This blog post is the eighth in a series, summarizing the information available on the life and First World War service of Guysborough County's 28 No. 2 Construction Battalion enlistments. Readers are asked to notify the blog author if there are any errors, or if a reader has additional information on any of the men profiled in these posts.
22. Private Robert Shephard:
According to the 1901 Canadian census, Robert Shephard was born in Mulgrave, Guysborough County, on June 23, 1893. His parents, Isaac Shephard and Emma Reddick, were married at Pirate Cove, near Mulgrave, on August 19, 1891. Isaac was the son of William and Susan Shephard, Oyster Ponds, while Emma was the daughter of Moses and Frances Reddick, Pirate Harbour.
The marriage was Isaac’s second—on June 19, 1884, he had married Susan Bowden, daughter of Peter and Sophia Bowden, Tracadie. The couple subsequently had two daughters, Mary and Rebecca, and a son, Charles Christopher. Susan passed away sometime prior to 1891, leaving Isaac to care for three young children until his second marriage to Emma.
By 1911, five more children had joined the Shephard household—William M. (DOB December 15, 1891), Robert (June 23, 1893), Caroline “Carrie” (DOB April 20, 1895), Isaac Gardiner (DOB September 29, 1899), and George David (DOB July 30, 1901).
On August 10, 1916, Robert Shephard enlisted with No. 2 Construction Battalion at New Glasgow, NS. Almost six feet in height and 185 pounds in weight, he was considerably larger than the vast majority of his comrades. Robert listed his mother Emma, who was living in New Glasgow at the time, as his next of kin.
Robert departed for overseas with No. 2 Construction Battalion aboard SS Southland on March 28, 1917, and arrived at Liverpool, UK, 10 days later. He proceeded to France with a large contingent of No. 2 Construction soldiers on May 17, 1917. The group travelled to the Canadian Forestry Corps’ (CFC) Jura District, near the Swiss border, for service alongside several CFC Companies, harvesting and processing timber in the mountainous region.
On October 1, 1917, Robert was admitted to CFC Hospital, La Joux, for treatment of a “contusion leg.” Details on a later medical report indicate that he suffered an “injury [to his] left ankle” that resulted in a lump.” A second form states that Robert had suffered a “broken ankle while in service.”
Before month’s end, Robert was discharged from hospital and eventually returned to full duty. He remained at Jura for the duration of his time in France. On August 10, 1918, Robert was awarded a Good Conduct Badge, having completed two years of service without a disciplinary infraction. In late August, he enjoyed a 14-day leave to the United Kingdom and rejoined his comrades on September 15.
Harvesting operations ceased after the signing of the November 11 Armistice. CFC personnel processed all harvested logs before beginning the task of dissembling their sawmills and camps. No. 2 Construction personnel departed France on December 14, 1918, and reported to the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot, Bramshott, UK.
For reasons not explained in his service file, Robert returned to Canada later than the main group of No. 2 Construction personnel. On February 20, 1919, he left the UK aboard SS Lapland and arrived in Halifax nine days later. On March 24, he was formally discharged from military service and returned to New Glasgow, where he took up residence on Marsh St.
Robert spent his remaining years in New Glasgow, where he worked for Standard Clay Products Ltd. The largest manufacturer of clay products in Canada, its New Glasgow factory produced salt glazed, vitrified sewer pipes, culvert pipes, flu and stove linings, fire bricks, and a variety of other fired clay goods.
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| Robert Shephard in his later years (Source: Calvin Ruck, The Black Battalion) |
A bachelor throughout his life, Robert was a member of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 34 and 2nd Baptist Church. He passed away at Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, on April 19, 1983, at 90 years of age and was laid to rest in Brookside Cemetery.
23 & 24. Private George William Tarbot and Private Wallace Tarbot:
According to the 1901 Canadian census, George William Tarbot was born at Sand Point, Guysborough County, in July 1884, while his brother Wallace was born at the same location in August 1888. Their parents were James Tarbot, Sand Point, and Mary Jane Benoit (aka Bennett), Arichat. While the family surname was spelled “Tarbot” in older census documents, its spelling gradually transitioned to “Talbot” in the years after the First World War.
James was first married to Annie Campbell, a relationship that resulted in a family of seven children at the time of the 1881 Canadian census. (George later listed James and Annie’s oldest child—his half-brother Frederick—as his next of kin on his military attestation.) George and Wallace were two of at least six children born after James’ marriage to Mary Jane. According to the 1891 and 1901 census records, the family also included Jane (c. 1887), Josephine (c.1889), Louise (c. 1891) and Sarah (c. 1893).
By 1912, Wallace had relocated to New Glasgow, where he worked as a common labourer. On May 12 of that year, he married Elizabeth Blackney, daughter of Gottlieb and Margaret Blackney, in a ceremony held at the United Baptist Church. Four years later, he enlisted with No. 2 Construction Battalion at New Glasgow on July 25, 1916. At the time of his overseas departure, there were three children in the Tarbot household—Fred, age two; Albert, age one; and Leonard, age three months.
Wallace’s brother George enlisted with No. 2 Construction Battalion at Pictou on October 2, 1916. He initially identified his half-brother Frederick Tarbot, Glace Bay, as his next of kin, but later replaced Fred’s name with that of his sister, Mrs. Louise Gregory, Lingan Rd., Sydney. At the time of his enlistment, George was working as “moulder”—a worker who pours molten metal into moulds to produce steel products. George’s occupation and his choices for next of kin suggest that he had been living in Sydney prior to his enlistment.
George and Wallace spent the autumn and winter of 1916-17 training with No. 2 Construction Battalion. While the unit’s headquarters were initially located at Pictou, a move to Truro in September 1916 was no doubt an inconvenience for Wallace, as his family remained in New Glasgow. On March 23, 1917, the brothers departed from Halifax aboard SS Southland and arrived at Liverpool, England, on April 7.
Exactly one month after Wallace arrived overseas—May 7, 1917—his youngest child, five-month-old Leonard, died after contracting measles. Ten days later, Wallace and George crossed the English Channel to France with a large contingent of No. 2 Construction men, destined for service with the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) in the Jura District, near the French - Swiss border.
The brothers remained at Jura throughout their time in France. Work in a busy timber harvesting and processing operation could be hazardous at times. On October 6, 1917, Wallace was admitted to CFC Hospital, La Jeux, for treatment of fractured ribs. He spent one month under medical care before returning to duty. One week after Wallace entered hospital, George arrived at the same facility for treatment of a “contusion” to his right hand and was discharged on November 22, 1917.
The winter and spring of 1917-18 passed at Jura without further medical incidents. On July 25, 1918, Wallace was awarded a Good Conduct Badge, having completed two years of military service without a disciplinary infraction. Two days later, George was admitted to hospital for the second time, on this occasion for treatment of “myalgia gen. sev. [general severe].” Considering his age at the time—George was in his mid-30s—it is perhaps not surprising that more than a year of rigorous work in the forestry operation had taken its toll.
On August 16, George was “invalided sick” to the United Kingdom aboard the hospital ship Panama and posted to the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot (NSRD), Bramshott. The following day, he was admitted to Military Hospital, Woking, for medical treatment. In mid-September, George was transferred to the Military Convalescent Hospital, Epsom. He spent another six weeks under medical care before being discharged to NSRD, where he remained for the duration of his time overseas.
Meanwhile, Wallace continued to work alongside CFC personnel in the Jura District. Following the signing of the November 11, 1918 Armistice, CFC Companies ceased cutting timber but processed any harvested logs into lumber. Personnel then began the process of dismantling their sawmills and camps.
No. 2 Construction’s personnel were the first CFC workers to leave France, crossing the English Channel to the United Kingdom on December 14, 1918. George and Wallace were reunited at Bramshott, but followed different paths in returning home.
George departed for Canada aboard SS Aquitania on January 25, 1919, and was discharged from military service at Halifax on February 19, 1919. Military authorities dispatched his British War and Victory service medals to Vale Rd., New Glasgow, on February 25, 1922, suggesting that he was living at that location following his discharge. No further information is available on George’s post-war civilian life or his death.
For reasons that are not explained in his service file, Wallace’s return to Canada was delayed for several months. On January 27, 1919, he was transferred to 2nd CCC [Casualty Clearing Centre], Ripon, the first stage of his journey home. He departed for Canada on May 18, 1919, and arrived at Halifax one week later. Wallace was formally discharged from military service on June 2, 1919, and returned home to New Glasgow.
Over the subsequent years, Wallace and Elizabeth had four more children—Lena (1920 - died in infancy), Josephine (1923 - died in infancy), Edna Arvilla (1927 - 2002) and Fred (? - 1977). Wallace worked in the local community as a miner and cement worker until 1946. He passed away at Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax, on July 9, 1949, the result of stomach cancer that had spread to several other organs, and was laid to rest in New Glasgow.
