For several years now I've been researching and writing a history of the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, and its experience during the First World War. Throughout this time one of the things that's bothered / intrigued me is the amount of information I've been able to gather on individual members of the 38th but without any really feasible outlet for the information. In the back of my mind I've wanted to write a collective biography of these men, but I'm not sure that will ever happen. (I still have a lot of work left to do just writing the overall history). Putting the information slowly onto my website is also possible, but seems a lot of web-type work that I'm not really up for. So, what I have concluded is, why not use a blog to present this information? I'm already familiar with Blogger (from my other blog - The Cannon's Mouth) and it's a quick and easy means to get some information out onto the web and, hopefully, garner some feedback as I go along.
So, here's the plan. I will write individual posts on members of the 38th - hopefully one a day or so - using some of the basic information I've gathered. I will then consider each of these posts to be available for editing, in other words I will add more information as I find it - images, medal citations, newspaper blurbs, etc., etc. I will use labels (see the bottom of this message) specific to each unique family name (all the Smiths together, for example) and these will appear on the right sidebar as a type of index to the individuals. This will become unwieldy when I've written posts for hundreds of individuals, but I'll try to figure something out.
Feedback would be wonderful! Further information on one or more soldiers I've written about, fantastic!
Thursday, November 9, 2006
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5 comments:
Hi there, I came across your blog while doing some family history research. My great-uncle, Leo MacDonald was a member of the 38th Battalion from February 27, 1915 until demobilization in 1919. After discharge he went to Kingston to live with his brother and family. Unfortunately he died in 1922 after lapsing into a diabetic coma.
I have a Roscoe Wilder. I guess you haven't got to the Ws yet. He wrote a memoire which says he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field twice. I have found the record for 1 which was gazetted 24 Jan 1919.
Hi Lois,
Cpl Wilder did receive the MM and a Bar to the MM. The first was announced in London Gazette, issue 31142, 21 January 1919, p.1249; the second in London Gazette, issue 41469, 22 July 1919, p.9345.
I would love to see a copy (a digital scan?) of his memoir.
Thanks for your comment.
Ken
Hello Ken:
I discovered your blog after doing a search for my great-uncle John Stanley Holmes, who served in the 38th. I do have a photo of him in uniform, on horseback. I have no idea where it was taken. I have another photo of him in civilian clothes. My mother was born in Canada and came to the U.S. as a small girl with her mother and her brother. When she died in 1990, I traveled to Picton, Ontario to research my family history. It was in Picton that I discovered a statue of a WWI soldier and found my uncle's name on the monument. Upon advice of a passing gentleman, I wrote to the military archives in Ottawa and received copies of his military records. Through them I was also able to purchase a photograph of my great-uncle's grave in France.
If you would like to contact me, my email address is:
mass55th@twcny.rr.com
Thank you for putting this blog together.
Kathy Dhalle
My Great-Uncle Private James Johnston Rose 472627 attested to the 38th Battalion Nov 16th, 1915 at Saskatoon.He has 2 gravemarkers. One is a military gravemarker at Malagawatch Cemetery, Cape Breton which also notes he was in the 38th battalion.He was ultimately Discharged 31 5 (?) 18 in accordance H.Q. 16.25 of ................. having been placed in Category C III of Sickness aggravated by service - handwritten on attestation papers.
His brother, Fraser Rose wrote the following:He came over to England with the Canadian Expeditionary Force rather late in 1916, and came to visit his parents in Lewis. I think that it was in 1917 that he went to France; he was in France about three months in the front line before he was buried by a shell. This upset his old back injury and he was completely disabled again. When he was evacuated from a base hospital he was sent to a Glasgow hospital where he remained for some months.
I wonder if you have run across any information about him? Many thanks.
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