Blog Archives

Kennedy

3/26/2017

Keltie Samuel Kennedy 1262008

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Keltie Samuel Kennedy was the son of William and Kate Kennedy. He was born on September 23, 1897 in Hampton, NB. As a young man, he attended the Church of England. On May 1, 1916, at the age of 18, Keltie signed up with the 7th Overseas Siege Battery later the 6th Canadian Siege Battery in Saint John, NB. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall and had blue eyes and light brown hair. He was initially stationed on Partridge Island where he did guard duty but in his free time he liked to play ball, tennis and cards. He left Canada on the SS Olympic in May, 1916. He noted in his diary that there was lots of music to entertain the troops as there were five bands aboard. He disembarked in Liverpool and was prepared to fight for King and Empire.

Kennedy served in France for nine months. His diary indicates that he was always happy to receive mail from home and also that he attended church services as often as possible. He fought at the Somme and upon his arrival at Vimy he was very impressed by the manpower and the artillery moving in to place in preparation for the big attack. In early April, 1917 Keltie writes of the challenges they faced as there was constant shelling, adverse weather conditions and damaged trenches requiring repairs. Keltie served with a Siege Battery. Their role was to fire heavy artillery rounds with the objective of destroying trenches, bunkers and barbed wire. On Easter Monday, April 9, Keltie was up and moving at 4:00 AM. He noted in his diary that by 7:25 AM there were large numbers of prisoners coming in and by 8:25 our troops were consolidating positions. He knew things were going well and that all of the advanced planning was paying off. After April 12, the Canadians still had a lot of work to do chasing out pockets of Germans. Shelling from the enemy was a constant threat. On April 15, Keltie was struck on his back by a piece of shrapnel and a rock hit his head. He avoided serious injury this time.
Keltie was wounded for the second time in Arleux, France by a high explosive shell on April 28, 1917. He was carried out under fire later that day. He sustained an injury to the bone in the left hip and also had a broken femur on his left leg. He became as noted in his medical records “dangerously ill” while in the hospital. The leg was seriously infected and as a result he was sent back to England. He was discharged in February, 1918 and was able to serve as a clerk. Sometime shortly after he married his wife Irene who had been his nurse during his convalescence in England. The leg again became troublesome and he was readmitted to the hospital in Bramshott in April, 1918 for further medical treatment. He was sent home in June, 1918 where again he was admitted to the hospital in July and discharged on August 20, 1918. The left leg was now one and a half inches shorter than his right leg.

Kennedy returned to Hampton, NB but in the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles he felt certain that another global conflict was inevitable. These inter- war years were tough ones as there was not much money for the military but Kennedy felt that Canadians had to be ready when the next war started. The 8th Hussars were based in Hampton and Kennedy wanted to keep the regiment ready for the future. He convinced men to volunteer and keep training. He organized a machine gun troop in Hampton with the idea of keeping the men interested and developing their skills. From 1936 to 1939 he was the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 8th Hussars. Given the situation in Europe in the late 1930’s war was now imminent. It was under his leadership that the 8th Hussars converted from a mounted regiment to an armoured regiment. He was credited with ensuring the 8th Hussars were well prepared for service in the Second World War. During the Second World War, he served at District Headquarters and after the war he served again as Lieutenant-Governor of the Hussars. He would do so until 1948. Keltie was no doubt very proud of his son, Clifford who served in Italy and North west Europe during the Second World War.

Keltie Kennedy died in 1987 at the age of 88. He is celebrated among Hussars today as being the driving force which made the regiment such a formidable force during the Second World War.

CTV News

2 Comments

Thorne

3/26/2017

3 Comments

Ora Whitfield Thorne
Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force
Service Number 742837

Ora Whitfield Thorne was born to Almeda (Kierstead) and Byatha Thorne on December 24, 1895 in Salem, Kings County, New Brunswick. He was one of 15 children (two girls and 13 boys). He was 18 years old and working on a farm when the First World War broke out. He did not join the military immediately as he feared he would be turned away because of some health issues.

Two years later the war that most thought would be over in a few months raged on. Ora was now 20 years old and he felt compelled to enlist and do his part. He enlisted on March 1, 1916. From March to May of 1916 he trained in Saint John, NB with the 115th Battalion. He then travelled to Quebec where he trained for the next few months in preparation for overseas service.

He was next sent to Halifax where he boarded the SS Olympic. He disembarked in the United Kingdom and trained in Bramshott where he received rifle and machine gun training. He was sent to Le Havre, France in 1917 where he was taken on strength by the 26th Battalion and worked behind the lines at Vimy ensuring that food, ammunition and supplies reached the soldiers.

Thorne became a stretcher bearer while with the 26th. He continued in this role until the end of the war. Thorne would go on to see action at the battle for Hill 70 in August of 1917 and at Passchendaele in the fall of 1917. He was wounded in November of 1917 when a shell struck the ground in front of him. Ora fell in to a hole and didn’t realize he had been wounded until he got up and felt blood. He recovered in the hospital for a two-week period. Ora would go on to serve at the Battles of Amiens and Canal Du Nord in 1918, two significant battles from Canada’s Hundred Days. The First World War was declared over in November of 1918.

After the armistice, Ora went to Cologne, France for several months where he did guard duty. Before returning home, Ora was one of a few of the 26th Battalion chosen to parade before King George V in London. Ora was sent home with thousands of other Canadian servicemen in the spring of 1919. He disembarked in Halifax, took a train to Saint John from where he was discharged. Ora returned to Havelock where the community had a small celebration to honour he and two others.

In 1925, Ora married Annie Marcia Thorne, daughter of Charles and May (Mullet) Thorne of the Canaan Road. Ora would go on to farm but when the Second World War broke out he felt compelled to enlist again but was refused. He did contribute however by helping with the construction of additional facilities at Camp Sussex. He then went on to work at Blois Corey’s mill. In 1945, Ora purchased a farm from Dan Burgess where he worked until retirement. He and his wife had two sons, Gerald and Ronny and two daughters, Norma (Mrs. Percy Corey) and Marilyn (Mrs. Dave Delong). Ora and his wife Anne had 22 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

From biographical information held by the 8th Hussars Museum located in Sussex, NB. The museum has in its collection two essays. One essay was authored by John Hughes who interviewed Ora Thorne in December, 1983. The other essay was written by Ora Thorne’s daughter, Norma Thorne Corey.

Global News

3 Comments

Ashe

3/26/2017

3 Comments

Private John Firman Ashe 710173

26th Battalion

2nd Canadian Division
Canadian Expeditionary Force

John Firman Ashe was born to a Presbyterian family in Upham, NB on January 25, 1891. He was the son of Robert and Emma Ashe. He enlisted in April 25, 1916 in Sussex, NB a little more than a month after his good friend Harry Myles had enlisted. He was 25 years old and in his attestation papers he declared himself to be a labourer and that he had eight weeks of experience with the local militia. He had blue eyes, black hair and he was 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall.
John was initially with the 104th Battalion as was Harry. They both left Canada on June 28, 1916 on the SS Olympic and disembarked in Liverpool, England together on July 6, 1916 where they trained at Camp Witley. He was transferred to the 26th Battalion on November 28, 1916 upon arriving in France.
The 26th Battalion was with the 2nd Canadian Division which played a significant role at Vimy Ridge in April, 1917. April 9th was the opening day of the four-day battle. The 2nd Division had great success on this day. They captured and retained all of its objectives. The 26th Battalion was working with the 24th. They took their sector and support line in 12 minutes and captured the Black Line between 6:02 and 6:14. The 26th pushed through in adverse conditions as the weather went from rain to snow to rain again. At some point during this day, John Firman Ashe was wounded and was taken to the No. 1 Canadian Field Ambulance where he died shortly thereafter. His military file indicated that the nature of the wounds was not reported. He died on the first day of battle to take the ridge. He was only 26 years old. Undoubtedly, this was a sad day for his friend, Harry Myles, who had to fight on with a heavy heart.
John Ashe is buried at the Quatre-Vents Military Cemetery located in Estree-Cauchy, France 16 kilometers north-west of Arras. There are over 100 casualties from the First World War buried there. His family were obviously heartbroken. They paid to have the original wooden cross from his burial site brought home. This cross has been brought out of storage countless times over the last 100 years so that generations of his family could learn of his life and of his sacrifice. The cross along with other personal memorabilia were recently donated to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The house where these two young men spent part of their youth is still standing. John’s parent’ s headstone bears his name as well along with the inscription “Killed at Vimy”. John’s family very much treasures his memory.

CTV Atlantic

3 Comments

Myles

3/26/2017

3 Comments

Private Harry Jones Myles 710128
5th Canadian Mounted Rifles
3rd Canadian Division
Canadian Expeditionary Force

Harry Jones Myles was born in Hammond, Kings County on December 6, 1888. He was the son of Martha and Weldon F. Myles and the family attended the Church of England. Harry enlisted on March 20, 1916 at the age of 27 years old. He was single and stated in his attestation papers that he was a clerk. He had no previous military experience. He had a fair complexion, brown hair and was 5 feet 6 ¾ inches tall.
.
Harry joined the 104th Overseas Battalion (B Company). He set sail with his friend from the Shepley Road, John Ashe, on June 28, 1916 on the SS Olympic and they arrived
together in Liverpool, England on July 6, 1916. He trained with John at Camp Witley while in the UK. He was sent to France on November 7, 1916 and was taken on strength by the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles on December 16, 1916.
In 1917, it was decided that the Canadian Corps would have the responsibility of taking Vimy Ridge. Our four Canadian Divisions would each have distinct responsibilities in this well planned and well rehearsed attack. The 5th CMR was part of the 3rd Division and their war diary indicates an active role in this significant battle. The 5th CMR suffered 91 casualties of which 20 died as a result of the battle. After the battle between April 13th and April 20th, the 5th CMR continued moving forward in adverse conditions as weather and constant shelling affected greatly their advance. On April 20th, patrols were sent forward to determine enemy positions. It was reported in the 5th CMR War Diary on this date that enemy artillery was very active around Bois de la Chaudière which barraged the 5th CMR’s front line heavily between 10:00 and 11:00 PM. At some point on April 20, Harry Myles was killed, eight days after the great Canadian success at Vimy. According to the war diary of the battalion, Harry was one of two 5th CMR’s killed between April 17 and April 23, 1917.

Harry is buried in Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery which is located 3.5 kilometers north of Arras in Souchez, France. There are 7655 Commonwealth burials from the First World War in this cemetery. Harry Myles is the only soldier from the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles buried at Cabaret-Rouge. He was only 29 years old when he died.

Two men, Harry Myles and John Ashe, both born and raised here in Kings County, NB, friends for many years, went to war together, both fought at Vimy and both died in April of 1917. The news surely reverberated deeply with their families and saddened their community. Both men paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. Lest we forget.

CTV Atlantic

3 Comments

Maillet

3/26/2017

2 Comments

Private Edouard Reuben Maillet 666334
Canadian Expeditionary Force

Edouard Reuben Maillet was born in Ricibucto- Village in Kent County, NB on January 14, 1890. His father was Reuben S. Maillet and his step-mother was Victoria Maillet. The war that was supposed to be over at Christmas was now in its second year. Maillet felt he had to contribute. He enlisted at the age of 26 in March of 1916 in Moncton, NB. Prior to joining the military he was a labourer. Upon enlistment, he was with placed with the 165th Battalion and later taken on strength by the 4th Pioneer Battalion. His medical records from 1916 indicate that he was 5’ 8” tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had a medium complexion, dark hair and blue eyes. His medical record also noted that he had a contusion to an abdominal wall as the result of an injury sustained in 1912 while in the United States. The file indicates that the injury was the result of lifting a heavy object. Edouard stated during his examination that he aggravated the same area in 1913. This hernia would cause further troubles for Edouard during his military career in Europe.

Edouard served his country for 3 years and 42 days. After training in Canada from March to September, 1916 he then proceeded to England on the SS Metagana. He disembarked in Liverpool on September 22, 1916. He was taken on strength by the 5th Canadian Pioneer Battalion at Crowborough on December 2, 1916. Crowborough had a Canadian Machine Gun Training School which opened during the second half of the First World War. On January 14, 1917, he was sent to France to face battle for the first time. He was taken on strength by the 3rd Canadian Pioneer Battalion. A pioneer battalion worked in conjunction with the engineers. They helped to consolidate positions captured by the infantry. They were also involved with tunneling, mining, wiring, railroad work, and building and maintaining trenches. This battalion played a vital role in the preparation work prior to the April 9th attack on Vimy Ridge and over the course of the four day battle.
Edouard was transferred to the 29th Battalion on May 8, 1917. The hernia which had troubled him for several years was again aggravated as his medical records indicate that he was hit in this spot with a lump of earth while fighting in France in 1917.
On April 30, 1918 Edouard was struck off strength to the 2nd Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Corps. Maillet would fight through until the end of the war. On April 13, 1919, he returned to England and left for Canada on May 14, 1919. He was discharged on May 25, 1919 in Toronto at the age of 29. He returned to Richibucto- Village where he fished for a few years and then took care of the Richibucto Harbour Lights. He retired in 1951 to take care of his wife, Emma, who was ill. Edouard and Emma had 2 sons and 5 daughters.
Edouard died at the age of 74 on February 18, 1964 at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Moncton. He had served his country well and his family is proud of his contribution to the military.

Interview

2 Comments

Bowser

3/21/2017

1 Comment

Edward Murray Bowser 832785
Canadian Expeditionary Force

Murray Bowser was born on March 31, 1886 in Dorchester, NB, the son of Edward and Margaret Bowser. Murray’s life was marked by a fair bit of tragedy and misfortune. As a child, Murray fell off a house and injured both scapulas which caused him some challenges during his military service. His father drowned in the Tantramar River in Sackville, NB in 1894. The family then relocated to Amherst, NS where Murray eventually found work in a local foundry. Here at the age of 13 he accidentally cut off three fingers of his left hand with a buzz plane. Murray’s mother remarried at the age of 44 to a Cornelius Crowley who was 33 years her senior. Unfortunately, Murray’s mother died shortly thereafter and Cornelius planned to put the children in an orphanage. Happily, his mothers brother, Murray’s uncle, William Union, who lived in Moncton took the children. Murray found work there with the Intercolonial Railway as a moulder.
In 1905, at the age of 19 Murray married Mabel Morrill. On August 8, 1916, Murray enlisted in Val Cartier, Quebec with the 145th Battalion. He was 30 years old. He had previous military experience as he had served with the 74th Regiment for nine years as a cook. He arrived overseas on the SS Tuscania on October 6, 1916. He served overseas with the 9th Reserve Battalion at Bramshott and with the 10th Battalion at Vimy Ridge. The 10th Battalion was part of the First Canadian Division at Vimy. On April 9th, they advanced into heavy small arms fire over heavily shelled terrain. The 10th Battalion suffered most of its casualties in the first 15minutes of the battle on April 9. Murray would survive Vimy but he was a victim of shell shock.
He returned home to Canada on the HMTS Justicia in May of 1917 and was taken on strength by the # 6 Special Service Company in July, 1917. On December 6, 1917 Murray would be present at the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history: the Halifax Explosion. On this day, Private Bowser was among a group of soldiers sent down to the wharf to unload ammunition. They witnessed the Mont Blanc on fire. There were two explosions. The first one did not affect Murray but the second one knocked him out. He remembers regaining consciousness on Barrington Street and being transported to the Camp Hill Hospital. Canadians gained a new perspective of the reality of war with over 2000 dead, 9000 injured and 25,000 left homeless.

Murray was discharged from the army on October 18, 1918. He returned to Moncton and worked for CN as a moulder. In 1925, he married Edna Boudreau. In 1939, he built a house. Disaster struck again as the house burnt down as the result of a grass fire. He lost everything including his First World War uniform. He built his second home on Edinburgh Drive, Moncton. Murray would go on to retire from CN. He was a proud member of the CNR War Vets and the 145th Battalion Association. He had looked adversity in the face countless times but soldiered on to live a full, productive life. He died on October 24, 1974 and is buried at Fair Haven Memorial Gardens on the Salisbury Road in Moncton.

CTV News

1 Comment

Main

3/18/2017

2 Comments

Captain Charles Gilliland Main
Canadian Army Medical Corps

Charles Gilliland Main was born in St. Andrews, NB on January 2, 1865. He was a physician in Edmundston for a number of years where he was the first doctor in New Brunswick to do an appendectomy. It was not long after he moved to St. Stephen, NB to practice that he felt compelled to enlist. He traveled to Montreal and on April 19, 1916 at the age of 51 he enlisted wanting to do his part to help with the heavy casualties. His military file indicated that he was married to Caroline Matilda and they had one child, Wilmot Balloch Main . They belonged to the Church of England. Both his parents were deceased.

He was appointed to the rank of Captain on March 2, 1916 and joined the Army Medical Corps. He served in England and France. On May 9, 1916, he arrived in Boulogne, France and was stationed at the No. 3 General Hospital. He was attached for temporary duty to the No 13 British Station Hospital during the summer of 1916 and then returned to the No. 3 General Hospital. Main dealt with casualties from many battles during the First World War including those at Vimy Ridge. There were more than 10,500 casualties over the four-day battle. 7,707 of those occurred on April 9 and the early hours of April 10. The wounds that medical staff dealt with were more severe than previous battles due to the increased use of artillery. Charles’ son, Wilmot enlisted in August of 1917. He too joined the Medical Corps and served with his father in Europe. Charles had a very caring heart. He wrote numerous articles for the newspaper detailing his experiences in France as well as those of the soldiers. He was also an amateur photographer. During the war, he took hundreds of photos of life during war time focusing on family, the injured, special times and the dead. His pictures have been preserved by the family and have now been donated to the 8th Hussars Museum.
Charles Main was having some medical issues with ulcers and stomach ailments and was admitted to the hospital for a month in March, 1919. He set sail for Canada on August 13, 1919 and was discharged from service on November 18, 1919. Main returned to New Brunswick and established a long-term family practice on the corner of Charlotte and Watson Streets in the west side of Saint John. His son, Wilmot, would also come to Saint John to teach at Saint John Vocational School. Wilmot would go on to become Vocational’s second director from 1937-1965.

Dr. Charles Gilliland Main died at the age of 75 on September 7. 1940. He is buried in Fernhill Cemetery in Saint John. He was of great service to his country during the First World War and was fortunate enough to return home and help so many others through his medical practice. His family is very proud of Charles and Wilmot for their contributions to the war as well as their many accomplishments during their lifetimes.

Interview

2 Comments

Kennedy

Thorne

Ashe

Myles

Maillet

Private Edouard Reuben Maillet 666334
Canadian Expeditionary Force

Bowser

Main

Archives

Location

Museum Google Reviews

Contact Us

We're also on Instagram! @8thHussarsMuseum

Kennedy

Thorne

Ashe

Myles

Maillet

Private Edouard Reuben Maillet 666334Canadian Expeditionary Force

Bowser

Main

Archives

Location

Museum Google Reviews

Contact Us​We're also on Instagram! @8thHussarsMuseum

Private Edouard Reuben Maillet 666334
Canadian Expeditionary Force

Contact Us

We're also on Instagram! @8thHussarsMuseum