Lest We Forget – Men who served in the (CEF) WW1

Remembrance Day is a day to remember those men and women who have served and those who are serving today. Here are some of the men in Robert’s and my families who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI. I’ve included links to the Library and Archives Canada website where the personnel records are being digitized These are the names of the ones that have been digitized with a PDF file where you can find more information.

Sydney Wedford Black (married my grandaunt, Frances Edlora Belknap)

Sydney was drafted under the military service act of 1917. He signed a declaration of recruit in Calgary, Alberta on May 21, 1918 at the age of 23. He served as a private in the 2nd Canadian War Graves Detachment. Regimental # 3211766. Sydney was discharged on August 19, 1919. Sydney married my grandaunt in 1936 and had a large family of nine children. He died on April 10, 1980 at the age of 84 and is buried at the Northwood Baptist Cemetery in Saint-Lina, Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada.

Canadian War Diaries - Miscellaneous Diaries
WW1 personnel records
Find A Grave

Henry Archibald Danskin (my 2nd cousin twice removed)

Henry enlisted on July 16, 1915 in Calgary, Alberta at the age of 25. He served as private in the Field Ambulance Depot. Regimental # 322659. Henry was discharge on June 2, 1919. He married later as his death registration in 1958 lists his wife as May Ellen Hutchinson. Henry died on January 16, 1958 at the age of 68 in the Provincial Mental Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C. Canada. He is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby, B.C., Canada.

Canadian War Diaries - Medical Units
WW1 personnel records
Death Registration
Find A Grave

Arthur William Danskin (my 2nd cousin twice removed)

Arthur’s military service was very brief. He was a private in the 84th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment). Regimental # 163261. He died at the age of 34 on December 22, 1915 in the Brantford General Hospital at Brantford, Ontario of bronchitis, typhoid and pneumonia. He never even made it overseas.

WW1 personnel records
CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
Find A Grave

Seward Cephus Foster (Robert’s great granduncle)

Seward enlisted on April 4th, 1916 in Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada at the age of 31. He served as a sapper in the 219 Battalion. His regimental # 283381. He was discharged on April 5th, 1919 with the war service badge. Seward returned home to his wife Annie Creemer. He died at the age of 51 on 26 April 1937. He is buried in the Aylesford Union Cemetery in Aylesford, Nova Scotia, Canada.

WW1 personnel records
Find A Grave

Andrew Graham (married my grandaunt, Edith Greenlees Paterson)

Andrew enlisted 16th December, 1914 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the age of 19. He served as a private in the 32nd Battalion and 10th Battalion. Regimental # 81330. Andrew was honorable discharge on May 19, 1919 with the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He married my grandaunt on July 2, 1927 and had three children (one passing away young). He died on February 5, 1982 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and is buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

The Story of the Tenth Canadian Battalion 1914 -1917
WW1 personnel records
Find A Grave

Allan James Levy (married Robert’s grandaunt, Emelia Alberta Stoddart)

Allan enlisted on July 13, 1915 at the age of 27 in Valcartier,Quebec. He served as a Lance Corporal in the 60th Battalion. Regimental # 415512. Allan was killed in action on June 15, 1916 while in the trenches at Sanctuary Wood. He left behind his wife and four small children. He has a memorial at Ypres (Memin Gate).

60th Canadian Overseas Battalion
WW1 personnel records
CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

George Outhit Lutz (Robert’s 1st cousin 3 times removed)

George was drafted under the military service act of 1917. He signed the declaration of recruit on June 14, 1918 in Aldershot, Nova Scotia at the age of 29. He served as a private in the 17th Reserve Battalion. His regimental # 3189848. George was discharge on July 18, 1919. He returned to his wife, Annie Lamb, whom he married just months before his enlistment. He died on July 13, 1961 at the age of 72. He is buried in the Morristown cemetery in Morristown, Nova Scotia, Canada.

WW1 personnel records
Find A Grave

Lest We Forget – Fred of the 58th Battalion CEF

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. 

CEF 58th Battalion Members Who Died Overseas 

52 Ancestors - Dorothy Eleanor May Warry (Paterson)

The Belknap Brothers - Not Forgotten

Me - My Mom -Ruby Alberta Belknap - Donald Francis Belknap - his brother, Martin Henry Belknap - his sons, Gordon Bernard Belknap and Robert Martin Belknap 

As we get closer to Remembrance Day I've been thinking of those many brave men and women who served their countries. Many of those heroes are in our families trees. I thought it was time to find them and make a point of acknowledging them. Two of those young men are brothers who never had the chance to grow old. Gordon Bernard Belknap and his younger brother, Robert Martin Belknap are two of the fallen sailors who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. They are the sons of Martin Henry Belknap and Matilda Anne Krekofsky. Both were born in Sterns County, Minnesota, United States. Gordon Bernard Belknap on September 1st, 1919 and Robert Martin Belknap on  May 7 1925.  Gordon enlisted at the young age of 17 on May 4th, 1937. He went missing when his ship the U.S.S. Pecos was sunk by a Japanese aircraft on March 1st, 1942. Gordon was just 22 years old. His younger brother, Robert turned 17  just after Gordon went missing. Robert followed Gordon by enlisted at 17 on March 31st, 1942. At 20 years old, Robert is listed as missing when his ship the U.S.S. Luce is sunk by Japanese aircraft.

 The brothers are listed on page 2 of Minnesota in the "World War II Navy, Marie Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945" right next to each other.

 Timeline of Gordon and Robert from the Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 on Ancestry

• 1937-May-04 Gordon enlisted in the navy at Minneapolis
• 1939-May_15 Gordon received from USS Chicago FFT Asia
• 1939-May-29 Gordon  on Muster Roll USS Henderson sailing from San Francisco to Honolulu
• 1939-Jul-09  Gordon transferred from USS Augusta to USS Henderson
• 1939-Jul-10  Gordon on Muster Roll USS Henderson sailing from Tsingtao, China to     Shanghai, China
• 1940-Dec-24  Gordon received on board USS Pecos                 
• 1940-Dec-31 Gordon on Muster Roll USS Pecos
• 1941-Mar-31 Gordon on Muster Roll USS Pecos
• 1941-Jun-30 Gordon on Muster Roll USS Pecos
• 1941-Aug-05 Gordon appointed Water Tender 2nd Class
• 1941-Aug-08 Gordon on Muster Roll USS Pecos
• 1941-Sep-30 Gordon on Muster Roll USS Pecos
• 1942-Mar-01 Gordon is listed as missing in action when the USS Pecos was sunk by Japanese aircraft south of Christmas Island

• 1942-Mar-31 Robert enlisted in the navy at Minneapolis
• 1943-Jun-21 Robert received on board USS Luce from R/S Lido Beach, L.I., N.Y.
• 1943-Jun-21  Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1943-Dec-31 Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1943-Dec-31 Robert transferred to USNH Dutch Harbor, Alaska
• 1944-Feb-07 Robert received from NOB Dutch Harbor
• 1944-Feb-29 Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1944-Mar-31 Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1944-Jun-30  Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1944-Sep-30  Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1944-Dec-31  Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1945-Mar-31 Robert on Muster Roll USS Luce
• 1945-May-04 Robert in listed as missing on Muster Roll with the sinking of the USS Luce

Gordon B Belknap is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing, Manila, Philippines 

Find-A-Grave

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Robert M Belknap is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, Court 5 at Honolulu, Hawaii, UnitedStates

Find-A-Grave

More about USS Pecos AO-6:

Wikipedia

The History of Navy Oilers

More about USS Luce DD-522:

Wikipedia
Kamikaze Images 
WWII Database

52 Ancestors - Andrew Danskine Aitken - Not Forgotten

Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small issued the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.  Each week focus on one ancestor and post something about him or her. I've not posted for a while and I'm quite far behind. I was going to post this last month. But I figure even if I can post a few more stories it's better than nothing.

While searching for information on Danskine family members, I came across some information on Andrew Danskine Aitken. He happens to be my 1st cousin twice removed. He would have been my great grandmother's (Elizabeth Danskine) nephew.  Andrew was born in Airdire, Lanarkshire, Scotland on July 15, 1882 to Elizabeth's sister, Janet and Janet's husband,(John Aitken). He may have been named after his uncle Andrew Danskine who was a grocer and spirit merchant. Andrew never got to meet the uncle he was named after, as Andrew the grocer died at the age of 27 years old in 1875. Andrew grew up in a family of boys. He had two older step brothers William and James Danskine, an older brother John, and two younger brothers (Robert and Thomas Russell). Andrew was a young man of 25 when his aunt, Elizabeth and her family immigrated to Canada in 1907. 

The sad part of discovering Andrew was that he was one of the fallen soldiers of World War I.  He was killed in action on August 4th, 1916 in Egypt and is listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website as buried in the Kantara War Memoial Cemetery. He was a Second Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers, Lowland Field Company. Andrew, also, has a memorial at the New Monkland Cemetery in Airdrie, Scotland. 

Andrew was not only a solider, but he was an architect and teacher.

ANDREW DANSKINE AITKEN

     A.R.I.B.A.

Second Lient. L.D.R.E

Killed in Action in Egypt

4th August 1916 Aged 34 Years

 There is a biography and a photo of  Andrew on the Dictionary of Scottish Architects website.

More on the Danskine family:

52 Ancestors - Elizabeth Danskine (Paterson)  his aunt

Sunday's Obituary - James Danskin his great grandfather 

Surname Saturday - Danskine

Source:

 Airdrie, Lanark, Statutory Births 1855-2013, birth of Andrew Danskine Aitken; digital image, ScotlandsPeople (http://scotlandspeople.gov.uk/: 12 November 2014); 651/01 0317.

52 Ancestors - Robert's Roots - Robert Stoddart - Irish Sergeant

Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small issued the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.  Each week focus on one ancestor and post something about him or her.

Robert - his Mom - Maurice Randall Stoddart - Milford Clayton Stoddart - Robert Stoddart - James St. Clair Stoddart - Robert Stoddart

Robert's 4th great grandfather, Robert Stoddart, was an Irish carpenter serving in the British army during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Robert Stoddart enlisted in the 99th Regiment of Foot, or Prince of Wales's Tipperary Regiment of Foot in 1804 which was renumbered to the 98th in 1816. For his service in the military he received a pension and a land grant in Dalhousie (Falkland Ridge), Nova Scotia. Sergeant Robert Stoddart even had a settlement named after him, Stoddartville. A short description of Stoddarville is found in the book "Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia" on the Nova Scotia Archive's website.

Robert Stoddart is in the  WO25/548 on The UK National Archives website that can be downloaded for free. The first page states -  disbanded Sept. 1818, 98th late 99th Regiment. There's a memo stating the age of the men to be estimates from August 1813 as far as page 25, this would include Robert. The title is the 99th or P[rince] Wales Reg., Description of the Non Commissioned Officers, Drummers, & Private Men, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 1813. Robert Stoddart is on page 12, image 28/117, third from the bottom. His name is recorded as Stoddors, Robert, his date of enlistment is recorded as Sept. 30 1804, his age about 35, his height as 5'8", and there's a description of how he looked such as brown hair and grey eyes. Not to forget the 2nd page with his birth place as Longford, Longford, trade of carpenter, and most interesting is the dates of when he served in the West Indies (June 9, 1806 to May 27, 1811). Also, recorded is his  discharge date of June 25, 1818 in Fredericton. His total service time is recorded as 16 years and 67 days. Somehow I  got 13 years, 8 months and 26 days of service from September 30 1804 to June 25, 1818.

 

On Ancestry.com, Robert Stoddart can be located in the "UK. Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Register of Soldiers Who Served in Canada 1743-1882". He is on page 257, image 150/211, 4th person from top. The date of admission is recorded as October 21, 1821. He's stated as a sergeant and his age 37.  His length of time is recorded for each of his ranks: 5 6/12 years as a private, 7 4/12 years as a corporal, and only 5/12 years as a sergeant. His service time in the West India Service is recorded as 4 11/12 years and total service time as 15 8/12. His rate per day is 7. There's a complaint of reduction. The record states he was born in Ireland. His height is 5'11"  and description - black, blue, sallow, and the trade of carpenter. In remarks he is listed in Nova Scotia with some numbers. Do these numbers lead to other records? 

 

From what I've discovered, it looks like the Prince of Wales Tipperary regiment served in Bermuda from 1806 to 1811, then the regiment was sent to Nova Scotia till they were disbanded in 1818.  Sergeant Stoddart's total years of service seem to be a little off by my calculations , but I'm not sure how they were calculated. These are just a couple of records that I've discovered about Robert Stoddart's time in the British army. I'm sure there's more.

Websites:

History of Nova Scotia 

British Regiments in Canada

British Army during the Napoleonic Wars 

Ships to Nova Scotia 1815-1838 - Robert's regiment is listed under 1818, New Halifax - Annapolis Road 

 

Mentions of the Prince of Wales Tipperary regiment in Google Books:

A Collection of the Charges, Opinions, and Sentences of General Courts ... By Charles James - p. 477, Court Martial of Lieutenant Thomas Herring - 1813 

The Royal Military Chronicle: Or, British Officers Monthly ..., Volume 6 -  p. 139, Sentence of Lieutenant Thomas Herring

The Royal Military Calendar, Or Army Service and Commission Book ..., Volume 3 - p. 362 Court Martial of Major-General James Orde 

Sources: 

The National Archives (U.K.), "WO 25. 98 (late 99) Foot. WO 25/548," digital image, The National Archives (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk : downloaded 7 January 2011), Record for Robert Stoddors.

The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England, "UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Registers of Soldiers Who Served in Canada, 1743-1882," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 April 2014), entry for Robt Stoddart, Class: WO 120; Piece: 35.

Remembrance Day - Lest We Forget

A day to remember those who have served and continue to serve our country.  

My uncle Pat and his cousins Vic Yancey, Jack Kaliel, and George Kaliel in their uniforms from WWII.  Thank you and so many others for your service to our country.