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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Sillers, Clifford McLeod

Clifford McLeod Sillers was born on 11 April 1893 in the RM of Turtle Mountain in southern Manitoba. Both of his parents Donald Sillers and Mary Jennison were from the Township of Hay in Ontario. According to a history book about Killarney, Manitoba, Donald had homesteaded in the area near Holmfield/Killarny in southern Manitoba not… Read More »

Carnduff, Wesley Richard

Wesley Richard Carnduff was born on 4 December 1897 in Carnduff, Saskatchewan. His father Richard Carnduff immigrated to Canada from Ireland around 1880 and it appears that he and a brother settled in the Carnduff area where Richard farmed, the community named for the two fellows. On 31 December 1890 Richard married Henrietta Plews in… Read More »

McKay, Archie Kenneth

Archie Kenneth McKay was born on 27 April 1882 in Upper Clyde in the county of Shelburne in Nova Scotia. His father James Lewis McKay was from Upper Clyde, while his mother Elizabeth Barss Smith was from nearby Brookfield. The couple married in Brookfield on 29 September 1875. Children born to the family were Otis… Read More »

Harper, John English

John English Harper was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (née Knott/Nutt) Harper. A birth record was not found for John and various birth dates were given in his attestation papers and service files as well as other records: December 1876, November 1878, 18 February 1879 (obituary), 18 February 1881, 28 February 1881 and 18… Read More »

Burton, Edward Cherry

‘The RAF training program in Canada ceased with the armistice and the RAF, Canada was demobilized in late 1918. During the highly successful operation of the program, more that 9000 cadets and nearly 7500 mechanics were enlisted, 3272 aircrew were graduated ‘thousands of Canadians were trained with a long-term impact upon both military and civil… Read More »

Torrance, Charles William

Charles William Torrance was born on 8 July 1894 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) in northwestern Ontario.  His parents William Torrance and Sophia Johnston were both from the Ottawa area, William from Ashton and Sophia from Gloucester. At the time of their marriage in 1879 in Ottawa William was working as a carpenter. Children… Read More »

Creighton, George Gillespie

Lieutenant George Gillespie Creighton arrived in France in February 1916 and four months later he was seriously injured in an accident. He was invalided to Canada in December and he died in a drowning accident in July 1917. George was the son of William Travers Creighton and Jean Menzies Gillespie of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jean was… Read More »

Spence, Robert

Robert Spence was born on 3 November 1893 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) in northwestern Ontario. His parents Robert Spence and Elizabeth Park Johnston were both from the Orkneys in Scotland, marrying on 21 June 1888 in Burray, South Ronaldshay. At the time Robert, a widower, was working as a fisherman. Later that year… Read More »

Nicolson, Murdoch

Murdoch (Murdo) Nicolson was born on February 26, 1890 in Inverness Scotland. His father, John Nicolson, was a shepherd. His mother’s forename was Kristina/Christie (nee Nicolson). Siblings included: Donald (b. 1880), Archie (b. 1881), Rachel (b. 1884), Hugh (b. 1889), John (b. 1900) and Alexander (b. 1901). When Murdoch immigrated to Canada in April of… Read More »

McLeod, John William

John William McLeod (1887-1917) was born in Prince Edward Island and grew up there with his brothers and sisters, Malcolm (Monty) McLeod (1879-1951), Belle Marion McLeod (1881-1982), Cyrus Alexander McLeod (1883-1892) and Sarah (1899). His parents, Angus (Big Angus) (1837-1915) and Catherine (Katie) MacRae McLeod (1851-1926) farmed in  the Queen’s East District of the island… Read More »