James Stevenson Balfour was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1894 and later attended The University of Saskatchewan. He enlisted in April 1915, and found himself in France in July 1915, where he served until wounded in June 1916. He recovered, returned to duty, and in 1917 joined the Royal Flying Corps as an observer. He later trained as a pilot and had qualified as a flying instructor when the war ended. The collection consists of thirty-five extended letters, twenty photographs and one post card.
George Albert Charles Broome was born in London, England, in 1897 and immigrated to Melfort, Saskatchewan, sometime prior to the war. Broome enlisted in March 1915. He went to England in the fall of 1915 and then to France early in 1916, where he was wounded. He returned to active duty and was wounded at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917. Broome was paralyzed and invalided back to England, where he died in a military hospital November 7, 1917, at the age of 20. The collection consists of 27 letters both from and to George Broome, three photographs, and miscellaneous related materials such as telegrams, his personal effect certificate, and his C.E.F. death certificate. The materials cover the period from 1915 to 1921.
Harold John ("Jack") Andrews was born in November 1919. Andrews enlisted with the R.C.A.F. in Vancouver, British Columbia, in September 1940. He served overseas as a wireless operator until his return to Canada in 1945. The collection currently consists of his paybook, miscellaneous items, and an extended memoir rewritten from a daily diary he kept from his enlistment to the end of the war.
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.
George Cameron was born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1893 and enlisted in the artillery there in May 1917. He served in the 7th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery in France and Belgium. The diary covers his experiences in England and at the front from January 1918 to March 1919.
Robert Gordon Brown was born in Beamsville, Ontario, in March 1896, and enlisted at Kingston, Ontario, in January 1916 while a student at Queen's University. He went overseas in 1916 as a gunner but later joined the Royal Flying Corp, with which he served until the end of the war. He returned to Canada in 1919 and finished his education, graduating from Queen's in 1920. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters covering the period from 1916 to 1919, as well as diaries and photographs from his service.
Robert Hale was born in England in 1893 and immigrated in his late teens to Canada, where he settled in Montreal. He enlisted in February 1915 and served overseas until his discharge in 1919, being wounded three times during his service. The collection consists of more than forty letters written in 1915 and 1917 to his sweetheart Alice, whom he was to marry in 1920.
Edward ("Ted") Loney was born in October 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1943 Loney joined the Royal Canadian Artillery and served as an anti-aircraft gunner until he returned to Canada in 1946. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters.
Walter Kenneth Runciman was born in South Shields, Durham, England, in June 1886. After emmigrating to Canada he was a rancher in Alberta. Runciman enlisted in September 1917 in Calgary, Alberta, with the 78th Batallion. The collection currently consists of seven photographs.
Charles Henry Savage was born in Eastman, Québec, in September 1892. Savage enlisted at Sherbrooke, Québec, in February 1915 and served overseas with the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles until his discharge at the end of the war. The collection consists of an extended memoir written after the war and two photographs.
Ludlow Jackson Weeks was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, in September 1899. Weeks enlisted with the No. 10 Halifax Siege Battalion in Halifax in May 1917, having previously been rejected for being underage. He served overseas in 1918. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters, as well as postcards and photographs.
The collection contains three letters from Robina Evelyn Lee home to her parents in Glasgow detailing her journey from Britain to Vancouver. She was coming to Canada as a war bride after marrying Alfred Roberston Lee, a member of the Canadian Navy whom she met in Britain during the war. Also included are other items such as some individual photographs, wedding photographs, and a photograph of the ship on which she came to Canada.
Donald Mackenzie was born in New Brunswick in 1877 and enlisted on November 9, 1914, in Victoria, British Columbia. Moore served as a Captain with the 30th Battalion. He was killed May 22, 1915. The collection consists of one newspaper clipping, three letters from Donald to his brother Art and one letter from their cousin Cyrus Peck regarding Donald's disappearance.
Thomas William Johnson was born in April, 1877 and enlisted at Swift Current, Saskatchewan in March, 1916. The collection consists of more than sixty letters that he wrote to his future wife 'Lulu'.
Sydney Thomas Fisher was from Victoria, British Columbia. Fisher joined the RCAF, was attached to 35 Squadron RAF, and was shot down on September 15, 1941, and remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. The collection currently consists of his correspondence both before and during his time as a POW, as well as clippings and other miscellaneous items.
Harold Henry Simpson, MM, was born in March 1897 in Bayview, Prince Edward Island. Simpson enlisted in September 1915 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and served overseas in France, Belgium, and Germany until his return to Canada at the end of the war. The collection consists of more than one hundred forty letters from 1915 to 1919.
George Henry Tripp was born in London, England, in July 1897. He immigrated to Huttonville, Ontario, and enlisted in July 1915 at Toronto, Ontario, with the 74th Battalion. Tripp served overseas with the 19th Battalion and was killed May 9, 1917. The collection consists of fifteen letters he wrote to his friend Lola Passmore. For more letters to Lola Passmore, see the collection of that name in the WWI collections.
Wilfred Henry Stoll was born in July 1898 in Nottawa, Ontario, and enlisted at Collingwood, Ontario, in March 1916. He served overseas in France until he was discharged in 1918 for medical reasons. The collection consists of one photograph and one postcard.
Clifford Shaver was born in Mountain, Ontario, in 1896, one of ten children of William and Jessie Shaver. He enlisted on February 1, 1916, went to England in October of 1916, and then to France in May 1917. He was killed by a shell October 30, 1917, at the age of 21. His body was never recovered and he is commemorated at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium. The collection consists of six letters that he wrote home, three letters of condolence written to his parents and published in the newspaper, as well as several photographs.
Private Albert Evans was born on May 1, 1899 in Burwardsley, Cheshire, England, to parents Edward and Emma Evans.
Evans enlisted at Youngstown, Alberta, on February 19, 1916, with the 175th Battalion, and sailed to England from Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the SS Saxonia in October 1916. Once in England Evans was transferred to the 21st Reserve Battalion, and then to the 50th Battalion, with whom he was sent to France in March 1917. While serving with 50th, Evans was wounded near Lens, France on August 21, 1917, and died of his wounds September 2, 1917.
[Editor note: His attestation paper mistakenly lists his birth year as 1899, not 1889. He was 26 at the time of enlistment]
External links:
Private Albert Evans’s service record (Serv/Reg# 696403) 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 Evans can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Frederick George Pearson was born in Lancashire, England, in September 1894. He immigrated to Canada in 1909 and settled in the Red Deer District. Pearson enlisted in Calgary in July 1916 and served overseas with the 10th Battalion. The collection currently consists of his diary from 1917.
Sydney Thomas Hampson was born in England in October 1893. Prior to the war he immigrated to Canada and enlisted in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in January, 1915. The collection currently consists of thirteen letters, excerpts from his diary, photographs, and personal items.
Claude Senton was born in Simpson, Saskatchewan in July, 1919. He enlisted with the RCAF in the summer of 1941 and served with the 422 Squadron as a Pilot officer. Senton was killed on May 24, 1944 when his plane was shot down, and is buried in Norway. The collection currently consists of personal correspondence, official correspondence regarding his death, as well as photographs and other miscellaneous items.
External links:
Pilot Officer Claude Senton’s service record (Serv/Reg# J89686) 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 Senton can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Archie Thompson had worked on the Frank and Annie Fuller family farm in Quebec prior to the war. The letters were addressed to Donald Fuller, their son. Following his return from the war Archie Thompson moved to Montreal. The collection consists of four letters.
Henry Lawrence Davis was born near Ivy, Ontario, in 1913 and joined the RCAF in December 1940. He received his wings in September 1941 and was stationed to England in October 1941. Davis was killed with all his crew in a crash in Wales, May 28, 1942.
External links:
Flight Sergeant Henry Lawrence Davis’ service record (Serv/Reg# R85807) 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 Davis can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
