking up the billets of the New Zealand Pioneers.

On October 21st, German shells struck the camp the 123rd Battalion was billeted in. One soldier, Pte. J.E. Clarke was killed. Soon after, the billets were changed. HQ was established in the in the town of Ypres and more shelling commenced of the cross roads near them. One shell struck one of the C.S wagons, killing the horses and injuring several men.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Several hours later, while C company was proceeding to their billets, a shell struck #12 platoon. Twenty men were killed, thirteen wounded. That night, they were buried.

At 0540 on October 26th, (Zero Hour) the Third and Fourth Divisions advanced into the salient. While this was going on, the Battalion, like they had done at Vimy, were repairing the main mule track. By the end of the month the Third and Fourth Divisions had completed their second objective, suffering horrendous causalities in the process. Because of the increase in causalities, 345 men (including Jack) were ordered to report to the Advanced Dressing Station at Keir Farm, as stretcher bearers.

The Battle of Passchendaele had just begun....

A Background

2008-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

As soon as I get everything organized I will dive into a recounting of October 1917 and the start of the Battle of Passchendaele (for the Canadians.) But first I just want to give a little background history for those who don't know.

The offensive began on July 31st 1917 with the British suffering 32,000 casualities to gain 2000 yards. Over the month of August, continous shelling destroyed drainage canals and unseasonable heavy rains turned to area into a sea of mud. Throughout September, the Allies continued long scale attacks but only managed to gain a few thousand yards

By October 3rd, the British line overlooked the the the Passchendaele ridge. The next day the New Zealand Division, along with the Australians assualted Broodseinde Ridge. The attack was a dismal failure. 1000 prisoners were taken, 320 soldiers of the New Zealand Division were killed. The Allies gained 1000 metres.

On October 12th, the Allies attempted gain the area around Poelkapelle (a first attempt had failed.) Heavy rains made it difficult and artillery could not be brought closer due to the mud. A further 2,700 New Zelanders became casualities. At this time the Canadian Corps was moved up the line to replace the ANZAC forces. The date for the start of the assualt by the 3rd and 4th Divisions: October 26th.

On Haitus

2008-06-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

This blog will be on haitus until further notice. I am currently in Ottawa due to the death of my Grandpa. Stay tuned for updates.

Passchendaele: The Movie

2008-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be positing soon on Passchendaele. It wasn't until recently I found out that Jack had fought there. I'm still doing research, so until then check out the trailer for the Paul Gross film:

Map of Vimy

2008-06-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

I badly photoshoped the following map of Vimy Ridge, with the location of all the places Jack was stationed in.

September 1917

2008-05-27T19:27:00.001-07:00

"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

2008-05-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

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

Letters, Photos, Etc....

2008-04-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

I suppose some of you have been wondering why I don't have letters, postcards and pictures of my great-grandfather. There isn't any, except for six photographs of my great-grandfather from the First World War (which as soon as I get a scanner they will be up here.) There are no letters, postcards, notes, any written record besides his service record. My great-grandfather, Jack, having dropped out of school in the second grade was barley literate. Any written information from this time, if there was any, has fallen into that black hole of history. For research into this blog I have been using what information my Aunt was able to tell me, along with the 123rd Battalion's War Diary and Jack's service record. Like I stated that is the reason I started this blog to learn as much as I could.

July 1917

2008-04-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back everyone with a new post. Catching a cold has finally given me time to sit down and do some research.

July 1917 began with a fight. Funny enough, it had nothing to do with the war. This was a fight between battalions, the 123rd and 124th. On July 1st, the 123rd was given orders to take over equipment from the 124th Pioneer Battalion. The 123rd was to take over the 124th's tasks and camp and no one, especially the CO was happy about it. According to the War Diary for that day:

"It is the intention that we take over the work of the 124th Pioneer Battalion, while they go into rest, but our present camp location is much superior to theirs, and is closer to the work they are doing than their own camp site. Furthermore, the situation struck me as being most unsanitary, and the whole layout is nothing like as clean as our own camp, it being all most impossible to keep things in good shape owing to the thick formation of the soil"

http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e059/e001465828.jpg

Thankfully for the 123rd, the Division decided not to move them.

The first fews days of July, like those of previous months were quiet. There was some shelling and enemy planes sighted but other than that, the 123rd was not engaged in any combat operations. That all changed on July 10th, when the 123rd's camp was heavily shelled from a period of 1130pm to 3am. Miraculously no one was killed, but one officer from the headquarters company was buried beneath his dugout. He was dug out sometime later and survived.

On July 11, King George V visited the 3rd Division's front lines and Hill 145. Many men from the 123rd lines the road where his motor car passed.

A recurring phrase runs through the War Diary for this month, "No incident of importance to report." Trench life was dull. I did a post a while back on this if you want to read more in depth. Life on the front was routine. Wake up, eat, work, rest, work, sleep. The routine would be "shaken up" by shelling, enemy planes or any combat operations. After all of this, the routine would start again.

At the end of July, the battalion received orders to be taken off the line and rest. They were billeted in the town of Marles les Mines. Two awards were given out to men in the 123rd. L/Cpl J. Goff was awarded the Military Medal for bravery and Pte. L. Wilby was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

July 1917, ended with the men comfortably settled down to rest. It was on the last day of July that the Third Battle of Ypres began. Allied forces on this day suffered 32,000 casualties to take 2000 yards.

91 Years Ago....

2008-04-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

Historians like to tell us that Canada was born on a nice summer's day in July 1867. Well that may be true. I think our nation was really born one early April morning in 1917.

The Vimy Foundation

Alma Kerr

2008-03-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going to side track from the First World War a bit to talk about my great-grandmother, Jack's wife, Alma Kerr.

Alma Kerr was born to Francis "Frank" Kerr and Icey Leake on December 22nd, 1895, in Simcoe, Ontario. The Kerr family originally hailed from Ireland, with Alma's grandfather, Sam Kerr, immigrating to Canada sometime in the 1840's. The family was quite prosperous (they owned a brick yard) and well known in Simcoe. Sam Kerr had married into an old Dutch family (the Vandervoorts) Sometime after 1901, the Kerr family had moved from Simcoe to the East End of Toronto (at 195 Greenwood Ave) where Frank Kerr worked in a tannery.

the brickyard

I am not clear on how Alma and Jack met but they were married on June 15th 1915 in Toronto. From what my Aunt (my source for all this information) had told me is that the Kerr family (especially Frank)did not like Jack at all. I have never heard the reason why this was. It was from these conversations with my Aunt, that she told me that Jack lied his whole life about being a Methodist (the Kerr's were Methodists.) Jack's family had been Catholic and Jack had been raised Catholic. The Kerr family though, didn't like Catholics. Alma certainly knew, as she was the one who told me Aunt many years later, but it all most certain that Frank Kerr and the rest did not know. If they did, Alma would never have been allowed to marry Jack.

Jack and Alma moved into 123 Greenwood St (which was bought by Frank Kerr)just after the wedding. Around this time Frank and Isey moved in with them. In February 1916, Jack enlisted in the CEF and shipped off a few months later to England. This time in my great-grandmother's life is a mystery, all I know is (from reviewing Jack's service record) that Alma received a separation allowance every month from Jack's pay.

In 1919, Jack returned to Canada and began work at the same tannery as Frank Kerr. This did not last long as Jack could not stand the smell of the place and soon found work with Ontario Hydro. In 1920, Jack and Alma had their first child, my grandad, Frank Dowe. He was followed in quick succession by Edward, (who died in WWII)Milton and Patricia.

Jack and Alma lived in Toronto till the late 60's, when they finally moved to Ottawa at he request of my grandad. Jack had been suffering from diabetes and was becoming difficult to care for at home. On December 22nd, 1969 (Alma's birthday) Jack died. For the next twenty years, Alma lived close to her remaining family. She died in 1990 at the age of 95.

May/June 1917

2008-03-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

(As you can see I've amalgamated May and June 1917. After doing research I found that June was another quiet month for the battalion, with very few military actions.)

The 123rd Pioneer Battalion began May 1917 with 1264 men and 46 officers. The first day of May began with an explosion of an old French ammunition dump. The cause of the explosion was never found and there were four casualties.

"D" company was put to work repairing the road around La Targette. On May 5th another ammunition dump exploded, this time a gas alert was issued. Again, the cause was never found.

Compared with the excitement of the Vimy Ridge offensive, May 1917, was quiet. The four companies of the battalion were soon taken off road work and sent to the trenches at Vimy Ridge, for repair detail. The 123rd up until this time had been billeted in tents near the front lines and never had experienced trench warfare before. Now the men were billeted in chalk pits, which the OC assured, were "shell proof."

Deward Barnes of the 19th Battalion, which was part of the assault on Vimy Ridge and was still on the front lines, wrote about the conditions in the trenches.

"The shelling was terrible. It was really heavy now as we got the whiz bangs. And he certainly could send them fast."
(It Made You Think Of Home, page 78.)

The maintenance work the 123rd would have been involved in would have been laying new duckboards, repairing communications lines, digging new trench systems, repairing siding, pipe lines, etc.

"A" Company was tasked with grading and excavating the woods near Vimy. Since arriving in the woods, "A' Company was shelled daily and gassed. On May 12th "A" Company was pulled out from Farbus Woods. In ten days they had suffered thirty causalities. "D" Company relieved them.

On May 16th, news was received that the 3rd Pioneer Battalion was being disbanded and the men were going to be divided up between all the other Pioneer Battalions. The 123rd received 42 men.

As I mentioned before, May 1917 was a quiet month. Even the War Diary of the 123rd attests to this. The end of May saw the Battalion engage in a number of recreational activities. On May 24th the regimental baseball team played the 107th Pioneers, beating them 20 to 1. On May 25th "D" Company was relieved by "C" Company and sent to work with the 1st and 3rd Army Troops Company. May ended with the Battalion moving to a new camp.

June

After the relatively quiet month of May, June 1917 started off with the 4th Canadian Division carrying out a heavy artillery bombardment around the area of La Targette. Aerial bombardment by German planes continued during the nights, but no causalities were recorded. D Company, which numbered 100, was sent to work on road repair while the other three companies rested, built trenches or worked on railways.

On June 10th, the Battalion received word that two men Pte. James Hillis and Cpl. John Morrison were to be awarded the Military Medal for bravery. They are the first (but not the last) to receive a medal for bravery. Two days later, the Canadian Corps was informed that Sir Julian Byng was to be leaving as commander. General Byng had commanded the Canadian Corps since 1916. With Arthur Currie, he commanded the Canadian Corps when they took Vimy. Soldiers called themselves, "Byng's Boys" and he remained a popular figure in Canada (Byng was made Governor General in 1921.)

By mid month, the Battalion had moved up again to the trenches at Vimy to do more repair work. On June 23rd, the CO, Major Brown and Lt. Galbraith spent the early morning going over plans for an upcoming operation the battalion was to be involved in. On the night of the 27th, 200 men from the battalion were sent to work on the communications trench, while the Infantry engaged in operations. Working through the night, under shell and machine gun fire, they were able to finish the trench. In the morning, the Infantry ordered them to cease work, afraid that they would draw fire.

On June 27th, the Battalion was ordered to rest for 10 days. This didn't last. That afternoon, the CO was told that the 9th Infantry Brigade had been ordered to capture Avion trench. The 123rd was ordered to field 200 men to construct a communications and fire trench on the right flank of the objective. They were also ordered to consolidate Avion Trench when it was taken. The CO was to have none of this. After storming up to division headquarters, it was decided that if the 9th Infantry Brigade wanted Avion Trench consolidated, they were going to have to do it themselves.

This reprieve didn't last long. At the end of the month the battalion was ordered, again, to field 200 men to build 400 yards of communications trench. The work wasn't successful due to muddy and wet conditions. There were three casualties due to accidents.

(the pictures were taken by photographer Frank Hurley)

Posts Coming

2008-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it has been a while. I have recently started a contact with the government and have not had much time the last few weeks to do any research. Looking back through my account, I realized I forget to publish May 1917. I have just done that now, so scroll down.

A Souviner Photo

2008-03-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Sometime when he was in England, Jack took this photo and sent it back to his wife, Alma. Today it is mounted in with his campaign medals.

Shell Shock

2008-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

I was going to wait until I came to the end of my great-grandfather's story to write about this, but after talking to my Aunt I decided to do it now. To understand why I am doing this blog I have to talk about the unpleasant subject of shell shock or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (as we call it today.)

When I had started researching Jack, I asked my father what he could tell me about him. He couldn't tell me anything, but a few anecdotes. So, I asked my Aunt, who was twenty when he died if she could tell me anything. According to her, the Jack she knew was morose, withdrawn, unapproachable and prone to bouts of sudden rage. No one had dared ask him about the First World War and he did not give any details. My great-grandmother, who lived until 1990, told my Aunt that he had been more outgoing and happier when they first married. Jack had come back from the war a changed man.

Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, Jack was there. In the next coming weeks I'll be talking about Passchendaele, but I can tell you now that Jack was a stretch bearer during that battle. I guess it came down to unless you were there and experienced all the horrors of war, then you could never understand. How could have Jack talked about the war?

Stretcher Bearers

In 1914, doctors began to see the first cases of shell shock. Early symptoms included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches. Eventually the men suffered mental breakdowns making it impossible for them to remain in the front-line. Originally doctors thought shell bursts "shook up" soldiers brains, causing the above mentioned symptoms. As the war went on doctors began to see it as more of a psychiatric illness, that resulted in nerve damage during combat. If a soldier was an officer (like Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen) they were most likely to be sent away to a hospital to recuperate. Many enlisted men did not get the same treatment.

Philip Gibbs, writing about the war for The Daily Chronicle, mentions his experiences with shell shock in his autobiography, Adventures in Journalism.

I saw a sergeant-major convulsed like someone suffering from epilepsy. He was moaning horribly with blind terror in his eyes. He had to be strapped to a stretcher before he could be carried away. Soon afterwards I saw another soldier shaking in every limb, his mouth slobbered, and two comrades could not hold him still. These badly shell-shocked boys clawed their mouths ceaselessly. Others sat in the field hospitals in a state of coma, dazed, as though deaf and dumb.

April 1917

2008-02-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with my aunt last week and she asked me, "Was Jack at Vimy?." Yes he was...

The beginning of April, found Jack and his battalion still encamped at Bois des Alleux. On April 2nd, the largest artillery barage (which had started on March 24th) was stepped up. To the Germans, it became known as the "Week of Suffering." Over one million shells were dropped during this time. A major assault was coming. Jack and the rest of the men of the 123rd Pioneer Battalion, though, still worked on their plank road.

According to the 123rd War diary (dated April 4th) a meeting between the CO and Major's Boone and Smith discussed the possibility of the battalion taking part in the coming offensive. No word was received on that suggestion.

On April 5th, A and B companies, while working on the plank road, where shelled and gassed. Four causalities from B company were recorded. Two days later, 123rd recorded their first KIA. Pte. G.R. Helm was killed by shell fire and buried that day in Ecovires Cemetery.

After days of waiting for their orders for the coming offensive, it was decided that the 123rd would be part of it.

On April 9th at 530am, the main assualt on Vimy Ridge began. It appears that the 123rd was tasked to keep up the maintenance of the forward roads leading to the battle. Throughout the day (as the War diary records) wounded Canadian soldiers and German prisoners kept coming down the road. In less than two hours three out of four Canadian divisions had taken their objectives.

It doesn't appear that Jack and the rest of the 123rd were aware of the significance of Vimy Ridge. Oh, they knew it was a great victory, but soon they were all back to work on that plank road. Even though they were short of supplies, the road was finished on April 16th. Days later they were detailed to build another one near Maison Blanche. This work was carried out throughout the rest of the month.

Today, Vimy Ridge has taken on the status of legend. The "Birth of a Nation" is what I have heard those few days described as. It was the first time all four Canadian divisions fought as one and one of the first victories of the war. I don't know what Jack thought about it all. All I do know is that day, Jack and his buddies worked on the main road to the battle. After that, they were back on the plank road.

Trench Life

2008-02-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Trenches of the Western Front, that's one of the things we remember the most of the First World War. There's a good reason why.

It was a living hell.

Gas Attacks
Shell Fire
Raiding parties
Mud
Lice
Rats
Bodies half buried
Boredom

The daily routine of the trench began with stand to. An hour before dawn, men were roused from sleep and ordered to stand, with bayonets fixed, to guard against a raiding party. When stand to ended, the men were set to cleaning their rifles for morning inspection. A breakfast of bully beef, bread and biscuits was served. After this, NCO's assigned chores to the men, which usually included filling sandbags or maintaining the trenches. After the daily chores were completed, the men had some time for other matters. Some wrote letters home, some chatted with other soldiers, some read, others tried to sleep. Enemy snipers constantly watched for any signs movement in the trenches.

Soldiers shave

At dusk, stand to was repeated. As snipers could not easily see at night, trenches became much more active. Men were sent to the rear for rations and water, supplies were brought in more maintenance was carried out. Men were assigned sentry duty, which typically lasted two hours before they were relieved.

Patrols were often sent out under the cover of darkness. Some were tasked with repairing barbed wire or setting up listening posts. Sometimes enemy patrols would encounter each other in No Man's Land.

The next morning, the same routine began again.

Soldiers de-lice their clothes

There were many other problems faced by men in the trenches then just enemy shells. Trenches routinely became flooded due to rain. Although they were drained daily, the water and mud never quite went away. This gave rise to the incidents of trench foot.

Lice to was a huge problem, and many men suffered from what was known as "trench fever." It wasn't until, 1918, though, that the medical authorities maid the link between the fever and the lice.

Isaac Rosenberg captured the unpleasantness of lice in his poem "The Immortals."

I killed them, but they would not die.
Yea! all the day and all the night
For them I could not rest or sleep,
Nor guard from them nor hide in flight.

Then in my agony I turned
And made my hands red in their gore.
In vain - for faster than I slew
They rose more cruel than before.

I killed and killed with slaughter mad;
I killed till all my strength was gone.
And still they rose to torture me,
For Devils only die in fun.

I used to think the Devil hid
In women’s smiles and wine’s carouse.
I called him Satan, Balzebub.
But now I call him, dirty louse.

Jack Dow 1909

2008-02-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

I'm going to go back a few years to 1909. After talking to my Aunt today, she told me of this photo of Jack playing for the Ontario Juniors in 1909. He in on the bottom left. According to my Aunt, he was an extraordinary hockey player and in the 1930's played on the Toronto Hydro hockey team.

March 1917

2008-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

In my last post I explained that the 123rd Pioneer Battalion was readying themselves for deployment to France. Jack, who had been part of the 180th Battalion, had transfered over to the 123rd in February of 1917. By the beginning of March, the battalion was still in training for deployment.

Part of their camp at Witley was still under quarantine for vermin and then measles. In addition to their day to day duties as soldiers, the men of the 123rd enjoyed some of the comforts of home. The battalion diary states that on March 3rd, the officers played a game of baseball. According to Tim Cook's book, "At the Sharp End", organizations such as the YMCA and the Salvation Army established huts near Army Camps to care for soldier's needs.

From what I was told by my father, Jack was mad for baseball. In fact, it, along with football (soccer) and cricket were the most popular sports played by the BEF and CEF. From "At the Sharp End,"

"The Canadian baseball matches within or between battalions and then against other armies' teams, especially the Americans' once they joined the war, attracted enormous crowds."

On March 6th, the Battalion recieved orders to leave for France on the 8th. This was eventually delayed 24 hours. On March 10th, Jack, along with the rest of the 123rd Pioneer Battalion boarded the transport ship "Invicta." They disembarked in Boulogne-sur-Mer that evening and the battalion marched to the Camp St. Marten for the night. Upon arrival in France, the strength of the battalion was 43 officers and 857 other ranks.

The 123rd Pioneer Battalion had been stationed in Haillicourt for a few days before they received word that they would be replacing the 3rd Pioneer Battalion. In the War diaries it states there much confusion over these orders. The main problem with moving to replace the 3rd Pioneer Division seemed to be that there were not enough billets for all the men. Tents were hastily put up. On March 17, the battalion moved to Bois des Alleux to relieve the 3rd Pioneers. Being only 3 miles behind the front lines, the guns were clearly heard. The next morning A, C, and D (I believe this was my great-grandfather's company) companies were detailed to begin where the 3rd Pioneers left off.

Jack's war had begun.

D Company was given the job of maintaining a road near the towns of Mont St. Eley and La Targette (which was destroyed.) A portion of this road came under enemy fire and two causalities were recorded. They were Pte. Carpenter (sent to hospital) and Pte. Bain (returned to work.)

For the next few weeks D Company worked on that road and came under more shell fire. On March 24, the 123rd's camp was shelled by German planes. By the end of the month the road was within 100 yards of completion.

February 1917

2008-02-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

As you can see I am jumping ahead to February 1916 as this is where Jack's story finally begins. After arriving in England in November 1916, Jack's battalion (180th CEF) was broken up and the men put into the 3rd Reserve Battalion. In February of 1917, Jack was assigned to the 123rd Pioneer Battalion.

The Canadian Expeditionary Force had eight pioneer battalions whose task was to performed construction tasks in the forward area that did not require the special equipment of engineers. This included constructing trenches and dugouts although they occasionally acted in the engineer role on tasks such as the construction of bridges. They had a large proportion of tradesmen and were organized the same as infantry battalions.

Recruitment poster for 5th Pioneers.

The 123rd Pioneer was based out of the Witley Camp in Surrey, England. On February 1st, the battalion was informed that they would be mobilized for France. According to the 123rd Battalion War Diary, it was during this time that they finally received (after many delays) their steal helmets and Lee Enfield rifles.

Jack, along with many of the new men in the battalion, were discovered by the Commanding Officer that they had not received any gas instruction, dental treatments, inoculations or even instruction in field engineering or wiring. This was soon corrected. The whole Battalion spent the next few weeks training heavily in field engineering and in gas attacks. Dummy trenches were constructed in order to train the men in "working parties." Men were vaccinated against typhus and many fell ill because of it. The last week of February was spent fumigated the huts as they had become infested with what the war diary called "vermin."

The men of the 123rd Battalion trained hard for soon they would be in France.

Posts

2008-02-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to clarify to all my readers that I will be posting at excerpts from my great-grandfather's story at least once a week. It takes a lot of research to get the facts right along with the time it takes to pour through all the documentation I have. I will from time to time post about other events that happened during the First World War so stay tuned.

February to November 1916

2008-01-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

On February 2nd 1916, Jack enlisted in the 180th Battalion CEF. The 180th Battalion was stationed in the Liederkranz Clubhouse on Richmond Street in Toronto. Called the Sportsmen battalion, it actively recruited men from Toronto's athletic community. Given Jack's prowess for hockey, it is not doubt he was attracted to this battalion. During the winter of 1916, there was a shortage of barrack accommodations, so the 180th still remained stationed in the Liederkranz clubhouse. For the trouble, the men received an extra sixty cents a day.

On May 16th, the battalion moved out to the barracks at the exhibition camp down at Toronto's west end. Two months later, they were uprooted and sent to Camp Borden. The conditions at Camp Borden had been described as "very primitive." The camp consisted of rough sawn shanties, dirt roads and tents. But there were some luxuries. The YMCA opened a canteen and there was a large wooden shed called the "Stand" that was used for theater productions. On July 11th, Major General Sam Hughes inspected the battalion.

Men at Camp Borden

Chow time

Between July and October 1916, Jack and the 180th trained to go to war. On October 24th, the battalion arrived in St John, New Brunswick. There they waited for ninteen days before leaving for Halifax. On November 13th, Jack and five thousand other men, boarded the Olympic. In the journal of Deward Barnes (180th Battalion) he describes the conditions of the trip to England.

"Some had to sleep on the floor, and some in hammocks which were hung over the dinning room tables after all the meals were over. We had to wear life belts when we went on deck, always. We had one pay on board and fire drill every morning. They had concerts every night just made up from the talent among the men. Bands played in the daytime. There were big dinning rooms and it was surprising what you could eat. Of course, you had your certain time to eat and I did not miss a meal"
From "It Made you Think of Home: The Haunting Journal of Deward Barnes, CEF: 1916-1919." By Bruce Cane. Dundurn Press (Aug 1 2004)

On November 21st, the 180th arrived in London. From there they headed to Witley camp, where they continued training.

Something I had not brought up before, is pay. As a Private in the CEF, Jack received a dollar a day, which was paid out in the local currency. When Jack left for England, he assigned half his pay to his wife, Alma, in addition she also received twenty dollars a month in separation allowance.

At the same time Jack was leaving for England, the Battle of the Somme was ending. This battle is mostly known for its first day (July 1st 1916) where 19,240 allied troops were killed. By November there were 623,907 allied casualties. Who knows what Jack and the other men thought upon hearing this news. Soon they would be in France and in a year he would find himself in an even worse place: Passchendaele

1892-1916

2008-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

John Vincent "Jack" Dow was born January 6th 1892 in Frontenac County Ontario. His parents were George Dow, a Scottish immigrant and Mary Horrigan. The family resided in Port Hope Ontario, where George Dow was a Gardener. They had had another child besides Jack, a girl, named Beatrice, but it appears she died in early childhood.

I know nothing of Jack's childhood, except that he dropped out of school in grade two, presumably to start working to help his family out. The 1911 Canadian Census shows that Jack was still in Port Hope. By 1915, however, Jack had moved to Toronto were he took up the profession of a movie camera operator and general electrician.

On June 13 1915, Jack married nineteen year old Alma Kerr, daughter of Frank Kerr and Icy Leake. The couple lived at 219 Greenwood Ave, down in Toronto's East End.

In 1916, Jack Dow enlisted in 180th CEF "Sportsman" Battalion.

A Start

2008-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

I guess I was influenced by the blog, WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier. Here, the author of the blog posts letters and pictures of his grandfather, Harry Lamin's time serving in the First World War.

I had posted a few things related to my great-grandfather, Jack Dow, on my blog, Ranting Owl. I decided to create this blog to tell his story and his experiences during the First World War. Another reason has to do with myself. In my family, my great-grandfather is an engima, not much is known about him. Even though my father and aunt where teenagers when he died, they weren't able to tell me much about him, especially about his time in the war. I've created this blog to discover these things about Jack Dow.