John Melody Dever was born in Montreal, Quebec in June, 1897. He enlisted in August, 1916 at Kingston, Ontario. Dever served overseas in France until the end of the war, when he returned to Canada. The collection consists of several postcards, photographs, his signalling certificate, and a copy of Arthur Currie's special order for the troops of March 27, 1918.
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.
Private William Herbert Donnelly ("Will") was born in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1882. At the time of enlistment he was living in Calgary, Alberta, working as a mercantile broker with the local firm Donnelly, Watson and Brown. He enlisted with the 82nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Alberta Regiment), on March 23, 1916, at the age of 33.
Following training in Canada, he shipped for England on May 20th, 1916, on the Empress of Britain. In 1916 he was transferred to the 9th Battalion, and then in France to the 31st Battalion. He was killed in action on September 27th, 1916, and is buried at the Courcelette British Cemetery, Somme, France.
The collection consists of 7 letters written by Will Donnelly to his parents, Henry & Martha Donnelly of Calgary, as well as to his siblings. Also included is his military will, a copy of which was preserved as part of his personnel records.
A memorial page for Pte. Donnelly can be visited at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial .
Frank Beecher Doran was born in Iroquois, Ontario in 1894 and was a school teacher in Iroquois when he enlisted in March, 1916. He served in France with the Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment) and then later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He was killed on August 13, 1917. The collection consists of five letters written home to his sister.
George Dorman was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in July, 1893. Dorman enlisted in June, 1916 and served overseas with the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles. The collection currently consist of one letter, reunion materials, miscellaneous documents, and more than twenty photographs.
William Keith Dornan was born in Allenford, Ontario in June, 1897. Prior to the war he moved west and enlisted in Regina, Saskatchewan in August, 1915. Dornan served overseas until his death on March 16, 1917. The collection currently consists of six letters, clippings, a photograph, and a Christmas card.
Calrence Wilbert (Bert) Drader was born in London, Ontario in February of 1889 . Drader enlisted with the 66th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Edmonton, Alberta in March of 1916. He served in France and earned before being invalided back to Canada in March of 1919. This collection currently consists of over ten letters and a single portrait.
Eugene Robert Drader was born in London, Ontario in July of 1891. Drader enlisted in Calgary, Alberta with the 51st Battalion in June of 1915. He served in France and was killed in action while with the 49th Battalion on September 16, 1916. This collection currently consists of over 20 letter and 4 photographs.
Joseph Earl Drader was born in London, Ontario in March of 1887. Drader enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta with the 138th Battalion, British Expeditionary Force in March of 1916. He served in France until his return to Canada at the end of the war. This collection currently consists of over ten letters and two photographs.
William Edward Drader was born in London, Ontario in April of 1884. Drader enlisted with the 66th Canadians in Edmonton, Alberta in December of 1915. He served in England before returning to Canada in April 1919. This collection currently consists of six letters and one photograph.
Walter MacKay Langdale Draycott was born in Leicester, England in February, 1883. Draycott was alread a veteran of the South African War when he enlisted in December, 1914 with The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He served in France and Belgium during the war and after the war settled in British Columbia, Canada. Draycott died in 1985 at the age of 102. The collection currently consists of an undated typed memoir by Draycott, as well as one photograph.
John Drysdale, the son of William and Flora Drysdale, was born in Glasgow, Scotland in May, 1893. When he emigrated to Canada is uncertain. He enlisted at Sydney, Nova Scotia in September, 1915. Drysdale served in France and was killed October 7, 1918. The collection consists of annotated pages of Songs of a Sourdough, a book Drysdale carried with him in France.
This collection consists of letters of the Duff family from 1914 to 1918. It includes letters from Louis Duff, who enlisted in Moose Jaw in 1914, and his brother Cecil, who enlisted in Winnipeg in March, 1916. As well there are letters between Louis and Cecil’s mother Rosa and her sister Lily (Aunt Lily in the correspondence from the brothers), correspondence from Harry Richey, the uncle of Louis and Cecil, and correspondence from Dr. Thomas Leask, related to the Duff family by marriage. The collection consists of thirty-four letters.
Lloyd Quintus Duffield was born in Norwood, Ontario in April, 1897 and enlisted in Peterborough, Ontario in February, 1916. Duffield was overseas with the 93rd Battalion but was discharged in June, 1917 on medical grounds and returned to Canada. The collection currently consists of eight letters and one Christmas card.
Lancelot de Sausmarez Duke, DFC, was born in Ceylon in October, 1896. He was educated in England and Canada and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where his father was a doctor. Duke initially enlisted with the 88th Battalion, Victoria Fusiliers, in May 1915. Duke then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps with whom he served until the end of the war. He flew with the 84th Squadron and was awarded the D.F.C. The collection currently consists of letters from Duke, photographs, and his diary from 1918.
Marvin Neil Dunfield was born in Quyon, Quebec in September, 1883. He enlisted in July, 1915 in Winnipeg, Manitoba with the 90th Winnipeg Rifles. While serving overseas Dunfield was wounded in 1916 and again in 1917, and subsequently invalided back to Canada in 1918. The collection curently consists of five letters and one postcard.
This collection consists of more than 30 letters, as well as news items and editorials, originally published in the Dutton Advance newspaper in Ontario. These are letters home from soldiers overseas to family and community, spanning the years 1900 to 1944, which offer a unique glimpse of the ties between the soldiers and their homes. The dates indicated for the letters are those on which the letters were published in the newspaper, not the date of writing. Original headings and commnents at the time of publication have been retained.
Thomas Ernest Eardley was born in Shropshire, England in January, 1890. Eardley moved to Alberta prior to the war, and enlisted in Medicine Hat, Alberta in December, 1914. He served overseas with the Canadian Mounted Rifles until he was taken prisoner in June, 1916. Eardley remained a prisoner of war until his release in 1918. The collection consists of more than eighty letters from 1914 to 1918.
John Edgar Hamilton was born in Montreal, Quebec in November 1881. He enlisted at Valcartier in June 1915. Edgar was serving overseas with the 60th Battalion when he was wounded at Ypres in June 1916, resulting in the amputation of his leg. He returned to Canada in 1918. The collection currently consists of one postcard to his sister Kate.
Hadden William Ellis was born in Dundas County, Ontario in March, 1894. He moved west to Weno, Calgary, Alberta and was a student at the time of enlistment. Ellis enlisted in April, 1916 in Calgary, Alberta. He served overseas with the Canadian Light Horse until his death on September 24, 1917. The collection currently consists of thirty letters, photographs, and some miscellaneous documents.
John Walter Ellis was born in Reading, England in February, 1895. At some time unknown he emigrated to Canada and settled in Tillsonburg, Ontario. In May, 1916 he enlisted at Tillsonburg. He served overseas in France, where he died May 13, 1917. The majority of the letters are addressed to his wife Katherine (Kitty) in Glasgow, Scotland who, when her husband enlisted, returned to Scotland to live with her parents. The collection consists of more than thirty letters, several photographs, and a small number of postcards.
