Remembering Corporal Daniel Angus Chisholm—KIA July 16, 1918

Daniel Angus Chisholm was born at Salmon River Lake, Guysborough County, on February 8, 1879, the fifth of Andrew and Catherine (Boyle) Chisholm’s 11 children. His parents married at St. Andrews, NS, in 1873. Their first six children were born while the couple was living at Salmon River Lake. Around 1884, the family relocated to Caledonia Mills, where their remaining five children were born. A son, Angus, and a daughter, Margaret Ann, passed away in the late 1890s.

Following their father Andrew’s death in 1901, the Chisholm siblings gradually left for the United States. The eldest, Roderick, was the first to depart, establishing residence in New York. When their mother, Catherine, passed away in 1904, the others followed Roderick’s example, the last and youngest—William A. “Will”—departing Nova Scotia in 1911 after his brother Andrew’s death at Caledonia Mills. Altogether, six Chisholm brothers found employment as linemen or electricians with New York area utility or telephone companies.

Following the United States’ entrance into the First World War in April 1917, five of the six brothers enlisted for military service with the American Expeditionary Force. Charles was the first, joining an artillery unit in early May 1917. A second brother, Will, enlisted with the National Guard several days later. On May 19, 1917, Daniel enlisted with the 6th Regiment, US Engineers, at Fort Slocum, near New Rochelle, York, where was working as an electrician with a local utility company.

Early the following month, Hugh registered for the United States draft and was later assigned to the 501st Engineers’ Service Battalion. A fifth brother, Alexander, also enlisted with the 58th Artillery, also his brother Will’s unit. In November 1917, Hugh was the first of the five brothers to sail for France. Early the following month, Daniel departed for overseas, while the remaining three brothers made the crossing in early May 1918.

Following several months’ training, Daniel’s unit completed its first deployment in the forward area during the “Somme Defensive (March 21 - April 6, 1918), in support of British and French soldiers resisting the German “Spring Offensive east of Amiens, France. Before month’s end, Daniel was promoted to the rank of Corporal. 6th Engineers remained in the Amiens area until mid-June, at which time personnel relocated to the Champagne - Marne Sector, approximately 100 kilometres east of Paris.

The unit immediately commenced work on a defensive system at locations well within the range of German artillery fire. Over the next six weeks, personnel constructed rifle pits, fox holes, slit trenches and strong points in their assigned sector. By mid-July, work was “in an elemental stage” and personnel “scattered over the entire area” when events took a dramatic turn.

Shortly after midnight July 15, 1918, German artillery launched a massive barrage on the 6th Engineers’ sector. Company A—Daniel’s unit—was particularly hard-hit, as “German guns, small and large, were concentrated on [its] position to an extent never before experienced.” In response, personnel took shelter in emergency trenches located in the centre of their camp.

As the barrage continued, one shell struck the trenches, killing four and wounding many others. At 5:15 a.m., the Company received orders to move to trenches at a nearby farm and assume a position in reserve. If attacking German forces succeeded in capturing the nearby village of Crézancy, Company A would be called upon to launch a counter-attack.

The Company held its position into the following day, “the men that were not actually needed in the line [carrying] ammunition for a battery… which was directly behind the trenches.” At 2:00 p.m. July 16, personnel received orders to return to camp, “but on the way back… [were] spotted by an enemy scout plane, which later drew fire on the camp. This barrage set off an ammunition dump only 60 yards away, throwing missiles of death in and around the camp for more than an hour, killing four and wounding forty.” Later that night, “the dead were buried and the Company moved to [a nearby] hillside.”

Corporal Daniel Angus Chisholm was one of Company A’s July 16, 1918 fatalities. In the aftermath of his passing, his younger brother, Charles, shared the details surrounding his death in a letter to their oldest sibling, Roderick. According to Charles, Daniel was “following his squad to cover” when he “was killed by shell fire.” He was “buried with 16 comrades in separate graves with a cross and name affixed to each of them,” at a location two kilometers south of Crézancy and eight kilometers east of Château-Thierry, France.

Following the end of hostilities, Daniel’s remains and those of his fallen comrades were relocated to Oise Aisne American Cemetery, Seringes-et-Nesles, 20 kilometers north of Crézancy. Under a repatriation program implemented by the American government following the war, Daniel’s remains returned to the United States in July 1921 and he was reinterred in Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY.

Remembering Private Harold Brown Layton—Died of Sickness June 30, 1918

Harold Brown Layton was born at Canso, Guysborough County, on July 16, 1897, the second child and only son of Herbert Lauren and Rebecca (Mosher) Layton. Herbert, a men’s tailor by profession, was working in the Canso area at the time of Harold’s birth. Tragically, Rebecca passed away before year’s end, leaving her husband to care for two young children.

Private Harold Brown Layton

Herbert subsequently remarried and relocated the family to Middleton, NS, where his father, Rev. Thomas Brown Layton, resided. After completing his secondary education, Harold secured a position as a “druggist’s apprentice” with a local doctor. In late summer 1915, however, he abandoned his civilian career, travelled to Sussex, NB, and enlisted with the 64th Battalion on September 1, 1915. Before year’s end, the unit relocated to Halifax, NS, and departed for England on March 31, 1916.

When the 64th was disbanded shortly after its overseas arrival, Harold was transferred to the 40th Battalion (Halifax Rifles) on July 7. Before summer’s end, the 40th was designated a reserve battalion. As a result, on September 26, Harold was assigned to the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia) and joined his new unit in France in mid-October.

Throughout the winter of 1916-17, Harold served with the 25th in sectors near Vimy Ridge. In late January 1917, he was treated for “myalgia” at a field ambulance and spent 10 days at a nearby rest camp. While he resumed his regular duties shortly afterward, Harold was re-admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station on March 11 and subsequently transferred to No. 10 Canadian General Hospital, Camiers, for treatment of the same ailment.

Invalided to England in early April, Harold was admitted to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Bromley, Kent, suffering from pains in his right hip, thigh and neck. Following a transfer to the Canadian Red Cross Hospital, Buxton, in late April, his condition appeared to improve. While medical staff continued to diagnose the source of his symptoms as “myalgia,” his circumstances worsened after a second transfer to Moore Barracks Hospital, Shorncliffe, on June 7. Harold’s back, neck and leg pain now extended to his right knee and ankle, and was particularly severe after walking.

When a surgical team punctured a small abscess that had developed over Harold’s right sacroiliac joint, the extracted fluid tested positive for tubercle bacilli. Medical authorities concluded that he was no longer fit for service, and Harold was transferred to Kirkdale Canadian Hospital, Liverpool, for “invalidation” to Canada. A second series of tests at Kirkdale verified the presence of tubercle bacilli, prompting doctors to change his diagnosis to “tuberculosis of the sacroiliac joint.”

On September 14, 1917, Harold departed for Canada and arrived at Quebec after an 11-day passage. He returned by train to Halifax and was admitted to Military District No. 6’s Convalescent Home. By this time, Harold had developed a swelling “larger than a hen’s egg” above his right buttock, a condition that made walking painful. In mid-November, he was transferred to a medical facility at Pine Hill.

Over time, Harold’s situation worsened. Medical records describe his appearance as “pale and emaciated.” A late January 1918 Medical Board concluded that, while not seriously ill at the time, his condition was “probably tubercular in origin and will be gradually progressive.” On February 2, Harold was transferred to Camp Hill Hospital, where staff reported that he was in “almost constant pain.”

As the weeks passed, Harold’s condition deteriorated, as the Medical Board had predicted. By late May 1918, he was very weak and confined to bed. Both lungs were affected with “probably T. B.,” and his right lung showed signs of pleurisy. A test of his sputum also revealed the presence of tubercle bacilli. Private Harold Brown Layton lingered for another month, finally passing away at Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax, on June 30, 1918. His remains were transported to Truro, where he was laid to rest in Robie St. Cemetery.

Pte. Layton's headstone, Robie St., Cemetery, Truro, NS

Harold’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 .

Remembering Lt. Col. Thomas Howard MacDonald—Perished At Sea June 27, 1918

Thomas Howard MacDonald was born at Mulgrave, NS, on December 15, 1877, the second of Dr. Patrick Alexander and Annie Bridget (Condon) MacDonald’s four children. Patrick later established a family medical practice at nearby Port Hawkesbury. The family ensured that Howard and his younger brother, Harry, obtained a thorough education. Howard graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in 1896 and proceeded to Georgetown University, Washington, DC, where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in 1897.

Howard subsequently completed medical studies at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. In 1901, he returned to Nova Scotia and established a medical practice at Port Hawkesbury. Howard also enlisted with a local militia unit as its Medical Officer, initially receiving the commissioned rank of Lieutenant and rising to the rank of Major in 1911.

On February 11, 1911, Howard married Catherine Connolly, a native of New Glasgow, NS, in a ceremony held at Ipswich, MA. The couple established residence at Port Hawkesbury and welcomed two daughters—Isabelle and Eileen—during the pre-war years. While Howard’s family obligations may have delayed his enlistment, he eventually made his services available to the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) and departed for England on December 30, 1915.

Howard was initially attached to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Bear Wood, Wokingham, where he formally attested with the CAMC on April 15, 1916. At the time of his enlistment, he received the commissioned rank of Major. The following month, Howard commenced service with Moore Barracks Hospital, Shorncliffe, which tended to the medical needs of Canadian soldiers at nearby military camps.

On August 6, Howard was appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services (ADMS) Embarkation, Bath, England. His duties involved overseeing the operation of the medical boards that determined sick and wounded soldiers’ fitness for duty. Howard was attached to the Claims and Pension Board, London, for the last two months of the year, but returned to his ADMS duties on January 1, 1917.

After almost one year of administrative duties, Howard received a transfer to the Canadian Military Hospital, Kirkdale, Liverpool, on June 29. The facility provided medical treatment to Canadian soldiers arriving overseas, and processed sick and wounded soldiers invalided to Canada, prior to their departure. Virtually every soldier in England longed to serve on the continent, and Howard, despite the fact that he was almost 40 years old, was no different. On August 15, he proceeded across the English Channel to No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital, Outreau, France, where he assumed administrative duties.

All CAMC personnel also pursued the opportunity to serve at the front. On November 7, Howard was appointed the 4th Canadian Labour Battalion’s Medical Officer. He followed the unit to Ypres, Belgium, where its soldiers worked in the forward area for five weeks before relocating to Souchez, France. Howard tended to the men’s health and medical needs, and assessed the physical fitness of reinforcements as they joined the unit.

After almost four months’ service in the forward area, Howard returned to England on February 28, 1918. Following several weeks’ rest, he was appointed Commanding Officer of HMHS Llandovery Castle’s CAMC staff on March 19, 1918. The assignment included a promotion to the rank of “temporary Lieutenant Colonel.”

The Llandovery Castle was part of a fleet of hospital ships that transported sick and wounded Canadian soldiers to Canada. For two months, Howard served aboard the vessel without incident. On June 17, the Llandovery Castle docked at Halifax and its 644 sick and wounded passengers were transferred to onshore facilities. Howard may have travelled home by train for a short visit, while the vessel obtained fuel and supplies for the return journey. Three days later, the ship sailed out of Halifax harbour, with only 97 CAMC personnel and the vessel’s crew aboard.

The passengers enjoyed comfortable summer weather for much of the return trip. By early evening June 27, 1918, the Llandovery Castle was approximately 190 kilometres west of Fastnet Rock, which lies off the coast of Ireland’s southern tip. At 9:30 p.m., an undetected German U-boat surfaced and fired a torpedo at the hospital ship. The weapon struck “abaft” its No. 4 engines, causing a massive explosion.

Its engines disabled, the vessel lurched forward and began to list badly. Lt. Col. MacDonald directed CAMC personnel into the lifeboats as all aboard abandoned ship. Several boats capsized as they reached the water. While the boat containing the 14 Nursing Sisters remained afloat, it was drawn into a whirlpool created by sinking debris and all were thrown into the sea. In total, only two lifeboats containing 24 survivors—six CAMC staff and 18 crew—managed to escape the debris field as the Llandovery Castle slipped beneath the surface.

Contemporary Illustration Depicting the Llandovery Castle's Sinking

A total of 234 passengers perished at sea. Amongst CAMC personnel, Lt. Col. Howard MacDonald, five other Officers, all 14 Nursing Sisters and 71 “other ranks” lost their lives in the incident. The remaining fatalities were members of the vessel’s crew. The details surrounding Howard’s death remain a mystery. The 24 survivors drifted at sea for 36 hours before encountering a navy destroyer that transported them to Queensport, near Cork, Ireland. News of the hospital ship’s sinking evoked unprecedented condemnation of Germany and was widely used in Allied war propaganda.

Lt. Col Thomas Howard MacDonald and his CAMC comrades are among the individuals commemorated on a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial erected in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, in November 1967. The monument honours “the Men and Women of the Navy, Army, and Merchant Navy of Canada” who perished at sea during the two world wars.

Howard’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 .