World War One collections | Canadian Letters

Title

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.

MacDonell, Malcolm James

Malcolm James MacDonell was born in Lancaster, Ontario in December, 1896. He enlisted at the age of eighteen in September 1915, in Montreal, Quebec. MacDonell served overseas with the 73rd Battalion and 42nd Battalion, both of the Royal Highlanders of Canada, until he was demobilized and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection currently consists of thirty-three letters, seven photographs, a document of thank you from his church, and a diary.

Please note that the diary has not been transcribed. The digitized only format is meant to be temporary, and is a result of resource and manpower issues at this time.

MacKay, Gordon Rae

Gordon Rae MacKay was born in Findlay, Manitoba, in 1893 and later moved to Biggar, Saskatchewan. MacKay enlisted in March 1916, with the 46th Canadian Infantry. He was sent overseas in November 1916, and arrived in France in April, 1917. In June of 1917 he was wounded and spent time in hospitals in France and England before being returned to Canada in early 1918 where he spent further time in hospital before being discharged. The collection consists of more than 70 letters written by MacKay home to his family in Saskatchewan.

MacKinnon, Archibald

Archibald "Archie" MacKinnon was born in July, 1894. He first enlisted with the 74th Battalion and later served overseas with the 58th Battalion. MacKinnon was seriously wounded in September 1916, and discharged as medically unfit in June 1917. The collection currently consists of twenty letters. See also the collections of his uncle William MacKinnon and his brother Ronald MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, Ronald

Ronald MacKinnon was born on August 27, 1893, and enlisted in Toronto on September 10, 1915, serving first with the 81st Battalion. The unit went overseas in April 1916, but was broken up to reinforce other battalions, with Ronald being transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment. He reached France in June, and shortly thereafter was wounded in the fighting at Sanctuary Wood, near Ypres. In November 1916 he was passed fit for duty and was posted to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Private Ronald MacKinnon was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9 -10, 1917. The collection currently consists of thirty nine letters and two photographs. See also the collections of his uncle William and his brother Archibald MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, William

William MacKinnon was born in Scotland in June 1886. He immigrated around 1912 to Canada and enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta, in December 1914. MacKinnon served overseas with the 31st Battalion until his death on November 7, 1915. The collection currently consists of one letter. See also the collections of his nephews Ronald and Archibald MacKinnon.

Macleod, Norwood

Norwood Macleod was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1886. He enlisted in September 1914, with the Canadian Field Artillery, and then later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He was shot down and killed October 14, 1917. The collection consists of more than fifty letters transcribed by Norwood's father at the end of the war, although the originals have since been lost.

MacNeill, Nicolas

Nicolas MacNeill was born in Colonsay, Argyllshire, Scotland, in February 1892. He immigrated to Canada in 1913 where he worked as a bank clerk. MacNeill was a part of the First Canadian Contingent, enlisting in September 1914. He served overseas until his death in April 1915. The collection currently consists of two photographs and his obituary.

Magee, Frank Honeywell

Frank Honeywell Magee was born in Lowell Mass. in June 1894. Prior to the war Magee worked as a teamster in Kelowna, British Columbia, before enlisting in March 1915 in Vancouver with the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He served overseas in France with the 7th Battalion until his death on January 24, 1917. The collection currently consists of three letters, a postcard, and a photograph.

Maharg, Ivan Clark

Lieutenant Ivan Clark Maharg was born in Teeswater, Ontario, in 1897 and enlisted in Brandon, Manitoba, in March 1916. He served in France with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles (Saskatchewan Regiment). Maharg was killed in France September 29, 1918, at the age of 21. The collection consists of one extended letter, his diary from 1918, and five photographs.

Manning, Horace Charles

Private Horace Charles Manning was born in Coldwater, Ontario, on September 13, 1898, to parents Horace and Alice Manning.

Manning enlisted in the No. 1 Draft Manitoba Depot Battalion in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on May 30, 1917, and proceeded overseas the following November aboard the SS Megantic. He served in France with the 27th Battalion. Following the end of the war, Manning was discharged at Revelstoke, British Columbia, on May 22, 1919.

Content notes:
The letters were written by Manning from England and France and addressed to his mother in Revelstoke, British Columbia.

External links:
Pte. Charles Manning’s service record (Serv/Reg# 2181339) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Manzer, Robert Howard

Private Robert Howard Manzer was born in Doe Lake, Ontario on July 5, 1886, to parents John Oscar & Jane Eva Manzer. He was working as a school principal at the Quennell School in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, when he enlisted in Vancouver on June 3, 1916, with the British Columbia Company of the Western Universities Overseas (196th) Battalion.

Shipping for England on board the S.S. Southland in November of 1916, Manzer served his time in England working as a Clerk with the Canadian Forestry Corps. He was medically discharged and returned to Canada in late 1918.

The letter in the Manzer collection was written by Robert to his mother at the time of his enlistment, in part to try to explain why he felt compelled to leave civilian life and offer his service to the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force.

External links:
Pte. Manzer’s service record (Serv/Reg# 911980) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Marion, Thomas

Thomas Marion was born in Toronto in 1894. He was a student in Montreal at the time of his enlistment in November 1916. Marion was a member of the Irish Canadian Rangers and served overseas where he was wounded. The collection consists of one letter from hospital describing his wounding. The actual date of the letter is unclear. Although it is dated 1915 would be likely 1917 or possibly 1918, given that he did not enlist until 1916.

Marlow, Edgar William

Edgar William Marlow, MM, was born in London, England, in November 1886. Prior to the war Marlow emmigrated to Canada and he enlisted in August 1915 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Marlow served overseas with the 1st Bn. Canadian Machine Gun Corps until his return to Canada in 1919. The collection currently consists of letters, photograqphs, postcards, personal and printed matter.

Matheson, Alexander

Alexander Matheson was born on Prince Edward Island in 1890 and later moved to British Columbia where he worked as a logger. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in January 1918. Matheson served in France and was killed October 10, 1918. The collection consists of seven letters written by Matheson.

Matier, Alexander

Spanish-American War & World War I Collection
Alexander Matier was born in 1880 and raised in New York City where in May, 1898, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. He saw service in Cuba and returned to New York. In 1915 Matier enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force and saw service overseas, where he was wounded in Belgium in the spring of 1916.

He spent more than two years in convalescent hospitals in England and Canada before he was discharged in September 1918. He died in Winnipeg in 1920. More information about this time period is available in his service file, which is unusually detailed about his medical history, including time spent at the Tuxedo Military Hospital in Winnipeg, receiving treatments such as galvanism, faradism, electric current baths and ionization (radiation).

The collection consists of two letters written home from Cuba in 1898 and an extended eighteen page letter written in 1918 detailing his wounding and convalescence.

Please note: Because of the way files are organized on the website, letters written by one author but across multiple wars may not always be visible together (the pages will look very similar, only the headings above the name and the # of letters in the "Collection Contents" list below will be different. If needed, the following links can be used to move between the two time periods of the Matier collection:

Click here to go to the Spanish-American War letters from 1898.

Click here to go to the WWI letter from 1918.

Matthews, Alexander Hubert

Alexander Hubert Matthews was born in Albeton, Prince Edward Island, in January 1892. He was one of twelve children of Anthony and Barbara Matthews. He enlisted in February 1917 and served overseas as a sapper with the No. 58 Railway Operating Co. The collection consists of a postcard, pages from his paybook, and a certificate of gallantry from the Royal Engineers Transportation Branch.

Matthews, Cuthbert King

Cuthbert King Matthews was born in London, England, in June 1892. He immigrated to Canada at age nineteen, where he began homesteading in Saskatchewan. Matthews enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in March 1916. He served overseas in Belgium and France until wounded in August 1918, and returned to Canada in 1919. The collection consists of eleven letters written by Matthews.

Matthews, John Sinclair

John Sinclair Matthews was born on Prince Edward Island in October 1897, and sometime prior to the war he and his family moved to Chatham, New Brunswick. Matthews enlisted in Toronto, Ontario, in November 1916. He served overseas in France and Belgium, and was killed at Passchendaele on October 31, 1917. The collection consists of two letters, a greeting card, and two pages of his pay record.

Mawson, William Ewart

William Ewart Mawson was born in St. Bees, Cumberland, England, in 1888, and immigrated to Canada around 1912. He enlisted in July 1915 in Toronto and served overseas until his death on June 10, 1916. The collection consists of one letter written home by Mawson and one letter from 1919 from the War Office detailing efforts to locate his grave.

Mayse, Amos William

Amos William ("Will") Mayse was born in Lincolnshire, England, in March 1880. Mayse served in South Africa with the York and Lancaster Regiment Imperial Forces, where he was twice wounded and discharged with the rank of corporal. He later immigrated to Canada and was a Baptist clergyman in Manitoba before he enlisted in January 1916 in Emerson, Manitoba. Mayse served overseas in France and Belgium until the end of the war. Mayse later settled in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he continued his work as a clergyman. The collection consists of more than two hundred letters, as well as other personal items.