Stillman Gurnsey Kimmerly signature

Stillman Gurnsey Kimmerly, a farmer, signed up in Regina, Saskatchewan on this day in 1918. Stillman was born in Deseronto (or Mill Point, as it was known then) on October 13th, 1878, the son of Benson Kimmerly and Almira Finkle. By 1891 the family were living in the Assiniboia East district of Saskatchewan.

Kimmerly’s younger brother, Walter Wilford Kimmerly, had been called up on May 21st, 1918. He was eighteen years younger than Stillman. Stillman joined his brother’s unit: the 1st Depot Battalion Saskatchewan Regiment with the regimental number 277009. He was described as being five feet eleven inches tall, with a light complexion, blue eyes and light hair. Stillman’s service record reveals that he arrived in England on August 15th, 1918. He and his brother both served in the 15th Canadian Reserve Battalion until June 1919, when they returned to Canada. Stillman contracted influenza in October 1918 and spent a month in hospital. Both men were demobilized on June 26th, 1919 in Regina.

After the war, both Stillman and Walter were granted 160 acres of land in adjacent parts of Township 49 in Saskatchewan under the Soldier Settlement Act. Stillman died in 1935 and was buried in Edmonton Cemetery. Walter died in 1961 and was buried in Beechmount Cemetery, Edmonton.