Remembering Private Buckley Andrew Armsworthy—Died of Sickness January 29, 1921

Buckley Andrew Armsworthy was born at Halfway Cove, Guysborough County, on May 14, 1896, the sixth of Abigail (Cox) and Freeman Armsworthy’s seven children. The youngest of the couple’s four sons, Buckley grew into a tall lad, standing six feet one and a half inches and weighing 155 pounds at the time of his April 1, 1916 enlistment with the 193rd Battalion at Canso, NS.

Pte. Buckley Andrew Armsworthy

Buckley spent the summer months at Camp Aldershot, where the 193rd trained alongside its Nova Scotia Highland Brigade comrades—the 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders), 185th (Cape Breton Highlanders) and 219th Battalions. The four units departed from Halifax aboard SS Olympic on October 12, 1916 and landed at Liverpool, England, six days later.

Shortly after its overseas arrival, two of the Highland Brigade’s four units—the 193rd and 219th—were disbanded and their members dispersed to other units. Buckley was part of a draft of 250 reinforcements assigned to the 42nd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) on December 5, 1916. The soldiers departed for France the following day and joined their new unit in the field on January 3, 1917.

Buckley and his inexperienced comrades immediately commenced regular tours in sectors near Arras, France. On the morning of April 9, 1917, the 42nd participated in the Canadian Corps’ attack on Vimy Ridge, its soldiers advancing up a sector of the escarpment immediately adjacent to Hill 145. While the unit gradually secured its objectives, the 11th Brigade’s failure to capture the adjacent hill subjected its left flank to devastating German fire throughout the day, inflicting significant casualties.

The situation was resolved during the early evening hours, when two Companies of the 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) succeeded in securing Hill 145’s western slope before nightfall. The 42nd remained in the line until the morning of April 11, incurring almost 300 casualties during its Vimy tour. Buckley came through his first combat experience without injury and served regular rotations with the 42nd in sectors beyond the captured ridge throughout the spring and early summer of 1917.

As the 42nd prepared to enter the Avion sector’s trenches on the night of July 2/3, German artillery fire struck the location where its soldiers were assembling, wounding nine “other ranks” (OR). Buckley was one of the casualties and was admitted to field ambulance for treatment of a wound to his left hand. Evacuated to No. 20 British Hospital, Camiers, France, shortly afterward, he was invalided to England on July 7 and admitted to the City of London Military Hospital, Clapton.

Buckley’s wounded hand quickly healed, resulting in a mid-August transfer to Holburn Military Hospital, Mitchum, where staff focused on massage therapy to restore finger movement. On October 30, he was discharged from medical care and reported to the 2nd Canadian Corps Depot, Bramshott.  Buckley spent the winter of 1917-18 at the camp and was assigned to the 20th Reserve Battalion—the unit that provided reinforcements for the 42nd—on February 16, 1918.

While documents in his service file contain no information to suggest that he was unfit for combat duty, Buckley was transferred to the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) on June 18 and joined the staff of the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Bromley, four days later. He served with the unit for four months, most likely as an orderly. On October 10, Buckley was transferred to No. 16 Canadian General Hospital, Orpington, Kent. Within a week, he was admitted to the facility, having experienced an “epileptiform seizure.”

The incident had occurred while on duty, subsequent medical notes indicating that Buckley had experienced his first seizure in the spring of 1917 and at least six more since that time. He also reported symptoms of dizziness and feeling faint. On the morning of October 24, 1918, Buckley experienced another seizure, prompting staff to recommend a thorough examination at an “ENT clinic.” He remained a patient until November 8, when he was assigned to the CAMC Casualty Company and awaited a decision on his fate.

Transferred to No. 5 Canadian General Hospital, Kirkdale, Liverpool, on January 5, 1919, Buckley received a thorough medical examination in preparation for his return to Canada. Nine days later, he boarded the hospital ship Essiquibo and arrived at Halifax, NS, on January 26. He immediately reported to the Hospital Section, Pine Hill, where medical staff reported a previously unreported health issue—Buckley was suffering from varicose veins on both legs, a problem that had apparently plagued him since his October 1916 overseas arrival.

When Buckley declined to have surgery to rectify the problem, medical staff concluded that the condition was “permanent” and recommended that he be discharged as “medically unfit.” On March 4, 1919, Buckley was transferred to the Halifax Casualty Company. One week later, he was formally discharged from military service and returned home.

For almost two years, there is no information available to suggest that Buckley experienced any health problems. Sometime during the winter of 1920-21, however, he developed “frontal sinusitis” and was admitted to Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, NS, on January 10, 1921. While surgeons operated 11 days after his admission, the condition led to the development of a brain infection.

Pte. Armsworthy's Headstone, All Saints Anglican Church Cemetery, Canso

Buckley Andrew Armsworthy passed away at 4:00 p.m. January 29, 1921, the cause of death listed as an “abscess of [the] brain.” His remains were transported to Canso, where he was laid to rest in All Saints Anglican Church Cemetery. On December 1, 1926, the Canadian government agreed that Buckley’s death was “related to [military] service” and approved the provision of a standard military headstone for his final resting place.

Buckley's story is one of 64 profiles contained in Bantry Publishing’s First World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Volume II: 1918 - 1937, available for purchase online at bantrypublishing.ca .