Guysborough County's First No. 2 Construction Battalion Enlistments

On July 25, 1916, six African Nova Scotian men with connections to Guysborough County enlisted for overseas service with No. 2 Construction Battalion at New Glasgow, NS. Authorized on July 5, 1916 and headquartered at Pictou, NS, the unit was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel H. Sutherland, River John, Pictou County. While No. 2 Construction mounted a nation-wide recruitment campaign, expanding into the United States during the winter of 1916-17, the vast majority of its approximately 700 recruits came from Nova Scotia.

No. 2 Construction Battalion Soldiers, November 1916.

At least 25 individuals with connections to Guysborough County enlisted for service with No. 2 Construction Battalion. The first six completed their attestation papers at New Glasgow, NS on July 25, 1916:

1. Howard Desmond was born on March 7, 1896 at Guysborough, NS to Cranswick and Annie Desmond. In the years following the war, Howard married Lillian May Clark (1920) and worked as a coal miner in the Pictou County area. He passed away at Tony River, Pictou County on December 25, 1951, the result of accidental drowning.

2. Joseph Alexander “Joe” Parris was born at Sand Point, near Mulgrave, Guysborough County, on March 20, 1899. Joe’s parents were Charles Levi and Annie (Izzard) Parris. His older brother, William Winslow "Bill", later enlisted with No 2 Construction. Following his return to Canada, Joe worked in the Mulgrave railway yard. In 1924, He married Annie Jane Jarvis, who passed away in 1936. Joe subsequently married Viola Jane Borden and raised a large family in their Mulgrave home. A member of the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, Joe passed away at Mulgrave on April 19, 1972. A detailed story of Joe’s war service is available on this blog.

Pte. Joseph Alexander "Joe" Parris (center).

3. George William Reddick was born on April 28, 1892 at Mulgrave, the son of Walter Havelock and Margaret (Izzard) Reddick. George married Mary Evelyn Bowles at River Hebert in 1921, and worked as a coal miner in the Amherst area for a number of years. A well-known fiddle maker, George returned to the Guysborough area in his later years. He passed away at Guysborough Memorial Hospital Hospital on April 12, 1978 and was laid to rest in St. Monica’s Cemetery, Lincolnville.

Pte. George William Reddick (right) & Pte. William Winslow "Bill" Parris.

4. James Alexander Talbot (Tarbot) was born at Mulgrave in 1892 to Edward and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Bennett) Talbot. Following his return to Canada, James married Margaret LeBlanc in 1924. He subsequently married Josephine Jarvis in 1936, following his first wife’s passing.

5. Wallace Talbot was born at Sand Point, near Mulgrave, on May 2, 1889 to Edward and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Bennett) Talbot. A brother to James Alexander, Wallace was married to Elizabeth Margaret Blackney at the time of his enlistment. He worked as a coal miner and cement worker following his return to Canada, passing away at Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax on July 9, 1949. Wallace was laid to rest at New Glasgow, NS.

6. William John Talbot, brother of James Alexander and Wallace, was born at Mulgrave on September 2, 1896. He lived in the Sydney area following the war, marrying Agnes McKinnon in 1924. William worked as a foreman in the general yard of a local steel company. He passed away from tuberculosis at Sydney on February 9, 1945.

Remembering Cyril Newton Ward (1893 - 1981)

Cyril Newton Ward was born at Canso, Guysborough County on October 6, 1893. His father, Charles Hurd Ward, a native of Sydney, NS, worked as a telegraph operator at Commercial Cable Company. His mother, Kate Ravenhill Stickland, was a native of Woodstock, NB whose family operated a mercantile business at Amherst, NS. The third of four children, Cyril spent his childhood years in Canso, and was residing there at the time of the 1901 Canadian census. A decade later, however, the family was no longer living in Nova Scotia.

A member of the generation most affected by the outbreak of the First World War, Cyril was working as a bank clerk when he enlisted for service with the 67th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, at Toronto, ON. His mother, listed as next of kin on his attestation form, was living at Sausalito, California at the time of his enlistment, suggesting that his parents had relocated to the United States.

Charles subsequently returned to Canada aboard SS Olympic in April 1919. While he worked in the banking industry at locations across Canada and the United States, he never forgot his childhood roots. Following his retirement in 1958, Cyril returned to Guysborough, where he spent his remaining years. He passed away there on July 17, 1981 and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery, Guysborough.

An avid reader throughout his life, Cyril left a generous bequest to the Municipality of Guysborough for the establishment of a public library. The Cyril Ward Memorial Library opened its doors on August 6, 1986 and continues to provide the local public with access to reading material and a variety of educational activities to this day.

Remembering Oscar Howe Kirk - Died of Wounds July 18, 1916

Oscar Howe Kirk was born at Riversdale, Queens County on October 19, 1891, the fourth of five children raised by Rev. Joseph Howe and Laura (Christie) Kirk. Howe’s father, Joseph, taught school at Cross Roads, Guysborough County for several years before completing studies for the Presbyterian ministry at Halifax, NS. In September 1913, Rev. Kirk returned to Guysborough County with his family and assumed the pastorate of Presbyterian congregations at Glenelg, Guysborough County and East River St. Mary’s, Pictou County.

Kirk family portrait, Oscar on his mother's lap.

On May 31, 1915, Howe attested for overseas service with the 35th Battalion (Central Ontario) at Niagara Camp, ON. After spending the autumn and winter in England, Howe was transferred to the 21st Battalion (Eastern Ontario) on April 1, 1916 and arrived in its camp near Ypres, Belgium, three weeks later.

Pte. Oscar Howe Kirk (top row, left) & his 35th Battalion platoon.

Upon arriving at the front, Howe served a regular rotation with the 21st, returning with his comrades to the trenches near Voormezeele on July 15. After a quiet two days in the line, Howe was severely wounded on July 18 and rushed to a nearby Casualty Clearing, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was laid to rest in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium. In the years following the war, Howe’s older sister, Jessie Katherine, visited his grave in the company of her husband, who had travelled to Europe to study medicine.

Pte. Oscar Howe Kirk's final resting place.

Bantry Publishing’s “First World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Volume I: 1915 - 1917,” available for purchase online at Bantry Publishing’s website, contains a detailed description of Oscar’s family background and war service.

Family photograph courtesy of Howe's great-niece, Paula Olsen, Railroad Flat, CA. Platoon photo courtesy of David Archer, Toronto, ON. Photograph of Howe's headstone courtesy of Allon Lloyd, Kingston, ON, webmaster of "The 21st Battalion CEF" website.