Kenora Great War Project

 

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The People

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These are the stories of Kenora participants in the First World War.

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Hourie, Roderick

Roderick Hourie was born on 18 March 1893 in St Clements, Manitoba. His parents were George and Mary Ellen (née Calder) Hourie. The couple had married 17 February 1892 in Selkirk, Manitoba. Roderick had four known siblings, Mabel, Florence, George, and Henry who died in infancy. The 1901 Canada census found the family living in… Read More »

Clouatre, Stanislas Aurele

Stanislas Aurele Clouatre was born on 27 September 1894 in Val-Racine, Quebec. His parents Emilien Clouatre and Marie Grenier had married on 5 June 1892 in nearby Notre-Dame-des-Bois. The couple farmed in the Val-Racine area for a number of years, giving birth to children Ozilda (1893-1965), Stanislas, Rose Delima ((1895-1978), Thomas (1897-1965), Aldea (1899-1916), Wilfred… Read More »

Desilet, Norman Alexander

Norman Alexander Desilet was born on 3 March 1888 in Norman, Ontario, the community now amalgamated with Kenora in northwestern Ontario. His parents Joseph Desilet and Caroline Provost were both from Quebec, marrying on 21 April 1873 in St Theodore de Chestsy, Montcalm. At the time of the marriage Joseph’s occupation was given as cultivateur… Read More »

Breeze, Jack

Sapper Jack Breeze enlisted in Winnipeg in February 1916 and served overseas with the Canadian Engineers. He was wounded at the Vimy Front in the spring of 1917 and invalided to Canada later the same year. Jack was the oldest son of John Breeze and Mary Ann Edwards of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. John and Mary… Read More »

Chinn, Edward John

Edward John Chinn was born on 21 March 1886 in Cheddar, Somerset in England, birth registered during the second quarter of 1886 in the District of Axbridge. Other sources such as censuses, his obituary, and his service record give varying years of birth, from 1883 to 1888. His father John Chinn, a butcher, was from… Read More »

Sundblad, Harry

Bror Henning Sundblad was born on 21 November 1886 in Torp, Västernorrland in Sweden. His father Johan Sundblad was from Sunne in Värmland while his mother Märta Julia MГҐrtensdotter was from Bergsjö in Gävleborg. The couple married on 23 October 1879 in the parish of Boda in Torp. Over the years while in Sweden Johan’s… Read More »

Begg, Duncan

Duncan Begg was born on 19 July 1897 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) in northwestern Ontario. He was the son of James and Jemina (née Muggaberg) Begg. Originally from Selkirk/St Andrews, Manitoba, the couple had married 27 August 1891 in Rat Portage. James had  moved to the area in 1888, employed by the Hudson’s Bay… Read More »

Boyd, Robert Hugh

According to his attestation papers, Robert Hugh Boyd was born on 9 April 1894 in Gilbertstown, Dunkineely, Donegal, Ireland while his obituary gives the date as 6 July 1894. Farmers, his parents were John and Eliza(beth) (née Shaw) Boyd. As found in the 1901 Ireland census household members were John and Eliza, John’s brother Andrew,… Read More »

Hansen, John William

Illness and disease caused many casualties in the First World War and some soldiers died even before they left Canada.Trooper John William Hansen of Keewatin, Ontario had three older brothers who served overseas and they all survived the war. John joined the 34th Fort Garry Horse in December 1918 and the following spring, during his… Read More »

Brock, Clifford Wallace

Cadet Pilot Clifford Wallace Brock was the oldest son of Robert Meadows Brock and Agnes McKechnie Francis of Kenora, Ontario. His mother was from a large family in Stirlingshire, Scotland and his father was born and raised in Belfountain, Peel County, Ontario. They were married in 1890 in Belfountain and Clifford was born there on… Read More »