This work originated in the spring of 2012 with project author Tom Slater’s desire to create a war memorial to recognize and to honour former St. Patrick’s Catholic High School students who had served and possibly fallen while serving in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). St. Patrick’s High School, which was founded in 1935, was one of only two secondary schools in Sarnia during these war years.
To initiate the war memorial project, Slater began by searching for a complete list of all of Sarnia’s war casualties, those individuals who had volunteered, fought and died while in service of their country during these two wars. He was surprised to find that no such list existed, at least not in the form that he had hoped. Slater has always believed that it was important to remember who these people were, what they sacrificed, and what deeds they accomplished.
If we don’t remember them, Slater reasoned, it would be as if they never existed. And that would be wrong.
Initial sources of information included the City of Sarnia Cenotaph War Memorial in Veterans Park; the City of Sarnia records (with assistance of Mayor Mike Bradley); the Royal Canadian Legion Sarnia Branch 62 records; Sarnia Public Library and Lambton County Archives. Surprisingly, each of these sources provided the same list that records Sarnia’s fallen soldiers with only a last name and an initial (or two). No first names were provided.
With the above discovery, Slater decided to re-direct his project and to create a more comprehensive list of all of Sarnia’s soldiers who had lost their lives while in service to this country during the Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and in the Peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. This more detailed list would, if possible, include both the first name and last names of all of Sarnia’s fallen soldiers from these four wars and Afghanistan, along with some basic information about each individual. These heroes deserved the honour of being remembered by their full names.
Learning a little bit more about the identities of each of these individuals helps us to understand and to appreciate the sacrifices these brave young souls made. These individuals were active in local churches, in local sports, in volunteer activities, in cultural societies and in community organizations. They voluntarily left their homes, their schools, jobs, trades and careers; they left their loved ones–grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, wives, children and friends. They responded to a call by this nation, to fight in far off lands, in the defense of freedom. For those that died in the service of their country, they lost the opportunity to live full lives, enriched by friends and family. Their deaths affected not only their loved ones but also the Sarnia and Lambton community as a whole, not only then, but for future generations.
Beginning with the original list of last names and initials, the author completed his research by using numerous official war memorial websites and written sources, such as, old Sarnia Observer files and many reference books. Sources also included local churches, information provided by family members and various people in the community. As much as possible, all information was corroborated by using multiple sources. Where possible, Slater included the following information for each soldier on the list of Sarnia’s war dead from four wars and the Afghanistan Peacekeeping Mission: his first and last name; his rank and service number; his birth and death dates; his military force and regiment; his cemetery and grave or memorial information; the names of his parents or next of kin; and, for many, whatever additional information Slater could locate.
The first edition of this project was released in the fall of 2013. The first edition focused primarily on Sarnia’s fallen soldiers from World War II, the Korean War and Afghanistan Peacekeeping. About the time of the project’s publication, local retired crown attorney Randy Evans contacted Tom Slater. Randy has a tremendous interest in local history, and in particular World War I. After sharing their knowledge, both men decided to write a supplement to the project which would include more thorough information regarding Sarnia’s World War I fallen soldiers. Randy was instrumental in researching and in uncovering the names of these fallen soldiers and his enthusiasm and dedication to preserving the memory of these fallen soldiers and their families was inspiring. With Randy’s assistance and with another year to do more research, Tom Slater decided to create a second (and final) edition of The Sarnia War Remembrance Project. It is not only a comprehensive record of Sarnia’s contributions during times of war and the sacrifices made by its citizens. It is also a more detailed record of all of Sarnia’s Fallen soldiers, from the Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Afghanistan Peacekeeping.
The City of Sarnia, through Mayor Mike Bradley, has financed the cost of donating copies of the book to the organizations and institutions as stated on the opening page. Glenn Ogilvie of Glenn Ogilvie Photography generously contributed the beautiful and striking photograph on the back cover of the Sarnia cenotaph. Bill Chong, owner of Haines Frontier Printing, has generously donated all labour costs, and a portion of production and material costs associated with the printing of this book. The Book Keeper in Sarnia has graciously agreed to carry hard copies of the project for those who are interested in purchasing copies. In collaboration with Susan Chamberlain, owner of The Book Keeper, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of The City of Sarnia War Remembrance Project will be donated to the charity, Noelle’s Gift. This charity, in memory of Noelle Paquette, provides school children of Sarnia-Lambton with school supplies, clothing, food, medical supplies and other needs (www.noellesgift.ca).
The goal of the author has always been to create a comprehensive record of Sarnia’s fallen soldiers beginning with the Boer War in the late 19th century. This compilation would serve as a permanent record of our local heroes. The electronic version of the project has been made available on-line through local media, Lambton County Archives and the author.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the list is complete and accurate. If an individual is missing or inaccuracies exist, the omissions and errors are unintentional. Researching documents and records that in some cases are over a century old elicits the possibility of errors.
For every individual on the list, a story exists: stories about who these people were? Who their families were? Why they joined the military? What were their experiences at home and overseas? What were the circumstances of their deaths? These sailors, soldiers and airmen made sacrifices, and so did their families back home in Canada. Their loved ones coped each day with the possibility that those whom they loved might not return, and then ultimately had to face the terrible reality that their worst fears were realized. Government and war memorial websites do not provide this personal information. Those stories were not the goal of this project, but they would be incredible stories to know.
This project does not include information on fallen soldiers from surrounding Lambton County (although a number of the names on the Sarnia cenotaph are from Lambton County). It does not include information on those veteran soldiers who served and survived any of these wars, with many returning home bearing the physical, psychological and emotional wounds of their experiences. The vast majority of men included in this project volunteered to serve their country and their families with pride and honour. Their loyalty to country, faith, family, to their unit and comrades is commendable. All these brave individuals deserve to be remembered and to be honoured with the highest possible tribute.
If one is interested in finding the names of “fallen” soldiers from other parts of Lambton County, an excellent resource is the book Lambton Remembers, by John M. Collins of the Lambton Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Sarnia, Ontario (1998). It provides information on all the War Memorials throughout the County of Lambton, Ontario. It also includes a detailed list of all names recorded on every Lambton County Cenotaph and Memorial, covering the Boer War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
Other sources of information exist that might supplement this project. More importantly, the dwindling number of veterans themselves, the family members of fallen soldiers and veterans, and numerous historians and amateur researchers would be ideal sources for additional information. It is hoped that these individuals will submit more information such as stories, photographs, documents or personal memorabilia to websites. Two excellent sources are The Canadian Virtual War Memorial and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. In this way, the stories of these brave souls and their memories will live on forever. It is a way to honour and to pay tribute to the brave men and women of Sarnia-Lambton who made the ultimate sacrifice for their love of home and country, during a very different and difficult time in Canada’s history.
A note regarding two key terms:
“Fallen” soldier refers to individuals who fought and died while in service (war dead).
“Veteran” soldier refers to those who served, survived war and returned home.
The initial source of names used in this project came from the Sarnia Cenotaph War Memorial in Veterans Park. The Royal Canadian Legion (Sarnia Branch 62) list and the City of Sarnia official list of fallen soldiers were the exact same as the Sarnia Cenotaph list. Through the course of research, Slater discovered a number of names not on the Cenotaph but connected to Sarnia. Sources for these additional names came from the Sarnia Collegiate (SCITS) War Memorial Plaque; local Sarnia church honor rolls; Canadian government websites; various Canadian war memorial websites (where “Sarnia” was used as a search item); numerous other websites such as Ancestry.ca; and information from relatives of the fallen soldiers.
The Sarnia Cenotaph War Memorial has 264 names in total (102 from WWI, 159 from WWII, 2 from Korea, and 1 from Afghanistan). The City of Sarnia War Remembrance Project has 306 names in total (1 from the Boer War, 116 from WWI, 184 from WWII, 3 from Korea, and 2 from Afghanistan). The following names are not found on the Sarnia Cenotaph in Veterans Park, but are included in this project:
Boer War:
Daniel Crone (the Boer War Memorial lists the names of 16 men who participated in that war. D. Crone is included)
World War I:
Thomas Creighton
Alexander Cunningham
Frank Hickey
George Gray
Norman Leckie
Daniel Manning
Walter McKenzie
Leslie Playne
Albert Pringle
Sylvester Earl Simmons
Ira Sumner
George Turner
Joseph Walters
John Wilson
World War II:
Robert Alexander
Jack Brunette
Thomas Brydges
Carl Burke
Maurice Church
Ross Clark
Wesley Coleman
Ralph Elliott
John Esselment
William Glass
Victor Harris
Rowland Jamieson
William Lavers
Charles Living
Charles McIsaac
John McKernan
John McLagan
Allan McLellan
Donald Neal
Robert Rigby
William Rogers
Douglas Ross
Arnold Schildknecht
Leslie Sutherland
John Yorke
Korea:
John Toole
Afghanistan:
William Cushley
The Sarnia Cenotaph has a few omissions and a number of spelling errors–not unusual for that time. These kinds of lists were generally often assembled by word of mouth rather than through official documents. Also, a number of the men had no real roots in the community; for instance, they might have been labourers who came to work in Sarnia. As well, the inconsistencies may be the result of, for example, a misunderstood or a mispronounced name.
The spelling of names used in this project is based on the official Canadian Military and Government websites: Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Veterans Affairs Canada (The Canadian Virtual War Memorial); Canada At War (Online War Memorial); Library and Archives Canada; and official Province of Ontario Certificates of Registrations of Death, and most importantly, on the men’s actual signatures on their attestation (enlistment) papers.
Below are the spelling errors associated with World War I and World War II soldiers on the Sarnia Cenotaph:
World War I cenotaph section:
– N. Benward – should be N. Benware (Neal Benware)
– N. Brearly – should be N. Brearley (Norman Osbourne Brearley)
– F.J. Chester – should be F.A. Chester (Frederic Aloysius Chester)
– F. Doxtator – should be F. Doxstater (Frederick Doxstater)
HAPPY IN LIFE HE BRAVELY DIED FOR FREEDOM. LOVINGLY REMEMBERED BY FAMILY. iii
– F.W. Edwards – should be F.C. Edwards (Fred Christopher Edwards)
– G.D. Hazen – should be T.D. Hazen (Thomas Douglas Hazen)
– A. Ireson – should be A. Iverson (Amos Iverson)
– F. Johnston – should be F. Johnson (Frederick Johnson)
– L.C. McMullen – should be L.C. McMullin (Leonard Calvin McMullin)
– J.M. Pierrie – should be J.M. Pirrie (James Millar Pirrie)
– J. Salisbury – should be J. Salsbury (John Reginald Sergeant Salsbury)
– H. Wallis – should be C. Vallis (Clifford George Vallis)
– C. Weatherill – should be B. Weatherill (Bertrand Peter Weatherill)
– A. Wiseman – should be A. Wyseman (Andrew Wyseman)
World War II cenotaph section:
– J.C. Bell – should be J.G. Bell (Joseph Griffiths Bell)
– A.J. Campbell –should be A.W. Campbell (Allan William Campbell)
– G.A. Goring – should be C.A. Goring (Curtis Albert Goring)
– H.F. Haggerty – should be H.F. Hegarty (Hugh Francis Hegarty)
– J.S. Johnson – should be J.S. Johnston (Jay Syver Johnston)
– H. Legarrie – should be H. Legare (Hector LeGare)
– G.A. Nash – should be C.A. Nash (Charles Arthur Nash)
– M. Paithouski – should be M. Paithowski (Michael Joseph Paithowski)
– F.F. Thompson – should be H.F. Thompson (Howard Fraser Thompson)
The author could not verify with absolute certainty the true identities of five individuals whose names are inscribed on the World War I section of the Sarnia cenotaph. Despite using all the military records and files he could access, Mr. Slater could not prove conclusively that A. Bell; G.J. Janes; M.J. Summers; W. Wilkinson; and C.B. Wilson were linked to Sarnia.
Originally called the Imperial War Graves Commission, established in May 1917 in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission ensures that 1.7 million people who died in the two World Wars will never be forgotten. The Commission cares for cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations in 153 countries. Part of its mandate is to commemorate all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally in a uniform fashion. Every headstone contains the national emblem (eg. the Maple Leaf) or regimental badge; soldier rank; name; unit; date of death; and age of each casualty. Inscribed below these are an appropriate religious symbol and a more personal dedication chosen by relatives.
In World War II, the Commission allowed loved ones, if they wished, to write a short valedictory inscription of their choice which would be engraved on the headstone. These moving inscriptions convey in a few words the impact of a young soldier’s death on his family. These inscriptions, chosen at a time when most people would be at a loss for words in the face of overwhelming sorrow, were drawn from Scripture, hymns, literature, and popular songs of the day. Some were composed by loved ones who thought carefully about their valediction. The quotations give recognition to the parents, wives, and children who used epitaphs to express the ideals for which Canadians had fought, or to reconcile themselves to the loss of a loved one whose grave they would likely never see.
For fallen (war dead) soldiers, sources such as government, military and war memorial websites are restricted as to the amount of information they are allowed to release. They provide only basic information such as rank,
service number, force, regiment, cemetery and grave or memorial reference. Information on the details of their lives, their service, or the circumstances of their deaths are not provided. In some cases, family members have submitted information to sites such as The Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
For veteran soldiers who served and who returned from war, the military and government websites contain very limited, if any, information for release because of Privacy Act issues. No online database for veterans’ military records exists because of access restrictions. Information relating to an individual who is still living requires that person’s signed consent. If the individual has been deceased for fewer than 20 years, limited information may be released to immediate family. If deceased more than 20 years, proof of death is required.
Regarding the addresses in the anecdotal notes section: The residential addresses listed in this project come from various sources and would have been the home addresses of either the fallen soldier, his wife, and/or his parent(s) as they were recorded in their enlistment documentation, or circumstances of casualty records or their obituaries.
In the anecdotal notes sections, a number follows the names of a majority of the fallen soldiers. This is the soldier’s regimental or service number. It would have been assigned the soldier at the time of his enlistment, a number unique to them as a means of identification. It would also appear on any of that soldiers’ records, such as military awards, death certificates and official communication home informing a parent or wife of the loss of their child or husband.
Any original letters included in this project are in italics and have been transcribed verbatim.
Regarding the Royal Canadian Air Force Regiment information: For many of these airmen, their anecdotal notes may include numbers and words such as the following:
#409 Night Hawk Squadron “Media Nox Meridies”
- “#409” represents the Unit number
- “Night Hawk” is the nickname of the squadron
- “Media Nox Meridies” is the squadron motto, often in Latin, (in this case, the motto translates to “Midnight is our Moon”). Wherever possible, English translations have been included in this project.
Below is a list of some of the main Royal Canadian Air Force Rank codes:
AC: Aircraftman (class I or II) FS: Flight Sergeant P/O: Pilot Officer
AG: Air Gunner G/C: Group Captain Sgt: Sergeant
BA: Bomb Aimer LAC: Leading Aircraftman S/L: Squadron Leader
Cpl: Corporal N: Navigator WAG: Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
F/E: Flight Engineer NB: Navigator/Bomb Aimer W/C: Wing Commander
F/L: Flight Lieutenant O: Observer WO: Warrant officer (class I or II)
F/O: Flying Officer P: Pilot
Sonnett 55 (2nd quatrain)
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory
By William Shakespeare