From Glenkeen to Aylesbury, UK—A Guysborough County Soldier's Journey

Author's Note: During my preliminary research into the stories of Guyborough County's First World War fatalities, I came across the name "Alonzo Izzard." Born into one of the county's Black families, Alonzo served with a well-known Nova Scotia infantry battalion during the last phase of the war. This experience was a notable exception to the widely followed practice that restricted Black enlistments to labour units.

Upon completing my work on the county's First World War fatalities, I turned my attention to stories of soldiers who had returned home and whose war experience was unique. Alonzo fell into that category, but I was unable to find out what happened to him after he returned to Canada. A breakthrough came in early 2026, when I came across a Province of Nova Scotia Delayed Birth registration for "Charles Alonzo Izzard." Partly completed in Sunderland, UK, the information matched what I had gathered on Alonzo. Further investigation finally revealed the details of Alonzo's post-war life.

According to a baptismal certificate attached to his Nova Scotia delayed birth registration, Charles Alonzo Izzard was born in Glenkeen, Guysborough County, on January 14, 1894, to Daniel Tynes and Clara Janette (Sullivan) Izzard. Alonzo’s younger brother, William Archibald “Archie,” was born on April 1, 1898, while a sister, Tressa Jane, was born on February 10, 1900. Daniel Michael “Mick”, the youngest of Alonzo’s siblings, was born on November 10, 1902.

Charles Alonzo Izzard (post-war - date unknown)

Alonzo was a direct descendant of Andrew Izzard. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, around 1756, Andrew enlisted with the British Army’s wagon department during the American Revolutionary War and was part of a group of Loyalist soldiers who arrived in Guysborough in 1784. His descendants settled in Glenkeen, along the eastern shore of Guysborough Harbour, south of Boylston. Alonzo’s grandfather, Daniel Joseph “Joe” Izzard, was a well-known local fiddler.

At the time of the 1901 Canadian census, Alonzo was living in the household of David MacMaster, Manchester, where he helped with chores around the house. While his name does not appear in the 1911 census, a Grady family descendant recalls that Alonzo was living with William H. “Bill” and Eliza (Porper) Grady, Port Shoreham, at that time. He worked in the inshore fishery with the Gradys and did chores around the family farm. Alonzo soon became friends with Bill and Eliza’s son Gordon Elmer. Born on February 29, 1896, Gordon later served overseas with the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles) during the First World War. 

Alonzo was “well thought of” in the local area, where he helped look after the nearby MacMaster and Cummings properties. Bill Grady’s death on March 11, 1914, the result of tuberculosis, left his widow Eliza to provide for six young children. By that time, Alonzo considered the Grady residence his home. While serving overseas several years later, he assigned $20 of his monthly pay to Eliza.

In the spring of 1918, Alonzo and his brother were conscripted into military service. Once in uniform, the brothers’ service followed different paths. Alonzo was “called up” under the Military Service Act in autumn 1917 and completed the required medical examination at Guysborough on November 10, 1917. After spending the winter of 1917-18 in Port Shoreham, he was formally conscripted at Halifax on March 6, 1918, and departed for the United Kingdom aboard SS Metagama one month later. 

Alonzo’s brother Archie completed his military attestation on April 12, 1918, and headed overseas in late June 1918. He served with No. 142 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps, in the United Kingdom and France before returning to Canada in early April 1919. The unit was involved in “aerodrome construction” throughout Archie’s time in uniform.

Alonzo’s friend Gordon Grady enlisted in Halifax on May 1, 1918, and headed to the United Kingdom aboard the same vessel as Archie. In late October 1918, he was assigned to the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles) and joined the unit in Belgium shortly after the November 11, 1918 Armistice. He spent five months in Germany with an Allied “occupation force” and five months in the UK before returning home in late September 1919.

Upon disembarking in Liverpool, England, on April 20, 1918, Private Alonzo Izzard travelled by train to Camp Bramshott, where he was assigned to the 17th Reserve Battalion. The unit provided infantry reinforcements for the 25th (Nova Scotia Rifles) and 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalions, which were deployed in France at the time of Alonzo’s arrival.

Briefly hospitalized with mumps shortly after his overseas arrival and influenza in August 1918, Alonzo proceeded to France on September 11, 1918, and joined the 85th Battalion in the field one week later. The Allied “100 Days” campaign that led to the November 11 Armistice had commenced in early August. The 85th suffered significant losses during the Battle of Arras (August 25 - September 3, 1918) and was rebuilding its ranks in preparation for a return to the front lines when Alonzo arrived in camp.

Alonzo logged his first combat experience at Canal du Nord (September 27 - October 1, 1918) and came through the fighting without injury. The 85th withdrew from the front lines after the battle and spent three weeks training before returning to active duty on the night of October 22/23. As its soldiers made their way to positions near Canal de l’Escaut, on the western outskirts of Valenciennes, France, a German artillery shell landed in the midst of “C” Company, killing four soldiers and wounding three others.

Upon settling into the line, the 85th found itself in a hotly contested area, near a heavily defended, German-held bridge across the canal. At 2000 hours October 23, “B” Company moved forward with orders to secure the approaches to the structure. While supported by a light artillery barrage, the soldiers immediately encountered heavy artillery, machine gun and mortar fire. Undeterred, the attacking force managed to establish a bridgehead at the southern crossing into Valenciennes.

During the operation, one soldier was killed and 13 others wounded, including the 85th’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Ralston. It was the fourth occasion on which he had been struck by enemy fire. Alonzo was among the men admitted to No. 12 Canadian Field Ambulance on October 23, having received a shrapnel wound to his left shoulder. It is not known whether the injury occurred during the previous evening’s advance or the October 23 attack. His injuries proved minor and he returned to duty five days later.

Alonzo served in the line with the 85th throughout its advance to Mons, Belgium, and remained on the continent during the winter of 1918-19. On April 29, 1919, he was admitted to No. 2 General Hospital, Le Havre, France, for treatment of a laceration to his left wrist. The cause of the injury is unclear. One entry in a medical document states that he accidentally cut his wrist while travelling by train to the French port. A second entry claims that he “cut [his] knuckles on [a] bed board,” suggesting that an incident had provoked feelings of frustration or anger.

On May 4, 1919, Alonzo was invalided to the United Kingdom, where he was admitted No. 4 British General Hospital, Basingstoke. Three weeks later, he was transferred to No. 12 Canadian General Hospital, Bramshott. By that time, the cut on his hand had become infected, resulting in swelling and considerable discomfort.

Alonzo remained in hospital until mid-June, when he was transferred to a Military Convalescent Hospital in Epsom. He was discharged on June 28,  only to be re-admitted to No. 16 Canadian General Hospital, Orpington, Kent, the following day. Alonzo spent another week under medical care before returning to duty on July 8.

Alonzo departed for Canada aboard SS Saxonia on August 13 and arrived in Halifax 10 days later. Discharged from military service on August 28, 1919, he returned to Port Shoreham, where he remained for an unknown period of time before heading west. His name does not appear in the 1921 Canadian census. In June 1922, Canadian military authorities dispatched his First World War service medals to Kalevala Lake, Manitoba. Located approximately 160 kilometers north of Winnipeg, the area is known for its farms and cattle ranches.

While Alonzo may have headed west in search of employment, his time there appears to have been brief. United Kingdom marriage records indicate that he married Lillian Isabel Hooper, a native of Bromley, Kent, England, in a ceremony that took place in the Parish Church, St. Mary Cray, north of Orpington, on August 2, 1924. Lillian was the youngest of 11 children—three boys and eight girls—born to Charles and Elizabeth (Whitehead) Hooper, Bromley, Kent.

Charles Alonzo Izzard & Lillian Isabel Hooper on their wedding day

The circumstances in which Alonzo and Lillian met are unclear. UK family descendants state that they met during Alonzo’s time in hospital after his return from the continent. As British nationals were not part of Canadian military hospital staff, they may have met while Alonzo was a patient in No. 4 British Hospital, Basingstoke. There is no evidence that Lillian was part of the hospital’s staff. The 1921 UK census lists Lillian Isabel Hooper, age 28, born in Orpington, Kent, working as a “general domestic servant” in the home of Mostyn Randal and Katharine Eleanor Gardner, Middlesex.

At the time of their 1924 marriage, Alonzo was living at 30 Stamsby Road, London, while Lillian’s residence was listed as 250 Ladbroke Grove, London. Alonzo was working as a “seaman,” while Lillian was employed as a “domestic servant.” Lillian’s older brother, Eli James Hooper, was one of the witnesses to the ceremony.

On August 3, 1927, Lillian gave birth to a son, Charles James “Jimmy,” in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. Alonzo was working as a “journeyman carpenter” at the time. By the mid-1930s, the family had relocated to Sunderland, approximately 450 kilometers north of London.  While residing there, a “Mr. Jas. Elliott, Sunderland, England,” filled out a delayed Nova Scotia birth registration on behalf of Charles Alonzo Izzard. 

The document appears to then have been sent to Boylston, where it was notarized by Christopher MacDonald, Guysborough Justice of the Peace. Sarah A. Anderson, a Boylston resident whose husband operated a store in the community, completed and signed the form’s affidavit portion in November 1933. While known as Alonzo or “Lon” during his time in the Boylston area, Alonzo’s UK descendants referred to him as Charles or “Charlie,” the first name on his delayed birth registration.

On February 4, 1935, Lillian was admitted to Royal Infirmary, Sunderland, for a routine procedure to address a prolapse of the uterus. Tragically, Lillian “died under chloroform which had been administered for the purpose of performing an operation.” Widowed with a young son, Charlie married Emmie Adams, a native of Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, England, in April 1935.

Emmie (Adams) & Alonzo Izzard with son Alan Derek (date & location unknown)

Emmie had a daughter, Pamela Marguerite, by a previous marriage. Alonzo and Emmie established residence in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where Alonzo continued to work as a carpenter. Their only child, Alan Derek, was born in Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, on December 22, 1938. Emmie passed away there on September 3, 1975, while Alonzo died in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, on May 1, 1985, at 91 years of age.

Alan Derek Izzard married Rosemary Alison King in a ceremony that took place in St. Gile’s Church, Standlake, Oxford, on October 10, 1959. The couple raised a family of two children—a son and a daughter—who still reside in the UK. A public school teacher by profession, Alan Derek Izzard passed away in Wardington, UK, on May 11, 1994. His step-brother Jimmy—the informant on Alan’s death certificate—married but did not have children. He passed away in Malden, UK, on December 1, 2007.

Special thanks to Alonzo's grand-daughter Karen, who resides in the United Kingdom and graciously provided images and information crucial to assembling the story of his post-war life.

Private Harry Black McLane—Died of Illness November 20, 1921

 Harry Black McLane was born in Stillwater, Guysborough County, on October 12, 1893, to Henry Alexander and Martha (McDaniel) McLane. Harry traced his McLane roots to Joseph McLane, a native of Londonderry, Ireland, whose name first appears in Nova Scotian records in 1780. Joseph’s father, John McLane, subsequently immigrated to the colony and settled in Onslow, Colchester County, where he later held the position of schoolmaster in Great Village.

Private Harry Black McLane, 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders)

In 1838, one of Joseph’s sons, William Hamilton McLane, left Onslow with his wife Margaret (McCurdy) and family and settled in Stillwater, Guysborough County. Henry Cumminger McLane, born in Onslow on June 1, 1826, was their eighth child and fourth son in a household of 11 children.

On June 12, 1849, Henry C. married Susanna Campbell at St. Marys, Guysborough County. The couple raised 11 children in their Stillwater home. Henry Alexander McLane, their seventh child and third son, married Martha McDaniel, daughter of merchant William and Elizabeth McDaniel, Sherbrooke, in New Glasgow on December 18, 1890.

During the following decade, four children joined the McLane family—Vera Elizabeth (DOB December 29, 1891); Harry (DOB October 12, 1893), Arthur Lorne (DOB December 3, 1894) and Frank Burton “Burt” (DOB November 29, 1897). Another two children—Florence Irene (DOB February 1903) and Murray (DOB July 1905)—were born after the turn of the century.

The outbreak of the First World War in Europe impacted the lives of Henry C. and Martha’s three oldest sons. Burt, the youngest of the trio, enlisted with the 193rd Battalion at Guysborough on April 1, 1916, and served with the 2nd Tunnelling Company and 11th Battalion, Canadian Engineers, in France and Belgium. A detailed summary of Burt’s service is available elsewhere on this blog.

Harry and Arthur, the two oldest McLane boys, enlisted with the 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) at Halifax on October 22, 1915. Arthur’s time in uniform was brief. Upon undergoing a medical examination, he was discharged as “medically unfit” six days later and returned home. Harry, however, met the required physical standards and spent the next year training with the 85th in Nova Scotia.

On October 12, 1916, Harry departed from Halifax aboard SS Olympic and arrived in the United Kingdom one week later. The vessel’s passengers included four Nova Scotia battalions that formed the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade—85th, 185th (Cape Breton Highlanders), 193rd and 219th. The Brigade’s overseas arrival coincided with significant Canadian Corps losses during its September and October 1916 service at the Somme. As a result, two battalions—193rd and 219th—were immediately disbanded and their soldiers transferred to existing units in need of reinforcements.

A draft of the 85th’s soldiers was also reassigned to units already in France. While a sizeable number joined the 42nd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), Harry was part of a smaller group transferred to the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) on December 5, 1916. He immediately proceeded to France and joined his new unit in the field four days later.

The 13th and 42nd were two of three infantry units recruited for service by the Royal Highlanders of Canada (RHC), a Montreal militia regiment affiliated with Scotland’s famous Black Watch. As a result, the expression was applied to all three RHC battalions—13th, 42nd and 73rd—throughout their First World War service.

The 13th Battalion occupied reserve positions during the Canadian Corps’ April 9, 1917 attack on Vimy Ridge, France, its soldiers maintaining communication with 3rd Brigade Headquarters and acting as a “report centre” throughout the battle. The following day, personnel “supplied parties to help clean up the battlefield and make roads to enable the artillery to bring up their guns.” Salvage and construction work continued for one week, the battalion finally returning to the front line near Farbus on April 17.

Harry served in the trenches with the 13th throughout the spring and early summer. On August 15, 1917, Canadian units launched their second major offensive of the year—an assault on Hill 70, near Lens, France. On this occasion, the 13th occupied the central position on a three-battalion front when the attack commenced at 0425 hours. Its Companies reached their objectives in less than two hours and consolidated their locations. Shortly afterwards, the second phase of the attack commenced, supporting Canadian units passing through the 3rd Brigade’s line and securing Hill 70 in less than an hour.

The 13th was relieved in the early morning hours of August 17 and retired to billets at Les Brebis. Its Hill 70 losses included one officer killed and seven others wounded, while 34 “other ranks” (OR) were killed and 186 wounded. Harry was among the soldiers evacuated for medical treatment that day, admitted to No. 7 Canadian General Hospital, Étaples, with a gunshot or shrapnel wound to his right knee. The injury appears to have been slight, as he was transferred to No. 6 Convalescent Depot, Cayeux, on August 23.

Harry was discharged from medical care on October 17 and reported to the Canadian Base Depot, Étaples. While awaiting orders to return to the 13th Battalion, he was re-admitted to hospital in late December 1917 for treatment of scabies, a skin rash caused by mites. The affliction was common among soldiers throughout the war, due largely to crowded, damp and unsanitary conditions in the front lines.

Discharged to duty on January 11, 1918, Harry rejoined the 13th in the field six weeks later. In mid-March, he was awarded 14 days’ leave to the United Kingdom, and returned to the 13th’s ranks near Arras, France, on April 3, 1918. Only days earlier—March 21, 1918—German forces had launched Operation Michael, a massive spring offensive targeting a large section of the front line south of Arras, held by British forces. While the Canadian sector was not impacted, all personnel “stood to” throughout the tense two weeks that followed. By April 5, the offensive had lost its momentum and the two sides returned to the stalemate of previous months.

On May 5, Harry was admitted to No. 57 Casualty Clearing Station, where he was initially diagnosed with tonsillitis. Subsequent investigations led to a diagnosis of diphtheria. a highly contagious bacterial infection that was common in the trenches, due to poor sanitation. In early June, Harry was invalided to England for treatment of “debility after diphtheria” and admitted to 2nd Western General Hospital, Manchester.

Harry spent two weeks in hospital before being transferred to a Military Convalescent Hospital at Epsom. On August 2, he was discharged to duty and reported to No. 2 Canadian Corps Depot, Bramshott. At some point during his time in England, Harry met Hilda Gell, born in South Bank, Normanby, on January 5, 1900, daughter of Harry And Elizabeth (While) Gell. Harry and Hilda married sometime during the autumn of 1918, as Harry re-directed his assigned pay to Mrs. Hilda McLane. 35 Normanby Road, South Bank, as of November 1, 1918.

Throughout the winter of 1918-19, Harry suffered bouts of illness. On November 22, 1918, he was admitted to No. 12 Canadian General Hospital with influenza—quite possibly the infamous “Spanish flu” that was endemic at the time. Discharged in mid-December, he was admitted to Brighton Grove Military Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on January 25, 1919, where he remained for one month.

Transferred to the Canadian Special Hospital, Witley, on February 20, Harry was discharged to duty six days later. On May 10, 1919, he proceeded to Rhyl, Ripon, for a series of examinations prior to his return to Canada. Finally, on September 17, Harry left the UK aboard SS Melita. As a member of the 13th Battalion, he was transported to Quebec City, where he was discharged on September 26, two days after his arrival. He then made his way back to Nova Scotia by train and returned home.

At an unknown date, Hilda made her way to Canada and joined Harry in Stillwater. The couple’s first child, Florence Hilda, was born there on November 17, 1919. After spending the winter of 1919-20 in Nova Scotia, Harry and Hilda returned to the United Kingdom aboard the White Star Line ship Canada, arriving in Liverpool on April 28, 1920. They made their way to South Bank, where Harry found work as a “ gas fireman” in a local blast furnace.

At the time of the April 1921 English census, Harry, Hilda and their young daughter were boarding in the home of John Ed Metheringham, 45 Upper Millbank St., South Bank. On June 21, 1921, the couple’s second child, Arthur Lorne, was born. His namesake—Harry’s younger brother—had tragically drowned in Stillwater on August 2, 1917.

Harry’s health problems continued after his return to the United Kingdom. He passed away in South Bank on November 20, 1921, and was laid to rest in Eston Cemetery, Eston, Middlesbrough, UK. Canadian military authorities agreed that his death was “due to service” and issued a Memorial Cross to his widow Hilda and mother Martha.

Martha (McDaniel) McLane passed away at age 64 in Stillwater on April 21, 1927. Her husband Henry A. died there on January 28, 1949, at age 83 and was laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery, Sherbrooke, beside his wife.

McLane Family Headstone, Riverside Cemetery, Sherbrooke, NS

Several years after her husband’s death, Hilda McLane re-married and raised a family of three children with her second husband. She passed away in Middlesbrough, UK, on October 21, 1959. Harry and Hilda’s daughter Florence married George Brooks, a native of Cleveland, Yorkshire, in July 1948 and passed away in July 1992. No further information is available on her life or family.

Harry and Hilda’s son Arthur married Sheila Pursey and raised a family of five children, three of whom died in infancy. Arthur passed away in London, UK, in the late 1990s. Arthur and Sheila’s son Peter, born on September 24, 1959, married and resided in Eston, where he had his wife raised a family of three daughters. Peter passed away on October 8, 1994. His daughters currently reside in the United Kingdom. 

Private Ernest Clare Simpson—Died of Illness February 9, 1925

 Ernest Clare Simpson was born in Middle Manchester, Guysborough County, on July 9, 1896, the youngest of William Gladstone and Emma Alma (Torey) Simpson’s 14 children. Both of his parents were Guysborough County natives. William was born in Manchester on April 17, 1845, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Ann (Horton)  Simpson, while Emma was born in Guysborough Intervale on October 18, 1854, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Brimer) Torey. The couple were married at Manchester on March 13, 1873.

Private Ernest Clare Simpson

William and Emma raised a family of 14 children—daughters Iona Gertrude (DOB August 16, 1874); Sarah Alice (DOB August 27, 1876); Florence Augusta (DOB March 5, 1879); Annie Laura (DOB October 21, 1884); Cora Beatrice (YOB 1886); Jenny Edith May (DOB September 21, 1890); Winnifred Clyde (DOB October 8, 1893); and sons Milton Simpson (YOB 1877); Harold Edwin (DOB February 18, 1878); Lewis (YOB 1883); William Gladstone (DOB November 30, 1880); Arthur Augustus (DOB July 22, 1882); Gordon Torey (DOB February 21, 1887); and Ernest Clare (DOB July 9, 1896).

1881 and 1891 Canadian census records list William Gladstone Simpson Sr.’s occupations as “farmer” and “carpenter.” By 1911, the family had relocated to Boylston, where William held the office of postmaster. The six oldest Simpson sons were for the most part beyond the median age for military service during the First World War. Ernest’s 1896 birth year, however, made him an ideal candidate.

On May 8, 1918, Ernest was conscripted into service at Halifax, NS, under the terms of the Military Service Act (1917). He immediately reported to Camp Aldershot for military training. While there, he was hospitalized with measles, a common camp affliction, in mid-June. Discharged to duty in early July, he departed for overseas on August 2, 1918.

Pte. Ernest Clare Simpson (left) and an unknown soldier

Three weeks after arriving in the United Kingdom, Ernest was “taken on strength” by the 17th Reserve Battalion. Stationed at Camp Bramshott, the 17th provided reinforcements for Nova Scotia’s two front-line infantry units—the 25th (Nova Scotia Rifles) and 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalions.

Canadian forces were directly involved in the 100 Days Campaign that commenced at Amiens on August 8, 1918, and brought the war to an end on November 11, 1918. Ernest’s late overseas arrival meant that he was not assigned to a combat unit on the continent during the campaign. Instead, he remained in the United Kingdom throughout the winter of 1918-19.

As active combat units in Europe were sent home first, reinforcement units in the United Kingdom were among the last to depart for Canada. While waiting the return home, Ernest was admitted to Ripon Military Hospital on May 15, 1919, with pain in the left side of his chest. The following day, he was diagnosed with pleurisy—inflammation of the tissues that line the outside of the lungs and inner chest wall. A later note on his medical chart contained the following comment: “Left side: considerable effusion [fluid build-up] which has now cleared up…. No TB [tuberculosis] in sputum. Needs time… [to recover in] Special Canadian Hospital.”

On June 25, Ernest was discharged to Epsom Military Convalescent Hospital. Four days later, he was admitted to 16th Canadian General Hospital, Orpington, for treatment of “pleurisy and influenza.” Medical notes also included a reference to the possible presence of tuberculosis.

Ernest was discharged from medical care for a second time on July 4, 1919. Three weeks later, he departed from Glasgow, Scotland, aboard the Saturnia, destined for Montreal, QC. Upon arriving in Canada on August 4, he travelled by train to Halifax, where he was formally discharged from military service on August 13, 1919.

Ernest returned to the Simpson family home in Boylston, where he resided with his parents and two older brothers, William Jr. and Gordon. Following his father’s death on April 23, 1924, Ernest assumed the position of postmaster. Shortly afterward, however, the health issues that initially surfaced during his time overseas returned.

Private Ernest Clare Simpson's headstone, Boylston Baptist Cemetery

On June 9, 1924, Ernest was admitted to the Nova Scotia Sanatorium, Kentville, for treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Over the next eight months, his health worsened. Private Ernest Clare Simpson died in the Nova Scotia Sanatorium on February 9, 1925. His remains were transported to Boylston, where he was laid to rest in the Baptist Church Cemetery.

Special thanks to Winn (Manson) Campbell, Meadowvale/Sherbrooke, NS, who provided the images included in this post and brought Ernest's story to my attention. Ernest is the 141st known Guysborough County First World War fatality.