Canada Post Employees in World War I
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CANADA POST HERITAGE CLUB HONOURING OUR OWN CANADA POST EMPLOYEES IN WORLD WAR I Information researched and compiled by Van-Fraser Heritage Club Members Jim Bain Heather Ferguson Joan Garlick 2 INTRODUCTION In the Summer of 2009 workmen conducting renovations in the Retail Lobby of the Vancouver Mail Processing Plant in Downtown Vancouver located a Memorial Plaque honouring Vancouver Post Office employees who were lost in World Wars I and II. The plaque was originally cast following WW I to honour eleven individuals then recast following WW II to honour three more. It was moved from its original location at the Vancouver Post Office, located at the time in what is now the Sinclair Centre on the North West corner of Granville and Hastings Streets, to the Main Lobby of the new building in 1958. Subsequent renovations to the Retail Lobby removed the Plaque from public view. In November 2010 the Van-Fraser Heritage Club hosted a ceremony, attended by representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces, to rededicate the Plaque and place it back in a prominent position in the newly renovated Retail Lobby. As part of the Rededication Ceremony the Van-Fraser Heritage Club researched each of the names on the Plaque and prepared a history for each. This research led to the discovery of seven other Canada Post employees in British Columbia who were lost in World War I and 165 employees who served and safely returned. The Vancouver Mail Processing ceased operations in 2014 and the Plaque has been relocated to the new processing facility in Richmond. As the 100th Anniversary of the start of World War I is approaching Van-Fraser undertook research to locate as many Canada Post employees as possible who served in World War I. Our research included review of the data bases maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs, web sites displaying City Directories of the time, as well as records maintained by local Archives. Also included in this compilation are some Postmasters from Semi-Staff and Revenue Offices and Rural Route service providers even though they were not employees. This research has resulted in the location of 1,764 Canada Post employees who served in World War I and of those165 were lost. Also listed are nine women from Canada Post who volunteered to serve in England in Convalescent Homes for Wounded Soldiers. Unfortunately this list cannot be considered as complete. Some records of the day are missing vital information and some are completely missing. Some individuals served in Militia Units that were not activated for service in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and their records are not available. These Militia Units performed a variety of duties in Canada such as guarding Military Bases and vital civilian facilities. NOTES: At the outbreak of World War I the Department of National Defense decided that rather than using existing Regimental names all Battalions and Units would be assigned numbers for identification. For example; the British Columbia Regiment became the 7th Battalion. Only the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Royal Canadian Regiment and Lord Strathcona’s Horse maintained their names. Where possible the traditional Regiment Name is listed following the Battalion Number. Since the end of World War I some of these Regiments have been disbanded or amalgamated with other Regiments.. Regimental Numbers are listed for non-commissioned soldiers. Officers were not assigned Regimental Numbers. Individuals who died while in service or as a result of their service are highlighted in red, those wounded in blue and those captured as Prisoners of War in grey. Medals and decorations, including campaign medals from previous service, are listed and shown for each individual. Items of interest for individuals found in personnel records are including with the information. Canadian Army Records are detailed but Royal Canadian Navy records do not contain a great deal of information. In 1919 the Canadian and British Governments paid a War Service Gratuity to all who served in their respective including Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Nurses. As the British payment was lower than the Canadian payment the Canadian Government paid an Imperial War Service Gratuity to all Canadian residents who served in the British Forces and re- turned to Canada. Over 17,000 individuals applied for the payment Over 60 per cent of British Army Records from World War I were destroyed in 1940 and information is limited. 3 ACKLAND, ERNEST Number: 4020850 Private, 1st Depot Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment Conscripted October 18, 1917, Ottawa Served in Europe with the 72nd Battery, Canadian Field Artillery Letter Carrier, Ottawa 76 John Street, Ottawa Born May 23, 1889 Ottawa Ontario ADAIR, RICHARD DICK Number: 255050 Private, 210th Battalion Volunteered May 19, 1916, Moose Jaw Postal Clerk, Moose Jaw 253 River Street East, Moose Jaw Born February 7, 1896 Wishaw, Scotland ADAMS, MELFORT Sapper, 4th Canadian Enginers Number: 5019 Volunteered October 21, 1916, Camp Hughes Railway Mail Clerk, Saskatoon General Delivery, Deer Lodge Born April 27, 1894 Melfort, Saskatchewan ADAMS, VICTOR Number: 23231 Private, 5th Mounted Rifles, Sherbrooke Hussars Volunteered September 23, 1914, Valcartier Postal Clerk, Sherbrooke QC 15 Railroad Street, Lennoxville QC Born December 12, 1890 Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England ADAMSON, ALEXANDER ERIC Private, 9th Battalion, Edmonton Fusiliers Number: 18905 Volunteered September 21, 1914, Valcartier Postal Clerk, Edmonton 9722 105th Street, Edmonton Born June 20, 1891 Edmonton, Alberta Hospitalized June 6 to 9, 1917 with a severe facial infection. ADAMSON, WILLIAM Sergeant, 9th Battalion, Edmonton Fusiliers Number: 19202 Volunteered September 23, 1914, Valcartier Postal Clerk, Edmonton Box 461, Edmonton Born February 7, 1887 Edmonton, Alberta Married to Yvonne Adamson Died October 5, 1917 Buried Aix-Noulette Cemetery Extension, France Survived by wife Yvonne and parents Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Adamson, Edmonton Awarded the Military Medal, November 16, 1917 4 AGASSIZ, HAROLD ROMILLY GARNAULT Number: 237777 Private 204th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Canada Volunteered May 8, 1916, Toronto Postal Clerk, Toronto 15 Cedar Avenue, Toronto Born March 3, 182 Valetta, Malta Married to Emma Agassiz AGNEW, WILLARD VICTOR Number: 308700 Sergeant, 44th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery Volunteered February 4, 1916, Prince Albert Postal Clerk, Prince Albert 133 19th Street East, Prince Albert Born May 3, 1897 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Hospitalized in France with Enteric (Typhoid) Fever, August 24 to September 17, 1916 AINSLIE, CHARLES RAMSEY Private, 144th Battalion, Winnipeg Rifles Number: 830410 Volunteered January 5, 1916, Winnipeg Postal Clerk, Winnipeg 686 Maryland Street, Winnipeg Born January 1, 1893 Glasgow, Scotland Suffered a gunshot wound, left thigh, September 5, 1918. Died of Wounds, September 23, 1918 Buried Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England Survived by parents Alexander and Margaret R. Ainslee, Vancouver BC AIRD, GEORGE DOIG Number: 246368 Private, 207th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa Volunteered May 25, 1916, Ottawa Postal Clerk, Ottawa 56 Frank Street, Ottawa Born July 19, 1870 York, Ontario Married to Zella Aird Obtained “Discharge by Purchase” August 16, 1916, Ottawa ON AITKEN, MALCOLM GRAEME Sergeant, Canadian Army Postal Corps Number: 35221 Volunteered December 23, 1914, Calgary Postal Clerk, Calgary 710 16th Street NW, Calgary Born May 23, 1889 London, England AITKEN, TEMPEST Number: 231424 Private, 202nd Battalion, Edmonton Fusiliers, Alberta Dragoons Volunteered April 1, 1916, Edmonton Letter Carrier, Edmonton 76th Avenue/Clover Bar Road, Edmonton Born September 27, 1889 Prestwich, Manchester, England 5 AITKEN, WILLIAM ALEXANDER Private, Canadian Army Service Corps Number: 512051 Volunteered November 22, 1915 Letter Carrier (and Carpenter), Winnipeg 496 Banning Street, Winnipeg Born October 8, 1888 Glasgow, Scotland ALCOCK, CHARLES HERCULES Private 198th Battalion, Canadian Buffs Number: 916839 Volunteered May 16, 1916, Toronto Letter Carrier, Toronto 236 Marguerretta Street, Toronto Born April 28, 1890 Toronto, Ontario ALCOCK, ROY ALEXANDER Number: 916739 Private, 198th Battalion, Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Volunteered April 26, 1916, Toronto Postal Clerk, Toronto 236 Marguerite Street, Toronto Born March 2, 1898 Toronto, Ontario Was penalized on three occasions for being absent from duty prior to departure to Europe. Was determined to be “Medically Unfit” on June 28, 1918 and returned to Canada for discharge on October 19, 1918. ALDERSON, ALBERT CHARLES Number: 510654 Private, 14th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery Volunteered October 14, 1915, Toronto Postal Clerk, Toronto 798 Gerrard Street East, Toronto Married to Esther Alderson Born March 4, 1890 Toronto, Ontario ALEXANDER, WALTER CHARLES Private, 2nd Battalion, Governor General’s Foot Guards Number: 7827 Volunteered September 22, 1914, Valcartier QC Postal Clerk, Ottawa ON 77 Lees Avenue, Ottawa ON Born December 1, 1892 Ottawa, Ontario Reported Missing and presumed to have died April 24, 1915, Battle of St. Julien No known grave. Name listed on the Menin Gate Survived by parents Fred and Lucretia Alexander, Ottawa ON ALLARD, ALPHONSE JOSEPH Quartermaster Sergeant, Canadian Army Service Corps Number: 504 Volunteered September 24, 1914, Valcartier Railway Mail Clerk, Montreal No address on Certificate of Attestation Born June 1879 Married to Stephanie Allard Died June 9, 1915 Buried St. Joseph de Sorel Cemetery, Montreal QC