Philip Maracle signature

On this day in 1915, Philip Maracle enlisted in Belleville. He was born on August 2nd, 1883 in Tyendinaga, the son of William Edward Maracle and Julia Ann (née Williams), who were Mohawks. He married Bertha Brant in Deseronto on November 16th, 1910. His uncle, George Williams, had enlisted in October 1915.

When he signed up, Maracle was described as five feet seven inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He gave his father as his next of kin (his mother had died in 1912) and his occupation as carpenter. In answer to the question “Are you married?” he answered “No, widower”, although Bertha had not died. Philip joined the 80th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the regimental number 219361.

Maracle’s service record tells us that he sailed from Halifax on the RMS Baltic on May 20th 1916. He was transferred to other battalions while in Europe, joining the 44th Battalion on January 4th, 1917.

Philip was killed in May 1917.