My grandfather, Walter J Steele served his country for the entirety of Canada’s participation in World War One. Born in the small town of Woodstock, Ontario, he volunteered in response to a recruiting drive, and enlisted in the first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces at Valcartier, Quebec on Sep 20, 1914. He was a few months shy of his 20th birthday, although his attestation papers say he was almost 21. As we have his record of birth in 1894, it’s unknown whether he may have thought it sounded better to be a bit older, or if this was a simple administrative error. His occupation prior to joining is listed as Painter. Since our Grandma was the artist in the family, he must’ve been a house painter or something like. He is described as 5’ 3, with dark hair and complexion, and a chest measurement of 33 inches. His only distinguishing mark was a scar on his right hand. Wally was assigned to “A” Battery of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA), which was one of
In the course of my family research, I often come across people who served in various theatres of war. There are always a few moments of anxiety until I can find out if they survived, or if they made the ultimate sacrifice. Whether on land, in the air, or at sea, it is sad to learn of lives cut short by war. In past years I've written about the lives and service of some of those in my family tree who fought for their country. Recently, I've developed an additional appreciation for those who didn't see active battle, but stayed home, quietly holding things together on the home front. For families in North America and Australia, life was very different from what families experienced who lived with privation, under fire, threat of invasion, actual occupation, in England, Scotland, Europe and Asia. Some men, like my grandfather Stan Ticknor & great-grandfather Charlie Ticknor, worked in factories that were essential to the war effort, like General Steel Wares (GSW) her