Joined the 252nd Battalion, CEF, in Lindsay, Ontario, on 26 April 1917 (number 1087337) - taken on the strength of the 4th Labour Battalion, CEF, on 4 October 1917 - transferred to the 38th Battalion, CEF, on 24 or 25 July 1918 - struck off the strength of the 38th Battalion on 16 June 1919.
An attempt at an ongoing mass biography of the officers and men of the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, during the First World War
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Private John Ernest Flower
Born on 22 October 1898 in Bedlinog, South Wales - brother of Florence Flower, Lindsay, Ontario - at the time of his enlistment in 1917: present address in Lindsay, Ontario, trade as farmer, single, no current or previous military service, Methodist, height of 5 feet 5 inches, chest of 35 inches fully expanded, dark complexion, brown eyes, brown hair.
Joined the 252nd Battalion, CEF, in Lindsay, Ontario, on 26 April 1917 (number 1087337) - taken on the strength of the 4th Labour Battalion, CEF, on 4 October 1917 - transferred to the 38th Battalion, CEF, on 24 or 25 July 1918 - struck off the strength of the 38th Battalion on 16 June 1919.
Joined the 252nd Battalion, CEF, in Lindsay, Ontario, on 26 April 1917 (number 1087337) - taken on the strength of the 4th Labour Battalion, CEF, on 4 October 1917 - transferred to the 38th Battalion, CEF, on 24 or 25 July 1918 - struck off the strength of the 38th Battalion on 16 June 1919.
Dear sir:
ReplyDeleteJohn ernest Flower was my Grandfather. I never knew him but was told that he died as a result of his service...some kind of lung problem. He was one of the "home children" sent to Canada from Wales along with three sisters. I have been trying to amass a chronology of his life just so I can attempt to know the man a little better. I have found most of his service records but they don't say why he was struck off strength. I suspect that from the stories I have heard, he was a victim of a gas attack during the war.
Sorry for the belated response. I have not yet seen Pte Flower's military service record, so I can only speculate beyond what the blog entry states. His transfer from 4th Labour Battalion to the 38th Battalion in July 1918 is typical of the infantry's need for more soldiers on the eve of the Aug 1918 offensives. Likewise, his being struck off strength of the 38th on 16 Jun 1919 reflected that he was one of the men discharged from the 38th in Ottawa after the battalion's return to Canada. He may well have suffered from a gas attack during his service, I just don't have any documentation for that at this time.
ReplyDeleteKen