World War Wednesdays: The First World War Chronicles of H. W. Cooper, Part One

H. W. Cooper ca. 1917, Elgin County Archives

     I recently came across a vast repository of some remarkable pen and ink drawings from the First World War in the Elgin County Archives, and wanted to do a bit of a different post that would allow me to include as many of them as possible. Each one provides a unique glimpse into life during the First World War and the Canadian soldier's experience, and it is fascinating to see these snapshots of moments in time through the artist's perspective. It's not immediately clear how ECA became the home of so many of these valuable records, but we're lucky to have them in safe keeping close to home. Here is ECA's biography of artist H. W. Cooper, 1893-1976:
As a child, Herbert W. Cooper lived with his family in Australia, where he attended boarding school and worked in a mining camp. At some point he emigrated to Canada where, preceding and during the first two years of the First World War he served as a Quarter Master Sergeant and military recruiter at a military depot in Toronto, while also working as a freelance illustrator and writer for Macleans magazine.
In 1916, Cooper was posted to active war service in Europe as a non-commissioned officer with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, serving as a Transport Staff Sergeant with the mounted ambulance corps in Belgium and as a Quarter Master Sergeant in France.
In January, 1918, Cooper was assigned to the Topographic Section, Intelligence Branch, Canadian Corps Headquarters, France, where he worked constructing scale models in clay of the Canadian front lines, based on maps, aerial photographs and other materials.
In July, 1918, Cooper returned to front line duty, first with the Royal Flying Corps (R.F.C.) and then with the Canadian Corps Survey Section working as an observer, flash spotter and document runner.
From December, 1918 to January, 1919, Cooper was posted to Canadian Corps Headquarters in occupied Bonn, Germany and was then transferred to Jodoigne, Belgium, where he served until early April, 1919 when he was transferred to the Canadian War Narrative Section (CWNS), Canadian Corps Camp, Bramshott, Hants, England.
In June, 1919, Cooper was transferred with the CWNS to Ottawa, Canada. His letters indicate that he planned to continue serving with the CWNS until early autumn, 1919, when he intended to seek his discharge papers and relocate to New York City to seek work in “the advertising business” as a copy writer/ illustrator.

     Further, here is their description of the collection of Cooper's records:
Fonds consists of pen and ink drawings and letters depicting scenes of daily life involving the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France, Belgium and Germany during and immediately after the First World War. Includes descriptions and images of Albert, France; Neuville St. Vaast, France; Notre Dame de Lorette, France; Lievin, France; Ypres, Belgium; Camblain L'Abbe, France; Mont St. Eloi, France; Andenne, Belgium; Bonn, Germany; and Cologne, Germany; as well as descriptions of Cooper's work with the Canadian War Narrative Section in Bramshoot, Hants, England and Ottawa, Ontario in 1919.

     Without further ado, I will let these works speak for themselves:

Church and Statue, Albert, France, ca. 1916-1917

Soldiers at Rest and Play, ca. 1916-1917

The Most Comfortable Spot on a Winter Night, ca. 1916-1917

In the Underground Y.M.C.A., ca. 1917

Some Signs on a Street Corner- Lievin, France, ca. 1917

Artist Acknowledging Gift of Socks, ca. 1916

Scenes in Ypres, Belgium, ca. 1917

French Kids Doing Homework in an Estaminet, ca. 1917-1918

Refugees, ca. 1918

Sentry Guarding German Prisoners of War, ca. 1918

     I hope you enjoyed these fantastic works and their realist portrayals of the people and places we read about so often in First World War history. If you're interested in seeing more, check out @HWCooper510199 on Twitter to see more of the drawings, and stay tuned for next week's discussion of Cooper's wartime letters!
     Thanks for reading,
Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: The Canadian Club of London During Wartime

     Yes, you read correctly, WWW is still up and running! My apologies for the missing post last week. I'm thrilled to be able to say that after a bit of a stressful month, I've wrapped up my undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa and am looking forward to grad school at Western in the fall. Just before I came back home to Elgin County, I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon with the Canadian Club of Ottawa in the Chateau Laurier ballroom as a representative of the University and the Daughters of the Vote program. By coincidence, I was researching some potential topics for this week and came across some resources for Canadian Clubs closer to home and their wartime transformations. I find the Club very interesting and am always looking for local connections, and I hope you will enjoy both of those elements.

     To begin, here's a description of the club from the London edition's website:
The Canadian Club of London has a long and distinguished history of uninterrupted service in the community since its founding July 31, 1906.  During the past 110 years, the club has been host to more than 1000 Canadian and international leaders who have shared their views with enthusiastic London audiences, making the Canadian Club one of the longest-standing organizations in the city. Each month, from September to June, the club brings prominent Canadians to the city to speak on topical issues of national and international interest in the arts, history, business, finance, education, law and politics.

Meetings are generally held over lunch  and are hosted at the Double Tree by Hilton. Members and guests take delight in spirited engagement with speakers and intelligent discussion. Our events provide outstanding opportunities for networking and engaging with prominent members of the business community in London.

Club membership is open to anyone. Members receive a monthly newsletter giving advanced details of upcoming speakers along with discounted rates on event tickets.

     According to Elgin County Archives, St. Thomas also had a Canadian Club at one time, which featured patriotic programming during the First World War, but I was unable to locate those records in the database. The Elgin County Museum has the Club's minutebook, and its description in the inventory holdings reads that it "raised funds to sponsor the war effort and sponsored lectures on war topics." The entry also mentions that the Club was founded with the purpose of fostering patriotism for the war, so perhaps St. Thomas established its own model of the London version for that specific purpose. This is one of the unfortunate parts of being a historian with questions that aren't always easily answered! Sometimes we just have to go where the material is so we're headed to the big city to look at how the London Club's meetings were affected by both World Wars.

     In the "Our History" section of the Canadian Club of London's website, it appears as though the club did not hold meetings between 1914 and 1918, during the First World War, or there are no records for that period. 1913 saw a "joint meeting with the Women’s Canadian Club" with "Col. Charles R. McCullogh of Hamilton, the acknowledged founder of the Canadian Club movement as the speaker." In May 1919, the speaker was Dr. William Roche, one of Western’s first two graduates and the newly appointed Chancellor for the university.

     During the Second World War, however, the meetings closely reflected the geopolitical conditions at the time. "There were regular speakers from the military as well as representatives of Poland and other countries overrun by Germany and Russia expressing hope their countries would be re-established after the war. A speaker from China in 1942 said his country could win over the Japanese as long as the allies didn’t introduce some kind of “Munich” agreement that would create a withdrawal of support." 

     What is significant about this club is that it brings together a city's leading citizens to discuss important issues and ideas of the day. With such a long history, it is fascinating to see how the speakers and their topics change over time and gain an idea of what the popular opinions were. When the wartime context becomes a factor, those gatherings become even more significant and their messages reflect important concerns and ideas. What historians can take away from such sources as meeting minutes and summaries from clubs like this is what types of speakers and themes were being included in the programming in order to understand what the popular opinions of upper class urban residents would have been at the time. 

     Information comes from Elgin County Archives and the Canadian Club of London website. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for some exciting local history posts, it's that time of year when I come home and things get local!
     Thanks for reading,
Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: The Elgin County Men of D-Day

     As I'm sure you've likely been aware, this past Monday, June 6 marked 72 years since the Allied D-Day  landings during the Second World War. Some of the dedicated followers over the almost two years of this blog will know that this anniversary has brought different means of reflection every year for me (check out one of my very first posts from back when I was just a guest blogger here: http://tyrconnellheritagesociety.blogspot.ca/2014/06/we-will-remember-them-70-years-since-d.html). This year, I can't help but think about a gentleman I met during my periodic stays last year at Library and Archives Canada. I always seemed to be there when a certain older security guard was on duty, and if you've ever been to LAC you'll know how involved the security team is in the research process! During our frequent chats he'd always impart some wisdom or funny story, but one thing he always said has stuck with me most of all. He'd often ask about what I was looking for that day and what I was studying at school, and whenever I mentioned my interest in the Second World War he'd always respond with, "my dad did D-Day". For some reason, I always think about how proud he looked when he said it, and what an incredible thing it must be to have such a personal connection to this event. It makes me think about just how many people there are who can say with the same pride that someone they loved was part of something so absolutely terrifying, dramatic, and significant, and got me wondering about some other ties to that momentous day in history. For this year's post, I decided to explore the involvement of some hometown heroes, as well as to do a bit of bragging myself about some of the men who helped "do" D-Day.

     The above photo shows Corporal Albert Cook of Crinan ca. 1939. A son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cook, he enlisted in September 1939 with the First Hussars, 6th Regiment. Cpl. Cook took part in the D-Day operations, during which he was wounded, but ultimately served for all six years of the Second World War. (Photo and information courtesy of the Crinan Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History, Vol. 1).

     This ca. 1942 photo shows Able Seaman Robert A, McAlpine, also of Crinan. The son of Mr. and Mrs. M. A. McAlpine, he had enlisted as a member of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve at Hamilton on October 15, 1924. He later went on to participate in the D-Day operations. (Photo and information courtesy of the Crinan Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History, Vol. 1).

     This ca. 1943 photo shows Gunner Donald Foster of Kingsmill-Mapleton, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Foster and husband of Norma Light. Donald enlisted and served as a wireless operator, and on September 1, 1943, he was among the 19,000 soldiers to board the Queen Mary for England. He served in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division at Normandy on D-Day, and remained in action with the 12th Field Regiment until VJ Day. Following that, he was in hospital for two months, but after the war's end he returned to the Kingsmill community where he and his wife farmed. (Photo and information courtesy of the Kingsmill-Mapleton Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History, Vol. 1). 

Karl Kristoff

Frederick Howard Davis

     The two men pictured above, Karl Kristoff of St. Thomas and former St. Thomas Fire Chief Frederick Howard Davis, also were veterans of D-Day. A St. Thomas Times-Journal article from July 10, 1969 describes a showing of the D-Day film The Longest Day at the Capitol Theatre in St. Thomas, at which both Karl Kristoff and Fred Davis discussed their experiences during the intermission. The Elgin Regiment band members and their wives were also guests at the showing. 

     Finally, to end on a bit of a lighter note, I thought I'd share a little excerpt from the St. Thomas Times-Journal in 1946, as shared earlier this week by the Elgin Military Museum:

Boys in “C” Squadron Hit
the Dirt Fast When Bombing
Started on Normandy Beach
By Major F.O. Lewis, M.B.E.,
Commanding “C” Squadron, Elgin Regiment

Just prior to the invasion, “C” Squadron of the Elgins was stationed at Gosport on the southern coast of England. The men had been warned of air raids and told to dig slit trenches, as learned in previous training. But they had not done so. The second night the squadron was there, the German Air Force carried out a heavy raid on Portsmouth and Gosport and several bombs were dropped nearby. Don McLachlin, Charlie Raven and I went to get into our slit trench but found it was already occupied. The next morning there was dirt flying in all directions as the men dug deep into old Mother Earth.

When we landed in Normandy it was funny to see big fellows like Bill Taylor, Squadron Quartermaster George Martyn, Machinist-Sergeant Jim Chapman; the Corporal cook, Bill Couse; the Squadron Clerk, Corporal George Gilbert; the Glaab brothers, tank electricians; Jim Wilson, a mechanic, and Corporal Norm Darnforth hit the ground running with a shovel, even before the trucks stopped when we pulled into our camp area. Bill Taylor said he never would pay 50 cents to see fireworks again.

     Thanks so much for taking the time to read about some of our local D-Day participants, and I welcome any further contributions of D-Day veterans for next year!

     Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: Vimy Ridge Week in Elgin County

     This Saturday, April 9 marks ninety-nine years since the battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War. Often considered the battle where Canada came of age as a nation, it was also a significant day for Elgin County. On the first day of the battle, Wallacetown native Ellis Wellwood Sifton single-handedly eliminated a German machine gun emplacement at the cost of his own life, posthumously receiving the Victoria Cross. We reflect on his selfless act each year with pride and gratitude, and the Elgin County Museum holds an annual program to commemorate him. This year, the program will take place at the museum on Saturday at 2pm. It will feature local re-enactors and demonstrations, as well as a number of soldiers' letters to groups across the county who sent their support. In addition, Sifton's original Victoria Cross will be present for viewing, an occasion which only occurs annually on this day. More information available from the St. Thomas Times-Journal:
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/2016/04/03/a-trip-to-vancouver-for-what-else-pizza

Ellis Sifton

     Since there have been so many years since Vimy, there have been numerous commemorations and ceremonies to observe its anniversary. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at various events in Elgin County that recognized local contributions to the battle through the years!

50th Anniversary, 1967

     This photo shows a Vimy Ridge commemorative service at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 41, St. Thomas on April 10, 1967. The ceremony was covered in the Times-Journal that day with the caption:

"Veterans of Vimy - The Battle of Vimy Ridge was commemorated in St. Thomas on Sunday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pearl Street Cenotaph. Left to right are, front row: A. B. Ellis, Roy Palmerston, Jack Bentley, Art Cooper, Harry Marshall and A. E. Watts; second row, J. F. Pratt, George Smith, Dan Jackson, Cyril Brown, Chet Smith, Maurice Heath, M. Nicholls; third row, E. B. Martel, Bert Watson, Jim Baron, Ted Bentley and Charles McAvay; fourth row, Reg. Mayne, Ellis Walker, Art Hardy, George Tanner, Rev. Charles Cook, Louis Mann, not identified; fifth row, Bill Crocker, Alex Betterley, Ernie Mitchell, Fred Lawson and George Hambleton; sixth row, J. E. Johnson, Frank Sefton, not identified, Joe Skelding, Stan Robinson, Harvey Pettit and C. W. Ball."

60th Anniversary, 1977

Front from left: Fred Morley, Charlie Cook, Charles Slather, Clarence Silver, Fred White, Herb Tucker, Bob Watson. Rear: George Walker, Dave McKillop, Herb Watson, Tom Watts, Art Freeman, Ernie Mitchell, Max Morriss, Charlie Baldwin, George Stevenson.

The Times-Journal from April 11 of that year describes the commemorative ceremony, again held at the Legion on John Street, St. Thomas:
"For many, the Battle of Vimy Ridge is merely a date in a history book. For Fred White, it remains a very real and tangible experience. Mr. White, now a resident of Westminster Hospital in London, was among over 100 First World War veterans attending an all-day commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, held Saturday at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 41 Hall on John Street.
     Sixty years ago Saturday, Fred White was a 17 year-old private with the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The battalion was one of many massed together for the decisive Vimy Ridge encounter. 
     Looking back on the battle, Mr. White recalls the great suffering of many of the soldiers. "You didn't know whether you were going to eat today or tomorrow," he said. "You had to carry your own rations or you went hungry." 
     Mr. White was a scout and a runner for his battalion at the time of Vimy Ridge. "I had a lot of responsibility," he recalled. The details of the battle itself were harder for Mr. White to pin down. What he did have was a very clear recollection of the feeling of the battle.
     "You've got to watch out for yourself in the mud and the crap," he said. "Got to control yourself; your mind is the main thing. You had to keep your mind ahead of you; if you didn't you've had it."....
     The activities started with a memorial service, followed by movies of the war. There was a luncheon attended by local elected officials, then entertainment in the afternoon."

     These are just some of the ways in which the area has reflected upon its connections to one of the most significant events in Canadian history. How will you be recognizing this anniversary?
     Thanks for reading,
Delany Leitch (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

Information courtesy of Elgin County Archives and the St. Thomas Times-Journal.

World War Wednesdays: Elgin County's Own: The 91st Battalion

The 91st Battalion colours

      It's come to my attention recently that there's a 100th anniversary coming up for Elgin County's own 91st Battalion, so I decided to make a post in honor of this amazing group of local heroes! Information is courtesy of a lovely project by James L. McCallum, which you can read in full here: http://www.elginogs.ca/Home/ancestor-indexes/military/age-shall-not-weary-them and photos are thanks to Elgin County Archives.

An assembly of the battalion, including their goat mascot, outside the barracks opposite the Wilson St. Armory, St. Thomas

     Elgin County's overseas battalion was formed on 25 October 1915, a year after Great Britain declared war on Germany. 940 men were trained for service under the command of Lt.-Col. Green, and it received its colours on 24 May 1916 after a parade through St. Thomas which ended at Pinafore Park.

Marching west on Talbot Street, St. Thomas

     A month later on 25 June 1916, the battalion was dispatched overseas after a march down Talbot Street that was witnessed by a crowd of 20,000 people. They traveled by train to Halifax, where on 28 June they set sail on the ship Olympic, arriving in Liverpool, England on 5 July.

Departing for deployment at the Michigan Central Railway Station, St. Thomas

     After ten days at Otterpool Camp, the battalion was transferred to the 3rd Canadian Training Brigade and split up in order to provide reinforcement to other units that had been depleted of manpower. Meanwhile, recruiting still continued in Elgin County, and over 2,400 men from the area volunteered their service during the course of the Great War.

Some interesting tidbits:

Recruitment Article from the Aylmer Express, 10 September 1914:

FIRST RECRUIT DRILL OF THE 30TH BATTERY

Will be Tomorrow Night at 7:30 p.m.

Names are Coming in Fast.  Get Your Name in Before Tomorrow Night

Have you joined the 30th Battery?  This is the question for every able bodied man in East Elgin. This is our own militia unit and is being raised by the people of this county for the defense of our own borders. No man who values his home or his loved ones, who believes in his country or honors his King will refuse to join.  The task before our own people here in Canada and possibly in Elgin may be very serious before this war is over.  If our shores were invaded by a hostile army every man would be a soldier if he could; but he would be no use without training.  This is the point.  The time to get the training is now. The 30th Battery Canadian Field Artillery requires at once one hundred men. The battery roll is at Mr. Wm. Warnock’s office in Aylmer. The young men of East Elgin should enlist. They should do it at once.

The first recruit drill will be held at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11. The men will form up on Talbot St. in front of the new post office. The elements of infantry drill will be taught. Every man should be on hand for the first drill.  Lt.-Col. Walter James Brown will be in charge.

So far as Canadians and Britishers are concerned military service is no longer optional.  It is a duty that no true man will shirk.  Only those who have the necessary physical qualifications will be asked to go on duty; but the obligation of working and fighting for our country is on the shoulders of every man.  No one is exempt.  Every man in Canada between 18 and 60 may be called if required.  It would be an outrage if Canadians were forced to use the ballot to fill the ranks of the militia.  Let us have volunteers.  This is your opportunity. The Canadian Militia is a home defense force, organized, trained and maintained for the defense of our own homes and loved one. Every man should be a citizen soldier.  Will you?

Presentation of the 91st Battalion colours at Canterbury Cathedral, England, 1916

Excerpt from a diary entry by Pte. John William Cracknell (from the Kingsmill area) describing the voyage of the 91st Battalion:

     We have been on the boat now about two days.  After arriving in Halifax on June 28, about midnight, we stayed on the train until morning, then we boarded about noon and started to look over the ship.  This is the sister ship to the Titanic.  Is sure some size.  It’s main measurements are 822 feet long, 72 feet wide, height 104 feet from boat deck to keel. The boat deck is the one that the lifeboats are on.  There is another deck above this with a bridge.  No doubt you will be able to form some idea of the size of it from these measurements.  There are four smoke stacks on it and everyone of them is as big as an ordinary silo.  It is about 60 feet from the boat deck to the water level and about forty feet of this canoe is below the water.  By the time we get off this boat we will not have seen one quarter of it.  There are about 7,000 men on the boat, including the crew.  I might say here that I would like to have seen her as a passenger ship. Since being turned into a troopship she has been almost completely remodelled, all the costly fittings have been torn down and all staterooms but a few to accommodate the officers.  The ship is armed, carrying a rapid-firing gun fore and aft, besides a machine gun on the corners of the boat deck.  We had our first meal of hardtack when we came on the boat.  No wonder the government wants every man to have good teeth, until you get used to these biscuits, it is like eating bricks, besides there is scarcely any taste to them...

The Battalion marching along Main Street, Rodney, 18 February 1916

     The 100th Anniversary celebration event will take place from 24-26 June in St. Thomas. Anyone with relatives who served with the 91st Battalion is urged to contact markrobinmorse@bell.net to be a part of the commemoration!

Thanks for reading, 

     Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

Not World War Wednesdays: Leap Year Celebrations in Elgin County

     The posts have been rather dark and gloomy lately, so I thought that this week would be a good occasion to do a rare break from tradition and tackle a lighter topic for a change! Yesterday's Leap Day inspired me to remember a few tidbits from my time at Elgin County Archives, and I thought it might be interesting to look at how Leap Days have been observed around the area over the years. In doing that, I noticed some other interesting historical facts that I thought would be interesting to add. Without further ado, here's what I found!

1888

    A Leap Year Dance was held at Alma College, St. Thomas. Photos show a dance card from the event, indicating with whom the owner shared a step or two.Some of the dances include waltzes, a polka, quadrilles, and a Virginia Reel.

     Most dance cards were small, decorative booklets with long strings so the ladies could wear them on their wrists or attach them to their dresses. They were used to record their dance partners, with spaces for the gentleman to sign his name beside which dance he shared. The men would ask the ladies for a particular dance, and they usually carried their own small pencils for this purpose. According to etiquette, if a man introduced himself and asked properly for a dance, the woman could really not refuse. As pieces of social history, dance cards like this one can tell us not only which dances were popular at the time, but who attended certain events and where and when they were held.

1904
     According to a non-digitized item in Elgin County Archives, the people of Wallacetown celebrated February 29, 1904 with a Leap Year party, for which invitations were sent out. Being a Wallacetown native myself, I couldn't help but wonder where in town the party could have been held. I looked into some possible locations from times gone by and was pretty surprised at the options:

1. The Ontario House Hotel, corner of Talbot and Currie Road

Photo circa 1907

     According to notes included in the Wallacetown Women's Institute Tweedsmuir Histories, Volume 1, the hotel was originally owned by Mr. John Dromgole and was operated for many years by the Dromgole family before being destroyed by fire. It's hard to see in this picture, but there's a sign over the door that says "Farmers Bank of Canada," because a branch of the bank operated from the hotel for a few months in 1907.

Here's an earlier photo from around 1895

2. Old Town Hall, Wallace Street (east of Currie Rd.)

Photo circa 1950s

     Volume 1 of the Wallacetown Women's Institute Tweedsmuir Histories describes the old town hall as having stood directly across from the old school, on what was then called the "Commons," and was used for meetings of Dunwich councilors. Occasionally, a company selling patent medicines would hold a free concert there, and it was also used for public dances. It was also home to the "Young People's Literary Society". The building had a lock-up or jail in the right corner (!!!). It was later moved to the Wallacetown fairgrounds and used to serve meals during the Fair.
___________________________________________________________________________________

     I'm sure these are just two of many Leap Year celebrations in Elgin over the years, but the rest must have been so memorable that no one thought to record them or digitize them. I find it very interesting that February 29th has traditionally been a day for celebrating and excitement, but 2016's was just another cold weekday. I'll close with a list of years that have had Leap Days in the past up to 2000, and if you know of any interesting events that took place then send them my way!

1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000


    Facts, photos and info courtesy of Elgin County Archives, and supplementary info thanks to Syracuse University.
Thanks for reading,
Delany Leitch (@DLeitch History on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: No. 1 Technical Training School, St. Thomas

Cover of The Aircraftman, February 1943 courtesy of Elgin County Archives

     Many readers will immediately recognize the buildings in discussion this week for their current uses, but I'm sure not as many were aware that they served quite different purposes during the Second World War. Two of St. Thomas's most significant facilities, both located on Sunset Drive, once housed the No. 1 Technical Training School for airmen during the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Here's some photos of them during that time:

     The present-day County of Elgin building was once used as the officers' quarters for the school.

     What is more familiarly known as the St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital was home to the actual school complex itself. This photo shows the most familiar part of the building located closest to Sunset Drive, which was once the school's administrative building.

     The only facility of its kind in Ontario during the Second World War, the No. 1 Technical Training School was established in 1939. It became the main source of ground crew, training some fifty thousand for active wartime service. Equipped for over 2,000 students at one time, it offered six-month courses for aircraft electricians and aero-engineers, airframe and instrument mechanics and specialized training for fabric and sheet metal workers.

     Here's an interesting article published in The Ottawa Journal on June 18, 1943 describing wartime conditions in St. Thomas, courtesy of a really interesting blog called "As Canadian As Can Be":

     St. Thomas Becomes Air-Minded

St. Thomas, Ont., June 18--

     Since the outbreak of the war St. Thomas has become an air-minded city, largely because there are in the immediate district three large schools and an airport, all part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. 

     Largest is the technical training school, housed in the $7,000,000 former Ontario Hospital building on the outskirts of the city, where thousands of young men from the Dominion and other parts of the Empire are being trained for ground crew, equipment, office and other R.C.A.F. duties. The number of graduates of this school, first to be established under the air training plan, now is nearing 30,000.

     Many of the men in training or on the school staffs have brought their families here, increasing the city's population bu 2,000 or more persons. This influx of population has created a demand, greater than the available supply, for small furnished apartments. Conversion of private homes into apartments has helped to solve the problem.

     As a railway city, St. Thomas is affected chiefly by the wartime increase in rail traffic. Three United States railway lines which have division headquarters here, are busier than ever before. Employment is at its greatest peak.

     So great is the demand for labor that boys just out of school and not eligible for military service are being engaged as firemen, brakemen and in other work.

     As great as the school was for providing a boost to St. Thomas's economy, the facility itself did not come without a few problems. Fingal Bombing and Gunnery School historian Winston B. St. Clair describes its major lack of morale efforts as the cause of large scale AWOLS (away without leaves) during the Christmas season of 1940. 

     However, efforts were made to create ways for recruits to occupy their time while they weren't in the classroom, and a number of different clubs and teams were established:

Tug of War Team, ca. 1940

Boxing Team, ca. 1940

Brass Band, May 22, 1941

     In addition, the school had its own monthly news publication called The Aircraftman.

     When the war ended in 1945, the school was closed and the complex was returned to the Department of Health. It is thus unique to the nearby Fingal school in that its buildings remain standing to this day, and largely unchanged.

Thanks for reading,

Delany

Genealogy Jam: Writing Your Own Family's World War Wednesdays

     Something that seems to be a hot topic lately with Remembrance Day around the corner is genealogy, as people want to discover their own family's involvement in wartime. If this is something you've never looked into before, or at least haven't done in a few years, then this is the post for you!
     Family history is something I've gotten pretty well acquainted with in the past year, so I thought I would pass along some of the things I've learned in the hopes of making other people's searches easier. I cannot stress enough to people how much this field has changed in the past ten years, so even if you consider yourself an expert, you should really try seeing what else is out there. With digitization and the number of different resources available, you will be very surprised at the kinds of things not only available for access but possible to view online and at home. In all my experiences both working in an archives and conducting my own searches, I've never met a curator who wasn't enthusiastic, supportive, and helpful with genealogical questions of any kind, and they really do work tirelessly to preserve these records. They may have all the information you're looking for, and they get excited when they have someone who's interested!

     Before you start out on this seemingly daunting journey, there are some things you should think about and ask yourself. Depending on where you're looking, it's not quite as easy as going into an archives and saying "I'd like to see anything you might have on the .... family." It's important to make the most of your search by doing your homework beforehand and figuring out what holes need to be filled. Plus, if you've ever looked up the visiting hours of an archives, you'll know that your window of opportunity can be pretty limited, so you want to ensure that your session is worth the trip!

Step One: Who are you Looking For?
     Who arethe people you're interested in researching? A great first step in your search is to start with what you do know, rather than what you don't. Your assistant and all search engines are most reliable when you've provided as many details as possible, so I really recommend doing your homework! Genealogy Services at Library and Archives Canada has researchers fill out a pedigree chart before beginning the search (one for each of your parents). These trace your family tree back at least five generations, and once you've filled in as much as you can you'll be able to identify what needs further research.

Step Two: What are you Looking For?
     While this may sound broad, it's the first thing an archivist will ask you, and you'll want to have the answer narrowed down beforehand. What's important for a potential researcher to know is that there are different archives and resources for different types of information, and the person you're meeting with will need to assess whether or not your question can best be answered through their collection. Are you interested in immigration, census data, land records, military, birth/marriage/death records?

Step Three: What is the Geography of your Search?
     This question is essential for deciding the best place to visit in order to have your questions answered. If your question involves information with a national focus (military, census, immigration records), then Library and Archives Canada would be your source. However, the LAC is not recommended as a resource for specialized local study. If you're looking for information specific to a city, town, municipality, church, etc., you'll need to look into where the local archives are housed as well as any other historical societies or libraries which may also have some records.

Step Four: How Will you Go About your Search?
     Based on the general audience of this blog, I'm assuming that your searches will be conducted in and around Elgin County, so this part will be specific to those readers. If this doesn't apply to you, I encourage you to investigate what the equivalents would be for your own area! Elgin County is very fortunate to have an extensive municipal archives which are housed in the basement of the Elgin County Administration Building at 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas. You can visit them from Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm to have your local questions answered, or email archives@elgin-county.on.ca. Their website is also located here: http://www.elgincounty.ca/archives. If your search includes the western end of Elgin County with the Townships of Dunwich and Aldborough, the Backus-Page House Museum is also home to a variety of helpful sources. Lastly, local library branches are also great resources! Most libraries have paid subscriptions to Ancestry.ca, which is something I recommend everyone take advantage of (these subscriptions can cost thousands!) This provides access to census data, most notably the 1921 Canadian Census, which was fully digitized in 2013 and is the largest source of Canadian genealogical information found online.

     How the heck will you get the national information without making the trek to Ottawa?? Well, you've got a couple of options here. As I mentioned before, there is a great deal of information available to access online, which you should check out first. However, from my experience, it can be difficult to maneuver if you aren't totally comfortable with online database searches, and even if you are, the LAC website is definitely not user-friendly. So, I will make myself available for assistance should anyone need help finding something from the LAC. You can always send me an email at delanyleitch@gmail.com and I'll do my best to get you the links!
     In terms of military records, the process can be mildly to extremely frustrating for researchers. If you're looking for someone who fought in the First World War, all records have been made fully available for consultation. However, the Second World War records are not so easy, which I found out last week. If you're looking for information on a WWII veteran, living or deceased, you have to send away an application for military service information to the LAC's ATIP and Personnel Records Division. If the veteran is living, you must have his or her written consent to do so. If the veteran is deceased, you must have proof of their death as well as proof of your relationship (an obituary was recommended). Once you've filled out the form and provided this information, you can request a Genealogy Package, which includes copies of the significant documents which summarize their service, and takes about 4-8 months to receive. This will not give specific details of campaigns and battles they served in, and you must then use their service number and regiment information to track them through the LAC military records. If this is something that you would be interested in doing, I have received copies of the necessary form from the LAC and can send you a digital copy for printing, just send me an email with a request! Also, for anyone who has completed this step and would like to have their relative traced to see the campaigns their veteran was a part of, I would be more than happy to go to the LAC and have that done for you. Our local veterans deserve to have their stories told and remembered with accuracy, and if I can be of any help with that I will do my best!
     I've tried to include a guide for useful online resources which will be of use in your searches, courtesy of Library and Archives Canada:
-Ancestry.ca www.ancestry.ca
-Automated Genealogy (census indexes) http://automatedgenealogy.com/index.html
-Canadian Gravemarker Gallery www.rootsweb.ancestry.ca/~cangmg/
-Canadian Headstone Photo Project www.canadianheadstones.com
-Ellis Island (passenger lists, New York, 1892-1924, includes transit to Canada) www.ellisisland.org
-FamilySearch (Family History Library) https://familysearch.org/
-Legion Magazine's Last Post Death Notices http://legionmagazine.com/en/last-post/
-Obituary Daily Times www.rotsweb.ancestry.com/~obituary/
-Our Roots (local histories online) www.ourroots.ca
-Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid http://ocfa.islandnet.com
-Ontario Cemetery Ancestor Search http://ogs.andornot.com/CemeteryIndex.aspx
-Ontario Vital Statistics Project www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onvsr
-And of course, Library and Archives Canada http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/genealogy/Pages/introduction.aspx

     Hopefully this helps with any family history hesitation you may have! As always, feel free to ask questions.
     Thanks for reading,

Delany

World War Wednesdays: Profile of a Local Hero

     So far, I've done a number of features in recognition of some of the major faces of both world wars, including some of our well-known local heroes. In contrast, one of my main goals and most valued aspects of working at Elgin County Archives is discovering more about the vast number of regular Elgin County boys who enlisted and did their hometowns proud. I have wanted to start featuring the stories of some local heroes on here as a way to ensure that their contributions are never forgotten, and I stumbled across one in particular that is a perfect first feature. This week, we're focusing on Arthur Freeman, a St. Thomas veteran of both world wars and example of a true humble hero. All content is courtesy of Elgin County Archives, with gratitude.

     In January of 1980, the St. Thomas Times-Journal interviewed 83-year-old Arthur Freeman, who had a number of memories and reflections to share with readers. He posed for the camera holding his military medal for extraordinary bravery during the First World War, which bore the description: "For conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during operations on Passchendaele Ridge from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 1917 "He remained on duty during almost the whole of this period himself. At all times, notwithstanding heavy hostile fire, he kept his gun in action and his crew organized for attack. During the intense enemy barrage on the night of Oct. 31, his platoon officer gave him permission to withdraw from his section to a less exposed position, which he declined to take advantage of, pointing out that he desired to be in readiness for any counter attack  and held this post, protected his gun from becoming mud-clogged by lying himself along side it. Throughout he did more than his duty at all times". If you remember anything about the First World War and the meaning of the word 'Passhcendaele', you'll know that's a big deal.

    Mr. Freeman, however, had his own feelings about the infamous embodiment of hell on earth. After having seen the movies; read the books and articles, he asserted that everyone has a different account of what happened. He said that people often associated Passchendaele with mud, but he remembers it being worse at the Somme."We lived like bloody rats, deep in the trenches," He said. "You learned to keep your head down."

     Indeed, Mr. Freeman was a good authority on conditions of all the major First World War battles- he saw action at Passchendaele, The Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Ypres. Reflecting on those experiences, he said, "I often sit here and think how we lived. But a hundred people could write the history of the war as they saw it ... there wouldn't be two of them alike."

     As the story's headline proclaims, even heroes come in small packages. In his reflections, Arthur admitted he was really too small physically to meet army regulations. "I was about three inches too small in the chest and a couple inches too short," he remembered. "I guess I was one of the smallest in the regiment. I wasn't big for my age." Remarkably, at just 21 years old and 5 feet, 3 1/2 inches tall, it was he who remained when others would have fled at Passchendaele. He single-handedly held off the enemy placing himself in extreme danger while protecting the men in his crew.

     Mr. Freeman's experiences can be seen as fortunate from the beginning. He joined the 91st Elgins in May of 1916 and was fighting by November. Remembering that rushed time, he said: "All we'd had was squad drill — it was bloody ridiculous. But they didn't have time to train us.. There we were, a bunch of kids. If the Germans had counter-attacked we would have had no idea what to do — we were so disorganized". Though he was hit twice with shrapnel and grazed once with a machine-gun bullet, remarkably, he was never injured seriously.

   Looking back on his experiences and referring to the present time, Arthur wondered, "You wonder why we have to have war... They should have learned from the last two wars .— nobody wins, everybody loses." While he felt honoured by receiving the military medal, he insisted that he had only done his duty, and regarded it as recognition of his entire experience, not just at Passchendaele. "I was more entitled to a medal at the Sommes in 1916 than at Passchendaele. But you do what you have to do and say to hell with it. That's the way I see it anyway."

Arthur Freeman, left, and Howard Vair, representing the 91st Overseas Battalion, lay a wreath in memory of the departed warriors during an annual reunion.

    Mr. Freeman finished his reflections with praise for the then-upcoming Elgin Military Museum, which he felt would be a valuable contribution to the county. He finished his interview by saying: "Kids today, or anybody... they read about it (the war) but they wonder what things really looked like... It's good to preserve history".

     That last part has really stuck with me, and I think about it often. It seems like a small message from the past that reinforces what I try to do every day, with the blog, my work, studies, and my writing. I hope that stories like Mr. Freeman's connect with you in the ways that they do with me, so that we can maintain our appreciation for the heroes like him for generations to come.

Thanks for reading,

      Delany

World War Wednesdays Brain Log: Faces of History

     World War Wednesdays has definitely followed my historical career over the past year in a lot of ways, and I'm really excited to be able to look back on it in the future to see how far I've come. I figured it's been a while since I checked in and did a post for where I'm at right now, so here's a bit of a brain log for this week!

     If you didn't already know, I'm working for the summer at Elgin County Archives and it's already been almost a month! In this short time, I've already learned a lot and it's made me think a lot about my perspective on life and ideas about history. Most significantly, I've been thinking a lot about what is left to remember a person long after they are gone.

     Since my job involves newspaper digitization, I deal with materials that sometimes cover the better part of a person's life. Newspapers in the past covered so much more of the events in people's lives, and I've come across so many unbelievable, interesting, and tragic stories about the fine folks of Elgin County. I've also learned a lot just by flipping over some of these articles. I've encountered articles about historical events involving some of the more notable Canadians that I read about more often, and some that are comically indicative of how much things have changed (like why people should think about buying a smoke alarm and how women should react to their husband's cheating). Reading these newspapers and the people's stories has really added a personal element to the history, and that's one of my favorite parts.

     This brings us to the topic that literally makes me feel sick and want to curl up in a ball of tears. The fact that more and more, the little pieces of the past that we have in print are becoming the only thing we have of that time as the people themselves disappear. There are fewer and fewer people everyday who can tell us what life was like when Diefenbaker was Prime Minister or when ladies followed etiquette books.

     I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should all take advantage of the faces of history that are near to us before they are just a photograph in a newspaper. Go call your grandma and ask her something out of left field about her life in, say, the 1960s and I guarantee she'll love answering. It's something that people love talking about but rarely get the chance, and I promise you'll appreciate the new perspective.

    I've had the privilege of meeting several Holocaust survivors and veterans, and those are some of the most memorable experiences of my life. As time marches on, such experiences have become increasingly rare, but I hold them very dearly when they do happen. I've also come to realize and appreciate the histories of the people a bit closer to me, and I think that we could all benefit from tuning in to what our older relatives can tell us about life. And if you've missed an opportunity or wish you knew more, you'd be surprised at the kinds of things you can find at Elgin County Archives.

Here's a link if you'd like to start exploring:
http://inmagic.elgin-county.on.ca/ask/

Thanks for reading,
   Delany