Weyburn Remembers: 100 Years, 100 Stories

When the First World war began, thousands of men from across Canada rose up and volunteered to serve King and Empire as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. They would come from all across the country, from all parts of society.

Here in southeast Saskatchewan was no exception. Men from all walks of life enlisted. Doctors, farmers, labourers, students, police officers. They would all become brothers in arms in France.

Canada is said to have received its baptism by fire in the First World War. From the 2nd Battle of Ypres, where Canadians were among the first who were the victims of poisonous gas used as a weapon, to the Battle of Courcelette, where tanks fought side by side with Canadian infantry for the first time, to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where Canadians proved their mettle yet again as the men the British would call upon to achieve a long-sought objective. The men from the Canadian Expeditionary Force also fought in the mud in Passchendaele and were instrumental in the 100 Days offensive, which drew the war to a close in 1918.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1, we have compiled a list of 100 men who enlisted in Weyburn. This list is by no means complete, and there are some veterans who are not listed here. This doesn’t mean we don’t honour their sacrifices for King and Empire.

This list was made possible through the work done by the Canadian Great War Project, as they digitize the records of veterans of WW1, making it possible for future generations to understand who these men were and what they encountered while in the service.

Andrew McNaughton Allan was 31 years old when he made the trip from Key West, Saskatchewan to Weyburn to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on February 18th, 1916. A farmer by trade, he served with the 152nd Battalion initially, before being transferred to the 5th Battalion, where he served for nine months before his discharge when he was deemed unfit for combat after being wounded in action.

Allan was part of the Canadian forces which launched an attack on Hill 70 on August 15, 1917. The goal of the attack was to create a diversion for the German forces during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. It was during this battle Allan was wounded, with his left arm suffering severe damage. He was taken to a field hospital, then eventually back to Moose Jaw, where he was officially discharged from service on September 27th, 1918.

Hailing originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, John Thompson Anderson was living in Bromhead, Saskatchewan when he enlisted to serve overseas on April 24th, 1916 in Weyburn. He worked in Bromhead as a carpenter and had previously served with the 4th Royal Scots before coming to Canada.

He was with the 5th Battalion, along with hundreds of other men from western Canada, which assaulted Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917. The attack was successful, the Canadian Divisions achieving their objectives on the first day of the battle. Then, they fortified their lines and held on against counter-attack. It was during one of these counterattacks Anderson was wounded, on April 11th, 1917. He succumbed to his wounds on April 14th, just three days later.

Albert Clyde Anstis lived in Carlyle and was just 16 years old when he enlisted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force on February 2nd, 1916. A student, he left behind his father and mother when he went to Weyburn to join the forces.

Anstis was wounded at Vimy Ridge in the first day of action at the battle and was transferred to a field hospital. He would recover from the gunshot wound to his right thigh and rejoined his unit. He would survive until the end of the war and moved on to Regina, where he resided until he passed away in 1959.

Serving with the 28th Battalion, he was part of the crucial 100 Days offensive, the final push by the Allied Forces which proved to be the breaking point and bringing about the armistice. He fought with his battalion during the Battle of Canal du Nord. On the final day of the battle, which allowed the Canadians to launch an attack on the town of Cambrai in the final weeks, Armitage was killed in action.

Russell Arnott was originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, but was farming near Ceylon when he answered the call and enlisted in Weyburn on March 4th, 1916. He found himself as part of the 5th Battalion, and like so many men from Weyburn, was part of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Following the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Arnott was with his unit which participated in the Battle of Arras. He was wounded during the fighting, suffering a gunshot wound to his chest and his back. He would recover and be back with his unit by July of that year. He would serve for the rest of the war, and returned home to Canada, where he was discharged in April of 1919.

Frank Baird was originally from Lyles, Minnesota, but had relocated to Ogema with his family. Living with his parents on the family farm, he had enlisted in Weyburn in February of 1916.

Baird was one of many from Weyburn who went over the top on April 9th, 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was originally reported missing during the action. Sadly, when the Canadians had the chance to go back over their lines, they found his body. He had been killed in the frenetic action of the attack.

Twenty-eight years old when he enlisted in Weyburn, James Ballantyne was originally from Roxburgh, Scotland before making his way to Weyburn. Originally with the 152nd Battalion, by October 26th of 1917, he was with the 58th Battalion, where he participated in the fierce Battle of Passchendaele. He was recognized for his efforts during the battle, and it had him on the track for another promotion, as he had been promoted from Private to Corporal just days before the action. Ballantyne would again be promoted on June 22nd, 1918 to the rank of Lance Sergeant.

On the evening of September 28th, 1918, Ballantyne was part of two companies from the 58th Battalion which moved to provide support during the Battle of Canal du Nord. Facing heavy machine gun fire, the company was able to achieve their objectives. However, Ballantyne was wounded by shrapnel, and he was killed in action.

A veteran of military service, Archibald Ballantyne wasn’t related to James Ballantyne, as far as records show. Archibald was born in Glasgow and served with the Cameron Highlanders from 1903-05. He was a blacksmith by trade and lived north of Weyburn. He enlisted in the Expeditionary Force at the age of 31, on January 26th, 1915.

Serving with the 46th Battalion initially, he was transferred to the 8th Battalion, where he served up until September 26th, 1916, when he went over the top with his unit during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, a part of the much larger Battle of the Somme.  During the battle, Archibald was badly wounded, and eventually, discharged from service after being deemed medically unfit. He would move to Viking, Alberta, and then to Victoria, B.C., where he would pass away in 1939 due to complications from his wound suffered two decades earlier.

Hailing originally from Minnesota, Jesse Barnett moved with his family to Ogema, where he settled down. He travelled to Weyburn, and enlisted in the C.E.F. on January 19th, 1916, and was in the 5th Battalion, like so many other men from southeast Saskatchewan.

Just 24 years old at the time of his enlistment, he found himself as one of the many Canadians participating in the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge. Barnett survived the opening ferocity of the first days of the battle but would be killed in action on April 13th, four days after the battle started. His widow, Ethel May, and their two young children would eventually relocate to Ontario.

The son of John and Jessie Bartlett from Yellow Grass, George Bartlett was 18 years old when he made the short trip to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F. Like so many others, he was originally from the United Kingdom, having been born in Watten, Caithness, Scotland.

He went from the farm to the 5th Battalion. He was with the battalion for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and again, for the Battle of Arleux Loop, a secondary offensive to the Battle of Arras. The German forces were overwhelmed and fled, but before the battle ended, George Bartlett was killed in action, just months before his 20th birthday.

Not all those who fought with the C.E.F. were born somewhere in the British Empire. Some had immigrated over from eastern Europe and found themselves working here on the Prairies. One of those men was Joseph Basaraba. Hailing from Rzeszow, Poland (which was part of Russia at the time), he worked as a labourer in Weyburn when he enlisted on April 8th, 1916.

He was in the trenches of France by the following spring and was transferred to the 5th Battalion. He was in a trench along the lines in July of 1917, when he was killed by indiscriminate shelling from the Germans, intended to harass the lines of the Canadians. He was the only soldier from his unit killed on July 19th, 1917.

Originally from Logoch, Manitoba, John Wesley Bell worked as a car checker for Canadian Pacific when he enlisted while in Weyburn on January 5th, 1915. He originally enlisted with the 45th Battalion but moved to the 5th Battalion.

He was part of D Company on April 9th, 1917, which went over the top in support of the B Company of the 5th Battalion during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in the attack and taken to the Canadian Field Hospital behind the lines.

His parents, Alfred and Amelia, who lived in Minnedosa, Manitoba, would receive the news their son, who was just 21 years old at the time, wouldn’t be coming home, as he succumbed to his wounds.

Living in Yellow Grass, and working as a drayman (a person who delivers beer for breweries), Henry Bergquist was just 17 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on April 6th, 1916. He spent time in training and was eventually transferred to the 5th Battalion on April 3rd, 1917, just in time for the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

He survived the battle of Vimy Ridge, but his second time going over the top, during the Battle of Arleux Loop on April 28th, wouldn’t be as lucky. He was killed in action, just two months before he would have turned 19.

A tailor in Weyburn, Alfred Blackburn was 39 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. A few years older than most who served overseas, he left behind his wife Edith Evelyn.

Alfred was with his unit, the 102nd Battalion, on the front lines in the late winter of 1917. It was their turn to be in the main trenches, waiting for a possible German attack, or an order to go over the top themselves in a raid.

No orders would come for Alfred, however. Shelling from the Germans along the main line would claim him, along with two others from his battalion.

Not everyone who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force was an infantryman, an enlisted man, or even a man to begin with. Florence May Bloy was working in the Municipal Hospital in Weyburn when she signed up for the Canadian Army Medical Corps. She would be a nursing sister throughout the war, beginning from her enlistment day of April 18th, 1916, until she resigned her position on October 11th, 1918, just one month before the end of the war. Florence returned to Canada, where she moved to Toronto.

In December 1915, Frederick Ralph Brooks travelled from Horizon to Weyburn to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. By October of 1916, he was promoted to an acting corporal in the 152nd Battalion. He was reverted back to the rank of private on April 1st of 1917, but just a week later, after being transferred to the 5th Battalion, was promoted to corporal again, this time, without the acting tag.

By August of 1917, he was along the front lines,  participating in fighting in Cite St. August. The Germans counterattacked Canadian positions multiple times, but were driven off by artillery and machine-gun fire The Canadians then launched their assault. During the attack, Brooks was killed in action.

William Butterworth had moved with his family from Lancashire, England, and they settled in Radville. William, who was 32 when he signed up in Weyburn, worked as a clerk in Radville. He had previous military experience when he signed up with the C.E.F., having served in the Territorials.

He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, like so many from Weyburn were, and was in the trenches for the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was wounded during the action, and passed away from the injuries he received, leaving behind his family in Radville.

A constable with the provincial police in Weyburn, Andrew Carnegie enlisted relatively late in the war, in November of 1917.

While serving overseas, he was wounded twice, including a gunshot wound to the face in the later stages of the war. He would return back home to Canada, though, surviving the second wound. He would officially be discharged from the military in February of 1919.

On September 11, 1915, Albert Causier enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn. Working as an Engineer in Weyburn, he was just 18 years old when he signed up. Originally with the 68th Battalion, he was transferred to the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry.

While serving with the PPCLI at the Somme, he was wounded in the face on September 15th. The would paralyze his face, and left him deaf in his left ear. He was discharged back to Canada.

Albert returned home, moved to Regina, and married Florence Elizabeth Russell. Their son Russell George Causier would go on to serve in the RCAF during World War 2, where he was killed in action at the age of 19.

John Cawley was originally from Sligo, Ireland. He owned a plot of land near Hardy and enlisted in Weyburn just after Christmas in 1915.

In October of 1916, he arrived in England, and was in France by November of that year, serving with the 5th Battalion. He was among those who went over the top on April 9th, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and didn’t come home.

His farm was taken over by his brother Joseph, who moved to Canada in 1920.

Living in Querrin, Saskatchewan, Harry Chamberlain was 17 years old when he travelled to Weyburn to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He worked on his family farm, which his family had after coming to Canada from Ireland.

He was transferred from the 32nd Battalion to the 102nd late in 1916, and was on the frontlines for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, with the 4th Division, which had the toughest tasks on April 9th. He, like so many of the men from Weyburn who were at the Ridge on that day, was killed in action.

William Solomon Clapper had spent a year in the artillery militia before he decided to enlist in the C.E.F at the end of May 1916. He was living in Radville at the time, working on a farm, his family back in Carmel, Ontario.

Like many who served in the close quarters of the infantry, he contracted mumps, a common malady in the days before regular vaccinations. He found himself back in the line of duty, and, when preparing to ship overseas, left all his possessions to his mother in his military will.

With the 5th Battalion, Clapper saw action in a number of battles from when he arrived in France, until September 27th. It was then, during the start of the Battle of the Canal du Nord, he was killed in action.

Arthur Edward Conley was a salesman by trade when he went to the offices in Weyburn to enlist on May 22nd, 1916. Coming from Bengough, he made the trek east to enlist in the C.E.F.

Like so many from Saskatchewan, he was assigned to the 5th Battalion. Prior to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, he had developed a bronchial condition, but he recovered enough to be able to continue serving on the front lines.

With the rest of the Battalion, he was one of many work parties near St. Pierre, France, on February 16th, 1918, when they were shelled. The ammunition which fell on them contained gas. Due in part to the medical condition he had developed a year prior, he succumbed to the damage done by the shelling.

‘There was not a sign of life of any sort. Not a tree, save for a few dead stumps which looked strange in the moonlight. Not a bird, not even a rat or a blade of grass. Nature was as dead as those Canadians whose bodies remained where they had fallen the previous autumn. Death was written large everywhere.’ (Private R.A. Colwell, Passchendaele, January 1918)

Originally from Bowriefauld, Forfarshire, David McFarlane Constable was like many others from the southeast, a farmer in the region, when he enlisted in the C.E.F in Weyburn, making the short trip north from Colgate. He served in the 46th Battalion at first and saw action a number of times, suffering wounds on October 27th at the Battle of Passchendaele.

In March of 1918, he was transferred to the Canadian Machine Gun Corps and was promoted to the rank of corporal in May 1918. By September 1918, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He survived through to the end of the war and received the Military Medal on March 13th, 1919.

At age 40, Pte. Stephen Coram was one of the older enlisted men in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He had moved from London with his daughter Ethel May, while his wife remained in England. For reasons unknown in his records, he had taken up work as a bookkeeper in Weyburn, while his daughter lived in Moose Jaw.

Coram enlisted in the C.E.F. on March 6th, 1916. He found himself on the front lines with many others from Weyburn, in the 5th Battalion, at Vimy Ridge, on April 9th, 1917. He was wounded in the initial action and later passed from his wounds two days later.

A homestead farmer who lived near Ogema, Simon Peter Coubrough was originally from Lambton, Ontario. He was just days from turning 20 years old when he made the trip to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F., leaving his parents Mathew and Elizabeth behind at the homestead near Bengough. His brother John also enlisted in the C.E.F. John himself was two years older.

Simon was with the 5th Battalion, preparing for the next steps of the Battle of Arras, on May 2nd, 1917, when the German forces fired a number of gas shells on the Canadian lines. Simon was among four who were killed by the shelling.

John Coubrough didn’t survive the war either, being killed in action on August 8th, 1918.

Living in Hazel Bank, Saskatchewan, Donald Currie enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 1st, 1916. He had turned 24 years old just two months prior to his enlistment. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, coming on to help replenish the strength of the unit after the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

In August of 1917, he was in the trenches preparing for the Battle of Hill 70, near Lens, France. He was one of those who went over the top at the outset of the battle on August 15th. He was originally reported to base as having been wounded in the action, but it was later found he was killed during the fighting.

Late in 1915, Ernest Walker Cutridge enlisted to fight for King and Empire overseas. He was originally from Faversham, Kent, England, but had settled near Hume where he worked as a general farmer.

He was in the 5th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in the opening stages of the fighting and evacuated to the No. 1 Canadian Field Hospital. He wouldn’t survive the gunshot wound to his stomach, however, and he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

James Art Edison Dalgleish was a student living in Weyburn when he enlisted in the Canadian Infantry on April 23rd, 1917. He attended his training, after spending time as a cadet in Weyburn, and was sent overseas where he joined the 28th Battalion, arriving in France on October 30th, 1918.

His unit was in divisional reserves and had moved up to the front lines on November 10th, when word came of the officers attending a conference about operations to commence the following day. It was after the meeting it was learned armistice had been reached, and the guns would fall silent at 11:00 a.m. Dalgliesh would be demobilized from his unit, and returned home, on June 2nd, 1919.

Alfred Davis was originally from Derbyshire, England, and had emigrated to Canada with his family. They settled in what was then the village of Willow Bunch.

In March of 1916, just 21 years old, Davis came to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F. He was part of the 5th Battalion. On April 9th, 1917, he was along the front lines of the Canadian Division, as they went over the top at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He didn’t return home to his family, as he was killed in action.

Alphonse De Lepeleer was originally from East Flanders, Belgium, but had settled with his wife in Weyburn. At the age of 38, he was one of the older infantrymen enlisted in the C.E.F. With his age, he also had experience in the military, having spent four years in the 1st Regiment of Guides back home in Belgium.

He was with the 5th Battalion but wasn’t with his unit during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, instead was stricken off strength due to influenza. He returned to his unit on April 14th, 1917, and was part of the attack in the Battle of Arleux Loop. He was killed in action, leaving behind his widow, Maria Blondina, in Weyburn.

Thomas Dickie, originally from Glasgow, Scotland, had moved to Toronto with his father, Thomas Sr., before moving to the Prairies. At the outset of the war, Dickie was working as a carpenter in Weyburn when he enlisted in the military early in 1915.

He had seen action before Vimy Ridge with the 10th Battalion and survived the horrors of the Somme. In the afternoon of April 9th, 1917, after the initial attack, he was killed by a German machine gun, never having the chance to return to the town he called home.

Orval Donnelly was a well-borer who lived in Stoughton when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on December 29th, 1914, just months after the outbreak of the war. He finished his training and was taken on strength in the 10th Battalion in August of 1915. By April of 1916, he had proven himself in the field and was appointed as a Lance Corporal.

At Mont Sorrel, near Ypres, Belgium, the Germans launched an attack against high ground positions held by the Canadians. In the initial attack, the Canadians fell back. By June 10th, they were launching a counter-attack. The Canadians were able to regain the lines, taking the Germans by surprise. However, many Canadians fell during the action, including Donnelly, who was killed in action.

John Dorian had emigrated to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland, and settled down as a farmer near Ogema. On February 29th, 1916, he was in Weyburn, where he enlisted into the C.E.F. After his training, he was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion, where so many men from the southeast part of Saskatchewan would serve.

He was with his unit when they went over the top during the fighting in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He survived the day and made it through unscathed. He then was with the 5th Battalion for the follow-up attack by the Canadians, on April 29th, in the Battle of Arleux Loop. During the fighting, he went missing. His body never recovered, he was officially declared killed in action nearly a year later, on February 22nd, 1918.

A stage driver from Ceylon, James Joseph Doyle was originally from Dundalk, Ontario before he found himself in southeast Saskatchewan at the outset of the war. He made the trip to Weyburn, and enlisted on February 22nd, 1916, at the age of 22.

Nearly one year to the day from his enlistment, Doyle was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion, arriving in France to join the unit on the front lines. He was present for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which he survived. He would be part, though, of the Battle of Arleux Loop just days later, where he would be killed in action on April 28th, 1917.

Arthur Drinkall was from Wyndmere, North Dakota when his family moved north of the border to Goodwater when he was still a teenager. He found employment with the Canadian National Railway working as a wiper, which was part of the process to gain the time working with an engine to become an oiler or even an engineer.

Nearly two years after the war broke out, Drinkall went north to Weyburn, where he enlisted in the C.E.F., fighting for his adopted homeland. He was just 16 years old when he made the commitment to fight overseas. While he wasn’t an exemplary soldier, running afoul of command on occasion, he still fought valiantly with the 5th Battalion and was in the field on April 28th, 1917 at the Battle of Arleux Loop, where, not even 18 years old, he was killed in action.

At 39 years old when he enlisted, Charles Duncan was on the high side of the average age of men who enlisted in the C.E.F. While he enlisted as an infantryman, he had experience in the military, serving 10 years in the Royal Navy before coming to Canada to work as a farmer in southeast Saskatchewan.

He was with the 13th Battalion of the C.E.F. by June of 1916 and was serving in the front lines near what would become the Battle of the Somme. On June 27th, 1916, the battalion’s positions came under attack by German raiding parties. They fought off the attack, but Duncan was wounded in the shoulder and head. He would spend time in hospital recovering from his wounds, before being back with his unit by September.

In August 1917, the 13th Battalion took part in the Battle of Langemarck, near Ypres, Belgium. Duncan would again be wounded in battle, this time wounds to his face and shoulder. He was taken to hospital, then England. He was there diagnosed as having catatonic dementia praecox, one of many terms used for shell shock.

Duncan would be brought back to Canada, where he stayed at first in the Mental Hospital in North Battleford until 1930 when he was transferred to the Saskatchewan Hospital in Weyburn. He would remain there until he passed away in April 1953.

Living in Rushton, Saskatchewan, Thomas Scott Esson enlisted in the C.E.F. on June 24th, 1916. He was 25 years old when he left the farm to head to Weyburn to volunteer. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, where he saw service along the frontlines beginning in December of 1916. He fought at Vimy Ridge, and Arleux Loop.

The summer after those vicious battles, the Canadians would again find themselves at Ypres, as the third battle near the Belgian city raged on. Esson was one of those who participated in the Battle of Langemarck, where he was killed in action during the fighting.

Living in Yellow Grass, Denton Boyne Ferguson worked as a bank clerk, after his family had moved to Saskatchewan from Wingham, Ontario. His parents were living in Kyle, Saskatchewan, his sister in Regina, the family spread across the province.

Ferguson enlisted in the C.E.F. on March 9th, 1916, just months before his 19th birthday. He finished his training and was taken on strength in the 102nd Battalion. He was in France, in the field, by Christmas of 1916, and was along the lines on April 9th, 1917 at Vimy Ridge. In the fierce fighting, like so many others from southeast Saskatchewan, he was killed in action.

Born in North Dakota, Fitzhugh Finlayson was living in Yellow Grass as a farm labourer when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in January of 1916, at the age of 18. He went through his training and was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion on April 21st, 1917, just a week before the Battle of Arleux Loop. He would receive a baptism under fire and survived the battle.

Finlayson was in the trenches with the 5th Battalion in mid-July of 1917, near Ypres, Belgium, preparing for an assault in what would be known as the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. In the days leading up to the assault, the Germans were shelling the Canadian lines. On the 15th, the harassing shelling would claim a number of casualties in the 5th Battalion, including Finlayson.

Coming from Horizon, a town which exists in name alone today, Howard Ford was 19 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 21st, 1916. He finished his training and was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion.

He would be one of the thousands of Canadians who went over the top the morning of April 9th, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He would also be one of the hundreds who did not survive the battle, being killed in action during the attack.

Reginald Freeman was originally from Hilton, Manitoba, but had moved with his family to Ceylon. Four months before his 20th birthday, Freeman travelled from Ceylon to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F. He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and was in the trenches through most of the winter of 1916-17.

On February 23rd, while rotating out of the trenches into a reserve position, Freeman was killed in action.

Edwin Graham was living in Weyburn when the 1st World War broke out, and by Christmas, 1914, he had enlisted in the C.E.F. In August of the following year, he arrived in France and was taken on strength in the 10th Battalion, which had already proven itself in combat on a number of occasions, including the Battle of Kitcheners’ Wood, and the Battle of Ypres.

In October, Graham was in the trenches and took part in the Battle of Loos, which raged over the course of three weeks. In the initial phases of the battle, the Canadians had taken their objectives, fighting as part of the British forces. On October 3rd, the Germans recaptured a piece of ground the British had originally taken, the Hohenzollern Redoubt. During the defence of the position, Graham was killed in action, one of nearly 60,000 casualties suffered by the British during the Battle of Loos.

James Everett Gray was born in Maple Valley, Ontario, but moved with his family to Weyburn. He was just 17 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn. He was raised in the city, having attended Weyburn Public School, and Weyburn Collegiate Institute. He enlisted in the C.E.F. on October 4th, 1915, and joined the PPCLI in the field in November of 1916.

His actions during Vimy Ridge and at the Battle of Hill 70 had him promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in July of 1917.

During the Battle of Passchendaele, Gray was wounded through the left lung on October 28th, 1917. He was taken back to hospital, where he would later die of his wounds on December 28th, 1917. Leaving behind his parents Samuel and Mary.

He was remembered by his section commander as one of the cleanest and nicest boys he had met, both in thought and action.

His brother William Gray also enlisted in the C.E.F. right after the onset of war in Edmonton, Alberta. A few years older than his brother, he had spent three years in the militia with the Saskatoon Fusiliers.

At enlistment, he was in the 19th Alberta Dragoons, a cavalry unit. He then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps on August 20th, 1916, where he quickly moved up the ranks, reaching the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

On September 20th, 1916, he was shot down and taken as a prisoner of war by the Germans near Peronne, France. He spent time in Sutershohe, Osnabrück, Clausthal, Aachen and Stralsund, before being released on December 8th, 1918. He returned to England on January 21st, 1919, and was back in Canada, back working as a banker, in April of that year.

No relation to James or William Gray, Wellington Gray enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 17th, 1916, just a few months before his 21st birthday. He was placed into the 5th Battalion after he finished his training, and was in France by November 1916.

On March 16th, 1917, while in trenches in France, Gray was killed in action due to artillery.

A pharmacist by trade, or druggist, as they were called then, Henry James de Prigent Greene was 24 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on April 5th, 1915. In August of that year, he was in France, where he served with the 10th Battalion. During his time, he proved himself to superiors, and was promoted from private to lance corporal, corporal, and ultimately to sergeant on June 18th, 1916.

He was with the 10th Battalion when they went over the top on April 9th, 1917 at Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in action and taken to England. He wouldn't recover from his wounds, however, and died in hospital on April 29th, 1917.

He was a part of the 5th Battalion, and having arrived in France in February 1917, fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, as well as other key battles the battalion participated in during the course of the war, including Arleux Loop, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Canal-du-Nord, and more. He earned promotion to the rank of corporal and survived until the end of the war.

He returned home to Canada and was officially demobilized from the Canadian Expeditionary Force on June 1st, 1919, three years to the day he volunteered in Weyburn to fight for King and Empire.

John Basil Hand had emigrated from England to Canada and made his way to Yellow Grass, where he worked a farm in the area. He was 24 years old when he made the short trek to Weyburn to enlist on April 10th, 1916.

In December 1916, he was in France with the 5th Battalion. By April, he found himself along the frontline trenches at Vimy Ridge. Hand was wounded during the fighting on April 11th, the last day of the battle, and was taken to hospital. He had to have his right forearm amputated. The wound, however, became infected, and medicine at the time wasn’t able to help. He would succumb to his wounds on May 16, 1917.

Neil Hannivan was originally from Ontario but was farming near Ogema when the war started in 1914. By March of 1916, he had made the decision to enlist and travelled to Weyburn to volunteer to be part of the C.E.F.

He served in the 5th Battalion and was at Vimy Ridge, where he made it through the battle unscathed. He also served through other pivotal engagements in 1917, including Passchendaele.

The following April, while along the front lines in France, Hannivan was wounded in action, suffering a gunshot wound to his thigh. The wound would be enough he was deemed medically unfit to continue serving, and he was discharged from the C.E.F. He returned to Canada, and to Ontario, where he lived until he passed away in 1956.

Ernest Foster Heron was born in Flesherton, Ontario, and had moved with his family to Ogema. He was just 17 years old at the outset of the war and travelled to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F just weeks after his 19th birthday, on March 10th, 1916.

He was placed with the 5th Battalion and was part of the Canadian contingent to go over the top on April 9th, 1917. He was wounded in the ferocity of the battle the first day. While he was taken back to hospital, he succumbed to his wounds three days later.

Hailing originally from Knotting near Shambrook, Bedfordshire, England, Samuel Ebenezer Hodby was 24 years old in 1916 when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn, where he worked as a labourer.

Hodby was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion in December of 1916. He would be one of those who went over the top on April 9th, 1917, at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was initially reported missing in action after the first day of the battle. Later, they would discover he had been killed in action, never to return back to Weyburn.

Like so many from southeast Saskatchewan, Thomas Ernest Hone enlisted in the C.E.F. in the spring of 1916, March 11th, to be exact. He had turned 20 years old just a few months prior. Living in Ceylon, he enlisted in Weyburn, where he was initially placed in the 152nd Battalion, a holding unit of sorts until he could be placed into an active unit in France, which in his case, was the 5th Battalion.

On March 16th, 1917, while in the trenches in France, he would be killed by artillery, in the same incident which took the life of Wellington Gray.

Originally from Thurso, Quebec, Cordelia Hudson was a nurse in Weyburn when the war broke out, and in April 1916, she volunteered to do her part. She signed up to be a nursing sister and was posted to the 8th Stationary Hospital.

The 8th Stationary Hospital was organized by the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons and was comprised of 15 officers, 27 nursing sisters, and 1167 other ranks. The hospital was located in France, well behind the lines, from December 1917, until the end of the war, when it returned to Canada.

Hudson survived until the end of the war and returned to Saskatchewan. She would live out the rest of her days in the province, passing away peacefully on February 23rd, 1965, in Regina.

Originally from Cambridge, England, Arthur Tilbrook Humphrey was a school teacher Goodwater, Saskatchewan when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on April 25th, 1916. He was 27 years old when he made the decision to enlist.

Humphrey was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion later that year and served in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Battle of Arleux Loop, Hill 70, and more. During the Battle of Passchendaele, he suffered a wound to his left hand. He would return to the lines but was one of many Canadian soldiers who caught Spanish Influenza near the end of the war. He was sent back home to Canada, where he recovered. He would move to Ontario, where his sister was living. He lived out the rest of his days there, passing away in London, Ontario, on December 4th, 1962.

Serving for three years with the Royal North West Mounted Police, the predecessor of the RCMP, Arnold Coltman Hunter was living in Radville when the war broke out. He enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 15th, 1916.

Hunter was given the rank of Corporal, based on his previous service, and was taken on strength in the 46th Battalion, arriving in France in February of 1917. While along the lines, he was reported killed in action during shelling by the Germans near Souchez, France on March 29th, 1917.

Laurier Victor Ings lived in Carlyle, where he was a farmer when he travelled to Weyburn to enlist on February 4th, 1916. Like so many from Weyburn who enlisted in the early months of 1916, he was placed into the 5th Battalion when he arrived in France on February 19th, 1917.

'It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought then, and I think today, that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation' - Brigadier-General Alexander Ross, Commander, 28th Battalion. 1917

On April 9th, he was wounded in the left shoulder during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was taken to hospital, where he spent 68 days recovering from his wounds after an operation to remove the bullet and shrapnel. He was discharged from hospital to the 32nd Reserve Battalion, where he served out the remainder of the war. He was discharged through immobilization in 1919 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and returned to Carlyle. Due to the wound suffered, though, he would pass away just over a year later in Regina.

A blacksmith in Pangman, Saskatchewan, Phillip James Isaac enlisted in the C.E.F. on December 30th, 1915 in Weyburn. He was older than many who enlisted in the force, as he was just over 37 years old when he volunteered.

He arrived in France and was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion on November 13th, 1916. He would serve with the unit through 1917, and 1918, where he fought in a number of engagements. His actions saw him be promoted to the rank of corporal, and receive the military medal for acts of bravery in the field. He would survive through the remainder of the war and would return home to Canada. He passed away in Regina on October 22nd, 1942.

A farmer by trade, Earl Jackson was 18 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn. Enlisting in January of 1915, he was taken on strength in the 3rd Battalion on June 17th in 1916. Just four months later, he was with the battalion when they went over the top at the Battle of Ancre Heights.

The Canadians were tasked with taking Regina Trench, a trench close to German fortifications near Thiepval, one of the scenes of the Battle of the Somme. On October 8th, his unit attacked the line, but it wasn’t able to capture the trench. Jackson was killed during the combat.

John Alfred Jordan lived in Goodwater with his family, where he worked as a farmer. He was 25 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 2nd, 1916. Like so many others, he was placed with the 5th Battalion.

He was taken on strength in the unit on November 28th, 1916 and was with the Battalion for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and the follow-up engagement, the Battle of Arleux Loop. He would receive multiple gunshot wounds during the battle and would pass away later in hospital on May 9th, 1917.

Born in Nesbitt, Manitoba, John Howard Kehoe was living in Weyburn when he enlisted in the C.E.F. at the age of 20 in February 1916. He worked as a clerk in the town, with his parents residing in Froude.

On his attestation papers when enlisting, he was noted as being fit for office work. Despite the notation, he was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and was in France on April 25th, 1917.

On June 23rd, he was with the battalion as part of the D Company, which was tasked with building dugouts and deepening the Canada Trench through the night. In the morning, the Germans shelled the Canadian position. Kehoe was one of those killed by the shelling, just 21 years old.

George Byron Kerr was from Carlyle and enlisted in Weyburn on February 2nd, 1916. Being born on February 6th, 1899, he was deemed to be underage on April 15th, 1916. It didn’t deter him from trying again, and he filed a second attestation form in Regina on December 1st, 1916. This time, his date of birth indicated he was born February 6th, 1897. He was placed to the 28th Battalion, where he served with the unit until he was discharged from the C.E.F.

He didn’t make it through the war unscathed, however. During the 100 Days Offensive which closed out the war, he suffered a gunshot wound to the face. He would return home to Canada, and to Carlyle, where he lived out his remaining days.

Dominick Ketter was originally from Minnesota but was living in Weyburn when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on January 24th, 1916. Just 22 years old at the time, he found himself part of the 5th Battalion, arriving in France on November 28th, 1916.

Just a week after arriving on the front lines, his battalion moved up to the forward trenches. During night patrols, his party encountered a German patrol. While the firefight saw the Germans retreat back to their lines, three Canadians were killed. One of those men was Ketter.

Alexander King lived in Arcola, and unlike many of the men who enlisted in the C.E.F. in southeast Saskatchewan, was married when he made the trek to Weyburn to volunteer. He signed up for service on March 11th, 1916, and was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion on November 13th, 1916.

King was one of those who were wounded when going over the top at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917. He would succumb to his wounds, leaving behind his widow Eleanor.

George King was also from Arcola and enlisted on April 14th, 1916. He found himself in the 5th Battalion as well and served at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He survived the battle, but the follow-up offensive, which was part of the overall Battle of Arras, would claim his life. He was killed in action on April 28th, 1917, during the Battle of Arleux Loop.

King left behind his wife Caroline in Arcola.

Living in Weyburn, James Ezra Kitching was originally from Roland Manitoba. Born in June 1883, he was 32 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. He arrived in France in the 5th Battalion on November 28th, 1916, arriving at the unit along with Dominick Ketter.

Kitching would see action in the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge, and the Battle of Arleux Loop. On August 15th, 1917, during the Battle of Hill 70, he was reported missing, believed killed. It wouldn’t be until the following January he was reported as killed in action.

He was taken on strength with the 102nd Battalion, which was part of the Canadian 4th Division. During the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the 4th Division would be the only Canadian division to not achieve their objectives the morning of the battle, reaching them much later in the day. During the fighting, Knox was killed in action, never returning to his wife.

Andrew Kopec was originally from Chicago, Illinois, but had moved to southeast Saskatchewan with his family. He was a student, living in Weyburn when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on Christmas Eve, 1915. His family had settled down in Cedoux, just north of the town.

Kopec was taken on strength in the Canadian Mounted RIfles on February 17th, 1917. The unit was originally a mounted infantry unit but was converted to a traditional infantry unit during the war.

He moved up the ranks, and by August of 1918, he was given the temporary rank of Lieutenant in the Saskatchewan Regiment.

In October 1918, he was with the unit along the lines near St. Olle, France, close to the Canal du Nord. Shelling from the Germans resulted in Kopec being wounded. It was determined his wounds, which severely damaged his left leg, would take him out of service for six months. By then, the war was over, and he was invalided and discharged back to Canada. He would pass away in 1976.

Originally from Kiev, in what is now Ukraine, Mike Kuzmenko enlisted in the C.E.F in Weyburn and was with the large group of men from the southeast who arrived for in England aboard the S.S. Missanabie on October 13th, 1916. He would then find himself in France with the Battalion on December 2nd, 1916.

Kuzmenko would have seen action in a number of battles the 5th Battalion was in, including Vimy Ridge, Arleux Loop and Hill 70, as well as Passchendaele.

On August 2nd, 1918, he would be wounded in action with a gunshot wound to the left side of his back. He would survive the wound but was discharged back to Canada, where he lived out his remaining days in peace, passing away in 1950.

Harold Averal Johnson Lackey was originally from Bell’s Corners, Ontario, but had moved to Radville with his family. His father, I.H. Lackey, served as a reverend in the community. Lackey took up work as a drug clerk in the community, when, 25 years old, he travelled to Weyburn where he enlisted in the C.E.F. He came into the force with some experience in the military, having served as a cadet instructor.

He arrived in France with the 5th Battalion on December 2nd, 1916, arriving in the field at the same time as Mike Kuzmenko. Lackey fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and again during the Battle of Arleux Loop. It was at Arleux he would be killed in action, never returning again to Radville.

Thomas Franklin Lambert, Bertram Arthur Lambert and Francis Bacon Lambert were three brothers who were originally from Pennsylvania but farmed with their family near Ceylon. On January 27th, 1916, Thomas and Francis made the trip to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F, Bertram would make the trip himself May 24th, 1916. The three set off to serve King and Empire, leaving their parents John and Etta home in Ceylon.

Thomas would unfortunately not serve in the C.E.F., as he passed away from pneumonia in Weyburn shortly after enlisting.

His brothers Bertram and Francis shipped off overseas, Bertram taken on strength in the 5th Battalion, Francis in the 28th.

Bertram was the youngest of the three brothers, just 16 years old when he volunteered. Just eight months after his 17th birthday, he was with the 5th Battalion at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was killed in action during the first day of the battle.

Francis, with the 28th Battalion, was also at Vimy Ridge. He survived the vicious firefight. He would see action at other battles with the 28th, until July 30th, 1917. He had been wounded in battle and passed away from his injuries that day.

He was living in Avonlea when he made the trip to Weyburn to volunteer for service.

While he started his service in France, he was transferred to the Canadian Forestry Corps. With the self-given nickname of the Sawdust Fusiliers, the corps had the responsibility of keeping up with the demand for wood needed along the frontlines. This included cutting down trees, building aerodromes for the Flying Corps, and providing the lumber needed for trenches and dugouts along the frontlines.

Larsen would finish his service before being sent back home to Canada, demobilized at the end of the war. He returned to Saskatchewan, taking up residence in Lake Valley.

On January 14th, 1916, 29-year-old William Wright Lawton made the trek from Hazenmore to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F. He had moved over from England, where his parents still lived. He had spent time with the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment before he had moved over to Canada, serving for three years.

He was in France, serving with the 5th Battalion, on November 28th, 1916. He was one of many who, in the days prior to regular vaccination against it, missed time with his unit due to the mumps. He returned to his unit just ahead of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917. He survived the battle and was in the front lines during the Battle of Hill 70. He would not return home, being killed in action on the opening day of the battle on August 15th, 1917.

'You will not be called upon to advance until everything has been done that can be done to clear the way for you. After that it is up to you.' - Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie, November 1917

Charles James Lee came to Saskatchewan from St. Jacques, Newfoundland, and worked as a blacksmith in Assiniboia. He enlisted in Weyburn in the C.E.F. on  August 9th, 1915, just over a month shy of his 25th birthday.

He was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion and served with distinction. He received the Military Medal for his actions during the Battle of Hill 70, and the Military Cross First Bar for his actions during the Battle of Passchendaele. He would serve out the remainder of the war, being discharged due to illness in 1919.

Originally from Norfolk, England, George William Lister was living in Yellow Grass when he enlisted in the C.E.F. He made the short trip from Yellow Grass to Weyburn on December 29th, 1915 to volunteer.

He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion on February 14th, 1917. He would see action at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917. He would survive the opening days of the battle but would be killed in action on April 13th, 1917.

William McKay Little worked as a banker in Weyburn when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on June 16th, 1916, leaving behind his wife Margaret and their two daughters. McKay was well known in Weyburn, having been the manager of Weyburn Security Bank since 1911, and being active in the town’s curling and motoring community.

Thirty-six years old, he was taken on strength into the 5th Battalion, arriving in France on June 22nd, 1917, nearly a year after his enlistment.

During the final days of the Battle of Passchendaele, he was reported missing. He was declared killed in action on January 21st, 1921.

A homestead farmer near Gollier, Saskatchewan, John Loskot was 32 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn. It is easy to imagine his decision to enlist would have been a difficult one, as his family was in Moravia, which was part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, which was at war with Canada in the 1st World War. Nonetheless, he enlisted and was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion on November 18th, 1916.

He would see action during the Battle of Arras, which included the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and the Battle of Arleux Loop. It was during the fighting in the latter engagement he would be killed in action, dying in the service of his adopted country.

Josiah Lowry was a homestead farmer near Viceroy when he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 3rd, 1916. Like so many who enlisted in the spring of that year, he sailed to Europe on the SS Missanabie on October 3rd, 1916, and was with the 5th Battalion in France in 1917. He would be declared missing in action on November 11th, 1917, after the Battle of Passchendaele. It was determined on July 12th the following year he had been killed in action.

A labourer by trade, Gerald Marsh, who hailed from Parkton, North Carolina, found himself in Weyburn in 1916, where he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on September 20th. He arrived in France and served with the 5th Battalion.

He was reported missing in action during the Battle of Arleux Loop. He was presumed to be killed in action weeks later.

An 18-year-old student from Weyburn, James Gordon Marshall enlisted in the C..E.F. on September 22nd, 1915. He was originally placed in the 4th University Corps, before transferring to the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry on April 23rd, 1916.

On December 19, 1916, he was part of a group which helped to detonate three mines near German positions. There was an exchange of gunfire in the lead-up to the explosions, and he was killed in action on the La Folie Farm, which would later become part of the battleground of the Battle of Vimy Ridge just four months later.

Enlisting in the C.E.F. on November 16th, 1915, William Thomas McAlister was a farmer in the southeast. He shipped from Weyburn and arrived in France in early 1916. He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and would see action during the bloodiest battle of the 1st World War.

He fought at the Somme and was killed in action during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge in the later stages of the savage fields which would later be dubbed ‘Haig’s meat grinder’ by the media of the day.

Martin McConnell was a fireman in Carlyle. He enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 17, 1916. He was 26 years old when he volunteered for service of King and Empire overseas.

He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion, like so many others in the southeast. He would arrive in France on November 13th, 1916. His first true taste of combat on the front lines would come at Vimy Ridge, on April 9th, 1917. He would be killed in action during the battle dubbed Canada’s baptism by fire.

James Gordon McDougall was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba but was living in Goodwater, just south of Weyburn, when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on January 3rd, 1916.

He had been on the front lines for just three weeks, having arrived in France on November 13th, 1916, when tragedy struck. He was killed in action on December 8th, 1916.

The 102nd Battalion saw a number of people from Saskatchewan join its ranks, despite being primarily from Central Ontario. One of those in the 102nd was Joseph Gordon McKinnon, who hailed from Singhampton, Ontario. He moved to Yellow Grass and was working as a farmer at the outbreak of the war.

Just weeks after his 21st birthday, he enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 31st, 1916. He was one of those who was killed in action during the heavy fighting involving the 4th Division at Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917.

Frederick William McLatchie was born in New Zealand and somehow found himself in Saskatchewan when the 1st World War started in 1914. Living in Amulet, he travelled west to Weyburn in February 1916 to enlist. He would sail to Europe with many others from southeast Saskatchewan aboard the SS Missanabie in October of 1916, and was with his unit by November 1916.

He had a rough go of avoiding the sick parade, having developed influenza, the mumps, and a dental abscess all within a time span of eight months. When he was able to rejoin his unit, he was there for the Battle of Passchendaele. In the final days of the muddy battle, he would be killed in action.

Just two weeks after his 20th birthday, John Joseph McNamee left his parents behind in Forget and made the short trek to Weyburn to enlist in the C.E.F. on April 6th, 1916. He was part of the 5th Battalion, arriving in Europe on November 13th, 1916.

He was wounded in the field on August 3rd, 1917, in the trenches near Loos, Belgium. He returned to the front shortly after, and was back in the lines on November 10th, 1917, during the final days of the Battle of Passchendaele. He was part of an attack which went over the top at 6:00 a.m. He wouldn’t return to the trenches, killed in action during the fighting.

Carman Merriam was a clerk in Ogema when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 10, 1916. Joining up in Weyburn, he was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion, and was in France with his unit on November 13th, 1916, like so many other men from Weyburn did.

He fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and again with the 5th Battalion at the Battle of Arleux Loop. He was wounded during the fighting on April 28th and was taken to hospital in Boulogne. They had to amputate his right leg, but it wouldn’t be enough to save his life. He succumbed to his wounds on June 4th, 1917.

Working as a farmer in Weyburn, Sidney Mowat was originally from Ottawa. He enlisted in the C.E.F. in April of 1916 and was part of the mass movement of troops from Canada which arrived in France on December 2nd, 1916. He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and found in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

He was wounded in the left knee during the fighting on April 9th, 1917, and was eventually invalided back to Canada. It didn’t stop him, though. He returned home to Ottawa to recover and re-enlisted into the C.E.F. on February 2nd, 1918. He would be discharged again from the C.E.F, however, again being deemed medically unfit.

The wound to his knee would cause problems for the rest of his life, and he would pass away due to complications in March of 1922 in Winnipeg.

By January, he was commissioned as an officer, as his experience in the 20th Border Horse was taken into account for his enlistment, and he was given the rank of lieutenant.

He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and went over the top during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in the left thigh. To help recover, he was given leave to return to Canada for treatment. He wouldn’t return to Europe, but instead, served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force which went to Siberia, to intervene in the Russian Civil War, in 1919. He would return home and was demobilized officially on May 16th, 1919 in Regina.

For many of the men who enlisted in Weyburn, they were given their physicals to determine if they were fit for military service by Dr. Millen Alexander Nickle. He was an experienced military man, having spent 2 ½ years with the 20th Border Horse in Weyburn, while also serving as a physician in the community.

He worked here in Weyburn, before going overseas at first to Britain, and then to work in the 8th Stationary Hospital, which was set up well behind the front lines in France. By April 4th, 1919, he had been demobilized and returned home to Canada.

After leaving the military, he moved to Clearwater, Florida where he practiced medicine until his death in 1944. His family’s name lives on in the region. His nephew Armour Nathaniel served multiple terms as an alderman on Weyburn City Council, and Nickle Lake, and it’s adjacent regional park, is just outside of the city limits.

Elmer Blake Partridge was a clerk in Weyburn, living with his family in the community when the war began. By January 1916, he had made the decision to enlist in the C.E.F. at the age of 19 and was over in France in November 1916.

Positioned with the 5th Battalion, he would prove himself in the field, first earning a promotion to corporal, and on April 10th, 1917, to sergeant.

After the battles at Vimy Ridge and Arleux, he was with his unit in a reserve position, but still close enough for German artillery to reach them. On June 28th, shelling of their position wounded Partridge. He would be taken back to hospital, where he passed away the following day.

Little more than a hamlet now, Khedive was a vibrant community at the outset of the 1st World War. It was where Charles Edwin Shears and his family had settled when they came to Canada, with Charles working on the homestead.

He travelled to Weyburn at the end of December, in 1915, to enlist in the C.E.F. He had some military experience, having served three years with the Yorkshire and Lancaster Regiment in England before coming to Canada.

Shears was taken on strength in the 102nd Battalion and was involved in an operation near the hamlet of Eleu dit Leauwette in France on June 5th, 1917. He would be grievously wounded, and they were unable to do anything to save him. He passed away from his wounds the following day.

Not everyone who served in the C.E.F did so voluntarily. In 1917, the Canadian Government passed the Military Draft Act, which allowed for conscription to fill the ranks. One of those from the region who was conscripted was Clifford McLeod Sillers.

Sillers was originally from Killarney, Manitoba, but was living in Lang, working as a watchman, when he was called up to service. He would be taken on strength in the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles. He would arrive in France to his unit on November 10, 1918. He was demobilized, returning home to Canada afterwards.

Isaiah Taylor was a farmer near Pangman and enlisted in the C.E.F. in Weyburn on March 4th, 1916. He would be part of the wave of Canadians who came over on the SS Missanabie in October 1916 and was with his unit, the 5th Battalion, in France over the winter.

He fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and many other engagements over the course of 1917. He was wounded during the Battle of Passchendaele, shot in the left arm. He would return to duty just weeks later, spending just 29 days in hospital.

With his unit, he participated in the 100 Days offensive, the advances by the Canadians through the final 100 days of the war. During one battle along Canal du Nord, Taylor would be one of many casualties during the fierce fighting as the Canadians crossed the canal on September 27th, never to return home to Pangman.

‘I died in Hell (they called it Passchendaele) my wound was slight and I was hobbling back; and then a shell burst slick upon the duckboards; so I fell into the bottomless mud, and lost the light.' - Siegfried Sassoon, 1918

Living in Halbrite, where he worked on a farm, Howard Thomas Walls enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 29th, 1916, making the trip into Weyburn to enlist. He would be overseas by December of the same year, with his unit in France.

Serving with the 5th Battalion, he saw action at Vimy Ridge, Arleux and Passchendaele through 1917. It was in the final days of the Battle of Passchendaele he would be wounded. He went to hospital, and rejoined his unit just two weeks later, on November 23rd, 1917.

Walls would survive the remainder of the war, including the 100 Days offensive, and was demobilized on March 5th, 1919. He returned to Saskatchewan, where he lived out the rest of his life, passing away on June 2nd, 1962.

A lumberman from Limerick, Saskatchewan, Alexander Waterton said goodbye to his wife Margaret and enlisted in the C.E.F. on April 25th, 1916. Thirty-six at the time of his enlistment, he wasn’t a stranger to military service. He had spent six years with the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in England before coming to Canada.

After arriving in Europe, he would be taken on strength in the 15th Machine Gun Company on February 19th, 1917.

In November that year, his unit came under enemy attack, and he was among those killed in action, leaving behind Margaret in Limerick.

Joseph Cecil Yates lived in Goodwater, where he farmed when he enlisted in the C.E.F. as a 17-year-old on March 7th, 1916. He was taken on strength in the 5th Battalion and travelled to Europe with hundreds of others aboard the SS Missanabie. When he arrived, he went through training and arrived in France to join the 5th Battalion on May 23rd, 1917. He would see action through the summer, and into the fall.

He was with the 5th during the muddy Battle of Passchendaele, which raged through much of October and November 1917. On November 11th, 1917, in trenches in the hamlet of Meetcheele, the Canadian line came under attack from the Germans. Yates would be among 320 casualties suffered by the 5th Battalion that day, killed in action just hours before the battalion rotated out to reserve.

Working as a drug clerk in Carlyle, John Edwin Yates was just 18 years old when he enlisted in the C.E.F. on February 2nd, 1916. He arrived in Britain for his infantry training, when he requested and was granted, leave to sign up for the Royal Flying Corps in May 1917. As a result, he received a commission and went from Private to 2nd Lieutenant.

Yates was flying a Sopwith Camel. On November 1st, 1917, when flying out on an offensive patrol, Yates spun out of control, crashing at La Lovie.

Today, there are none of the men and women who served left to tell the stories of what happened between 1914 and 1918 in Europe. All that remains are the words they put to paper, sounds they recorded, images they took. They still live on through those memories, and it from their hands to ours they passed the torch to keep the memories alive.

Every year, on November 11th, we commemorate the sacrifices made by all men and women who chose to serve their country and give everything they had for a cause they saw as the most noble.

Through the memories they have left to us to keep, we hope we never have to relive those memories, or that our children and our children’s children have to either.