Canadian Chaplains
The Canadian Chaplains who fell in WW1
Georges Étienne Rosario CROCHETIÈRE
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 22nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
He was
killed by shellfire on active service on 2 April 1918. He was 39
He was the son of Alphonse and Josephine Cormier Crochetière of Arthabaskaville, Province of Quebec
He is buried to the left of the centre path between two french tombs in Bailleulmont Communal Cemetery, Northern France
Additional Information
He was Ordained on 9 July 1905 at Nicolet Seminary
At the time of his death he had been resting at night in a sandbagged shelter near the front line when it was hit by shellfire and all were killed
William Henry DAVIS MC
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 4th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
He was killed by shellfire on active service on 9 August 1918. He was 34
He was the son of James and Anne Davis of Davistown, King's Co, Ireland
He is buried in grave 1 Le Quesnel Communal Cemetery, the Somme
Additional Information
He was one of that small band of brave and selfless men of God who served and often
gave their lives as Chaplain to the men of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles
http://www4cmrcom/daviswhhtml
An Irishman by birth, born in King's County, Ireland, in January 1883, William was a "Clerk in Holy Orders" with the Church of England at the time of his attestation into the 138th (Edmonton) Battalion in March 1916.
The History of 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles written by S G Bennett in 1926 says of him at Petit Vimy in April 1917:
"The first glimpse they had of their beloved Padre in action was seeing him in the twilight on the crest of the Ridge, his steel helmet hung over his arm, prayer-book in hand, burying the dead, regardless of shells dropping around him"
And in the action around Lens in July 1917:
" there were eighteen other casualties during this tour Captain Davis, the Chaplain, was with the men as usual, in the front line, doing everything he could for their comfort. For three days he worked with a party of ten men, giving Christian burial to the dead who had been left unburied in the area; his courage and scorn of danger endeared him to all who knew him"
And finally, concerning his loss on 9 August 1918, in the taking of Le Quesnel and Folies:
"Every officer and man mourned for their beloved Padre. He came from Western Canada but he had retained his Irish heart and Celtic charm. If he knew what fear was he never showed it. His remarkable disregard for danger while carrying out what he considered his duty, became a regimental tradition. In the daily life of the Battalion, in billets or in trenches he was always thinking of the men's welfare. On this day as on former occasions he was preparing to carry out his practical mission of mercy and was gathering around him his little band of stretcher-bearers when he and one of his men were hit by a shell. No officer was more loved for his character or more admired for his bravery than Padre Davis"
Joseph ELLIOTT
Honorary Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service on 12 December 1919. He was 50
He was the son of the late Thomas Elliott of Bayfield, Ontario and the husband of Eleanor Rose Elliott of Golerich, Ontario.
He is buried in grave Sec Q, east half of lot 134 in Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario
William Henry EMSLEY
Lieutenant Colonel, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on 15 October 1919. He was 69
He was the son of the late Joseph and Elizabeth Emsley and the husband of Susie Emsley, 143 Brock Street East, Oshawa, Ontario.
He is buried in Whitevale Cemetery, Ontario
Webster Henry Fanning HARRIS
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 6th Bde HQ Canadian Infantry
He died from his wounds on May 4 1917 He was 41
He was the son of Robert F and Sarah M L Harris and the husband of Grace Harris of Tuscola Co, Michigan, USA
He is buried in grave III A 8 Brookwood Military Cemetery
Additional Information
Born at St Thomas, Ontario
Extract from a report by Rev Harris for St Luke's Episcopal Church which appeared in the Red Deer News
He had left his work at this church to go on active service. He was wounded by shrapnel and paralyzed from the hips down on 16 September 1916 while conducting a burial at the front on the Somme
He is remembered on St Luke’s Memorial https://www.cdli.ca/monuments/ab/rdlukes.htm
and in the Red Deer Memorial Centre https://www.cdli.ca/monuments/ab/rdcentre.htm
George Leycester INGLES
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 3rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry and No 1 General Hospital
He died on active service on 1 January 1915. He was 28
He was the son of the Ven Archdeacon Charles L and Frances H Ingles, 408 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
He is buried in grave I 3 2 of the cemetery of St Leonard’s Church, Bulford, England
Additional Information
He enlisted at Valcartier and was attached to 3rd Battalion as Chaplain, travelling with them to England on 10 November, he was seconded to the No 1 General Hospital, intending to return to the battalion when it should cross to France. On the outbreak of
spinal meningitis in the camp, he worked unremittingly in attendance on the sick, until he incurred the disease himself and succumbed after several days, He was educated at Toronto Church School; Trinity College, gained a BA in 1913. He was Curate of St George's Church, Toronto For more information see:
http://qormuseum.org/soldiers-of-the-queens-own/ingles-george-leycester/
Eric Franklin JOHNSTON
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 2nd Canadian Division
He died on active service on 18 November 1918. He was 29
He was the son of Joshua R and Jennie P Johnston, Carleton Place, Ontario and the husband of Jessie L Johnston, 509 Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto
He is buried in grave XLV A 3 Étaples Military Cemetery
Additional Information
He was educated at Western University; Victoria
College, BA, BD 1916. He then served as Assistant Pastor, Elm Street Methodist Church, Toronto
He went to France on 2 August 1918, attached to the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps. He was with this unit through the battle of Amiens and the following engagements till 8 November, when he was invalided with pneumonia to No 20 Hospital at Camieis, where he died ten days later.
There is more information and photos at: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/497364
Roy Joseph KAIN
Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service on 17 October 1918. He was 27
He was the son of John and Margaret J Kain of Walkerton, Ontario and the husband of L H Kain, 1637 Washington Avenue, New York, USA
He is buried in Walkerton Cemetery, Ontario
Additional Information
I regret that I cannot trace the names of his widow
Donald George MacPHAIL
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 72nd Seaforth Highlanders Canadian Infantry
He drowned at sea on active service on 27 June 1918. He was 55
He was the son of Donald and Christina MacPhail of Perth, Ontario and the husband of Louisa B MacPhail, 35 King Street West, Kingston, Ontario
He is buried in the south-east corner of Lampaul Churchyard, Ile D'ouessant, Finisterre, France
Additional Information
HM Hospital Ship Llandovery Castle was torpedoed and sunk 114 miles south-west of the Fastnet Rock by U86
There is more information on: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/325644
There is a memorial window at Knox Presbyterian Church, Cayuga and a memorial at Perth and District Collegiate Institute, Perth Ontario
John Doole MORROW
Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 185 Battalion, Canadian Infantry
He died of natural causes on 28 April 1921. He was 47
He was the son of Nancy Morrow, 32 Barton Avenue, Toronto, and the late Hugh Morrow and the husband of Edith Lynette Morrow, 410 Roxton Road, Toronto,
He is buried in sec 12 lot 832 Prospect Cemetery, Toronto
Additional Information
Pastor of Dale Presbyterian Church, Toronto
He died in California where he had moved because of his ill-health. I have not found any evidence that he was in the Army when he died or that his death was related to his military service. I would welcome any information on this point in particular
See: http://canadianorangehistoricalsite.com/JDMorrow.php
and http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/426183
Charles A SPARLING
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service in the Spanish Flu Pandemic on 26 October 1918 in hospital in Hamilton. He was 37
He was the son of Charles P and Amelia Sparling, 15 Edgar Avenue, Toronto and the husband of Mary Elizabeth Sparling, 292 Bay Street, Hamilton, Ontario
He is buried in lot 649 sec M Hamilton Cemetery, Ontario
Additional Information
He was educated at Upper Canada College and Trinity College MA BD
He was Rector of St Mark’s Church, Hamilton
See also: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/425643
and http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/searches/soldierDetail.asp?Id=23474
Those who fell in WW2
Omer Joseph Antonin Arthur BEGIN
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 23 June 1943. He was 39
He was the brother of Mrs Georgius Le Blanc of Levis
He is buried in College Cemetery, Levis, Quebec
Walter Leslie BROWN
Chaplain 4th Class, attached to Sherbrooke Fusiliers and HQ, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.
He died on active service on 6 June 1944. He was 33
He was the son of George C and Florence M Brown of Orillia, Ontario
He is buried in grave XIII C 1 Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers
Additional Information
BA, LTh
He landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944 possibly the first Chaplain to land by sea. After midnight on 7 June, Brown was travelling with two Canadian corporals to deliver medical supplies to a field hospital when a patrol of Hitler Youth spotted them. He was captured and bayoneted by SS troopers from 3rd Battalion, 25th Panzer Regiment, 12th SS Panzer Division, “Hitler Youth”, commanded by Colonel Karl-Heinz Milius
See: http://ssns.frontiersd.mb.ca/SeniorYrs/Curricula9-12/Grade11/CanadianHistory/RemembranceDay/Soldiers/NormandySoldiers/BrownWL.html
http://www.fims.uwo.ca/olr/apr0506/brown.html
and
http://www.ingersolltimes.com/2010/11/24/ingersolls-mccreery-was-a-canadian-military-chaplain
Frank Alfred CRIGHTON
Honorary Captain, Canadian Chaplain Service
He died on 18 August 1946. He was 54
He was the husband of Corona E Crighton of Windsor
He is buried in plot 13 lot 19 Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Joseph R A J DALCOURT
Chaplain 3rd Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade
He died on active 28 February 1945
He is buried in grave IX E 14 Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional information
The burials in this cemetery are the men of the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured
Division who died in the Battle of the Rhineland, driving south from Nijmegen to clear the territory between the Maas and the Rhine in February and March 1945
Vincent Anthony DERMODY
Hon Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 16 November 1946. He was 47
He was the brother of Percy Dermody of Hamilton
He is buried in grave Priest's Plot Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Burlington, Ontario
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
Kenelm Edwin EATON
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
He died on active service on 31 August 1944 when his Regiment captured the village of Osteria Nuova breaking the Gothic Line. He was 30
He was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin K Eaton, (formerly of The Royal Canadian Regiment), and Edith Marguerite Eaton and
the husband of Marie Saunders Eaton
He is buried in grave III H 15 Montecchio War Cemetery
Additional Information
He had been Rector of St Peter's Anglican Church, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
BSc (Dalhousie University, Halifax); LTh (King's College, Halifax)
Samuel FARLEY
Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 29 October 1946. He was 65.
He was the husband of Mabel M Farley of Regina, Saskatchewan
He is buried in block 5A grave 23 Regina Cemetery
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
Joseph A P E GAUTHIER
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 20 May 1944. He was 30.
He was the son of Dr Eugene and Berthe Gauthier of Rock Island, Province of Quebec
He is remembered on panel 16 of the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia
Additional Information
On 20 May 1944 Canso (a flying-boat) 9773 of 5 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron, RCAF, failed to return from depth charge practice after take-off from Torbay, Newfoundland. The aircraft was lost over Conception Bay off Cape St Vincent, Newfoundland and 7 aircrew and 4 passengers died. It was later discovered that the Canso carried 50 lbs dynamite and unserviceable pyrotechnics for disposal.
A funeral service was held for the Roman Catholic personnel on 30 May 1944 and on 3 June 1944, a memorial service for the Protestant personnel.
Joseph Leopold GRATTON MBE, Croix de Guerre
Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 22 February 1947. He was 50
He was the son of Mr and Mrs Edmond Gratton of Montreal
He is buried in the cemetery of the Residence of Jesus - Ouvrier, Quebec City
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
He was a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
George Alexander HARRIS
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
He was killed on active service on D Day plus 1, 7 June 1944. He was 34.
He was the son of Alfred and Blanche Clarinda Harris of Solihull, England
He is buried in grave VA C 6 Ranville War Cemetery
Additional Information
BA
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2342847
William Robert HULLIN
Chaplain 4th Clas, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 3 June 1945. He was 40
He was the son of George and Janet Hullin and the husband of Gertrude G Hullin of Winnipeg, Manitoba
He is buried in grave III E 12 Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium
Marcus Harry JACKSON ED
Chaplain 3rd Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service at sea on 6 November 1942. He was 67.
He was the husband of Jessie I Jackson of Vancouver, British Columbia
He is remembered on panel 15 of the Halifax Memorial
Additional Information
Any information would be welcome
Paul Aime LAFORTUNE
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 6 August 1945. He was 54
He is buried in grave 281 Montreal Sault Au Recollet Roman Catholic Cemetery, Quebec
Albert Edmund McCREERY
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to Canadian Grenadier Guards
He died on active service on 4 May 1945. He was 27
He was the son of Samuel J and Lauretta McCreery of Ingersoll, Ontario
He is buried in grave XII B 5 Holten Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional Information
He is believed to have been shot by a sniper whilst trying to rescue a wounded German
See: http://alumni.os.mcmaster.ca/s/1439/wide.aspx?sid=1439&gid=1&pgid=534
Donald MACINTYRE
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 30 October 1944. He was 52
He was the son of Archibald and Marion MacIntyre of South Uist, Scotland
He is buried in sec M lot 3410 grave 5489 Notre Dame Des Neiges Cemetery, Montreal
Joseph Edward McGAHEY
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 2 December 1945. He was 43
He was the son of Mr and Mrs Robert J McGahey of Toronto
He is buried in Basilian Fathers' Plot, sec 1 grave 39 Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto
Neil Russell MACSWEEN
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ II Corps Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
He died on active service on 1 July 1944 in an accident in England. He was 34.
He was the son of Norman and Mae M MacSween and the husband of Ruth H MacSween of Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia
He is buried in grave 54 B 3 Brookwood Military Cemetery
Additional Information
BA (Mount Allison University)
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2667678
Thomas Edmund MOONEY MiD
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 14 September 1944. He was 38.
He was the son of Michael E and Anna C Mooney of Westport, Ontario
He is buried in grave X A 8 Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional Information
BA (University of Toronto); Director of Music, Kingston Cathedral; awarded diplomas from Pius X School of Music, New York
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2083370
William Alfred SEAMAN
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
He died on active service on 21 July 1944. He was 34
He was the son of William James Seaman and Sophia Seaman and the husband of Louise Van Duyn Seaman of Sackville, New Brunswick
He is buried in grave XVI B 14 Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers, Normandy
Additional Information
BA (Mt Allison University, New Brunswick)
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2060171
George Hedley WOLFENDALE MBE
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ 1 Corps Royal Canadian Engineers
He died on active service on 11 June 1944. He was 44
He was the son of Mr and Mrs George Ashton Wolfendale and the husband of Esther Florence Wolfendale of Golden Lake, Ontario
He is buried in grave III C 5 Bologna War Cemetery
Additional Information
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/1717193
Educated at Oundle.
He was missing for some months and I believe that he was a Prisoner of War
A bit of background. On Saturday 19 April 1941, a German plane dropped parachute mines over South Merstham. One exploded on All Saints Green destroying All Saints Church, the vicarage and nearby houses. Ten people were killed. The vicar and a sister were in hospital for several months and the other sister was killed.
Corporal George Hedley Wolfendale, who had enlisted at the outbreak of war, was a priest of the Church of England and, at the time and because of the injuries to the vicar, took over and saw that the life and worship of the church continued. Later that year he was appointed to the Canadian Chaplain Service.
He never forgot the parishioners of South Merstham and now his army engineering connections enabled him to realise the
dream of a new church. The Chief Engineer of 1st Corps, approved the rebuilding project and in March 1943 the work began.
All the material was salvaged from the wreckage. In five weeks the building was completed and on Easter Day 1943 the ‘new’ church, was dedicated for worship by the Bishop of Southwark. Worship continued there until the new All Saints Church was completed on 19 April 1950, exactly seven years later. The emergency church remained as Canada Hall.
See: http://www.merstham.co.uk/merstham/Canadahall.htm
The Fallen of the Royal Canadian Navy
Clement Kynnersley WHALLEY ED
Chaplain 3rd Class, HMCS Protector, Royal Canadian Navy
He died on active service on 21 May 1945. He was 60
He was the husband of Muriel E Whalley of Sydney, Nova Scotia
He is buried in div Y range 2 lot 3 Hardwood Hill Cemetery, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Additional Information
HMCS Protector was a shore base
Georges Étienne Rosario CROCHETIÈRE
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 22nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
He was
killed by shellfire on active service on 2 April 1918. He was 39
He was the son of Alphonse and Josephine Cormier Crochetière of Arthabaskaville, Province of Quebec
He is buried to the left of the centre path between two french tombs in Bailleulmont Communal Cemetery, Northern France
Additional Information
He was Ordained on 9 July 1905 at Nicolet Seminary
At the time of his death he had been resting at night in a sandbagged shelter near the front line when it was hit by shellfire and all were killed
William Henry DAVIS MC
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 4th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
He was killed by shellfire on active service on 9 August 1918. He was 34
He was the son of James and Anne Davis of Davistown, King's Co, Ireland
He is buried in grave 1 Le Quesnel Communal Cemetery, the Somme
Additional Information
He was one of that small band of brave and selfless men of God who served and often
gave their lives as Chaplain to the men of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles
http://www4cmrcom/daviswhhtml
An Irishman by birth, born in King's County, Ireland, in January 1883, William was a "Clerk in Holy Orders" with the Church of England at the time of his attestation into the 138th (Edmonton) Battalion in March 1916.
The History of 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles written by S G Bennett in 1926 says of him at Petit Vimy in April 1917:
"The first glimpse they had of their beloved Padre in action was seeing him in the twilight on the crest of the Ridge, his steel helmet hung over his arm, prayer-book in hand, burying the dead, regardless of shells dropping around him"
And in the action around Lens in July 1917:
" there were eighteen other casualties during this tour Captain Davis, the Chaplain, was with the men as usual, in the front line, doing everything he could for their comfort. For three days he worked with a party of ten men, giving Christian burial to the dead who had been left unburied in the area; his courage and scorn of danger endeared him to all who knew him"
And finally, concerning his loss on 9 August 1918, in the taking of Le Quesnel and Folies:
"Every officer and man mourned for their beloved Padre. He came from Western Canada but he had retained his Irish heart and Celtic charm. If he knew what fear was he never showed it. His remarkable disregard for danger while carrying out what he considered his duty, became a regimental tradition. In the daily life of the Battalion, in billets or in trenches he was always thinking of the men's welfare. On this day as on former occasions he was preparing to carry out his practical mission of mercy and was gathering around him his little band of stretcher-bearers when he and one of his men were hit by a shell. No officer was more loved for his character or more admired for his bravery than Padre Davis"
Joseph ELLIOTT
Honorary Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service on 12 December 1919. He was 50
He was the son of the late Thomas Elliott of Bayfield, Ontario and the husband of Eleanor Rose Elliott of Golerich, Ontario.
He is buried in grave Sec Q, east half of lot 134 in Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario
William Henry EMSLEY
Lieutenant Colonel, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on 15 October 1919. He was 69
He was the son of the late Joseph and Elizabeth Emsley and the husband of Susie Emsley, 143 Brock Street East, Oshawa, Ontario.
He is buried in Whitevale Cemetery, Ontario
Webster Henry Fanning HARRIS
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 6th Bde HQ Canadian Infantry
He died from his wounds on May 4 1917 He was 41
He was the son of Robert F and Sarah M L Harris and the husband of Grace Harris of Tuscola Co, Michigan, USA
He is buried in grave III A 8 Brookwood Military Cemetery
Additional Information
Born at St Thomas, Ontario
Extract from a report by Rev Harris for St Luke's Episcopal Church which appeared in the Red Deer News
He had left his work at this church to go on active service. He was wounded by shrapnel and paralyzed from the hips down on 16 September 1916 while conducting a burial at the front on the Somme
He is remembered on St Luke’s Memorial https://www.cdli.ca/monuments/ab/rdlukes.htm
and in the Red Deer Memorial Centre https://www.cdli.ca/monuments/ab/rdcentre.htm
George Leycester INGLES
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 3rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry and No 1 General Hospital
He died on active service on 1 January 1915. He was 28
He was the son of the Ven Archdeacon Charles L and Frances H Ingles, 408 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
He is buried in grave I 3 2 of the cemetery of St Leonard’s Church, Bulford, England
Additional Information
He enlisted at Valcartier and was attached to 3rd Battalion as Chaplain, travelling with them to England on 10 November, he was seconded to the No 1 General Hospital, intending to return to the battalion when it should cross to France. On the outbreak of
spinal meningitis in the camp, he worked unremittingly in attendance on the sick, until he incurred the disease himself and succumbed after several days, He was educated at Toronto Church School; Trinity College, gained a BA in 1913. He was Curate of St George's Church, Toronto For more information see:
http://qormuseum.org/soldiers-of-the-queens-own/ingles-george-leycester/
Eric Franklin JOHNSTON
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 2nd Canadian Division
He died on active service on 18 November 1918. He was 29
He was the son of Joshua R and Jennie P Johnston, Carleton Place, Ontario and the husband of Jessie L Johnston, 509 Palmerston Boulevard, Toronto
He is buried in grave XLV A 3 Étaples Military Cemetery
Additional Information
He was educated at Western University; Victoria
College, BA, BD 1916. He then served as Assistant Pastor, Elm Street Methodist Church, Toronto
He went to France on 2 August 1918, attached to the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps. He was with this unit through the battle of Amiens and the following engagements till 8 November, when he was invalided with pneumonia to No 20 Hospital at Camieis, where he died ten days later.
There is more information and photos at: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/497364
Roy Joseph KAIN
Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service on 17 October 1918. He was 27
He was the son of John and Margaret J Kain of Walkerton, Ontario and the husband of L H Kain, 1637 Washington Avenue, New York, USA
He is buried in Walkerton Cemetery, Ontario
Additional Information
I regret that I cannot trace the names of his widow
Donald George MacPHAIL
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 72nd Seaforth Highlanders Canadian Infantry
He drowned at sea on active service on 27 June 1918. He was 55
He was the son of Donald and Christina MacPhail of Perth, Ontario and the husband of Louisa B MacPhail, 35 King Street West, Kingston, Ontario
He is buried in the south-east corner of Lampaul Churchyard, Ile D'ouessant, Finisterre, France
Additional Information
HM Hospital Ship Llandovery Castle was torpedoed and sunk 114 miles south-west of the Fastnet Rock by U86
There is more information on: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/325644
There is a memorial window at Knox Presbyterian Church, Cayuga and a memorial at Perth and District Collegiate Institute, Perth Ontario
John Doole MORROW
Captain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department attached to 185 Battalion, Canadian Infantry
He died of natural causes on 28 April 1921. He was 47
He was the son of Nancy Morrow, 32 Barton Avenue, Toronto, and the late Hugh Morrow and the husband of Edith Lynette Morrow, 410 Roxton Road, Toronto,
He is buried in sec 12 lot 832 Prospect Cemetery, Toronto
Additional Information
Pastor of Dale Presbyterian Church, Toronto
He died in California where he had moved because of his ill-health. I have not found any evidence that he was in the Army when he died or that his death was related to his military service. I would welcome any information on this point in particular
See: http://canadianorangehistoricalsite.com/JDMorrow.php
and http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/426183
Charles A SPARLING
Chaplain, Canadian Army Chaplains Department
He died on active service in the Spanish Flu Pandemic on 26 October 1918 in hospital in Hamilton. He was 37
He was the son of Charles P and Amelia Sparling, 15 Edgar Avenue, Toronto and the husband of Mary Elizabeth Sparling, 292 Bay Street, Hamilton, Ontario
He is buried in lot 649 sec M Hamilton Cemetery, Ontario
Additional Information
He was educated at Upper Canada College and Trinity College MA BD
He was Rector of St Mark’s Church, Hamilton
See also: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/425643
and http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/searches/soldierDetail.asp?Id=23474
Those who fell in WW2
Omer Joseph Antonin Arthur BEGIN
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 23 June 1943. He was 39
He was the brother of Mrs Georgius Le Blanc of Levis
He is buried in College Cemetery, Levis, Quebec
Walter Leslie BROWN
Chaplain 4th Class, attached to Sherbrooke Fusiliers and HQ, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.
He died on active service on 6 June 1944. He was 33
He was the son of George C and Florence M Brown of Orillia, Ontario
He is buried in grave XIII C 1 Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers
Additional Information
BA, LTh
He landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944 possibly the first Chaplain to land by sea. After midnight on 7 June, Brown was travelling with two Canadian corporals to deliver medical supplies to a field hospital when a patrol of Hitler Youth spotted them. He was captured and bayoneted by SS troopers from 3rd Battalion, 25th Panzer Regiment, 12th SS Panzer Division, “Hitler Youth”, commanded by Colonel Karl-Heinz Milius
See: http://ssns.frontiersd.mb.ca/SeniorYrs/Curricula9-12/Grade11/CanadianHistory/RemembranceDay/Soldiers/NormandySoldiers/BrownWL.html
http://www.fims.uwo.ca/olr/apr0506/brown.html
and
http://www.ingersolltimes.com/2010/11/24/ingersolls-mccreery-was-a-canadian-military-chaplain
Frank Alfred CRIGHTON
Honorary Captain, Canadian Chaplain Service
He died on 18 August 1946. He was 54
He was the husband of Corona E Crighton of Windsor
He is buried in plot 13 lot 19 Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Joseph R A J DALCOURT
Chaplain 3rd Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade
He died on active 28 February 1945
He is buried in grave IX E 14 Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional information
The burials in this cemetery are the men of the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured
Division who died in the Battle of the Rhineland, driving south from Nijmegen to clear the territory between the Maas and the Rhine in February and March 1945
Vincent Anthony DERMODY
Hon Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 16 November 1946. He was 47
He was the brother of Percy Dermody of Hamilton
He is buried in grave Priest's Plot Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Burlington, Ontario
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
Kenelm Edwin EATON
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
He died on active service on 31 August 1944 when his Regiment captured the village of Osteria Nuova breaking the Gothic Line. He was 30
He was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin K Eaton, (formerly of The Royal Canadian Regiment), and Edith Marguerite Eaton and
the husband of Marie Saunders Eaton
He is buried in grave III H 15 Montecchio War Cemetery
Additional Information
He had been Rector of St Peter's Anglican Church, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
BSc (Dalhousie University, Halifax); LTh (King's College, Halifax)
Samuel FARLEY
Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 29 October 1946. He was 65.
He was the husband of Mabel M Farley of Regina, Saskatchewan
He is buried in block 5A grave 23 Regina Cemetery
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
Joseph A P E GAUTHIER
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 20 May 1944. He was 30.
He was the son of Dr Eugene and Berthe Gauthier of Rock Island, Province of Quebec
He is remembered on panel 16 of the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia
Additional Information
On 20 May 1944 Canso (a flying-boat) 9773 of 5 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron, RCAF, failed to return from depth charge practice after take-off from Torbay, Newfoundland. The aircraft was lost over Conception Bay off Cape St Vincent, Newfoundland and 7 aircrew and 4 passengers died. It was later discovered that the Canso carried 50 lbs dynamite and unserviceable pyrotechnics for disposal.
A funeral service was held for the Roman Catholic personnel on 30 May 1944 and on 3 June 1944, a memorial service for the Protestant personnel.
Joseph Leopold GRATTON MBE, Croix de Guerre
Major, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 22 February 1947. He was 50
He was the son of Mr and Mrs Edmond Gratton of Montreal
He is buried in the cemetery of the Residence of Jesus - Ouvrier, Quebec City
Additional Information
I have not established whether he was still serving or the cause of his death and any information would be appreciated
He was a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
George Alexander HARRIS
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
He was killed on active service on D Day plus 1, 7 June 1944. He was 34.
He was the son of Alfred and Blanche Clarinda Harris of Solihull, England
He is buried in grave VA C 6 Ranville War Cemetery
Additional Information
BA
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2342847
William Robert HULLIN
Chaplain 4th Clas, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 3 June 1945. He was 40
He was the son of George and Janet Hullin and the husband of Gertrude G Hullin of Winnipeg, Manitoba
He is buried in grave III E 12 Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium
Marcus Harry JACKSON ED
Chaplain 3rd Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service at sea on 6 November 1942. He was 67.
He was the husband of Jessie I Jackson of Vancouver, British Columbia
He is remembered on panel 15 of the Halifax Memorial
Additional Information
Any information would be welcome
Paul Aime LAFORTUNE
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 6 August 1945. He was 54
He is buried in grave 281 Montreal Sault Au Recollet Roman Catholic Cemetery, Quebec
Albert Edmund McCREERY
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to Canadian Grenadier Guards
He died on active service on 4 May 1945. He was 27
He was the son of Samuel J and Lauretta McCreery of Ingersoll, Ontario
He is buried in grave XII B 5 Holten Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional Information
He is believed to have been shot by a sniper whilst trying to rescue a wounded German
See: http://alumni.os.mcmaster.ca/s/1439/wide.aspx?sid=1439&gid=1&pgid=534
Donald MACINTYRE
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 30 October 1944. He was 52
He was the son of Archibald and Marion MacIntyre of South Uist, Scotland
He is buried in sec M lot 3410 grave 5489 Notre Dame Des Neiges Cemetery, Montreal
Joseph Edward McGAHEY
Captain, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on 2 December 1945. He was 43
He was the son of Mr and Mrs Robert J McGahey of Toronto
He is buried in Basilian Fathers' Plot, sec 1 grave 39 Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto
Neil Russell MACSWEEN
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ II Corps Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
He died on active service on 1 July 1944 in an accident in England. He was 34.
He was the son of Norman and Mae M MacSween and the husband of Ruth H MacSween of Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia
He is buried in grave 54 B 3 Brookwood Military Cemetery
Additional Information
BA (Mount Allison University)
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2667678
Thomas Edmund MOONEY MiD
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service
He died on active service on 14 September 1944. He was 38.
He was the son of Michael E and Anna C Mooney of Westport, Ontario
He is buried in grave X A 8 Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Additional Information
BA (University of Toronto); Director of Music, Kingston Cathedral; awarded diplomas from Pius X School of Music, New York
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2083370
William Alfred SEAMAN
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
He died on active service on 21 July 1944. He was 34
He was the son of William James Seaman and Sophia Seaman and the husband of Louise Van Duyn Seaman of Sackville, New Brunswick
He is buried in grave XVI B 14 Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers, Normandy
Additional Information
BA (Mt Allison University, New Brunswick)
See: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/2060171
George Hedley WOLFENDALE MBE
Chaplain 4th Class, Canadian Chaplains Service attached to HQ 1 Corps Royal Canadian Engineers
He died on active service on 11 June 1944. He was 44
He was the son of Mr and Mrs George Ashton Wolfendale and the husband of Esther Florence Wolfendale of Golden Lake, Ontario
He is buried in grave III C 5 Bologna War Cemetery
Additional Information
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/1717193
Educated at Oundle.
He was missing for some months and I believe that he was a Prisoner of War
A bit of background. On Saturday 19 April 1941, a German plane dropped parachute mines over South Merstham. One exploded on All Saints Green destroying All Saints Church, the vicarage and nearby houses. Ten people were killed. The vicar and a sister were in hospital for several months and the other sister was killed.
Corporal George Hedley Wolfendale, who had enlisted at the outbreak of war, was a priest of the Church of England and, at the time and because of the injuries to the vicar, took over and saw that the life and worship of the church continued. Later that year he was appointed to the Canadian Chaplain Service.
He never forgot the parishioners of South Merstham and now his army engineering connections enabled him to realise the
dream of a new church. The Chief Engineer of 1st Corps, approved the rebuilding project and in March 1943 the work began.
All the material was salvaged from the wreckage. In five weeks the building was completed and on Easter Day 1943 the ‘new’ church, was dedicated for worship by the Bishop of Southwark. Worship continued there until the new All Saints Church was completed on 19 April 1950, exactly seven years later. The emergency church remained as Canada Hall.
See: http://www.merstham.co.uk/merstham/Canadahall.htm
The Fallen of the Royal Canadian Navy
Clement Kynnersley WHALLEY ED
Chaplain 3rd Class, HMCS Protector, Royal Canadian Navy
He died on active service on 21 May 1945. He was 60
He was the husband of Muriel E Whalley of Sydney, Nova Scotia
He is buried in div Y range 2 lot 3 Hardwood Hill Cemetery, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Additional Information
HMCS Protector was a shore base
