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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Letman, Charles Edward

Seaman Charles Edward Letman was born in Liverpool, England in 1901, the oldest son of Edward Thomas Letman and Esther Mann. When he was still very young his parents moved to Seacombe, Cheshire, which was on the River Mersey across from Liverpool. His father worked there as an electric tramway conductor. Charles had at least… 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 »

Watson, Earl

Private Earl Watson enlisted in January 1915, at age 19, and arrived in France nine months later. He was missing and presumed killed in June 1916 at the Battle of Mount Sorrel. According to his attestation paper, Earl was born on 7 December 1895 in Rat Portage (now Kenora), Ontario. His mother, Emma Morrison, was… 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 »

Frisbie, Clayton Goodwin

Private Clayton Goodwin Frisbie was born in Canada and living in the U.S. when the war started. He enlisted in Vancouver in 1916 and served overseas for two years, most of that time as a machine gunner. Clayton was the son of George Clayton Frisbie and Helen McQueen of Portland, Oregon. George was born in… Read More »

McRitchie, Roderick

Company Quarter-Master Sergeant Roderick McRitchie was the son of Donald McRitchie and Anna McLeod of Kenora, Ontario. He was born on 10 October 1868 in Victoria County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and he had at least six brothers and five sisters. His family moved to Ontario in the 1890s and settled in Rat Portage (later… Read More »

Nelson, Joseph

Joseph Nelson was born on 20 August 1871 in the parish/inner city  of Toxeth in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His father James was from Ormskirk, a town just north of Liverpool, while his mother Julia, the daughter of Irish immigrants, was born in Leeds, Yorkshire. The family first lived in Wednesbury in Staffordshire where children Edward… Read More »

Robertson, Duncan

Shortly after Britain declared war on 4 August 1914 the Canadian government proposed   raising an Expeditionary Force to send overseas. By late September a contingent of 32,000 volunteers had been assembled at the new military camp in Valcartier, Quebec. Two thirds of the men in this 1st Canadian Contingent were born in the British… Read More »

Roy, Theodore Josias

Private Theodore Josias Roy, also known as Edward Roy, enlisted twice and served overseas for four months. He was invalided back to Canada due to illness. Theodore was the son of   Reverend Jesse Josias Roy and his first wife Rebecca Le Gallais. Josias, an Anglican clergyman, was born in 1849 in Sabrevois, Quebec. When… Read More »