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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L’Heureux, Cecil Peter

Private Cecil Peter L’Heureux enlisted in January 1916 and arrived in France seven months later. He was wounded twice that same year, in September at the Somme Offensive and in December at the Vimy front. He was invalided back to Canada in September 1917. Cecil was the son of Peter L’Heureux and Ellen (Nellie) O’Hara… Read More »

McCall, Wallace Henry

Although he gave his place of birth as Simcoe, Ontario on his attestation papers,  Wallace Henry  (Henry Wallace  on birth registration) McCall was born on  15  October 1877 in nearby Charlotteville, Norfolk. His parents Lewis and Prudence (née Cassills) McCall had married 29 December 1869 in Charlotteville, Lewis’ occupation was given as farmer. Children born… Read More »

Gunne, Livingston Gilbert

Livingston Gilbert (Bert) Gunne was born on 11 January 1890 in Glenboro, RM of South Cypress, Manitoba. Although his parents William James and Alzina Evelyn (née Livingston) Gunne were from Ontario, the couple had married 29 August 1888 in the RM of South Cypress. William was a physician. A second child, daughter Dorothea Vashti was… Read More »

Hives, Herbert William

Sergeant Herbert William Hives enlisted six weeks after the war started and served for 4-1/2 years in England, France and Belgium. He was wounded twice but he survived the war, returning to Canada in June 1919. Herbert was the youngest son of Hans Edgar Hives and Sarah Harper of Kensington, London, England. Hans and his… Read More »

Smith, Herbert Douglas Sinclair

Herbert Douglas Sinclair Smith was one of the over 4,000 Canadian fatal casualties of the Battle of Passchendaele Oct 27-Nov 12, 1917). Badly wounded during the battle, he later died in hospital in England. Born July 20, 1879/1878 in Burford Township, Brant County, Ontario to William Taylor Smith and Margaret Matilda Carpenter, Herbert grew up… Read More »

Drewry, William Starkey

Captain William Starkey Drewry spent more than a year overseas with the 61st and 10th Battalions. After being invalided back to Canada in 1917 he served as a recruitment officer in the U.S. William grew up in a prominent and wealthy family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father, Edward Lancaster Drewry, was originally from London, England…. Read More »

Reeves, James George

James George Reeves was born to Jonathan and Sarah Ann Reeves on April 13, 1880 in Tadworth, Surrey, England. In the 1891 U.K. census, his mother was 59, father 54 and there were several siblings: Frances Elizabeth (30), William Jonathan (21), Ada (20), Thomas (15), James George himself (12), and Herbert Edgar (9). In the… Read More »

Haldane, William

William Haldane was born on 4 October 1896 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was the second son of William Haldane Sr and Catherine (Kate) Lightfoot who had married on 27 July 1892 in Winnipeg. The couple gave birth to John in 1893 and another son, Clifford in 1898. Sadly, William Sr died in April of 1900,… Read More »

Young, Lawrence

Throughout most of the war regulations required soldiers to be at least 19 years old before they served in front line units but thousands of young Canadians enlisted underage and many of them were killed in action or died of wounds. Private Lawrence Young enlisted just before he turned 17 and he died a year… Read More »

Christofferson, William Alexander

William Alexander Christofferson was born on 9 April 1899 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), Ontario. He was the youngest child of Danish immigrants Hans Peter Christofferson and Ann Margaret Neilson (Nielson). After giving birth in Denmark to children Agnes (1884), Holger (1886), Johanna (abt 1887), and Elnora (1891), the family immigrated to Canada in… Read More »