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WWI

These collections contains any material relating to Canada from 1914 to 1918 from either the home front or the battlefront. External links in collection descriptions are either to online attestation papers at Library and Archives Canada or casualty and burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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Captain John Roberts Gale was born in Youngs Cove, New Brunswick, on June 28th, 1890, to parents George Hamilton & Alma Kate Gale. Prior to enlistment John Gale worked as a school teacher.

He enlisted in Sussex, N.B. with the 64th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, on September 27th, 1915. Shipping for England in March of 1916, he soon proceeded to France where in July he transferred to the 25th Canadian Infantry Battalion, seconded to the 5th Trench Mortar Battery, with whom he served with for the majority of his time overseas.

He was injured or taken ill on several occasions, including gas poisoning from a shell early in 1917, trench fever in June of 1917, and a gunshot wound to his leg in 1918. Capt. Gale was demobilized on June 30 of 1920.

The letters and photo in the John Gale Collection were donated as part of his brother's, the Private Ralph Clement Gale Collection. Ralph Gale served with the 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles and was captured in battle on June 2nd, 1916, and was held as a German Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) until his death on July 29th, 1918. Most of the John Gale letters relate to his brother’s P.O.W. status; many are from Evelyn Rivers Bulkeley, Head of the Prisoner of War Branch of the Canadian Red Cross. Also included are letters from a German acquaintance of Ralph who writes to John after the war describing conditions under Occupation in the Rhineland.

External links:
Capt. John Roberts Gale’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Private Ralph Clement Gale was born in Youngs Cove, New Brunswick, on June 19, 1895, to parents George Hamilton and Alma Kate Gale. Prior to enlistment Ralph Gale worked as a school teacher.

Having previously served in the 28th Dragoons Militia, Gale enlisted for overseas service at Amherst, Nova Scotia, with the 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles on April 21, 1915. He sailed from Canada in July of 1915 and after training in England arrived in France in October of 1915, where he transferred to the 4th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles in early January of 1916.

He was captured during the Battle of Mount Sorrel near Ypres, Belgium, on June 2, 1916, and was held as a Prisoner of War in Germany at the Friedrichsfeld Camp in 1916/1917, and the Munster II (Rennbahn) Camp in 1918. Just a few months prior to the Armistice he died in a P.O.W. hospital (most likely of influenza), in Dortmund, Germany, on July 29, 1918. He was buried in the Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany.

The earliest letters in the Gale Collection were written by Ralph Gale to his mother and his sisters prior to his capture in 1916. Once he became a P.O.W. he continued to write from the prison camps in Germany. Also included is correspondence between various family members and from organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross Society, and two photos of Ralph taken while held at Friedrichsfeld. There are several letters written by Canadian soldiers who were interred with Ralph at the Friedrichsfeld and/or Munster II (Rennbahn) Camps, and who wrote to his family following his death. Links to their Service Records have been included below. (Among them is George Williams who is also connected to the collection of fellow Rennbahn P.O.W. William McLeish through their work together in camp theatrical productions.)

Ralph’s brother Captain John Roberts Gale was also in service overseas in World War One, including serving with 5th Canadian Trench Mortar Battery, 2nd Canadian. Division, France. As most of the correspondence to or from John Gale relates directly to his brother’s internment as a P.O.W., all of his letters have been included as part of the Ralph Gale Collection, although they can also be viewed separately in the Capt. John Roberts Gale Collection.

The letters from the Canadian Red Cross to the Gale family were through the work of Evelyn Rivers Bulkeley who as Head of the Prisoner of War Branch managed all requests for aid regarding Canadian P.O.W.’s throughout the period of Robert Gale’s internment.

External links:
Pte. Ralph Gale’s service record (Serv/Reg# 111184) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Pte. Ralph Gale can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Service Records of the other P.O.W.'s with letters in the Ralph Gale collection, at Library and Archives Canada:

Gunner George Henry Flewelling, 1st Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column, service record, (Serv/Reg# 43719)
Private Arnold Garfield Griffin, 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, service record (Serv/Reg# 111209)
Private John Paine Aitchison Hayes, 9th Canadian Mounted Rifles, service record (Serv/Reg# 114326)
Private George Buford Williams, 7th Battalion, service record (Serv/Reg# 16487)

Robert John Galloway was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in March 1898. He later moved to Cabri, Saskatchewan and enlisted in Swift Current, Saskatchewan in April, 1916. Galloway served with the 102nd Bn until his death at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917.

Ernest George Gardner was born in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1894 and enlisted at Liverpool, Nova Scotia on March 1, 1916. The collection consists of one letter written in 1917.

John Gardner was born in Belfast, Ireland, in October 1890. He immigrated to Ottawa, Ontario, where he enlisted in November 1915 with the 77th Overseas Battalion. Gardner served overseas with D Coy., 47th Battalion, and was killed January 3, 1917. The collection consists of two postcards and a newspaper article regarding his death.

Frederik Batts Garlick was born in Oxford, England, in July 1883. Prior to the war he immigrated to Canada and enlisted in June 1916 in Peterborough, Ontario. He went overseas and was with the 93rd Battalion until he was injured during training and sent back to Canada in 1917. The collection currently consists of three letters and three clippings.

Wesley Garrod, MM, was born in Ispswich, England, in November 1891, and sometime prior to the war he immigrated to Brownlee, Saskatchewan. Garrod enlisted in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in January 1916. He served overseas as a corporal with the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery. Garrod was killed in September 1918. The collection consists of one letter from Garrod to his brother.

Private Thomas Garton was born in Huron, Ontario, on August 16, 1887, to parents George and Mary Garton.

Garton enlisted in Clinton, Ont., with the 33rd Battalion on January 14, 1915. He shipped overseas on the S.S. Scandinavian in June of 1915. Following several weeks training in England, he was posted to France to join the 1st Battalion on August 8. Wounded in action September 24, 1916, he died later the same day at No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station. Garton was buried at Puchevillers British Cemetery, Somme, France.

Content notes:
The majority of the collection’s letters were written by Garton to his friend Maudelean (“Maudie”) Carter of Clinton, Ont., between June 1915 and December 1916. Among the other materials are several French souvenir-type silk postcards, and a keepsake pamphlet from the S.S. Scandinavian summarizing voyage information.
Note on rank: Garton was ranked as a Private at the time of his death but had also previously been a Lance Corporal; as such both ranks are variously used within in the collection materials.

External links:
Pte. Thomas Garton’s service record (Serv/Reg# 400146) can be viewed/downloaded through Library and Archives Canada.
WWI Circumstances of Death Registers record card (page #769), Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
memorial page honouring Garton can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

External links for other identified soldiers appearing in Garton’s letters (most were from or enlisted at Clinton, Ontario):
Pte. James Spearpoint, service record (Serv/Reg# 53737); killed in action August 29, 1918.
Pte. Delbert Huller, service record (Serv/Reg# A335 and 654344).
Pte. Thomas Israel Britton, service record (Serv/Reg# 1400686 and 880614).
Pte. Harold Vernon Mennel, service record (Serv/Reg# 02889 and 400135); died February 21, 1919.
Pte. George Bezzo (aka William Chester Bezzo), service record (Serv/Reg# 7119).
Pte. Milton Rintoul (aka Milton James Garton, James Milton Garton) service record (Serv/Reg# 158171).

Robert Andrew Garvie was born in Owen Sound, Ontario in November 1887.  Prior to the war the family moved west, and Garvie was recruited at The Pas, Manitoba in October, 1917.  He served overseas with the 9th Battalion Canadian Engineeers, was wounded in September, 1918 and returned to Canada in 1919.  The collection currently consist of an undated memoir and two photographs.

Clarence Reginald Gass was born in Bayfield, Nova Scotia in April, 1894. He enlisted in Halifax in November, 1915 and served overseas until the end of the war. The collection consists of more than forty letters, as well as photographs, telegrams and miscellaneous items related to the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) with whom he served.

William Vincent Gauthier was born in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island in October, 1897 and enlisted in Charlottetown in 1915. Gauthier served oveseas Enland, France, and Belgium until his return to Canada at the end of the war. The collection consists of a memoir written by Gauthier sometime after the war.

Lance Corporal Ralph Milton Gibson was born in Petrolia, Ontario, September 16, 1893 to parents John and Helena Gibson.  He enlisted on December 20, 1915 in Montreal, Quebec with the 5th Overseas Universities Company (McGill Co.).  Gibson sailed to France on April 1, 1916 aboard the S.S Olympic, arriving in England on April 11, 1916.  On June 7, 1916 he was sent to France, where he joined the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment).  While serving with the PPCLI Gibson was killed at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917.

External links:
Lance Corporal Ralph Milton's service record (Serv/Reg# 487442) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial Information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
memorial page honouring Gibson can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Lance Corporal Ralph Milton's Circumstances of Death Register card can be viewed/downloaded through Library and Archives Canada.

James Reid Gillies was born in Dundee, Scotland, in October 1895 and immigrated to Canada in 1906. He enlisted in May 1917 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and served overseas with the C.A.S.C. The collection currently consists of two photographs, a Christmas card, and his discharge certificate. See also the collection of John Gillies his brother.

John Gillies was born in Scotland in September 1882. He immigrated to Canada prior to the war and enlisted in July 1915 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with the 78th Battalion. Gillies went overseas but was discharged in December 1916 on compassionate grounds, and died in Winnipeg in November 1918. The collection currently consists of three photographs and his discharge certificate. See also the collection of James Reid Gillies, his brother.

Albert James Gilmore was born in Wooster, Ohio in February, 1884. He later lived in Toronto, Ontario where he worked as a linotype operator for the Toronto Star. Gilmore enlisted in Toronto in August, 1915. He served overseas with the Canadian Field Artillery and was killed September 15, 1918. The collection consist of one letter, a photograph of Gilmore, and a newspaper death notice.

Born in 1889 in Ontario, Wilbert Gilroy studied dentistry and in 1911 moved to Winnipeg to take over a practice. He enlisted in Winnipeg in 1914 and was sent to France in 1915 with the Canadian Dental Corps. In 1917 Gilroy had himself attached to the Royal Flying Corps and flew with them during 1917 until wounded in October of that year. He returned to England and then subsequently to Canada where he continued to practice dentistry. The collection consists of 130 letters written from 1911 to 1917.

Major (Chaplain) Alexander MacLennan Gordon, DSO, MC, was born in Ottawa, Ontario on May 26, 1873, to parents Dr. Daniel Miner Gordon and Eliza Simona Gordon (née MacLennan).

A Presbyterian clergyman, Gordon was serving as a member in the Non-Permanent Active Militia at the time of his mobilization for Active Service with the 5th Regiment, Royal Highlanders of Canada (R.H.C.), in September of 1914. He attested at Valcartier Camp in Québec on September 23, 1914, and was appointed as Chaplain to the 13th Battalion, R.H.C.

Gordon embarked for England with the First Contingent that October, aboard the SS Alaunia. Proceeding to France with the 3rd Infantry Brigade in January of 1915, he was then transferred to the No.1 Canadian Field Ambulance.  In July of 1916 he was appointed as Senior Chaplain of the 4th Division, Canadian Chaplain Service.

Wounded in August of 1918, Gordon was treated in England before being invalided back to Canada in June of the following year. He was demobilized in September of 1919.

Content notes:
Gordon’s informative and expressive letters were written between October of 1914 and April of  1915. The earliest, written during his crossing to England aboard the SS Alaunia, is particularly notable for the amount of descriptive detail conveyed.
Among the family names appearing in the letters are references to Gordon’s brother Major George Huntly Gordon, OBE, (“Hunt”), his sister Wilhelmina Gordon (“Min”), and his father, Daniel Miner Gordon (“the Principal”), who was Principal of Queen’s University at that time. Mentions of “Canon Scott” are to Lt. Col. (Canon) Frederick George Scott, CMG, DSO, FRSC, noted poet and author of the 1922 memoir The Great War As I Saw It.

External links:
Major Alexander MacLennan Gordon’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Major George Huntly Gordon’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) at Library and Archives Canada.
Lt. Col. (Canon) Frederick George Scott's service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) at Library and Archives Canada.

Major George Huntly Gordon, OBE, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on November 16, 1882 or 1883 (both dates appear in his military records), to parents Dr. Daniel Miner Gordon and Eliza Simona Gordon (née MacLennan).

An engineer prior to the war, Gordon attested at Valcartier Camp in Québec on September 29, 1914, with the Canadian Army Service Corps (C.A.S.C.), and sailed to England as part of the First Contingent in October of 1914, aboard the S.S. Franconia. Following time spent at the front in Belgium and France with the C.A.S.C., Gordon returned to Canada, where the 4th Canadian Divisional Ammunition Sub-Park, C.A.S.C., was organized under his command, at Toronto, in April of 1916. They proceeded to England the following month, and later that August to France, with Gordon commanding what eventually became the 4th Canadian Divisional Mechanical Transport Company, formed in April of 1918 through the amalgamation of of No. 4 Canadian Divisional Supply Column and No. 4 Canadian Divisional Ammunition Sub-Park. Gordon survived the war, and demobilized in June of 1919.

Content notes:
The single letter in the collection was written by Gordon to his father on April 27, 1915, following the 2nd Battle of Ypres. Also included is a hand-written Nominal Roll of other ranks of the 4th Div., M.T. Co., C.A.S.C., from January of 1919.
Collection materials were donated together with those of Gordon’s brother, Major (Chaplain) Alexander MacLennan Gordon, DSO, MC, who served during the war with the Canadian Chaplain Service.
Spelling variants of both “Huntley” and “Huntly” appear in Gordon’s service file, and in his Library and Archives Canada record. However Gordon himself signs his Attestation Paper as “Huntly,” and this is the spelling used by his brother Alexander in his correspondence; as such it is the spelling used here.

External links:
Major George Huntly Gordon’s service record (Serv/Reg# unassigned) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Major Alexander MacLennan Gordon’s service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) at Library and Archives Canada.

Cadet Douglas (“Dug”) Moncrieff Goudie was born in Liverpool, England, on May 8, 1895. Immigrating to Kamloops, British Columbia, prior to the war, he was a member of the Militia’s 102nd Regiment at the time of his enlistment with the 48th Battalion in Victoria, B.C., on April 19, 1915.

He shipped for England in July of 1915, and then to France in March of 1916 with the 3rd Canadian Pioneer Bn. (redesignation of the 48th Bn, January 1916). At his own request he transferred to the 29th Bn. in April of 1917. In July of the following year he joined the British Royal Air Force and was still in training as a Cadet when hostilities ceased (hence his final rank as “Cadet” in his service history, despite his previously held ranks of Private and Lance Corporal within the Canadian Expeditionary Force). Following his return to Canada he was demobilized at Kamloops on June 15, 1919.

The materials in the Goudie Collection were donated as part of the Sydney Winterbottom Collection. Goudie and Winterbottom had been friends in Kamloops before the war, and following Goudie’s transfer to the 29th Bn. in April of 1917, they served together in France until Winterbottom’s death at Passchendaele that November. In the letter section of the Goudie Collection is a letter that he wrote to their mutual friend Adrian Thrupp following Winterbottom’s death, as well as a reference list of links to the numerous letters by Winterbottom in which he writes about Goudie.

External links:
Cdt. Douglas Goudie’s service record (Serv/Reg# 430974) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Earle Shaw Grant was born in Hyndman, Ontario in September, 1896 and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia around 1907. Earle enlisted in July, 1917 with the Canadian Army Medical Corp, and then later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He survived the war and returned to Vancouver where he taught school. The collection consist of four photographs and an extended letter. The letter is comprised of type written excerpts from Earle's letters to his brother Harry, who compiled them in the present form.

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Latest Readings from World War One collections

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Reads a 09/21/1916 Letter by Drader, Eugene Robert from World War One collections. View full Letter

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RH Thomson

Reads a 07/05/1917 Letter by Mayse, Amos William (Will) from World War One collections. View full Letter