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These are the stories of Kenora participants in the First World War.
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George Guernsey was born 24 May 1895 in Rat Portage (Kenora) Ontario. His parents, originally from England, were William Robert Guernsey and Frances Fuller who had arrived in Rat Portage around 1893 from Manitoba. George was one of thirteen children in the family. George enlisted with the 94th Battalion in Kenora on 17 November 1915…. Read More »
Thomas (Scotty) Young was born on 26 January 1872 in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland. His father John Young, a roads surfaceman, was from Dailly in Ayrshire while his mother Sarah Laverty was from Maybole where the couple married on 12 August 1870. Thomas had an older sister Ellen and a younger brother James. On 13 June… Read More »
George Andrew Towns was the son of Calvin Towns and Mary Ann Bandy of Kenora, Ontario. Calvin was a blacksmith and farmer and he and Mary Ann were married in 1883 in the town of Combermere, about 100 km west of Ottawa. A son, Sirastin, was born in Combermere in 1884. By 1891 the family… Read More »
Private Roswell Dawson Tweedie was born in either Norman or Rat Portage, Ontario on 12 October 1891. He had a younger brother Louis Herwald and two younger sisters, Hazel and Olive, all born in Norman or Rat Portage (now called Kenora). His father, Eusebius Dawson Tweedie, was from Carlton Place, Ontario and his mother, Christina… Read More »
Frederick Raymond Hartley signed two sets of attestation papers, the first with the 9th Canadian Mounted Rifles in April of 1915 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He gave his date and place of birth as 7 April 1894 in Midland, Ontario and his father John Hartley in Richard, Saskatchewan as next of kin. On 29 October… Read More »
Private David Carswell Steele enlisted with the 52nd Battalion in August 1915. He served overseas in England, France and Belgium and returned to Canada with his unit in March 1919. David was the son of James Steele (Steel) and Agnes Carswell of Keewatin, Ontario. James and Agnes were both born in Scotland and at the… Read More »
Born in Peterborough, England, Walter was the son of Frederick James Bradley and Elizabeth Ireland (maiden name of mother). Walter’s siblings were 2 older brothers Ernest and John (known as Jerry) and 1 younger brother Frank. His parents remained in England while both Walter and Ernest immigrated to Canada. The brothers were among a few other… Read More »
At some point after the war, Albert G Smith joined the Kenora Branch of the Canadian Legion. The card indicated that he enlisted with the 2nd/5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment in November of 1914. He later transferred to the Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Oxford and Buck), with his medals card stating that he also served with… Read More »
Private Harry Marr answered the call to serve shortly after the war was declared. Less than two months in Belgium, he was seriously wounded and survived against all odds. Henry Ernest (Harry) Marr was born on 18 April 1894 in Chester-le-Street, Durham, England. His father Henry Marr, a railway booking clerk, was from Manchester, England… Read More »
Maitland Rendal Symonds was born on 24 November 1893 in Goderich, Ontario. His father Charles Symonds was born in London, England and had immigrated to Canada with his family as a child. His mother Mary Frances Hart was from Ashfield, Ontario where the couple married on 11 June 1891. In the early years the family… Read More »
