Clarence Victor Robeson signature

On this day in 1915, Clarence Victor Robeson enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he was working as a bank clerk. He had been born in Deseronto on July 25th, 1892, the son of James Robeson and Jennie (née Ritter).

Robeson was five feet six inches tall, with a fair complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. His regimental number was 540359. His service record shows that he arrived in England on January 31th, 1916 on the SS Missanabie. He served in the pay office and with the reserve cyclists in England, and in November 1917 joined the machine gun corps in France. In September 1918 he received a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and was sent to England to recover. In January he was given permission to marry, and he wed Margaret Buchanan in Surrey on January 8th, 1919. They travelled to Canada on the SS Melita in April 1919 and Robeson was demobilized in St. John, New Brunswick, on April 10th.

The couple went back to Winnipeg, where their first child was born, then moved to the United States. Their second child was born in Helena, Montana and they later moved to California. Clarence applied to become naturalized as a US citizen in 1934, at which time the family were living at 3624 W 60th St, Los Angeles, California. Citizenship was granted in 1937.

Clarence Victor Robeson application for naturalization

 

Clarence died in California on August 13th, 1972 and Margaret died there on August 21st, 1977.