Guysborough County Enlistments - July 7, 1916

Two Guysborough County natives enlisted for service with Canadian military units on July 7, 1916: 

Pte. E. J. "Ted" MacIntosh

1. Edward James “Ted” MacIntosh was born at Stillwater, Guysborough County on November 29, 1898, son of William A. and Olive (Hingley) MacIntosh. Ted enlisted with the 193rd Battalion at Camp Aldershot, NS on July 7, 1916 and departed for England with the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade in October 1916. No further details on his overseas services available at present, as Ted’s service record is not yet available online. According to Ted’s son, Edward, he participated in an exhibition match against a professional boxer while serving in France—no word on how Ted performed!

Edward James "Ted" MacIntosh (post-war).

Ted returned to the Stillwater area after the war, earning a reputation as a skilled trapper, salmon fisherman and sporting guide. In fact, he held the record for the greatest weight in salmon caught by fly in one day. Ted was also an excellent shot with a rifle, a talent that no doubt served him well in the trenches.

Ted salmon fishing on the St. Mary's River.

Ted married Anna Beulah Jack on August 18, 1936, the couple subsequently raising six children—four daughters and two sons. Tragically, Ted passed away at Sherbrooke on December 24, 1942. While the primary cause of death is listed as myocarditis, the contributing factors listed on his death certificate—acute bronchitis and laryngitis—suggest that exposure to poison gas during military service contributed to his death at the age of 44.


2. George Rufus MacKenzie was born November 17, 1876 at Whitehead, Guysborough County, son of John and Susan Caroline (Grover) MacKenzie. John’s first wife, Henrietta, gave birth to two children Malcolm (1898) and William (1902), but passed away a year after her second son’s birth. In 1904, George married Clara Ethel Scranton of Manchester, sister of John Scranton, who was later killed in action in Belgium on July 5, 1916. The couple subsequently had three children—Carl (1907), Margaret/Marjory (1908) and Helen (1915).

 As George’s age and family circumstances virtually eliminated the possibility of overseas service, he enlisted with the “Home Service” at New Glasgow, NS on July 7, 1916, two days after his brother-in-law’s death in combat Sometime after the war, George and Clara relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where George passed away around 1950.

Remembering Private John Samuel Scranton - Killed In Action July 5, 1916

Born at Manchester, Guysborough County on June 23, 1879, John Samuel Scranton was raised in the home of his grandparents, William and Jane Scranton. Both passed away prior to the outbreak of the First World War, at which time John relocated to Pictou County and found work in the local coal mines.

Pte. John Samuel Scranton's final resting place.

John enlisted with the 40th Battalion (Halifax Rifles) at New Glasgow on May 1, 1915 and travelled to England aboard SS Saxonia in October 1915. The following spring, he was transferred to the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia) and joined his new unit in Belgium’s Ypres Salient on March 19, 1916. The following month, John and his comrades received their first major introduction to trench warfare when German forces attacked the 25th’s line, located in a series of mine craters near St. Eloi, Belgium. Eighteen “other ranks” (OR) were killed and 42 wounded during the three-day mid-April tour.

John survived the experience, serving with the 25th in the treacherous Ypres Salient throughout the following two months. On June 28, the 25th encamped near Dickebusch, Belgium, providing work parties, repairing the front line trenches. Artillery fire was a common occurrence during these nightly sessions, posing a constant threat to the soldiers’ safety. On July 5, 1916, Private John Scranton was killed in the line, presumably during German shelling of the sector where he was working. He was laid to rest in Bedford House Cemetery (Enclosure No. 2), Zillebeke, four miles south of Ypres, Belgium.

Bedford Place Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium

A detailed story of John’s family background and war service is available in First World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Volume I: 1915 - 1917, available online from Bantry Publishing.

Guysborough County Enlistments - July 3, 1916

On July 3, 1916, three Guysborough County natives enlisted for service with Canadian Expeditionary Force units:

1. Amos Cashin, son of William & Suzanne (Meagher) Cashin, Port Felix, Guysborough County, enlisted with the 237th Battalion (American Legion) at Halifax, NS. Amos was later transferred to the 97th Battalion (American Legion), which was disbanded upon landing in England. He was reassigned to No. 23 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps and served with the unit in France. During the latter stages of the war, Amos was called up to the front, serving in the line with the Royal Canadian Regiment. A detailed version of Amos’s war service is available on this blog.

Amos Cashin (left) and Arthur Levangie

Upon returning to Nova Scotia, Amos briefly worked in Halifax, where he married Beatrice Smith, a Halifax native. The couple later returned to Port Felix, where they raised a family of five sons while Amos worked as an inshore fisherman. Amos passed away at Port Felix on December 30, 1985 and was laid to rest in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Port Felix.

2. Dennis Cashin, son of William & Suzanne (Meagher) Cashin, Port Felix, Guysborough County and brother to Amos, also enlisted with the 237th Battalion (American Legion) at Halifax, NS. Dennis was also transferred to the 97th Battalion (American Legion), but parted ways with Amos in England, when he was assigned to 12th Battalion Canadian Railway Troops after the 97th’s dissolution. Dennis served as a “sapper” with 12th CRT in France.

After the war, Dennis married Claire Agnes Pelrine and raised a family of 11 children—seven boys and four girls—at Port Felix. He passed away at St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish on August 28, 1964 and was laid to rest in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Port Felix.

3. Harold Kennedy was born at Guysborough, NS—possibly the Salmon River Lake area—on February 26, 1898. Little is known about his family background, other than his mother’s first name—Helen—and his next of kin, William Kennedy, Guysborough P.O. (uncle). Harold enlisted with the 121st Battalion at Vancouver, BC and was transferred to the 102nd Battalion (British Columbia) on December 5, 1916.

Young Harold was killed at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 while serving with the 102nd Battalion. He was laid to rest in Bois Carré Cemetery, Thélus, France. A detailed story of Harold’s military service is published in “First World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Volume I: 1915 - 1917,’” available online from Bantry Publishing.