The Lost Voices of
WWI Middleton and District, is about thirty-one young guys who left the small
Nova Scotia town of Middleton and its surrounding area during WWI and never
returned home, they were ~
Frederick Bruce Harold
B. Layton
Charles Carey John
L. Lightizer
William Clark Stuart
C. Marshall
Stanley H. Clark(e) Robert
McLaughlin
Harold G. Cox Frederick
E. Neily
James A. DeLancey George
F. Neily **
Lloyd A. Dorman Vance
L. Neily **
Carl R. Early Philip
M. Palmeter
John H. Feindel Ralph
O. Pearson
Garnett D. Garber Charles
R. Ray
Pearley Parker
Goucher Herman
W. Roy
Albert V. Hansford Louis
B. Schaffner
Thomas Harris Edgar
S. Spurr
Chester Hayes Murray
L. Tupper
Lewis E. Howard Roland
F. Turner
Lloyd H. Langille
**Denotes – Brothers
The book begins with
the chapter “Summer 1914: a prelude to change”, an idyllic time prior to WWI,
when life in Middleton was very much next to perfect. A small but very prosperous
community in the heart of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, where the local
economy thrived on agriculture and the expanding railway system, which provided
the transport links for the locally produced livestock, vegetables, fruit and
berries to other provinces and to the USA.
The latent hostilities
in far-off Europe during that summer which the book describes in the chapter “Growing
Tensions”, had no effect on the day to day life of those in Middleton. The local
farmers were busy haying and harvesting their fields, while at home the women
folk would be preparing to preserve fruit and vegetables for the long winter
months ahead. But soon this would all dramatically change, by a chain of events
in Europe which would weave itself into the fabric of the local community, and
interrupt the perfect way of life in Middleton, Canada and indeed the wider
world.
With Britain’s
declaration of war upon Germany on August 14th 1914, the chapter “Canada
at War”, describes how Canada’s legal status as a British Dominion, left all foreign
policy decisions in the hands of the British parliament, which automatically
brought Canada and similarly Australia, New Zealand and other Empire countries
into the conflict.
Of the thirty-one
guys the book honours, all except for one were volunteers, who joined the Canadian
Expeditionary Force (CEF), which by war’s end would grow to almost 620,000
enlistments. The chapter “A call to arms”, tells of when war broke out, how Canadians
in large numbers hurried to enlist out of a sense of patriotism, a desire for
glory, or a chance of a free trip to Britain and the misguided belief that the
war would be over by Christmas. This rush to war included several hundred from
Middleton and the surrounding district.
The part of the book
which required a huge depth of careful research is the chapter “We will
remember them”. Within those pages are many details about each of the
thirty-one. It includes their date and location of birth, their parents, their
occupations, spouses and siblings, date of enlistment, military training, the
ships which took them to Britain, in chronological order their military
movements and battle involvements in France and Belgium, then finally the
circumstances of their deaths. Most of this information was made available with
much gratitude from Library and Archives Canada ~ Personnel Records of the
First World War.
This chapter is written
in a very personal way to give a “voice” to each of the thirty-one, it includes
where possible photos of the guys, their family, their graves in France or
Belgium and where they have no known grave, their inscriptions on memorials in
Europe. Also, within this chapter are the occasional selected scanned extracts
from their hand-written military records, this includes sign-up
papers, in the event of death their will, pay records, injuries and much more.
The chapter “The
Regiments and Units” covers all the twenty-two regiments and military units
each served in throughout the war, it includes pictures of the relevant cap
badges and other related information. This section of the book also tells of
where and when the regiments were formed and summarizes the various theaters of
war each fought in during WWI.
The final chapter “The
Troop Ships”, gives details on all the thirteen troop ships which transported
the guys on their one-way trip to Britain before deployment to France or
Belgium. Within this part of the book are photographs of each ship, data on where they were built and some additional information about their post-war
existence.
As indicated by the
book’s title, its main purpose is to give a “voice” to those thirty-one guys
who over 100 years ago, left Middleton and the surrounding area, never to
return to their homes, parents, wives and children. As written at the
beginning of the book in the section “The need to Remember”, it is hoped the
reader will pause at the pages dedicated to each of the thirty-one souls named and
remember that they share in abundance, an equal tragic loss with over a million
other Commonwealth troops from World War I. That loss in part being, the missed
years and the absent life experiences that we all take for granted. Even though it was over 100 years ago, I also hope the reader will spare a thought
for the grieving families and loved ones who were left behind and endured a lifetime of loss.
Finally, and perhaps
more importantly, my hope is that the “Lost Voices” named within this book and
their Commonwealth comrades will never be forgotten.
Below are a selection of pictures
included in the book ~
The Dominion Atlantic Railway (DAR) Station in
Middleton in 1910, a lifeline to the local growing economy
Many hurried to enlist out of a sense of patriotism, a
desire for glory, or a chance of a free trip to Britain and the misguided
belief that the war would be over by Christmas.
“DEDICATED IN THE MEMORY OF THE FOLLOWING
WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR”
Newspaper Clippings from 1917 reporting on the death
of Major James Arnold DeLancy MC
Captain Edgar Smith Spurr MC ~ the following was said
about him by Private Harrison Livingstone a fellow serving soldier ~
"He was a born leader of men, who helped to make
trench life bearable. He used to come to our outpost at night and talk about
home; his family, and his apple orchard in the (Annapolis) Valley."
The grave of Captain Edgar Smith Spurr MC at Wailly
Orchard Cemetery; Pas de Calais, France
A hand written Will for Private Garnett Douglas
Garber, a document required by every soldier before going overseas. He killed was in action at Canal de L’Escaut by a bomb
dropped from an enemy aircraft, aged 20 and is buried at Ramillies British
Cemetery, Northern France
Private Philip Marvin Palmeter’s inscription at the
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium ~ he has no known grave
A notice from 13th January 1922 for the posthumous
award of Private Philip Marvin Palmeter’s service and war medals to his father
Russell Palmeter. The Memorial Cross (more often referred to as the Silver
Cross) is given to his mother Mrs. E. Palmeter
From 1916 Lance Corporal Stuart Charles Marshall, he
was killed during an attack South of Haucourt, France, aged 22 and is Vis-en-Artois
British Cemetery, Haucourt, Pas de Calais, France. He shares this grave with another
soldier who is “Known Unto God”, unidentified
