Private Edward "Eddie" Cresswell Ramsey was born on February 2, 1896, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. Immigrating to Canada prior to the outbreak of World War I, Ramsey enlisted in Toronto on December 8, 1914, with the Canadian Expeditionary Force's 2nd Divisional Cyclist Corps in Toronto, Ontario.

He arrived in England aboard the SS Corinthian in May 1915 and was soon on his way to France where he would serve a remarkable total of 42 months without being seriously wounded or ill.

He remained with the Cyclists for the entirety of his service (within his letters there are several name changes from the original "Divisional Cyclist Corps," most notably in mid-1916 to the "Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion"). Following the armistice in November of 1918, Ramsey was demobilized on April 23, 1919.

The letters in the collection were written by "Eddie" Ramsey to his father Capt. E.C. Ramsey, his mother Nellie Ramsey, his sister Eve, and his Aunt Madge & Uncle Jack (J.R. Arkley).

Included are photos of Pte. Ramsey and the Cyclist Corps, as well as photos of the funeral and gravesite of fellow 2nd Division Cyclist Private Thomas Hughes. Hughes had enlisted alongside Ramsey in 1914 but died in Belgium of pneumonia on January 27, 1919, only a few months before he would have been demobilized back to Canada.

External link:
Pte. Ramsey's Service Record (Reg/Ser# 40) is available online through Library and Archives Canada.