Fragments of the Lives Lost at Vimy
Canadians had already proved their metal at places such as Langemarck; however, it was not until the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9th-12th, 1917 that all four Divisions served together. There are those who say that this battle forged a nation. For some, this April proved to be "the cruelest month" as it brought sorrow and devastation to local communities. Seventeen young men were lost on the first day of the Battle, six more over the next three days and three more in the prelude and aftermath that month. Corporal Becker picked our Vimy poppies in honour of these men in June of 1917. Today, this page picks up some fragments of their lives as we know them and commits to Remember them.
April 9th, 1917 - 17 local men were killed this day.
Lance Sgt. Ellis Wellwood Sifton, VC
Sifton was a young farmer from the small community of Wallacetown, west of St. Thomas. He faithfully wrote home to his sisters many times to reassure them that "all's well with Ellis tonight". He served with the 18th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force until his death at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for 'conspicuous valour' that day. He was twenty five years old. Lance Sgt. Sifton is buried at Lichfield Crater Cemetery.
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During the attack in enemy trenches Sgt. Sifton’s company was held up by machine gun fire. Having located the gun he charged it single-handed, killing all the crew. A small enemy party advanced down the trench, but he succeeded keeping these off till our men had gained the position. In carrying out this gallant act he was killed, but his conspicuous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation. Sifton is buried in the Lichfield Crater Cemetery near Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France. |
Pte Harry Arthur Blashill 190193
Blashill was from Aylmer West; the son of George and Catherine Blashill and husband to Mina (later Pendlebery). He served with the 73rd Battalion. Blashill was killed in action at the age of 24 on April 9th, the first day of the Battle. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial.
Pte Leslie Clark 189498
Leslie was the son of William E. and Jane Clark of Dutton, Ontario. A farmer before he enlisted with the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas, he was later assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment. He was killed in action at the age of 29 on the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Leslie is remembered at the Vimy Memorial.
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Pte Louis Reed Clark 190049
Louis was the son of Herman and Sarah M. Clark of Iona, Ontario. He enlisted with the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas and was transferred to Company C of the 38th Battalion with whom he served at Vimy. Louis died at the age of 22 on the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial.
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Pte Stanley Augustus Hancock 189523
Stanley and his wife Winifred lived on St. George St. N in St. Thomas. He enlisted in the 91st Battalion in 1915 and served overseas with the 75th Battalion. He was killed in action at the age of 27 on the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. "Whilst taking part in the attack and capture of Vimy Ridge, and when a short distance from the "jumping off" trench, he was instantly killed by a bullet fired by an enemy sniper." He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial.
Pte Edward Bigiton Hartsell 189442
Pte Hartsell was a labourer who lived with his wife Mina and two young children on Redan St. in St. Thomas. They attended the Methodist Church. He enlisted in the 91st Battalion in November of 1915 and was later transferred to the 87th Battalion. He was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and is buried at Canadian Cemetery No. 2, Neuville-St. Vaast, Pas de Calais, France. He was 34 years old.
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Pte George Cole Hefford 189987
George was born in Yorkshire, England, the son of Hannah E. Hefford. He was a tinsmith who lived with his wife Mary Kathleen in Dutton, Ontario. In February of 1916, he enlisted in the 91st Battalion and was reassigned to the 38th Battalion with whom he served in France. Pte Hefford was killed in action on April 9, 1917 and he is remembered at the Vimy Memorial. He was 25 years old.
Pte John George Henry Heyd 189977
George was the son of Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Heyd of Mount Forest, Ontario. He was a drug apprentice. In February of 1916, he enlisted with the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas and was transferred to the 38th Battalion with whom he served in France. He was initially reported missing in action but later documents reveal: "While consolidating after the attack and capture of Vimy Ridge, he was hit and instantly killed by a machine gun or sniper's bullet. Previously reported Missing, now Killed in Action." He was 21 years old.
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Hayden Lewis Jones 803128
A mechanic by trade, Hayden, by all accounts, was a feisty character. Originally from London, England, he attested into the 135th Battalion in London Ontario in April of 1916 and was later transferred to the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas. In his ten months service in Europe, he also served with the 2nd Entrenching Battalion, the 39th and 21st Battalions. During that period he managed to tote up 25 days of No. 2 Field Punishment forfeiting pay and allowances for those days and 28 days of No.1 Field Punishment. He was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 - five days short of a full year in the army. He was 21 years old. He is buried at Lichfield Crater.
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Pte Douglas George Madeley 189403
Born in Worcester, England, Douglas was making his way as a farm labourer from his new home in St. Thomas, Ontario until he enlisted in the 91st Battalion in November 1915. He was later transferred to the 75th Battalion. Douglas was serving with the 75th when he was first reported missing and later killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. He was 24 years old.
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Pte Carloss Daniel Mann 124220
Blue eyed Carloss Daniel Mann was 18 when he was declared fit for service and signed into the register of the 91st Battalion in 1915. He was born in the village of Sparta south east of St. Thomas. He was reassigned to the 75th Battalion in England and was killed in action south east of Souchez 'apparently by concussion'. He was 19 years old. |
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Pte Grant Munroe Phelps 189325
Private Phelps of 11 Horton St., St. Thomas was 27 years old when he enlisted with the 91st Battalion on November 11, 1915. In civilian life, he was a boilermaker. Despite being a Quarter Master Sergeant in the 91st, Phelps accepted a reduction in rank to Private in order to go to France with the 1st Battalion. The following is from a casualty report of his death.
The late Private Phelps was a member of the Patrol section of this Battalion. At about 4:45 am on the morning of the 9th he advanced with the leading wave of our attack force as a connecting file with the brigade on our right. At about 6 am, after passing our first objective he was hit in the back (about the kidneys) by a piece of shrapnel. His wound was immediately dressed and he was evacuated to a Field Dressing Station at about noon the same day where his wound was again dressed and he was placed in ambulance one hour later. At this time he was conscious but he was later reported as having died on the way to hospital.
Pte John William Platt 189526
John was the son of William John Platt of London, Eng. who was already deceased by 1915. Platt emigrated to Canada and was working on the Aldborough farm of James Kelly near New Glasgow south west of St. Thomas. He married a local girl, Rose Wehlann who sadly passed away circa 1912 leaving John with a young son named Harold. Platt enlisted with the 91st Battalion and was transferred to the 18th Battalion to go to France. The records are sketchy regarding the date of his death. The Elgin Regiment records show it to be April 9, 1917 while others mark May 9th as the date. What is clear is that he is remembered at the Vimy Memorial. He was 28 years old.
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Pte James Eugene Sage - 190213
At age 37, Pte Sage was older than most of the recruits that enlisted with the 91st Battalion in March 1916. He was married to Gertrude Howard and lived at 41 Chester Street in St. Thomas. Like many men in the 91st, he worked on the railroad; he was a switchman. In England, James was reassigned to the 73rd Battalion with whom he served at the Somme and at Vimy. He was wounded on March 1st 1917 and then killed in action on April 9th while taking part in an attack south east of Souchez on the left flank of the Vimy operations. He was 38 years old. He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial.
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Pte Harry Newton Thompson - 190087
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Harry was a country boy born in Corinth, Ontario the son of Caleb and Annie Thompson. He was married to Elva M. Thompson, of Brownsville when he enlisted with the 91st Battalion. Before the war he was a farmer but also served with the 25th Elgin Regiment and his attestation papers reveal he also had spent 8 months with the RCRs in London. Harry served in France with the 2nd Battalion and was killed in action on April 9, 1917. Harry was 23 years old. He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial. |
Pte Joseph Williams - 190206
Joseph was from Dutton, Ontario. He enlisted with the 91st Battalion and was reassigned to the 1st Battalion CEF with whom he served in France. Williams was killed on April 9th during the Battle for Vimy Ridge. He was 25 years old. Joseph is buried at the Roclincourt Military Cemetery south of Vimy.
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Sgt. George William Woodliffe - 189985
Born in London, Ontario, George and his wife Jeanette were living in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he worked as a botanical assistant before coming home to enlist with the 91st Battalion. He was reassigned to the 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry and served with them in France. George was killed on the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was 35 years old. Woodliffe is buried at Bois-Carre British Cemetery in the Pas de Calais. Woodliffe's name is the first one on the left of the temporary grave marker.
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April 10, 1917 - three local men lost their lives this day
Pte Herbert John Leith - 189004
Private Leith was the son of Peter and Mary Leith of West Lorne, ON. He enlisted with the 91st Battalion in October of 1915. In England, he was reassigned to the 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry with whom he was serving at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Herb was killed in action on April 10, 1917, the second day of the Battle. He was 21 years old. Pte Leith was buried at Nine Elms Military Cemetery in France.
"...I suppose you and the girls will soon be house cleaning and all the other work which spring brings and Father will be busy tilling in the good old soil again and Douglas and Alice will be trotting off to school every day. I am often very lonely for you all and I hope I may soon be back home again." Marc h 20, 1917. |
Pte Raymond Withers Neville - 189936
Private Neville was born in England and emigrated to Canada some time before 1914. His attestation papers (February 1, 1916) with the 91st Battalion state that he was a widower. He listed that he had three years previous service in England with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Ray served in France with the 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry and was killed in action April 10, 1917 at Vimy Ridge. He was 40 years old. He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial.
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Trooper Hugh Alfred Silcox - 114530
Trooper Silcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Silcox of Shedden, Ontario. He was born in the nearby hamlet of Frome half way between Shedden and Talbotville. Hugh was studying at the University of Saskatchewan when the war broke out and he signed on with the 9th Mounted Rifles. At Vimy Ridge he served with the Canadian Light Horse in the First Division. Hugh Alfred Silcox died of wounds received at Vimy Ridge, April 10, 1917. He was 25 years old. Hugh was buried at Quatre-Vents Military Cemetery in France and he is remembered on a Memorial at the University of Saskatchewan. After his death, his sister Eva joined the University of Chicago Nursing Unit and went overseas with them as a nursing sister. |
April 11, 1917 - two local men lost their lives this day for Vimy Ridge
Pte James Cutter - 190107
Pte Cutter was the son of Mrs. Farrant, of 43, Burton End, Haverhill, Suffolk. James emigrated to Canada and lived on Elm Street in St. Thomas. Cutter had been a member of the 25th Elgin Regiment and in March of 1916, he followed his brother John and enlisted with the 91st Battalion. He was later re-assigned to the 21st Battalion with whom he served in some of the worst battles of the war. He died at Vimy Ridge on April, 11, 1917 at 24 years of age. He is buried at Bruay Communal Cemetery at Pas de Calais, France designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
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Pte Ernest Sydney Ward - 190039
Ernest Ward enlisted with the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas in March of 1916, naming Humphrey Ward of R.R.#2 Port Talbot as his next of kin. Unlike many of the other lads, he had no previous service with the 25th Regiment, The Elgins. Overseas he was reassigned to the 58th Battalion and he lost his life with them at Vimy Ridge on April 11, 1917. He was 26 years old. He is buried at the Barlin Communal Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France.
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April 12, 1917 - one local man lost his life on the last day of the Battle
Pte Leslie Harold Sadler - 189443
Leslie Harold Sadler was born in Harrietsville, north of Aylmer, Ontario and registered one William Sadler of nearby Mossley as his next of kin. He had no previous service when he enlisted with the 91st Battalion in St. Thomas on November 19th, 1915. Overseas, he was reassigned to the 58th Battalion just as was Ernest Ward. Unlike Ward, he is buried at La Chaudiere Military Cemetery at Vimy where he lost his life on the last day of that battle. He was 20 years old. La Chaudiere Military Cemetery, Vimy, France
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