It is that time of year when our thoughts turn to those who died in service to King and Country in our two World Wars and other conflicts.  Canada provided human resources disproportionate to its population.  Few, if any, communities were spared the loss of young men.  Below are accounts of the final few months of five of our native sons in World War I.

Pte. Dan Sutherland, West Earltown.

Daniel was born at West Earltown  on April 5, 1886, a son of George Sutherland “Macin” and Margaret Baillie.  The family farm was located near the halfway point on the road to Kavanagh’s Mills.  He was a logger by trade, spending the fall and winter months in the logging camps and the summers on the family farm.

He enlisted September 23, 1914 in Truro, a mere month after war was declared in Europe.  He was attached to the 7^th Battalion with origins in British Columbia but assembled and trained in Quebec. On October 3^rd, 1914, Dan was among those who sailed from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River for Europe.

After a few months in training and reserve in England, the 7^th was shipped to St. Nazaire, France, and from there they were transported by train and other means to Flanders.  The following two months were spent in the trenches along the border between France and Belgium, enduring heavy shelling, gassing,  muck and depressing weather.  Occasionally things would go quiet but they still had to endure the discomfort of life in the trenches.

May 19^th found them at Festubert, a few miles north of Vimy Ridge.  A battle had been in progress since May 15^th and the Canadians were put at the front of the attack on the 18^th.  The battle raged on until the 25th with a small three kilometer advance at the cost of 2,200 Canadian casualties.

On the 25^th Pte Dan Sutherland was reported missing.  For official purposes, he was presumed to have died in battle on the 24^th. 

Pte. Alexander Hugh Henderson

Alexander, (aka Albert), was born August 22, 1894 per his personnel file.  Family records claim he was born in 1886.  He was a son of Norman Henderson and Annie MacKay “Uhr” of Kavanagh’s Mills.  He was a double first cousin, once removed, to Pte. Dan Sutherland as well as a neighbour and former classmate.

Alex enlisted in Truro on June 14, 1916 and was attached to the 106^th Battalion rifles.  One month later he sailed from Halifax and arrived in Liverpool  on July 25^th.   While in training and reserve in England, he was first transferred to the 40^th and finally to the 25^th which was also known as the Nova Scotia Rifles.   On November 28^th they arrived in France.   By late December they were in trenches near Agres, a short distance north of Vimy.  They were mainly occupied as snipers picking off predetermined enemy positions.

While on respite on March 12^th, it was reported Pte. Henderson was seriously ill.  He was transported to Casualty Clearing Centre 30 in Aubignay les Artois where he died of pneumonia on March 15^th, 1917.

Pte.  Donald Elmer Sutherland

Donald was born at Central Earltown in 1898 the son of John L. Sutherland “Ballem”  and Jane Sutherland “Loibheg”.   At the age of 18 on November 29, 1916  and while a student in Halifax,  he enlisted and was attached to the 246^th Battalion.   On Christmas Day, 1916 he was diagnosed with measles and transferred to hospital.   He died in hospital on January 14^th, 1917.

Pte.  Hugh William Henry Ferguson

In his personnel file the Hugh was dropped, and he was known as William Henry.  He was born at West Earltown on December 6, 1889 to Alexander (Big Sandy) Ferguson and Mary Graham.  The farm is now a blueberry plantation located about a half kilometer east of the Spiddle Hill South Road.   He was a descendant of the Spiddle Hill branch of the Fergusons.

Prior to the war, William Henry went west as did so many young men in the early 1900’s.  This took him to the mining town of Sandon, British Columbia, where he was working as an insurance broker prior to enlistment.   Sandon is in the Selkirk Mountains south of Revelstoke.  Today it is better known as a ghost town.

William Henry enlisted at Nelson, BC,  on November 7^th, 1917.  He was sent to Vancouver where he was attached to the 72^nd Battalion which is better known as the Seaforth Highlanders.  In April of 1918 he was cleared to be shipped overseas.  He likely caught up with the 72^nd in July while they were training in reserve in region around Ferfay, France, about 10 miles west of the front.  The month of August was spent in various trench positions around Amiens holding the enemy line.

By September 26^th, the 72^nd was in Arras preparing for a major assault in the region.  On the 27 they began the offensive which included the clearing of the town of Sancourt.  It was here on September 29^th that Pte. Ferguson was killed in action.

Sgt. John Robert Murray

John Robert Murray was a half brother of William Henry Ferguson.   He was born on March 26, 1879 to Robert Murray and Mary Graham.   Mary Graham was born in Earltown to James Graham and Catherine Graham.  James belonged to the Lairg Grahams of the village and Catherine to the Clyne Grahams near Matheson Corner.   Mary’s mother died young after which her father married Dorothy Gunn of East Earltown and moved to Plainfield.  Robert Murray is a genealogical mystery at the moment.

John was first married to Cassie Waugh in 1900 and they had one son George before her death.  John married Julie Sweet of Truro in 1906 and they had seven children in the following decade.  They lived in Truro where he worked at woodworking.

John enlisted in Halifax in  October of 1916 and was attached to the 85^th Battalion better known as the Nova Scotia Highlanders.   In February 1917 he was dispatched to Europe, arriving at Boulogne on February 10^th.

Books have been written about this Battalion so we will only hit a couple of the high points.   The first couple of months they served as a labour battalion – running supply lines, digging trenches and erecting barricades.  In April they were called into action for the Battle of Vimy Ridge.  This was a predominantly Canadian battle involving 170,000 men and costing 3,600 lives. 

After a short reprieve, they found themselves in the Battle of Ypres in Flanders, a campaign that lasted from July to November in 1917.

In December of 1917, John was appointed Acting Sargeant replacing a wounded officer.  The following March he was confirmed as a full Seargeant. 

On November 6, 1918,  5 days before the end of the war,  Sgt. John Robert Murray was killed in battle while the 85^th was capturing and clearing the town of Quivrachain on the Belgium border.

On January 29^th, 1919,  Sgt. Murray was posthumously awarded  the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry and distinguished services in the field.

Sgt Murray and his half brother Pte. Ferguson died 39 days apart and were serving within 100 kilometers of each other.  It was not a good year for their mother, Mary.  She also lost her husband on May 10^th.

Sources:  Most of the above information can be found online at Library and Archives Canada, specifically   Personnel Records of the First World War – Library and Archives Canada for individual digital records. 

Information on Battalion movements was found in the War Diaries at War Diaries of the First World War – Library and Archives Canada  .