Lewis Gordon Watson, an accountant, signed up in Winnipeg on this day in 1917. He was born in Deseronto on September 25th, 1899, the son of James William Gordon Watson and Mona (née Lewis). In 1901 the family were living in Picton and by 1911 they had moved to Brandon, Manitoba.
Watson joined the 76th Depot Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery with the regimental number 1250294. He was five feet nine inches tall, with a dark complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His service record shows that he sailed from Halifax on the SS Missanabie on December 21st, 1917. In April 1918 he was sent overseas to join the 3rd brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery.
L. Gordon Watson returned to Canada via the SS Aquitania on May 25th,1919 and was demobilized in Toronto on May 27th. He married Margaret Caroline Denison in Toronto on September 18th, 1923. In 1925 he moved to Ohio, where, according to his obituary, he married Rachel Milligan on February 2nd, 1929, in Springfield. The couple had two children. Watson died in Wooster, Ohio on June 19th, 1994. There is a grave marker for the Watsons in the cemetery at Hamilton, Ontario.
Deseronto Archives 
May 6, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Lewis Gordon Watson was my maternal grandfather. His DOB was – in truth – in 1899 (not 1898 as mentioned herein). He intentionally lied about his age so he could enlist in the Canadian army to fight in WW1. He fought in the trenches of France (as a forward signal-corp scout). My name is Christopher Watson Pritchard ; my middle name in honor of my grandfather.
May 13, 2025 at 9:41 am
Thanks for the information, Christopher. We’ve updated the post to show his correct birth year.