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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Speight, Horace Haslam

Private Horace Haslam Speight was only 14 years old when the war started. Between 1917 and 1919 he enlisted three times, and he served for almost two years in Canada. Horace was born and raised in Brookville Station, a small community on the outskirts of Saint John, New Brunswick. His father John Speight was born… Read More »

Betton, Henry

Good friends: sitting Harry Betton, and Albert Bull Born on 4 April 1896 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Henry (Harry) Betton was the first born child of John Richard and Lavinia (née Scarisbrick) Betton. John was the son of Philip, occupation engine fitter, and Johanna (Biggins) Betton and Lavinia was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Stoley)… Read More »

Lacasse, William

Born on 2  December 1892 in Keewatin, Ontario, William Lacasse was a middle son of Anselme (more commonly known as Samuel) and Wilhemina Melina (née Desmarais) Lacasse, parents being French Canadian, originally  from the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Samuel and Melina married on 27 April 1885 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), Melina’s family having moved to… Read More »

Duncan, William McKechnie

William McKechnie Duncan was born on 19 December 1897 in West Carron, Larbert, Stirlingshire in Scotland. His father David Duncan, an iron moulder, was from Falkirk while his mother Annie McKechnie was from Edinburgh where the couple married on 10 July 1877. Their first child, daughter Mary, was born in Edinburgh but by the time… Read More »

Caslake, Arthur

According to his attestation papers, Arthur Caslake was born on 7 May 1881 in St Mary’s, Ontario. However it is likely that he was born as Arthur Coupland in 1879, the son of Rachel Coupland. The 1881 Canada census for St Mary’s found Rachel and Arthur living with Rachel’s widowed mother Elizabeth Coupland. In 1884,… Read More »

Sewell, Claude

Claude Sewell was born on 21 March 1896 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), Ontario. Both of his parents John Sewell and Louisa Sarah Parr were from England, immigrating to Canada around 1891 according to later census records. Their first child, daughter Gladys, was born in 1893 in Rat Portage where John was working as… Read More »

Miller, Jacob William

Private (Acting Corporal) Jacob William Miller was born in Minnesota and living in northwestern Ontario when the war started. He enlisted in Kenora on 26 December 1914, when volunteers were being raised for a third overseas contingent. He was 37 years old at the time and working as a traction engineer. He gave his date… Read More »

Torrance, Victor

Victor Torrance was born on 18 December 1885 in Ottawa, Ontario. His parents William Torrance and Sophia Johnston were both from the area, William from Ashton and Sophia from Gloucester. At the time of their marriage in 1879 in Ottawa William was working as a carpenter. Also born in Ottawa was Victor’s older brother Robert…. Read More »

Edgar, Charles

According to his attestation papers, Charles Edgar was born on 20 February 1875 in Glasgow, Scotland. With occupation given as telegraph linesman and a sister-in-law back in Scotland as next of kin, Charles signed his attestation papers in Kenora, Ontario on 3 June 1915. He listed 9 years previous military experience with the 1st Royal… Read More »

Sparks, William Thomas

Corporal William Thomas Sparks enlisted in December 1914 and served in England, France and Belgium. He was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and he spent over a year recovering in hospitals and convalescent centres. William was the son of Thomas George Sparks (Sparkes) and Eliza Mackler of West Ham, London, England…. Read More »