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LEST WE FORGET Sgt Gibson NOW ON! 1947 - 2017 EVERY LITRE OF FUEL SUR LE LITRE Shilo D’ESSENCE PLUS EVERY WEDNESDAY at CANEX SuperMart Shilo NO MONEY DOWN Stag CHAQUE MERCREDI NOT EVEN THE TAXES. au Supermart CANEX de Shilo Ask us for details. *O.A.C. Your source for Army news in Manitoba Restrictions apply. Des restrictions s’appliquent. Volume 58 Issue 21 Serving Shilo, Sprucewoods & Douglas since 1947 October 17, 2019 INSIDE This Issue Avr Lefebvre researched LEST WE FORGET Sgt Gibson. Page 8 Memorial service for for- mer 1RCHA RSM. Page 9 James Keay (top) was KIA during the Great War after leaving his farm to serve in the CEF. MCpl was a ‘giant’ among The May brothers, Harold and Bill, trained at Camp Hughes (above) in 1916 before seeing his training peers. Page 12 action during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. Bill May was wounded by shrapnel to the leg, while his older brother was left for dead on the battlefi eld after sustaining horrifi c wounds after a shell exploded nearby. He was found alive three days later. 2 Shilo Stag CELEBRATING 72 YEARS PROVIDING ARMY NEWS October 31, 2019 Second World War Discovery Box deals with ʻdiffi cult historyʼ Steven Fouchard lets, some crackers. You open Stag Special it up and it still smells like chocolate.” She added, “Sweetheart The Canadian War Mu- pins were often given by a seum (CWM) is bringing the service person to their loved Second World War to life for one. They really capture the students across the country daily lives of Canadians at with a new Discovery Box of home during the war.” artifacts designed to stimu- One big take-away from late discussion in the class- the user feedback received, room. O’Quinn noted, was that The project is a follow up teachers wanted more focus to the CWM’s Supply Line on the experiences of wom- First World War Discovery en and visible minorities in Box, which has been bor- This authentic Second World War-era coat is just one wartime. The museum has rowed more than 1,900 times example of the contents of the Canadian War Muse- responded by incorporating It was a hive of activity at the MPTF during the Base’s since the museum launched um’s Supply Line Second World War Discovery Box. the story of Japanese-Cana- Family Day event, with plenty to do for all ages. Base the initiative in 2014. The resource is being made available to schools at dians who were forcibly re- This year, the museum Ammo was popular among the kids in attendance, as no charge and includes many other artifacts from the located over concerns about is circulating 20 Second was doing the Forces Test. their loyalty. World War kits and 30 First era to enhance classroom instruction. Photos Jules Xavier/Shilo Stag Photo Canadian War Museum The product also deals World War kits, which will with the Holocaust. be loaned to schools free of “Teachers don’t want to charge for two weeks at a shy away from diffi cult history so that’s why we felt it was time. Both are aimed at students from Grades 4 to 12. important to include those,” O’Quinn said. Sandra O’Quinn, a Learning Specialist with CWM, said Also among the artifacts is a helmet of the sort worn, not the Second World War box contains 23 artifacts, some repro- only by soldiers on the front, but also by Canadian Wom- ductions, others authentic. en’s Army Corps members and civilians volunteers on the There are hands-on objects and clothing, photographs home front. and documents. As was the case with the First World War “We have an image of a group of African-Canadians in version, she added, they were chosen to spark students’ cu- the Dartmouth area and they’re all wearing the helmets,” riosity. said O’Quinn. “It shows the diversity of those affected and “A big part of the current curriculum in most provinces of those participating in the war.” is teaching historical literacy skills and inquiry-based think- The museum has also created supplementary materials ing,” she said. “So by giving them things that are curious to aid teachers, and they include fi rst-hand accounts from and cause them to ask questions, it opens up a whole line of Canadians who lived through the period to deepen the ex- thinking for the teacher to run with.” perience for students. Feedback from the fi rst round of Second World War kit “I think there are a lot of opportunities to link those peo- loans is still being gathered, but O’Quinn said she suspects ple with the objects and have even more depth of learning,” students will be fascinated by two artifacts in particular: a said O’Quinn. lifeboat ration tin and a “sweetheart pin.” Bookings for both First and Second World War kits start “It’s a real ration,” O’Quinn said of the former. “We fi lled Nov. 1. it with epoxy so that it won’t spoil. It’s got chocolate tab- Pet of the Week Pet ofCHARLEY &the KEEVER Week Pet of the Week Pet of the Week PEACEFUL VALLEY PET CREMATORIUM Pet of“A treasured the memorial Week for your cherished pet.” www.peacefulvalleypetcrematorium.com Charley McKeever has a dog and cat as pets. Do you have a photo of your pet — cat, dog, bird, snake, hamster — you’d like to share with our Stag readers? If so, e-mail it to Karen & Rob Gardiner us via [email protected] Pet of the204-748-3101 Week • Virden CANADIAN MILITARYʼS TRUSTED NEWS SOURCE October 31, 2019 CELEBRATING 72 YEARS PROVIDING ARMY NEWS Shilo Stag 3 Clark brothers see action in Passchendaele Jules Xavier certifi cate for a pension was signed by the local Justice of Shilo Stag the Peace, who happened to be his father, James Clark. He was medically discharged just a bit more than a year after landing in France, then moved to Vancouver, BC. RCA Museum senior curator Kathleen Christensen will Based on his war service, William was entitled to wear be remembering a number of her ancestors, who saw action two blue chevrons on his uniform. He was offi cially re- in the Great War, during this year’s Remembrance Day cer- leased on Dec. 12, 1918 for being “medically unfi t for ser- emonies happening across Canada. vice” after he requested it so he could return home to Mani- Like her great-uncles William and James Clark, who grew toba, where he was a “poultry” farmer. His wounds were up in this province, calling Clarkleigh home. healing, including the stump on his left leg which required “William and James were named after their grandfather, lots of medical attention, according to his records, following another James Clark,” noted Christensen. “They are my the amputation. mother’s father’s [Laura/Sidney] older brothers. The fam- His records, now all scanned in and available at www. ily farmed in the Interlake for years, going back to their bac-lac.gc.ca under personnel records of the First World grandfather’s immigration to Manitoba in 1875 from the War, provide all of his medical records as well as pay. Did Orkneys.” you know soldiers in the Great War received $15 per month Explaining the family history is no easy task when you for their service on the battlefi elds. look back a century, but Christensen said the Great War sol- James Clark stayed overseas until March 1919 after suf- diers’ grandfather had two sons born in South Africa, Wil- fering several bouts of infl uenza. He went to work in the liam and James, who are the father of the William and James mines in Flin Flon after the Great War ended on Nov. 11, and Sidney. 1918. “Their mother was South African of African heritage,” said Christensen. “William was the older, but shorter broth- er and James was the younger, but topped his brother by fi ve inches.” Five-foot-eight James Clark also had militia experience with the 100th Winnipeg Grenadiers. He enlisted on May 27, 1916, just three months after turning 18. Standing fi ve-foot-three, William Clark signed up for the CEF on Feb. 23, 1916, age 20. Both of her great-uncles trained at Camp Hughes. “They both sailed to England on the HMS Olympic, but at different times,” offered Christensen on her relatives leav- BECAUSE ing Canada for the battlefi elds overseas. “They landed in France within four days of each other in May 1917, but with different Battalions. William was trained for the Signals Corp and was with the 43rd Battalion. James IT’S ABOUT was with 28th.” Christensen has a family photo of the two brothers, standing alongside another soldier, in her Great War family archives. The brothers were at Hill 70 and in the lead up to Pass- chendaele. On the fi rst day of Passchendaele, William Clark HER TOO was wounded by a shrapnel shell — severely in the left leg, moderately in the left arm, right leg, face and shoulder. According to war records for her great-uncle, the left knee was shattered and was amputated at the thigh at an advanced dressing station. It was not until December that GET VACCINATED. he was evacuated to Blighty, England. It was on Dec. 20 that James heard of his brother’s evacu- ation just as he was transferred to William’s Battalion, the DON’T SPREAD THE FLU. 43rd. He wrote him a postcard that day, which Christensen still possesses, which was addressed to ward two of a hos- pital in France.
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