Fred is a mystery to me, but he wasn’t a mystery to my grandmother, Dorothy Warry. My aunt and I discovered this postcard hidden behind one of my grandmother’s photos. On the front is a photo of the officers of the 58th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The postcard is stamped Niagara Falls, August 28, 1915 at 9 am. It’s addressed to Miss D. Warry 14 Thorold Ave. Toronto, Ontario and a note to my grandmother.
Dear Dorothy, Many thanks for letter. I hope to be home for Sunday. I will phone Saturday anyway. Just getting ready to go to Queenstown. So Goodbye hoping you are well. Yours Fred
Fred may have been a sweetheart of my grandmother before my grandfather, Johnston Paterson. Sadly, many young men never made it back to their sweethearts.
So, who was Fred? We know his first name was Fred or Frederick, he was probably in the 58th Battalion, and he probably didn’t make it back. I’ve tried looking over the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 58th Battalion members who died overseas, but there seem to be quite a few possibilities. So maybe he will always be a mystery to me. Even my grandmother is entitled to a secret.
Hi Jacqueline. I may have a clue for you about the identity of 'Fred'. If he was in the photo on the obverse of the postcard, then there is only one 'Fred' in that photo. He was Lieutenant Frederick Horatio Nelson Casey. There is a record for him on the Canadian Great War Project website that will provide further details.
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