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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Rance, Thomas Francis

Acting Sergeant Thomas Francis Rance was the oldest son of Charles Carmichael Rance and Jennet Fair Jackson of Clinton, Huron County, Ontario. Charles was a merchant tailor and he and his wife were both born in Huron County, They were married in Clinton in 1887 and Thomas was born there on 18 September 1888. He… Read More »

Fisher, William

Sapper William Fisher was one of three brothers from Keewatin, Ontario who served in the First World War. He spent more than three years overseas and returned to Canada in March 1919. William was born on 25 January 1882 in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland. His parents, William Fisher Sr. and Elizabeth Armour, were married in Maybole… Read More »

Komatich, Nick

Private First Class Nick (Nicholas) Komatich was born in St. Anthony, Stearns County, Minnesota on 4 February 1881. He grew up in Stearns County and by the time he was 14 he was working away from home as a farm labourer. He immigrated to Canada in 1911, at age 30, and settled in the town… Read More »

Turner, John Edward

Birth: John Edward Turner was born in Woodbridge, County of York in Ontario on November 13, 1892.  His parents were William Edward Turner (born November 1864, Ontario) and Esther Emily McBride (born October 1865, Ontario). Early Life:  In the 1901 Canadian census, the family was living in Stayner, Ontario in the District of Simcoe, and… Read More »

Richman, Leon

aka Leon Rechman, Leon Ochrenowicz Although there are some small discrepancies, it seems very likely that the Leon Richman who was called up for service in Port Arthur, Ontario on 11 November 1917 (reg. no. 4079116) is the same Leon Richman who is buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora, Ontario. According to… Read More »

Land, Moses

According to his attestation papers, Moses Land was born on 15 April 1896 in White Dog, Ontario. Presently called Wabaseemong, White Dog is/was an Ojibwa  reserve located 120 km northwest of Kenora, Ontario. His parents were Andrew and Nancy Land. The 1891 Canada census found the family listed in  the district of Algoma, Keewatin North…. Read More »

Coppard, William

Private William Coppard was one of three brothers who served in the First World War. He was wounded twice but he survived the war and returned to Canada in January 1919. William was born on 9 September 1897 in Rat Portage (later called Kenora) in northwestern Ontario, the youngest son of Henry Coppard and Maria… Read More »

Coltman, William Whitehead

William Whitehead Coltman was born on 9 February 1891 in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. His father John Coltman, a wool packer, was from Buchlyvie while his mother Ann Hutton was from the Dunmore-Airth area, both in Stirlingshire. The couple married on 26 November 1896 in Alloa. Their first child, John was born the next year, followed… Read More »

Croisier, Ernest

Ernest Croisier was born on 23 July 1876 in Lampaul, Finistère, Bretagne, France. His parents were Francois Cloisier and Marie Anne Colleau, and he had at least one brother, Jean, who also served during the war. He attended the College of Lesneven and the Quimper Seminary, being ordained as a priest on 13 July 1902… Read More »

McKee, Albert William

Corporal Albert William McKee, a locomotive engineer from Kenora, Ontario, enlisted with a railway unit in January 1917 and served in France and Belgium for two years. Albert was born on 10 September 1885 in the village of Shelburne in Dufferin County, Ontario. His parents, William Alexander McKee and Eliza Ellen Mallett, were both born… Read More »