Billy Robertson`s loss
Robertson at Vernon
Sgt Robertson had 3 other brothers who died in France
George 25 September 1915 Aged 26
William 8 September 1916 Aged 29
Andrew February 1918 Aged 32
His brother Robert died at East Fortune 20th May 1925, Aged 24
Dalcy also contributed the news items below
Cranbrook`s Contributions via The Cranbrook Herald Archives
Each link will open up a news clipping
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NEW! The Camps used by the 54th Bn in the Ypres Area
CLICK EACH SLIDE TO ADVANCE THE SHOW - Enjoy!
THE STORY OF EDWARD GREENWOOD CHRISTENSEN
Killed in Action, WWI, 1917
By Susan K. Dahlo
Eddy
Christensen's story is the unique story of an ordinary young
man from a typical family in a Western Canadian
town--Greenwood during the First World War. His story is
representative of thousands of stories of the 43,000 British
Columbia men who served overseas in the Great War. In fact,
one-half of the Canadian infantry in the First World War
came from west of Ontario, an area that contained only
one-quarter the population of Canada!
British Columbia had experienced a huge boom of immigration from the 1890's onward. The government of Canada had gone out into the world to sell Canada with the slogan "Free Homes for Millions" and many people had moved in. The population of BC at the census of 1901 was 190,000 and by 1914 the population stood at 435,000. The Christensen family had immigrated to the United States from Denmark in the 1880's; and on hearing of the great mining activity in the Boundary area, moved their family up into Canada in 1895. Edward Greenwood Christensen was born in Greenwood on April 8, 1896, the first child born to the first family in the town. The Christensens had totally adopted their new country. They spoke English always and kept no old world customs. They wanted to ensure that their children had all the benefits possible in a land of English speaking Canadians. Edward went to school in the little one-room school house in Boundary Falls where his family moved so that his father Mark could work in the newly built Boundary Falls smelter.
In 1903, Mark was a trustee of this little school with 10 pupils. Eddy grew up in a large family of 9 children and like all pioneer children had to be tough, daring and self-reliant to survive. These attributes were later absolutely necessary to survive the horrible conditions in the mud and mire of France!
Eddy, like the boys of his generation, had a British education. The history of Britain was the stuff of the textbooks used in Canadian schools and the British culture was dominant. So that when the British Empire was threatened, a strong patriotism came out in the Canadian people. When Robert Borden spoke in the House "We stand shoulder to shoulder with the British Dominions in this quarrel" everyone murmured approval. When Eddy signed up on May 30, 1916 in Phoenix, he felt this patriotism for his country but also the sense of duty (I will do by best to do my duty to God, the King and my Country) and adventure. By 1916, the stories and photos coming back from the front showed some terrible things. Who can explain why these men continued to sign up in droves? Certainly from our perspective today, we cannot understand how these men could volunteer to be "cannon fodder" on the foreign soil of Europe! On his attestation papers, it states that Eddy was 5' 9" and had a chest measurement of 35 inches with a range of expansion of 3 inches. This is very scrawny by today's standards but for those days, it was quite tall and wiry.
Initially, Eddy and the other new recruits from the Boundary area took their basic training in Grand Forks. The training grounds were at the fair grounds along the river just south of the city. Then on Saturday, July 8, 1916, they boarded a special 13 car train along with 700 officers (including Col. J. MacKay, the Commander) and men from the Kootenays for a trip up to the army camp in Vernon for further training. (From Fernie were 312 men, from Cranbrook 122, from Nelson 178 and from Grand Forks 55.) To give them a send off, hundreds of local citizens waited for the train departure from midnight to almost 4 in the morning. They detrained at the wharf in Penticton where again throngs of people turned out to send off their "khaki clad" boys. In fact, as reported in the Penticton Herald, "It seemed as if the entire population of the town had turned out to see the soldiers".
They immediately boarded the sternwheeler S. S. Sicamous for passage up Okanagan Lake. At Vernon, they joined other volunteers, so that when the Duke of Connaught visited the camp later that summer, he reviewed 4000 troops.
In the fall of 1916, the Battalion was moved to New Westminster in final preparation for the overseas journey. They entrained there and travelled for 5 days across the great expanse of Canada in the cold January of 1917. If things were the same for the 225th (two two-bits) as for the 54th Battalion who had made the trip in November of 1915, every day they were given a march. Embarkation for England took place on January 26th, 1917 from Halifax on the ship S.S. Grampian. They arrived at Plymouth, England on February 6th, 1917, and immediately entrained and arrived at the camp, Seaford, Sussex on the 7th. Canada had planned to send over a 5th and 6th Division to her army in France but because of the devastating slaughter at the Somme, the 225th Battalion and all the other Battalions were to be absorbed into the ranks of the existing 4 Divisions. Eddy was forthwith assigned to the 16th Reserve Battalion. Strenuous training was the order of the day.
On April 9th, the 54th Kootenay Battalion which Eddy was to later become a member of, participated in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Battalion was part of the 4th Canadian Division, the Division that was to assault the highest point of the Vimy Ridge, which was, for this reason, the most strongly fortified and formidable part of the entire position. They suffered significant casualties but proved their worth and courage in battle. In fact, the Canadians really proved themselves in the battle, it was the first of the great assaults of 1917 in which the Canadians took part and it was the first exclusively Canadian victory. The Canadian achievement in capturing Vimy Ridge owed its success to sound planning and thorough preparation, but above all to the splendid fighting qualities and devotion to duty displayed by officers and men on the battlefield. Historians agree that this victory in battle marked a decisive turning point in Canada's long march to nationhood. The Imperial ties were forever loosened. Canada entered the War as a junior partner of Great Britain and emerged as an equal--given her own vote at the League of Nations.
On the 3rd of May in 1917, Eddy was proud to be posted to the 54th Battalion, he entrained bound for Southampton and embarked to Le Havre on the 4th, left for his unit on the 7th and joined the unit in the Field on the 21st of May. This was the day on which Lieut.-Col. A.B Carey, D.S.O. reported to the Battalion to take over command. Training was again commenced and carried on daily. Sports were also freely indulged in, and on the 27th of May, brigade sports were held in which the 54th easily carried off the honours, both in football and track events.
The Canadians continued operations in the Arras area. The 54th alternated between holding the front line and being relieved and moving back to the Chateau de la Haie. Towards the end of June, the Corps Commander, Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Currie paid the 11th Brigade a visit and inspected the 54th Battalion in training. On the 11th of July, His Majesty, King George V drove through the area and an opportunity was given for all ranks to see him. At the end of July, the 54th moved into the Vimy salient near the town of Lievin in preparation for the taking of the town of Lens. Eddy and his Battalion were exposed here to German gas, 5.9 shells and flying bricks. On the fateful day of the 13th of August, Eddy was killed in an explosion. His body was never found. The most feared and dreaded telegram edged in black reached his parents in Boundary Falls. The family went into deep mourning for their son and brother who had just turned 21. His memory still burns bright in the Christensen family and he will be forever young. As with all the War dead, we wonder what would be now if these young men had lived, and still we cannot make sense of it!
Eddy's name is among the 11,285 names of Canada's soldiers on the Vimy Memorial in France. These are the names of those known to be dead, but whose graves cannot be found. His name is among the 31 names on the cenotaph at Ingram Bridge, erected in 1924. These were men from the Greenwood District who gave their lives for King and Country. His name is also in the First World War Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower in Ottawa. Eddy was one of the 6,224 men from British Columbia who were killed overseas in this War. The Christensen family applied to the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks of B.C. to have a Geographical feature in Southern B.C. named for our beloved uncle, Edward Greenwood Christensen. On Remembrance Day, November 11, 1998, The Province of BC and the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names, named Christensen Creek, 13 km north of Greenwood in remembrance of Eddy. Lest we forget.
References:
1 Canadians at War, Jim Lotz
2 Vimy, Pierre Berton
3 Canada's Soldiers The Military History of an Unmilitary People, George F.G.Stanley
4 The Life and Times of Grand Forks, Jim and Alice Glanville
5 The Kettle Valley Irrigated Fruit Lands Ltd. 1907-1928, Ted Gane
6 Cinquante-Quatre Being a Short History of the 54th Canadian Infantry Battalion by One of Them
7 The Vimy Memorial, Souvenir booklet produced by the Directorate of Public Affairs, Veterans Affairs Canada
8 Penticton Herald, July 13, 1916
9 Grand Forks Gazette, July 15, 1916
10 Attestation Papers and Service Record of Edward Greenwood Christensen, Private Regiment # 931618, Medals and Decorations: British War Medal, Victory Medal. Memorial Cross GRV awarded to his mother Anna Katrine in 1919.
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World War I Medal is returned after being lost over 60 years agoOn Monday July 28th, Margaret Eek of Rock Creek received a very pleasant surprise phone call. Neil Thomas was calling from Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island to tell her that he had a Memorial War Medal from WWI to return to the rightful owners - the Christensen family. It turned out that the medal in the form of a cross was presented to Margaret’s grandmother, Anna Christensen in 1919 in memory of her son, Edward Greenwood Christensen who had been killed in action August 13, 1917 at the age of 21. Edward who was born in Greenwood, had served with the Kootenay 54th Battalion and was in the Vimy Salient in France when he was killed. His name is on the Vimy Ridge Memorial, the Ingram Bridge Cenotaph in Kettle Valley and in the First World War Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
Scott Thomas from Youbou near Lake Cowichan and Neil Thomas from Edmonton presented Margaret Eek of Rock Creek with the Memorial Silver Cross GRV that was issued "as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice on the part of widows and mothers of Canadian sailors & soldiers who laid down their lives for their country during WWI."
Neil Thomas from Edmonton is a medal collector and was visiting his brother Scott in Lake Cowichan when Scott found and bought the medal for Neil in a local pawn shop. They went on-line with Edward’s name and number imprinted on the back of the medal and found the 54th Battalion’s site, read the story of Edward Christensen on that site, and then phoned the Greenwood Museum to get further information. The museum personnel told Neil that the closest next of kin was Margaret (nee Christensen) Eek. Then Neil phoned Margaret to inform her of his find. As soon as he had talked to her, they were on their way to catch a ferry to the mainland and travel up to Rock Creek to present the medal to the family. At 10 am on Tuesday morning, they were at Margaret’s door in Rock Creek and presented her with the long missing medal. She was overwhelmed by their act of generosity and kindness! This 82 year old great-grandmother could remember that as a child her grandmother would take the medal out of her trunk, have a cry and explain about her son who had made the supreme sacrifice in WWI. That trunk with the medal in it was lost in the 1940’s when Anna was ill near the end of her life. She died in 1947 in New Westminster. Since then it has been lost, forgotten and assumed that it would never be seen again by the family.
Now as a result of the heroic efforts of the Thomas brothers, that medal will join Edward’s other medals in the Greenwood Museum. The family cannot believe that this sterling silver medal has survived intact for over 60 years out there somewhere. Even more amazing is the generosity of the two young brothers, Neil and Scott Thomas who bought the medal back to the family, tracking them down and making this long trip to return it. The family members owe a great debt of gratitude and thanks to these two fine young men and their selfless thoughtfulness in reuniting this medal with the family which will now join the others on the Edward Greenwood Christensen display at the Greenwood Museum.
Richard
Arthur Henderson was a Civil engineer and Surveyor. He was 9 months old when
he came from Kansas in a covered wagon to the Fraser Valley. He went to high
school in Vancouver and later went to Montreal, where he graduated from
McGill. He put himself through school by selling magazines, washing dishes,
etc. After graduation he was involved in the Kettle Valley RR, the Grand
Trunk RR, the town of Grand Forks and the town of Chilliwack, B.C. He was a
physically large man. He and his father were strong Mason's and Oddfellows.
He apparently was very committed to his family in that he financially
supported his younger brothers and sisters.
Prior to the outbreak of WWI he was in the Militia (104th Reg.) and had the rank of Captain when he began recruiting members for overseas service. In 1916, (although he was married with children and was nearly 40 years of age), he enlisted in the regular army (131st Battalion, CEF). He was in France by February of 1917 and was killed in action at Vimy (his rank was Lieutenant but apparently he was in the process of being promoted to Captain when killed and had been recommended for the Military Cross). At the time of his death he was with 54th Battalion, attached 11 Field Coy, Canadian Engineers.
In 1992 my wife, Aggie, and I visited the cemetery where he is buried and the battlefield on which he was killed. It was a very impressive (awe inspiring) visit. The cemetery was extremely well kept, as were all the Commonwealth War Grave Commission cemeteries that we spotted. The Vimy battleground, a Canadian War Memorial, gives a horrid picture of how they lived before they died.
Henderson Creek, flowing into Boundary Creek in the Similkameen District is named after him
(The modern day BCD Armoury at Camp Vernon can be seen to the right of the house in the centre of the picture)
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Thanks to Joe Collinson in BC
Richard Henderson is buried near Vimy Ridge at
Villers au Bois
Wilton Hitchon served briefly with the 54th Battalion and lost his sight in
an explosion toward the end of Passchendale in November 1917. After a long
convalescence he returned to Canada and never let his disability slow
him down as is shown by his obituary. Click image to read of his remarkable
fighting spirit and visit his last resting place. Thanks to the efforts of
Nathan Gudgeon, John Hitchon, and Annette Fulford.
Click the Obit pic once - then when you see the little
red dot on bottom right click the dot and the obituary will be very
readable.
Two Father/Son Stories Click Picture below
FEATURE!
Pte William Langlands 442419
click image for more
Pte John Blanshard (67th Pionners and 36th Coy CFC) John Blanshard joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in January 1916 and deployed to France in August of that year. He was a widower with two
children and had been working as a rancher in the Community of Alexandria, near Quesnel in the Cariboo region of British Columbia.
He served initially with the 67th Pioneer Battalion which provided engineering support to the 4th Canadian Infantry Division at St. Eloi - south of Ypres, Belgium - and then at the Somme - near the town of Courcellette - NE of Albert, France.
Wounded in October 1916 he was evacuated to England - and later transferred in the spring of 1917 to the Canadian Forestry Corps where he served with the 36th company in the Jura area until the end of the war.
Many of his friends went on to serve with the 54th Battalion after Vimy Ridge.
Thanks to Sue Dennnett in the UK
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NOTE AT THE END OF EACH TEXT YOU`LL HAVE TO CLOSE THEN RE - OPEN YOUR BROWSER SORRY FOR THE WW1 APPROACH IMPROVISE! :) |
TRANSCRIPTS OF CBC RADIO
INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS OF THE 54th
DONE WITH PICASA by GOOGLE TO ADVANCE CLICK SUIVANTE - GO BACK CLICK DERNIERE HOWARD GREEN - OJ THOMAS - ALEX JACK - STANLEY BAKER - |
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Lt George Ellis (1917)
Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Feb 3, 1895. Parents: William
James Ellis and Marie (Osborne) Ellis. Lived in San Francisco,
was there during the 1906 earthquake. Eventually moved to
Vernon, B.C. and in 1909 to Kamloops. Enlisted with the C.E.F.
serving with the 54th Battalion in France where he won the
Military Medal, and was granted a Commission just prior to the
Nov 11 1918 Armistice. Another mention of the 54th Kootenay
Battalion, part of the 11th Infantry Brigade which fought at the
Somme, Vimy Ridge, Arras and Paschendale. "Mud and ore that was
the Western Front where Canadians fought in 1916-18" Joined up
in Kamloops April 1916. "wounded 3 times".
1942 Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, Rocky Mountain
Rangers, promoted to lieutenant-colonel. 2nd Battalion Rocky
Mountain Rangers trained intensively at "modern methods" of
warfare and 2 week camp in Vernon, Lt. Colonel G.H. Ellis, M.M.,
officer commanding the camp. Other activities: Owner of W.J.
Ellis Machine Shop, city alderman, Rotarian, hospital board of
directors, Elder of United Church, Mason (through various
offices up to 33rd degree. Grand Master of B.C.) Married
Gertrude Sybl Hughey September 1924. Died 13 June 1963. Thanks
to his daughter Joan in Manitoba! :)
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Alan Forrester of Nelson, joined the 54th on May 25, 1915. He had been a Captain in the 1st Regiment of the BC Horse, of the militia. He was given the rank of Lieutenant in the 54th and served in Vernon camp for 6 months. They would not send him overseas so he resigned his commission on November 15, 1915. On April 26, 1916, he lied about his age (he said he was 45 but was really 50) and re-enlisted as a private in the 67th "Western Scots" Pioneer battalion. He got his wish and embarked for Europe in June. He eventually regained his rank of Lieutenant and served at Vimy Ridge. He suffered a gas attack and was invalided. He was assigned "Town Major" in Halliecourt and Ronitz. When the 67th was absorbed by the 102nd Infantry Battalion, he continued his role in Halliecourt until January, 1917 when he was transferred to a convalescent hospital. He arrived back in Canada in June 1918 and was taken on strength of the 11th Garrison Regiment, serving as senior officer in the internment camp at Vernon until he was invalided out June 9, 1919. I am attaching a photograph (a postcard) of him in command of new recruits marching into Vernon Camp with the 54th. The other photograph appears to be from the 102nd. I am in the process of concluding a book on his life and times. He was in the A Battery of the Royal School of Artillery, served with the NWMP as well as the BC Provincial Police. |
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Lance Corporal Jame`s Bravery is recognised and he wins the Military Medal. (click to read) What happened the day he won his medal |
Pte Weber Watson! (Click to enlarge) Touch for bio |
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Gordon
 Gibson
was the son of Thomas G. Gibson, Dentist in Nelson and the nephew of
John ( Jack) Gibson the postmaster of Nelson until 1930 something.
Family history says he was working in a hardware store there before
enlisting. He enlisted in the Western Universities Battalion and
trained at Camp Hughs before being sent overseas. He was killed in
action April 9 1917 at Vimy Ridge while attached to the 4th
Division, 46 th battalion ( South Saskatchewan) The picture shows
him with his girlfriend Dell Matheson. |
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(Click to read)
Maj Harvey took over when LCol Kemball was killed.
These are the London Gazette Citations from 9 Jan 1917 for their work in the Somme battles. Maj Harvey subsequently led the 54th on 9 April 1917 in the battle of Vimy Ridge while LCol Carey (above) was in Command of the 102nd Battalion. Less than two months later, LCol Harvey was relieved of command and sent back to England for being AWOL after the 54th came out of the line. LCol Carey was subsequently named to command of the 54th Battalion.
The men on the Menin Gate
More than their share of high performers
The Battles of Capt Garland Foster
LCol Alfred Carey's London Gazette Citations
Cranbrook and Fort Steele in WW1
University of Birmingham (UK) Centre for WW1 Studies
featuring 4th Cdn Div, 11th Cdn Inf Bde
54th Bn, 75th Bn, 87th Bn and the 102nd Bn
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Dr Sydney Foley and Medical team
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BIOGRAPHY John de Wilton 1888-1981.
He found work in Starbuck, Baldur and Ignace Ontario which then enabled him to roam throughout the country with the odd journey over the United States border.
Following a trip back
to England he returned to Canada and worked at Hudsons Bay and
Winnipeg Vancouver,before sailing to Australia in 1912 spending the
next 2 years discovering the East Coast. After returning briefly to England in 1914 he returned to Canada and was working in Prince George when news reached him of the outbreak of war in Europe.
On the 2nd of July 1914 he enlisted with the Canadian
Expeditionary Force and travelled to Vernon Camp. War service was undertaken in Belgium and France until April 1919 when he returned to Minto Barracks in Canada for demobilisation.
A trip to England to see his family was followed by a return to
Baldur and Prince George
for the last time. He travelled to London briefly before
leaving for Sydney Australia in 1921.
His Fiancée Emily followed him to Sydney from England, they married
and settled on the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area where they
established a successful Citrus Orchard and raised three daughters.
Damage to John’s lungs caused by Mustard gas in France during the
war required that he seek a friendlier climate by the sea so he and
Emily retired to Wamberal on the New South Wales Central Coast in
Australia. John passed away aged 93 on the 8th of August 1981.
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George Gordon BARTON, b. 03
May 1894, Clinton, BC.
Participated in basic training at Vernon Military Camp and arrived in England aboard the SS Olympic on 20 Nov 1916. Posted to the 54th Bn in Shoreham Military Camp 29 Dec 1916. Killed in Action at Vimy Ridge, 09 Apr 1917. Buried in Bois-Carre British Cemetery near Thelus. |
