Norman Charles Armitage signed up on this day in 1915. He was born in Lindsay, Ontario, the son of Elias Armitage and Hattie (née Fryer) on October 25th, 1896. In the 1901 and 1911 censuses the family were living in Deseronto, where Norman attended the High School. The picture above was taken in 1914 when Norman was a member of the Deseronto Fire Team.
On enlisting at Kingston, Armitage was five feet six and a half inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and light hair. He gave his occupation as ‘Clerk’. His regimental number was 89750 and he joined the 26th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. His service record shows that he arrived in England on August 18th, 1915 and initially was assigned to the 7th Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery, stationed in Westenhanger, Kent. In May 1916 he went to France and served with the 3rd Divisional Trench Mortar Battery and the 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column.
He had trench fever in December 1917, which left him weakened and suffering from dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath. In March 1918 he was examined by a medical board which recommended that he be invalided to Canada. He arrived back in Halifax on July 3rd on the RMS Empress of Britain and was discharged in Kingston on August 9th, 1918 as medically unfit for further service.
Norman Armitage married Kathleen Maracle on January 27th, 1923 in Windsor, Ontario. They had four children (their son Robert was killed while serving with the Canadian Navy in the Second World War). Norman died on February 21, 1976 in Napanee Hospital. He was buried in Deseronto Cemetery.
Deseronto Archives 
May 20, 2015 at 8:23 am
This was my Grandfather and we both shared the same birthday. Things I remember most were the fishing trips on the Bay of Quinte and his unique way of catching small mouth bass.
May 20, 2015 at 8:39 am
I think you have to share how he caught small mouth bass now you’ve mentioned it, David! We’re all wondering…
May 20, 2015 at 5:14 pm
His unique way of fishing was to lean over the side the boat with his fishing pole submerged almost to the real and playa nibble till he felt he had the fish. Then all of sudden he would reel backward and you would swear he was going out the other side of the boat…but no he had the fish snagged which stopped his backward momentum and eventually the fish was in the boat.. It was at times more exciting than catching a fish yourself to watch him in action. He caught many fish over the years and knew exactly where to put the boat in the right location and I’m talking a foot off and you had to position yourself till it was right..
May 20, 2015 at 7:11 pm
Thanks for explaining! :-)