John Phillips was born in Vernon, British Columbia, in October 1894, and later moved to Lasqueti Island, British Columbia. Phillips was drafted in November 1917, undertook his medical examination in Nanaimo, British Columbia, in March, 1918, and arrived in England in May 1918. He joined the 7th Battalion in France on October 2, 1918, and was killed 10 days later on October 12, 1918. The collection currrently consists of two photographs.
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.
Second Lieutenant Alfred James Pickup was born in Croydon, Surrey, England, on October 21 1887, to parents James and Louisa Pickup. After immigrating to Canada in April of 1912 he worked as bank clerk in Ladysmith, British Columbia, before moving to Victoria, B.C.
With the outbreak of war he returned to England in September 1914, where in December he was commissioned as an officer with the 13th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, British Expeditionary Force. He was serving with the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, when he was killed in the Battle of Loos on September 26, 1915. Pickup is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, at Pas de Calais, France.
The letters in the Pickup Collection were published in the Ladysmith Chronicle newspaper and were compiled, along with those of other local WWI soldiers, through the work of the Ladysmith & District Historical Society (links shown below).
The complete list of soldiers in the can be found in the Ladysmith and District Historical Society collection.
External links:
A member of the British Army, 2/Lt. Alfred JamesPickup (Serv/Reg# 1794) does not have a publicly available service record.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A collection of WWI soldiers' letters published in The Ladysmith Chronicle was undertaken by the Ladysmith & District Historical Society through their work with the Ladysmith Archives.
Albert Edmund Pinder was born in North Toronto, Ontario, in November 1892. Pinder enlisted in Guelph, Ontario, in December 1915. He served overseas during the war until his return to Guelph. The collection currently consists of six postcards written by Pinder.
Donald Elwood Pinder was born in Guelph, Ontario, in 1924. During WWII he served in the Merchant Marine, as well as in the Canadian Navy. Pinder served on the Nipigon in convoys in the North Atlantic, and for a short time on the Haida. The collection currently consists of numerous photographs and documentation from his time in the navy.
Henry Errol Beauchamp Platt, known as Errol Platt, was born in London, Ontario in May 1891. When war broke out he took a commission with The Queen's Own Rifles in Toronto, and then proceeded overseas with the 35th Battalion. Platt was serving with the 3rd Battalion at the time of his death on May 5, 1916. He is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium.
The collection consists of 83 letters, 3 photographs, and other miscellaneous items.
Within the letter collection, the main correspondents are:
Fern McIntyre, sweetheart/fiancée
Helen Platt (“Nennie”), mother
Arthur Thomas Platt, father,
Catherine Platt (“Kae”), sister
Madeline Platt (“Molly”), sister
Lieutenant George Lawrence Bisset Makenzie, close friend/fellow soldier
Additional remembrances of Lieutenant Platt can be found at both the The Canadian Virtual War Memorial and The Great War Law Student Memorial Project (pg 112).
Note: The original handwritten letters have been lost but typed transcriptions were made sometime after the war. It is the scans of these typed copies that have been included with each letter.
Albert Playfoot was born in Kent, England, in June 1894. He immigrated to Canada prior to the war and enlisted with the 70th Battalion in October 1915 and served overseas in France with the 58th Battalion until his demobilization in 1919. The collection currently consists of two photographs and his discharge certificate.
Archibald (Archie) Polson was born in Gimli, Manitoba. Polson enlisted at Gimli in February 1916, and was later transferred overseas with the 2nd Divisional Machine Gun Corps. Polson served in France, including the battle of Vimy Ridge. At Vimy he was wounded, resulting in the amputation of his arm. While almost fully recovered from his wound he contracted tetanus and died on September 1, 1917, and was buried in England. The online collection currently consists of twenty four letters exchanged between himself and his mother. The complete Polson collection is housed at The University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections and the materials contained herein are used with their permission.. The Project greatly appreciates the cooperation and assistance of The University of Manitoba in making these letters available.
David Pool was born in Annan, Scotland, in October 1888. He immigrated to Canada and resided in Blaine, Saskatchewan, until he enlisted in May 1916 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, with the 232nd Battalion. David Pool was serving with the 5th Canadians when wounded in August 1918, and he died in a military hospital in September 1918. His older brother William Pool was born in Annan, Scotland, in March 1884. He joined the CEF in January 1918 in Calgary, Alberta. William Pool was serving with the 10th Battalion at the time of his death in September 1918. The collection currently consists of two letters from David, one photograph, a Christmas card, remembrance cards for both brothers, and death notices for both brothers.
Thomas Poolton was born in Birmingham, England, in May 1888. At some time prior to the war Poolton immigrated to Canada and enlisted in Toronto, Ontario, in November 1914. He served overseas with the 20th Battalion and was wounded in 1916 as indicated by the postcards to him. The collection consists of a number of postcards to Poolton, as well as a number of miscellaneous items.
Edward Porter was born in Norfolk, England, in August 1889. Prior to the war he immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, where he enlisted in November 1915. The collection currently consists of his paybook.
The two letters in the collection were originally published in a Charlottetown newspaper in late 1916 and the clippings were part of a scrapbook kept by one of the residents of the city during the war. Few details are known about either the individuals in the letters or the circumstances of publication. The Cudmore letter was from John Richard Cudmore, born on Prince Edward Island in May 1898. Cudmore enlisted in March 1916 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Herbert H. King enlisted and served with the Newfoundland regiment. Both soldiers appear to have survived the war. If anyone can provide any further information about these letters, please contact The Canadian Letters and Images Project.
Frank Cyril Pye was born in Essex, England, in February 1896 and later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pye enlisted in Winnipeg in December 1915 and was serving with the Nova Scotia Regiment at the time of his death on August 11, 1918. The collection consists of twenty four letters to his sister Flo, as well as images, postcards, and miscellaneous items.
Henry Ralph was born in Dover, England, in November 1885 and immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, sometime prior to the war. Ralph enlisted in September 1914 and served overseas with the 48th Highlanders. During the war he was taken prisoner and returned to Canada after the war. The collection consists of an extended letter written in 1918 describing his experiences as a prisoner, as well as one photograph.
Samuel Hugh Ramsay was born in Aylmer, Québec, in June 1894. Ramsay enlisted in November 1915 with the Canadian Grenadier Guards Overseas Battalion and served overseas in France and Belgium. The collection consists of two letters, a field card, and one photograph.
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.
George Henry Redman was born in Norfolk, England, in September 1892. He enlisted in Pincher Creek, Alberta, in February 1915. Redman served overseas with the Fort Garry Horse until his death in April 1918. The collection consists of more than thirty letters from Redman to members of his family, as well as photographs, postcards, and telegrams.
Lance Corporal David Leslie Reekie, MM, was born in Camperdown, Ontario, on March 2, 1896, to parents Alexander and Isabella Reekie (née Walker).
He enlisted in Meaford, Ontario, on December 14, 1915, with the 147th Overseas Battalion (Grey County), embarking for England on board the SS Olympic in November 1916. He served in France with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, where he was awarded the Military Medal on February 2, 1918. Reekie was demobilized on March 19, 1919.
External links:
L/Cpl. Reekie’s service record (Serv/Reg# 838674) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
The David Reekie letters are part of the Sandy Stevenson Collection at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives in Owen Sound, Ontario, and were transcribed through the work of the Grey Roots Volunteers in the Fall of 2021. Minor changes have been made by the Canadian Letters and Images Project to these originals to conform with CLIP transcription protocols, and as such responsibility for any errors or omissions is ours.
Private George Abraham Reekie was born in Lyleton, Manitoba, on July 18, 1893.
He enlisted with the1st Depot Battalion, Manitoba Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force, on January 12, 1918. Shipping for England on board the SS Megantic in March 1918, he was called-up to action in France beginning in August of that year with the 27th Battalion. Following the cessation of hostilities Pte. Reekie returned to Canada and was demobilized on May 25, 1919.
The letters in the collection were written by George Reekie to his aunts in Camperdown, Ontario.
External links:
Pte. Reekie’s service record (Serv/Reg# 2129198) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
The George Reekie Collection was donated through the work of the Grey Roots Museum & Archives in Owen Sound, Ontario.
Daniel Spencer Reid was born in Middle Musquodobit, Nova Scotia, in October 1896. Reid enlisted in October 1915. He served overseas with the 85th Overseas Battalion, the Nova Scotia Highlanders. Reid was killed at Passchendaele, October 30, 1917. The collection consists of more than thirty letters and one postcard.
Donald Calderwood Reid was born in Middle Musquodobit, Nova Scotia, in January 1895. Reid enlisted in May 1916 and served overseas with the 85th Overseas Battalion, the Nova Scotia Highlanders. He was killed September 25, 1918.
