John Henry Maracle signature

On this day in 1915, John Henry Maracle enlisted in Belleville. He was born on August 1st, 1880 in Tyendinaga, the son of William Maracle and Sarah (née Brant), who were Mohawks. On March 1st, 1905 he married Hattie Maracle and the couple had a daughter in 1909.

On enlisting, Maracle was described as five feet five and a half inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He joined the 80th Battalion with the regimental number 220237.

John’s service record shows that he went absent without leave on March 6th, 1916 and was struck off the battalion’s strength on the 28th. He re-enlisted in Belleville on May 6th, 1916, this time joining the 44th Battalion, with a new number of 219022. He left Canada on May 16th, 1916.

Read more about what happened to John Maracle.