Deseronto Archives

On this day in 1916, George Alexander Hopping signed up in Deseronto. He was born in Stratford, England on July 9th, 1897, the son of George Topping and Elizabeth (née Hormile). The Hopping family came to Canada in 1907.

George joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636461. He was five feet four and three quarter inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. His service record shows that he left Canada on October 18th, 1916 and joined the 21st Battalion in France in December 1916. He received a gunshot wound to the leg in July 1917 and rejoined his unit in December. In January 1918 George received a good conduct badge. He left England for Canada in May 1919 and was demobilized in Kingston on May 24th.

Hopping went on to serve in World War II. He met his first wife, Gladys Tooley, while serving in England: they married in Birkenhead, Cheshire on May 18th, 1945. George worked as a butcher and was a member of the volunteer fire department in Deseronto. Gladys died in 1957 and he married Rae Muenzler in 1961. George Hopping died on September 26th, 1968 and is buried in Deseronto Cemetery. Rae Hopping died three months later.

On this day in 1916, Robert Leonard Brown, a bookkeeper, signed up in Belleville. He was born in Deseronto on October 3rd, 1889, the son of Arthur Proctor Brown and Lydia Ann (née Doolittle). His father was the librarian for Deseronto for thirty years.

Brown enlisted in the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636423. He was five feet seven inches tall, with a fair complexion, light brown eyes and hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 on the SS Northland. He served with reserve battalions in England for a year, then joined the 2nd Battalion in France on December 8th, 1917. In July 1918 he was transferred to the 3rd Canadian Divisional Signal Company.

Robert was demobilized on March 29th, 1919 in Montreal and in 1921 was living at 57 Catherine Street, Belleville with the Walton family. He married Lottie Adelia Walton on June 19th, 1926.

On this day in 1916, Alexander Bardy enlisted in Deseronto. He was born on July 8th, 1869 (although he claimed to be born in 1879 on his attestation paper), the son of Peter Bardy and Lydia (née Doxtator), who were Mohawks. Alex married Margaret Brant in 1892 and by the time he joined the army the couple had eight children. Their eldest son, Louis, had enlisted in March 1915.

Bardy joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636416. He was five feet four and three quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England in October 1916 and served in France with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was hospitalized with influenza in 1917 and in 1918 was suffering from myalgia and rheumatism. His vision was tested and found to be poor and Bardy was discharged as medically unfit for all of these things in August 1918. He arrived back in Canada on October 8th, 1918 on the SS Llanstephan Castle and was discharged in Toronto on November 18th, 1918.

Alex survived the war and was living in Brant Street, Deseronto in 1921 with his family. He lived to be 80 years old, dying in Deseronto on April 4th, 1950.

Daniel Jaynes signed up in Barton, near Hamilton, on this day in 1916. He was born in Tyendinaga on March 31st, the son of Wellington Jaynes and Catherine (née Moses), who were both Mohawks.

Daniel first served in the Canadian Mounted Rifles and the 129th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, under the regimental number 784496. He was diagillegally absent from August to December 1916, then rejoined but was found to be absent without leave when his unit came to embark for England on March 21st, 1917. Jaynes enlisted for a second time, in the Railway Contruction and Forestry Draft, with a new number of 249846 on September 14th, 1917. He was described as five feet three and three quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.

Jaynes’s service record shows that he arrived in England on December 14th, 1917 on the SS Metagama. He was sent to France on January 21st, 1918 and remained there until December. He left England on the troopship Aquitania in January 1919 and was demobilized on February 11th, 1919 in Toronto. He was back with his parents, working as a farmer, in 1921.

On this day in 1916, William Herbert Gamble, an automobile mechanic, signed up in Napanee. He was born in Deseronto on November 15th, 1894, the son of William Gamble and Mary Ann (née Gowan). He married Blanche Howie in Deseronto on August 27th, 1915.

Gamble joined the 80th Battalion with a regimental number of 220408. He was five feet ten and a half inches tall, with a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on the SS Baltic on May 29th, 1916. He was transferred to the 72nd Battalion, which he joined in France in August.

In November 1916 Herbert received a serious shrapnel injury to his right hand. He was treated in various hospitals in England and discharged on April 27th, 1917, with a remaining weakness in his hand. He then served with various Canadian Forestry Corps units in England until departing on the RMS Celtic on May 7th, 1919. He was demobilized in Toronto on May 17th.

Gamble got married again in 1928 to Edith Gutteridge.

On this day in 1916, William Herbert Wagar signed up in Oshawa. He was born in Deseronto on May 13th, 1888, the son of William Henry Wagar and Eva Eliza (née Scrimshaw). He married Elizabeth Victoria Cairns in Oshawa on September 11th, 1911.

Wagar joined the 116th Battalion with the regimental number 746140. He was five feet three and three quarter inches tall, with a medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on the SS Olympic on July 31st, 1916 and joined the 18th Battalion in France in October.  He was admitted to hospital with an inguinal hernia in November 1916 and was supplied with a truss for doing heavy work.

William returned to Canada on the SS Scotian and was discharged as medically unfit in Toronto on March 21st, 1919. He died on September 6th, 1961 and was buried in the Pioneer Baptist Cemetery in Whitby, Ontario.

On this day in 1916, Ernest Sharpe enlisted in Deseronto. He was born on August 14th, 1886, the son of Philip Sharpe and Sarah (née Smith) in Sidney Township, Hastings County. By 1891 the family were living in Deseronto. Ernest married Martha Ann (Annie) Skippen in Massey, Ontario, on October 25th, 1910, when he was working as a drayman (Annie’s younger sister Edith got married on the same day). Ernest’s younger brothers Alfred Nelson and Harry had already enlisted.

Ernest joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636396. He was five feet six and a quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, blue eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 on the SS Northland. In April 1917 he was transferred to the 21st Battalion, joining them in France on April 22nd. On August 16th, 1917 he was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound to the scalp. He returned to duty two months later.

Ernest did not make it home.

On this day in 1916, David John Powless, a woodworker, enlisted in Toronto. He was born in Prince Edward County on January 5th, 1869, the son of Jacob Powless and Nancy (née Zachariah), who were Mohawks. His first wife was Louisa Maracle, who died on February 15th, 1907 of influenza in Deseronto. He married Rose Hannah Mepham (née Hawkins) in Toronto on October 28th, 1910. Powless had five surviving children from his first marriage, Rose had one and they had three more children between 1911 and 1915. David’s two eldest sons, Charles David Powless and Harold Dean Powless had enlisted in August 1915.

David joined the 134th Battalion with the regimental number 799365. He was five feet eight and a half inches tall, with a dark complexion, hazel eyes and black hair. His service record shows that his unit sailed from Halifax on August 8th, 1916. In England, Powless was transferred to the 15th Battalion, which he joined in France in November 1916.

In June 1918 Powless was sent to England due to being over age for active service. He was transferred back to Canada on the RMS Llanstephan Castle, arriving in Montreal on October 8th. He was discharged from the army in Toronto on November 6th, 1918.

On this day in 1916, Charles Hyderman signed up in Deseronto. He was born in the town on July 25th, 1900, the son of John Hyderman and Eva (née Moore). He claimed to have been born in 1897.

Charles joined the 155th Battalion, with the regimental number 636363. He served in this battalion for nine months, sailing on the SS Northland from Halifax in October 1916. His service record shows that he was was transferred to the 21st Battalion for three months before being discharged for being under age and shipped back to Canada in April 1917. He re-enlisted in Kingston on October 18th, 1918 with the regimental number 2774115 and served in Kingston with the Canadian Army Service Corps. He was in hospital being treated for an infection between January and April, and was demobilized on May 3rd, 1919.

Hyderman married Ethel Gertrude McPhee on September 23, 1922 in Oshawa, at which time his occupation was printer. He died on March 31, 1975 in Oshawa.

On this day in 1916, Harry Stiner, a hotel-keeper, enlisted in Deseronto. He was born Uxbridge, Ontario on December 2nd, 1881, the son of Frederick Stiner and Mary (née Booth). On July 28th, 1903 he married Josephine O’Donnell in Uxbridge. In 1911 the couple were living in North Bay with one daughter and two of Harry’s siblings. When he enlisted, Harry and Josephine were living in Deseronto. By 1916 they had had three more children, one of whom had died.

Harry joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636362. He was five feet six and a half inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. His service record shows that he left Canada on the SS Northland on October 17th, 1916. In December he was transferred to the 154th Battalion. He was admitted to hospital on January 22nd, 1917, suffering from asthma. Proceedings of a Medical Board note that his asthma was aggravated by the damp climate in England. (Harry mentions his asthma in a letter home.)They agreed that he was “unsuitable for military life”. He left England on May 13th, 1917 on the hospital ship Letitia and discharged as medically unfit on June 19th, 1917. Family tree information on Ancestry suggests that he died in 1954.