Canada's Fallen the week of September 1 to September 5, 1914

The Online Hermann-Paul Project

The Battle of the Marne was fought from September 5, 1915 to September 12, 1914 and was the bloody culmination of Germany's advance into France.  It is estimated that there were 500,000 casualties on both sides of the battle, and that together 81,700 French and British combatants were killed.  These events were followed closely in Canada.  However, the first Canadians did not arrive in France until November 1914, and Canadian soldiers were not fighting in Europe until 1915.

September 4, 1914

Private Bogan Scott Gee (also identified as Buigon Gee, and Boggan Gee, his name was corrected) died of peritonitis in Quebec on September 4, 1914.  He was 26 years old at his death, and was survived by his family in South Carolina, USA.  He was buried in Quebec, in the Mount Hermon Cemetery.  He had been a stranger in Edmonton, when he signed up, and the Canadian Army placed a notice in the Edmonton Bulletin on September 9, 1914 seeking information about his relatives.

Family record at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Private F C Taylor also died on September 4, 1914 and is buried in the Pleasant Street Cemetery in Kamloops, BC.

Image courtesy of Find a Grave

Canada's Fallen from August 16 to August 31, 1914

Image from thegreatgar

I find the fallen from these weeks of August to be quite moving in the tragedy and misfortune of their deaths.  The first Canadian to die on active service, and a volunteer of only 15 years old, was shot by a fellow soldier while on guard duty; a young man on his way to Camp Valcartier for training fekk under the wheels of a train by accident; and a volunteer who was training to go to France was reported a suicide.

August 21, 1914

Quartermaster Frederick W Hussey.  Commemorated in Halifax (Mount Olivet) Cemetery

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial

August 22, 1914

Private Frank F Johnson, commemorated at  Stratford (Avondale), Ontario Cemetery.  Private Johnson died in an accident at the train station in Toronto where he was embarking to Valcartier for training.

The Beacon Herald

August 27, 1914

Private Gordon William Betts, 15 years old, volunteered on the outbreak of war in August 1914, and joined his father's regiment, and was accidentally shot August 27, 1914 while on guard duty at Soulanges Canal - the first Canadian to lose his life on active service in the European War. The story of his death was reported across Canada, and may be read in the online version of theS September 5, 1914 issue of British Columbia's The Phoenix Pioneer.  He was buried at Montreal (Mount Royal) Cemetery.

The First From Canada

August 28, 1914

Sapper George B A Eachus enlisted in Calgary, Alberta.  It was reported on August 29, 1914 that Private Eachus committed suicide at Valcartier Camp on August 28, 1914.  It says, "he was found in the field hospital with his throat cut, having used his own razor.  His comrades said that while on the way to Valcartier he appeared to be dejected. (The Edmonton Bulletin, August 29, 1914 (Morning Edition), Page 5).  His grave may be found in Canadian Forces Base Valcartier Military Cemetery.

University of Alberta Library

Canada's Fallen for the week of August 9, 1914

Calendar for the week of August 9, 1914

As of the evening of 4 August 1914 Great Britain and Germany were at war. So too was the British Empire, including Canada and the independent colony of Newfoundland.  Canadians, especially those of British descent enthusiastically volunteered to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  Although it would take months for the first Canadian units to land in Europe, seven men lost their lives in August 1914, and are counted among the fallen.

August 14, 1914

Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connection

The first soldier to die was Private Harry Benjamin Little.  Pte Little died from heart failure at Hughenden, Alberta, on an Edmonton troop train carrying the second contingent from the city on it's way east. His body was removed at Hardesty, Alberta to the care of the Royal North West Mounted Police. He was buried at Czar Lutheran Cemetery, Provost, Alberta.

Private Harry B Little is commemorated on Page 1 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

August 15, 1914 The next Canadian Soldiers to fall were Private Charles F Kells, and Private John Thomas Madden. Private Charles Frederick Kells, 19th Regiment, drowned on August 15, 1914 near the Niagara Street bridge. He was first noticed to be absent when a helmet was seen floating in the canal near Lock 9, but dragging of the canal that evening was unsuccessful and it was not until the next morning that his body was recovered. There was no indication of foul play and an inquest attributed his death to an accident. He is buried in the Fonthill Cemetery, Fonthill, Ontario. John Thomas Madden commemorated on the first page of the First World War book of Remembrance, He is buried in the Halifax (Mount Olivet) Cemetary.

Remembering the Canadian Fallen of the Great War, a personal project.

I started thinking about doing a blog about the soldiers who fought and died for Canada during the Great War about a year ago.  At the time I was working at a job that stretched me as far as I could stretch.  At the same time, I decided to sell my house, and buy a new one, and managed to do that in the first 21 days of August.  All this to say that although the notion of this blog was in the back of my mind, it proved nearly impossible to follow through.  And then, as I realized that the project could involve doing research on 62,305 names, I wondered when I could make it happen.

Then I found a couple of projects that were doing a wonderful job of recording information about all of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and the Newfoundland Regiment.  The Canadian governments Veteran's Affairs Department has a wonderful virtual memorial, which links to photographs of Canada's Books of Remembrance (there are 7) which have a place of honour in the Peace Tower of Canada's Parliament buildings.

Photo from Veterans Affairs Canada

So, I have decided to start, almost a year after the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War to do what I have been contemplating for so long.  I'm going to convey the stories I have found about some of the men I have learned about.  And I'm going to remember the fallen Canadians of World War One.