1. William Reynold Harris was born at Whitehead, Guysborough County on April 2, 1891. Reynold, as he was known to family, was the third of five children and the elder of two sons in the family of William Steven Teed and Mary Elizabeth (Conway) Harris.
On May 1, 1917, Reynold enlisted for military service with the 1st Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery at Halifax, NS. At the time, he was working as a book-keeper and living in Halifax. Reynold also held the commissioned rank of Lieutenant. He subsequently attested for overseas service with the Canadian Field Artillery at Halifax on January 23, 1918.
Reynold arrived in England on June 21, 1918 and was attached to the Reserve Artillery Depot, Witley, Surrey as a “Conducting Officer.” The following month, he was “attached pending instructions” to the Composite Brigade, Canadian Reserve Artillery. With the exception of five days Reynold spent in France in mid-August, he served in England for the duration of the war.
On December 10, Reynold was assigned to Borden Regimental Group for duty, returning to Camp Witley at the end of January 1919. He was dispatched to Ripon for return to Canada on March 29 and departed for Halifax aboard SS Empress of Britain on July 3. Eight days later, Reynold arrived at Halifax and was discharged from military service on July 16, 1919.
On September 12, 1922, Reynold married Gertrude Eleanor Journey in a ceremony held at Weymouth, Digby County. He worked as an accountant during the post-war years. Reynold Harris passed away at the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax on May 19, 1948 and was laid to rest in Weymouth, NS.
2. Joseph Ernest Worth was born at Ogden, Guysborough County on October 29, 1897, the second child and second son of Edward King and Catherine Ann “Kellie” (McCallum) Worth. “Ernie,” as he was identified in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, enlisted with No. 3 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC), at Truro, NS on May 9, 1917. He departed from Halifax aboard SS Justicia on June 25 and 10 days later arrived at Liverpool, England.
Ernie spent five weeks at the CFC Base Depot at Sunningdale, after which time he was assigned to the newly organized No. 72 Company, CFC on August 11. The following day, he crossed the English Channel with his new unit and made his way to Bordeaux District of France, where No. 72 CFC commenced operations in the nearby “Landes de Gascogne,” a large pine forest southwest of Bordeaux. One month later, Ernie was admitted to hospital for treatment of bronchitis. He returned to duty on November 9 and served without further incident for the remainder of No. 72 CFC’s time in France.
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| Pte. J. E. Worth's headstone, Seaford Cemetery, Sussex, England. |
3. Gertrude White Paget was born at Hazel Hill, Guysborough County on July 23, 1891, the third of Frederick William and Eliza Maude (White) Paget’s six children. Frederick, a native of Leeds, England, was employed at the Commercial Cable Company as a telegraphist, while Eliza was born at Sherbrooke, Guysborough County. Frederick passed away at Canso on May 10, 1910, leaving Eliza to care for several young children.
Gertrude, a graduate nurse, enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps at Montreal, QC on May 9, 1917. No further details are currently available on her military service. Following the war, Gertrude relocated to San Francisco, California, where her younger brother, Hilton—also a First World War veteran—resided. she spent several years in Hawaii before returning to San Francisco in 1930. Gertrude never married. She passed away in Siskiyou County, California on May 24, 1941.
4. William “Willie” Croft was born at Gegogan, Guysborough County on January 2, 1896 and spent most of his childhood years in the home of his grandparents, Henry and Hannah (Melman) Croft, Sonora. Willie enlisted with the Howitzer Brigade Ammunition Column at Halifax on May 21, 1917, at which time he listed his mother, Alice (Croft) Swaine, Duncan St., Halifax as his next of kin.
Willie departed Halifax on November 26, 1917 aboard SS Megantic and landed at Liverpool, England 11 days later. He remained in England for ten months, finally crossing the English Channel to France on October 8, 1918. Four days later, Willie reported to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp, where he awaited further orders. On December 26, 1918, Willie was attached to the 3rd Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column as a driver.
Willie returned to England on February 20, 1919 and departed for Canada aboard SS Olympic one month later. He was formally discharged from military service on March 31, 1919. Following his return to Canada, Willie worked as a “fish handler” in Halifax. On March 1, 1935, he married Mary Kathleen Elizabeth Woods, a native of Charlottetown, PEI. No further information is available on his later life.
5. Mary Lillian Cameron was born on December 8 1894 to Frederick A. and Laura (Condon) Cameron, Canso, Guysborough County. Mary Lillian enlisted with No. 4 Canadian General Hospital, CAMC at Montreal, QC on May 22, 1917. A detailed summary of her war service and later life is available on this blog.
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| Lt. Mary Lillian, Cameron, CAMC. |
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| Pte. James Leo McDonald, CFC. |
7. John Henry MacKinnon was born on July 29, 1878 to Patrick and Bridget McKinnon, East Erinville, Guysborough County. John was living at Riske Creek, Chilcoten, BC when he enlisted with the Revelstoke Forestry Company, CEF at Revelstoke, BC on May 25, 1917. Almost 39 years old at the time, John was six feet tall and weighed 170 pounds. While his attestation stated his occupation as “farmer,” other documents in his file state that he was a “rancher.”
On June 25, John departed Halifax aboard SS Justicia and arrived in England 10 days later. He spent two months at the Canadian Forestry Corps’ Sunningdale Headquarters before being assigned to No. 73 Company on September 6. One week later, John’s Company crossed the English Channel to France and commenced work in the CFC’s Bordeaux District.
Within months of his overseas arrival, John began to experience soreness in his knees and ankles. He was admitted to hospital at Marseilles on January 14, 1918 and transferred to No. 57 Canadian General Hospital, Boulogne one week later. Medical staff identified the problem as osteoarthritis and John was invalided to England at month’s end. Following his admission to King George Hospital, Stamford St., London, John developed a severe case of nephritis (kidney inflammation).
On March 19, John was transferred to No. 16 Canadian General Hospital, Orpington, Kent, where medical staff determined that John’s health issues made it continued military service impossible. On June 3, he departed for Canada aboard HMHS Neuralia and returned by train to British Columbia, where he was admitted to a Vancouver military hospital on June 9. John was discharged from military service as “medically unfit” at Victoria, BC on August 13, 1918.
John returned to the Riske Creek area and resumed his civilian employment. According to the 1921 Canadian census, he was living in a Cranbrook, BC boarding house and working as a “teamster.” John married sometime afterward, although the date, location and bride’s full name are currently unknown. John Henry McKinnon passed away prior to May 8, 1932, the date on which Canadian officials shipped his British War and Victory service medals to his widow, Myrtle, who was living at 15118 Braile St., Detroit, Michigan at the time.
8. James Emmett Strachan was born on May 13, 1896 to James A. and Bridget Ann “Annie” (Ryan) Strachan, Auld’s Cove, Antigonish County. James enlisted with No. 3 Forestry Company at Truro, NS on May 26, 1917. He listed his occupation as “lumberman (scaler)” at the time of his enlistment. No further information is currently available on James’ military service.
Following the war, James established residence at Mulgrave, Guysborough County, where he worked on the Intercolonial Railway. On November 23, 1923, he married Mary Frances Kennedy, a native of Mulgrave. Several years later, the couple departed for the United States and settled at Detroit, Michigan, where they raised a family of six children. James passed away in Michigan in March 1979.
9. Edward Edmund Bearse [Barss] was born on January 1, 1893 to Harris and Mary Bearse, Guysborough, NS. Edward enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps at Edmonton, AB on May 31, 1917. Edward departed from Halifax aboard SS Scotian on November 26, 1917 and arrived at Liverpool, England 11 days later.
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| Edward Edmund Bearse in civilian life. |
Edward served with the RCR for the duration of the war. On November 19, he was admitted to No 57 Casualty Clearing Station with a case of “ICT” [inflammation of connected tissue] in his right toe. Two days later, he arrived at No. 18 General Hospital, Camiers and on December 6 was invalided to England, where he spent one month in hospital before being discharged on January 8, 1919. On May 2, Edward was “struck off strength” to Canada and was formally discharged from military service at Halifax on May 17, 1919.
Following his overseas service, Edward spent several years in Detroit, Michigan, where he met Irene Olive Van Horn, a native of Kingston, MI. They married in Michigan in 1923 and the following year returned to Guysborough, where Edward operated a trucking business. The couple had no children. Edward passed away at Guysborough Memorial Hospital on September 9, 1964. His widow, Olive, entered the Milford Home for Special Care in 1993 and passed away there on June 4, 2007 at 101 years of age.
10. William Vernon Langley was born at Isaac’s Harbour, Guysborough County on June 13, 1898, the second to Harvey and Florence (Cook) Langley’s four children. Florence died of tuberculosis on February 29, 1910, while Harvey was accidentally “killed in the Lumber Wood at Upper Caledonia by a falling limb” on January 12, 1912.
Vernon, as he was known to family, subsequently relocated to Pictou County, where his older sister, Vera, resided. On May 31, 1917, he enlisted with the 105th Battalion Draft at Halifax, listing Vera as his next of kin. He had logged 16 months’ service with the Halifax Composite Battalion prior to his attestation with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Vernon departed Halifax aboard SS Olympic on June 2, 1917 and arrived in England one week later. On November 15, 1917, Vernon was transferred to the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick) and immediately departed for France. He served with the 26th throughout the winter and spring of 1918, and saw action at Amiens and Arras (August 1918) during the beginning of the final push that eventually brought fighting to an end.
On the evening of September 19, the 26th returned to the trenches near Bullecourt, France. Sometime within the next 24 hours in the trenches, Vernon received shrapnel wounds to his right leg and elbow and was evacuated for medical treatment. He was admitted to No. 54 General Hospital, Aubengue, Wimereux, France on September 21 and spent six weeks recovering from his injuries.
Luckily, his wounds were not serious and Vernon was discharged to No. 7 Convalescent Depot, Boulogne on November 2. Released from medical care two weeks later, he reported to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp but never rejoined the 26th’s ranks, as fighting had ended by that time. Vernon proceeded to England on March 28, 1919 and departed for Canada aboard SS Celtic on May 7. He was discharged from military service at Halifax on May 22, 1919.
Several years after returning to Canada, Vernon departed for the United States, where he became a “naturalized citizen” at Chelsea, MA in 1939. His sister, Vera, later married Orris Cooke, another Isaac’s Harbour First World War veteran. No further information is available on Vernon’s later life and passing.
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