Deseronto Archives

Peter Barnhardt signed up in Sudbury, Ontario on this day in 1917. He was born in Tyendinaga on March 11th, 1890, the son of Joseph Barnhardt and Annie (née Doreen), who were both Mohawks.

Barnhardt joined the Toronto Forestry Draft with the regimental number 2251054. He was five feet nine and a half inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on the SS Missanabie on August 23rd, 1917 and was transferred first to the Canadian Forestry Corps and then to the Canadian Railway Troops Depot. He served in England and in France and returned to Canada in 1919, being demobilized on May 7th, 1919 in Montreal.

Peter enlisted to serve again in the Second World War and was invalided by war wounds. He died on April 12th, 1966 in the Belleville General Hospital and was buried in the Deseronto Cemetery.

Joab Walter Powles, a bushman, signed up in Toronto on this day in 1917. He stated that he was born in Newport, Brant, Ontario on March 11th, 1872 and that his current address was Deseronto. He gave his next of kin as his father, Isaac. Joab may be the son of Isaac and Julia Powless (both Mohawks) who was born in Tyendinaga in 1869.

Joab joined the Toronto Forestry Draft with the regimental number 2250975. He had previously served as a private in the Simcoe Foresters for two years. He was five feet five and a half inches tall, with a medium complexion, grey eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on July 5th, 1917 on the SS Jusiticia. He joined the 58th Company of the Forestry Corps in France on July 27th. On August 8th he was admitted to hospital in Le Havre, suffering from bronchitis. He was transferred back to England to convalesce and then sent home to Canada. He left Liverpool on November 17th, 1917 on the SS Saxonia and spent time in the Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto. He was discharged from the army as medically unfit due to being over age (48) and having emphysema on January 30th, 1918.

On this day in 1917 Thomas Bernard Marrigan, a bookkeeper, signed up in Kingston, Ontario. He was born in Deseronto on November 13th, 1892, the son of John Marrigan and Margaret (née Hayes). Margaret died of pneumonia in Mill Street, Deseronto in 1907. When Marrigan enlisted he gave his home address as 425 Jarvis Street, Toronto and his next of kin as his father, John, who was still living in Deseronto.

Marrigan joined the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery with the regimental number 349757. He was five feet six inches tall, with a medium complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. His service record shows that he was transferred to the garrison at St. Lucia in the West Indies in September 1917, where he served until May 1919, when he returned to Canada on the SS Chignecto. He was demobilized at St. John, New Brunswick on May 30th.

Thomas Bernard Marrigan died in Kingston at the Hotel Dieu Hospital on October 6th, 1934 of endocarditis. He was buried in Deseronto.

Leo Clarence Dubey, a bartender, signed up in Montreal on this day in 1917. He was born in Deseronto on February 9th, 1894, the son of Honoré Dubé and Helzilda (née Desjardine). Leo was working as a telephone operator in Deseronto at the time of the 1911 census.

He joined the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery with the regimental number 349761. He was five feet six inches tall, with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on December 7th, 1917 on the SS Megantic and joined his unit in France on February 27th, 1918. On July 17th he was admitted to hospital after being injured in an accident while on duty, receiving bruising to his chest and abdomen. He was discharged two weeks later.

On November 2nd, Leo was admitted to hospital again, suffering from a fever. He remained there until November 18th, but somehow found time to be charged with drunkenness and “being in Paris Plage without a pass” on November 14th. For this he was sentenced to forfeit two weeks’ pay. Perhaps he had been celebrating the end of the war that day; on December 24th he was back in hospital suffering from an infectious disease.

Dubey was transferred to England on January 26th, 1919 and arrived back in Canada on the SS Minnekahda in March. He was demobilized in Kingston on March 29th, 1919. In 1921 he was living in Montreal with his younger brother William, working as a clerk.

On this day in 1917 Elmer Eugene Pringle, a munition worker, signed up in Toronto. He was born in Deseronto on October 17th, 1889, the son of Ezra Pringle and Annie Elizabeth (née Watson). On his attestation paper Pringle gave his date of birth as October 19th, 1890. The family had moved away from Deseronto by 1901, when they were living in Tay Township. Elmer’s father, Ezra, died in Fesserton in 1907, while Annie died in Toronto in 1913. Elmer’s brother Ernest had enlisted in 1916. Like Ernest, Elmer gave their sister, Edith Evans, as his next of kin.

Elmer joined the 70th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery with the regimental number 341269. He was five feet six and a quarter inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on December 7th, 1917 on the troopship Megantic. He joined the 4th Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery in France in April 1918. On September 2nd he received a gunshot wound to the left cheek below his eye, which took out part of his left molar jaw bone. He was sent to England to recover and returned to Canada in December 1918. In January 1919 he was discharged as medically unfit in Toronto. An x-ray taken on January 18th showed that there was still a piece of shrapnel in his jaw:

Elmer married Mae Kidd in Toronto on September 11, 1926. A note on his service file states that he died on January 13th, 1955.

Wilfred Lee Badgley, a tinsmith, signed up in Toronto on this day in 1917. He was born in Deseronto on July 12th, 1898, the son of Edward Badgley and Eva (née Joyce). By 1905, when Wilfred’s sister Hilda was born, the family had moved to Oshawa. They were living in Drew Street, Oshawa, when Wilfred enlisted.

Badgley joined the 71st Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery with the regimental number 342159. He was five feet six inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on December 17th, 1917 on the SS Megantic. spent three weeks in hospital in Aldershot, England suffering from mumps in March 1918. He went to France in April 1918 and was posted to the 13th Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery in October 1918. In December he was admitted to hospital suffering from a fever and he spent a further three weeks in Stourbridge Military Hospital in December 1918 and January 1919 with myalgia.

Wilfred Lee Badgley arrived in Halifax on March 22nd 1919 on the SS Cretic. He was demobilized in Toronto on March 26th, 1919. He married Marguerite Edith Hallett on April 15th, 1920 in Oshawa. Badgley died in Gravenhurst on October 15th, 1939 and was buried in Oshawa Union Cemetery.