World War One collections | Canadian Letters

Title

WWI

These collections contains any material relating to Canada from 1914 to 1918 from either the home front or the battlefront. External links in collection descriptions are either to online attestation papers at Library and Archives Canada or casualty and burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Bainbridge, Sidney

Private Sidney Bainbridge was born in Carlisle, England, on April 13, 1893. Bainbridge was a theological student at the University of Alberta when he enlisted with the 5th Overseas University Co. in Montreal, Québec, on December 13, 1915. He proceeded overseas to England on the SS Olympic in April 1916, and then to France in June 1916 where he was attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. While serving with the PPCLI Bainbridge was wounded, and a result of his wounds was invalided back to Canada on the hospital ship HS Letitia in June 1917 and then demobilized in July 1918.

External Links:
Pte. Sidney Bainbridge's service record (#487386) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Baird, Gavin Gibson

Gavin Gibson Baird was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents Robert Baird and Annie (nee Forester) Baird.

Baird joined the Royal Flying Corps while in Canada early in 1917. He began training in Toronto, Ontario, then at Belleville, Mohawk, and Borden, Ontario before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the RFC in September 1917 in Toronto. Baird then proceeded to England aboard the SS Metagama later that month and then to France, where he flew with the 148 Squadron. The collection consists of a memoir written in the form of letters to his nephew in 1929, which according to his family, was based on the content of diaries kept while with the RFC.

Baird, Thomas Henry

Private Thomas Henry (“Harry”) Baird was born on February 28, 1893, at Grant Settlement, Ontario, to parents Andrew and Mary Jane Baird.

Baird enlisted in Ottawa, Ontario, with the 77th Battalion on July 31, 1915, and sailed for England aboard the SS Missanabie in June 1916. He transferred to the 73rd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) on July 3, shortly before his deployment to France in August. Baird went missing in action and was determined to have died February 4, 1917.

Content notes:
The Baird letters were mainly written home to his family between July and December of 1916 while he was serving in the trenches in France. Both physical damage and writing style have made transcription challenging. In the supplementary documents accessed through the external links below, both “Thomas Henry Baird” and “Harry Baird” appear in Baird’s records as his full given name.

External links:
Pte. Baird’s service record (Serv/Reg# 144246) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Baird can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated January 2022. Transcriptions reviewed and emended. Collection Description expanded. Collection name updated – originally posted as “Harry Baird.”]

Balfour, James Stevenson

James Stevenson Balfour was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1894 and later attended The University of Saskatchewan. He enlisted in April 1915, and found himself in France in July 1915, where he served until wounded in June 1916. He recovered, returned to duty, and in 1917 joined the Royal Flying Corps as an observer. He later trained as a pilot and had qualified as a flying instructor when the war ended. The collection consists of thirty-five extended letters, twenty photographs and one post card.

Ball, Herbert Franklin

Hebert "Bert" Franklin Ball was born in February 1889 in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in Alberta where his family was homesteading. Herbert enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta, in January 1915 with the 51st Battalion, and later served overseas with the 38th Battalion. Ball was killed November 18, 1916. The collection currently consists of two photographs, one clipping, and ten letters.

Ball, Ralph Gooding

Ralph Gooding Ball was born in Hilldale, Alberta, in September 1900. Ball lied about his age and enlisted in Victoria, British Columbia, in September 1916. He was discharged on compassionate grounds in January 1918 at the request of his parents after the deaths of his two brothers, Herbert and Samuel. The collection currently consists of two letters, one photograph, and one clipping.

Ball, Samuel Warren

Samuel Warren Ball was born in Deer Mound, Alberta, in February 1897. Ball enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta, in February 1915, one month after his brother Herbert. Ball served overseas with the 38th Battalion until his death on June 26, 1917. The collection currently consists of two photographs, two clippings, and eight letters.

Barnes, Frederick William

Frederick William Barnes, MM, was born in Birtle, Manitoba, in 1895. Barnes enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in January 1916 with the 61st University Battalion and later served with "C" Coy. 8th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment), and was awarded the Miltary Medal. He was killed August 31, 1918, at the age of 22 . The collection consists of one letter written to his sister in August 1918.

Barnes, Joseph

Joseph Barnes, MM, was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in February 1892. Barnes emmigrated to Canada prior to war and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario, on November 11, 1914. He served overseas with the 19th Battalion until his discharge in February 1919. Barnes was wounded in 1917, and was also awarded the Military Medal. The collection currently consists of his paybook, photographs and postcards, letters, and other miscellaneous items connected to his service.

Barnett, John

Private John Barnett was born in Barnstorm, Yorkshire, England on November 24, 1894, to parents Waters Hardy and Matilda Elizabeth Barnett. His older brother Thomas had immigrated to Canada in 1910, and John joined him in early 1914 as a farmer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Prior to his enlistment John had served in England with the 5th (Territorial Force) Battalion, Alexandra Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment). On December 28, 1914, he enlisted at Saskatoon with the 9th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He arrived in England in early December 1915, and proceeded to France on January 29, 1916, to serve with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles (C.M.R.).

On June 2, 1916, Barnett was wounded at Ypres, and captured by the Germans as a Prisoner of War. Suffering from shrapnel wounds to his hand and arm, he was reported as a P.O.W. from Wahn, Germany, and confirmed to be at the Aachen hospital camp in July 1916. From Aachen he was transferred to the P.O.W. camp at Stendal on September 6, 1916, then later that month moved to Quedlinburg on September 29, where he remained until being repatriated to England on January 2, 1919. Following his return to Canada he was demobilized on May 19, 2019.

The letter in the collection was written by John to his mother in Bridlington, England, in December 1918, in anticipation of his imminent release; the telegram was sent shortly after confirming he was on his way back to England. The newspaper clipping has a photo of John alongside his older brother Sergeant Thomas Hardy Barnett, also of the 1st C.M.R., and his younger brother Sergeant William Allison, MM, of the British Expeditionary Force. More information about John’s brothers can be found in the Collection of Sergeant Thomas Hardy Barnett.

External link:
Pte. John Barnett’s service record (Serv/Reg# 114538) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Barnett, Thomas Hardy

Corporal Thomas Hardy Barnett was born in Nafferton, Yorkshire, England, on August 20, 1892, to parents Waters Hardy and Matilda Elizabeth Barnett. He immigrated to Canada in 1910. At the time of his enlistment he was working as a sailor.

He enlisted with the 9th Canadian Mounted Rifles (C.M.R.) Regiment in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on December 30, 1914. Shortly after arriving in England in December 1915 Barnett spent several weeks with the Royal Canadian Dragoons before joining “A” Canadian Mobile Veterinary Section (C.M.V.S.), Canadian Calvary Brigade, and proceeding to France in early April 1916. He remained with the C.M.V.S. until February 1919 when he was transferred to the Fort Gary Horse. Following his return to Canada he was demobilized on June 2, 1919.

The Thomas Barnett Collection was donated together with the collection of his younger brother Private John Barnett who, like Thomas, had immigrated to Canada prior to the war. John enlisted at Saskatoon into the 9th C.M.R. in late December 1914.

Also donated were materials relating to the service of their brother Sergeant William Allison Barnett, MM. The oldest of the three brothers, William had remained in England and prior to the war was a member of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, East Yorkshire Volunteer Rifles. During the War he served with the Machine Gun Corps, 150th Company. He was killed during the Battle of the Somme on September 15, 1916, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. He was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. The “Other” section below under “Collection Contents” has been reserved for materials specific to Sgt. William Barnett.

External links:
Cpl. Thomas Barnett’s service record (Serv/Reg# 114506) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

No service record is available of Sgt. William Barnett’s service with the British Expeditionary Force.
Burial information for Sgt. William Barnett is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The awarding of Sgt. William Barnett’s Military Medal was published in the London Gazette on November 15, 1916.

Barrey, Clair

Clair Barrey was born in Cayuga, Ontario, in March 1894. He enlisted in Dunnville, Ontario, in February 1916 with the 114th Battalion, known as "Brock's Rangers." Barrey was serving overseas with the 7th Battalion when he was wounded in August 1917 at Hill 70, resulting in the amputation of much of his right leg. The collection currently consists of one photograph of Barrey, as well as two letters home which were subsequently reprinted in the local newspaper, the Dunnville Chronicle.

Beaton Institute

This collection consists of three letters from the Cape Breton region from WWI which are part of the collections of the Beaton Institute, University College of Cape Breton.To Lieutenant James Murphy from his mother, April 2, 1917. James Murphy was born in Margaree, Cape Breton in 1893 and worked in coal mine at an early age until he enrolled at St. Francis Xavier to complete his high school education. During his first year at college war broke out and he was selected to go to the Royal Military College where he obtained his commission as Lieutenant. His army career began in 1916, serving at Somme and Vimy Ridge, where he was wounded and received the Military Cross. After the war Murphy moved to the United States and settled in Detroit. He died in 1972. To Gerald Liscombe from his mother, Mrs. Edward Liscombe, January 17, 1919. From Alex Morrison to his mother, Bessie Morrison, August 26, 1917. Alex C. Morrison was born in Sydney in 1897 and enlisted with the Cape Breton Highlanders 185th Battalion in 1916 and later transferred to the 25th Battalion in 1918. He fought in the battle of Amiens for which he was decorated with the Military Medal. He died in Sydney in 1998 at the age of 100. From Lieutenant Percy Willmot to his sister Dorothy, November 1, 1917.

Beattie, Reverend William

Reverend William Beattie, CMG, was born in Fergus, Ontario, in April 1873. After his graduation from college in 1900 he moved to Cobourg, Ontario, where he was the minister in the Presbyterian Church. Beattie enlisted in September 1914, and sailed with the first contingent to France as the Chaplain to the First Canadian Brigade, and then later served as the Senior Chaplain of the Second Division. Beattie was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in recognition of "...his most conspicuous gallantry and distinguished conduct at the gas attack at St. Julien and through all the subsequent severe fighting of the period. Working unremittingly, with complete disregard to danger, he assisted in collecting wounded on many fields of action." He later returned to Ottawa in 1918 to organize the Chaplain Service of Canada and was at that time promoted to the rank of Colonel. The collection currently consists of thirty-four letters and two photographs. There are however other Beattie letters in the Cobourg World collection in the Special Items section, as he also sent letters back to the local newspaper for publication.

Beatty, Robert Gilmore

Private Robert Gilmore Beatty, known as “Gilmore,” was born in Orangeville, Ontario, on March 15, 1897. He enlisted in Toronto with the 204th Battalion on April 4, 1916.

He shipped overseas on the SS Saxonia in April 1917. His time in France was spent with a variety of units, primarily with the 164th Battalion. He survived the war with no major injuries and was demobilized on May 5, 1919.

External links:
Pte. Gilmore Beatty’s service record (Reg/Ser# 237458) is available online through Library and Archives Canada.

The Pte. Gilmore Beatty letters are part of the Gladys Hornibrook Collection. Living in the small village of Sundridge, near North Bay, Ontario, Gladys was only thirteen years old when World War One began. While the majority of her correspondence was with her uncles in overseas service, the letters, photos, and other memorabilia that she saved from the war years included two “pen-pal” letters received from Pte. Beatty. While they were stationed in France one of Gilmore's fellow soldiers put an advertisement in the Canadian "Family Herald" seeking a pen-pal. Overwhelmed by the response, he shared the letters with other interested soldiers and Gilmore was given one from Gladys.

Beck, John Jackson

John Jackson Beck was born in Sheffield, England, in June 1882. Prior to the war Beck worked as an architect in England, Toronto, and New York before serving with the 32nd Siege Battery. Beck was a prolific writer, writing several hundered letters betweeen 1915 and his demobilization in April 1919.

Beckton, Herbert Stanier

Herbert Stanier Beckton was born in Cannington Manor, Saskatchewan, in June 1892. He later moved to British Columbia and served with the 88th Victoria Fusiliers. Beckton enlisted in February 1915, while overseas. The collection consists of an undated memoir, one letter, and five photographs.

Beer, Lewis Herbert

Lt.-Col Lewis Herbert Beer was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in December 1873. Beer enlisted initially in October 1914 and then received his commission as Lt.-Col. in 1916. The collection consists of a portion of his diary from May to August 1917.

Bell, William Henry

William Henry Bell was born in Chatham, Ontario, in 1897 and moved to Innisfree, Alberta, to farm with his family. Bell enlisted at Vegreville, Alberta, in February 1916 with the 151st Battalion. He was killed at Vimy Ridge on April 10, 1917. The collection consists of twenty letters and one poem.

Bennett, Andrew Byron

Andrew Byron Bennett was born in Spencerville, Ontario, in July 1890. Bennett enlisted with the 202nd Battalion in Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1916 and served overseas in France with the 31st Battalion. The collection currently consists of one letter written by Bennett.