Contact Information

E-mail: brucefrancismacdonald@gmail.com

Thursday 9 March 2023

Private William Andrew "Will" Jordain, Newtown, Guysborough County—A Postscript

 Almost a decade ago, the story of Private William Andrew “Will” Jordain, Newtown, Guysborough County, was posted on this blog. Will was killed on October 30, 1917, during the battle of Passchendaele, Belgium, while serving with the 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company. At that time, the exact circumstances of Will’s death were not known. A family descendant recently came across an old newspaper clipping that provides additional details on what transpired that day.

Pte. William Andrew Jordain

After Will’s tragic death, William Marsden Hughes, a native of Quincy, Massachusetts, wrote a letter to his mother, Mrs. Peter [Carrie Archibald] Jordain.  William enlisted with the 151st Battalion—Will’s initial unit—at Edmonton, Alberta, on December 15, 1915. His overseas service corresponded with Will’s time in uniform. When the 151st Battalion was dissolved after arriving in the United Kingdom, William was also assigned to the 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company.

There is no date on the letter and  no indication as to where it was published. Below is a complete transcript of William’s letter to Carrie:

Mrs. Peter Jordain:

Dear Friend—I suppose by now you have received the sad news of the death of your gallant son, Pte. W. A. Jordain, both official and from his Sergeant Gates.

Before I go any further I shall tell you who I am and how it is I am writing you. My name is Pte. Wm. M. Hughes, No 62098, B Section, 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company, BEF [British Expeditionary Force], France. Your son and I both enlisted in the same battalion, both about the same time. We went into the Machine Gun Section, 151 Battalion, at Sarcee Camp, Alberta. From then right up to the time of his death, we were pals together. He was considerably older than I. He was more like an older brother or a father than a friend. He always helps in things I did not know and by his experience and his help, he saved me many a hard knock.

A year ago this New Years [December 31, 1916 - January 1, 1917], we sat up and watched the old year out and the new in. It was on that night he gave me your address and asked for my mother’s, both agreeing that if anything happened to either of us the one who was left would write and explain. We both prayed that the time would never come. We left England together and were sent both to the same company and to the same section, but different gun crews. He was on No. 1 and I was on No 2. So when we were in the line we were side by side.

Every one in the section had a good word for him. He was our spokesman whenever there was [sic] any complaints about food, billets, etc. It was he who made his crew of four to six men most comfortable in the line and looked after them and saw that they got their share of all the little comforts he could get for his men. It was he who had a young lad in his crew, who was not very strong and when the other men went in with only a tripod for the gun he carried his tripod and strapped to each leg of his tripod he had a full belt box. This meant that he had between 30 and 40 pounds more to carry. He did this so that the young lad who was with him would not have so much to carry.

16th Canadian Machine Gun Company positions, Passchendaele, Oct/Nov 1917

It was on the afternoon of October 29 if I remember correctly, we were waiting to be relieved when the enemy opened up to shell us. A shell hit his position and exploded. He and the officer and his crew of three men never knew what hit them. They went to their Creator without any pain at all. Dear mother, I know that your heart is broken and that it is hard to bear. It will not be long at the most when you will be called Home, and know up yonder he is waiting for you. You have this to be thankful for; he had no pain like many of the fellows have before they go out and that his resting place is marked, not like many that have nothing to show where they lay.

We buried him up on the shell torn ridge along with his officer and crew. At the head of his grave there is a cross bearing his name, number, unit, and the date he died doing his duty like a soldier, trusting God and loved by all his friends, and every one was his friend.

Your sorrow is mine. He was all a fellow would ask for and more in the way of advice that fathers would give. He was through the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Sergeant Gates was sent out [from Passchenadaele] gassed. I will close now, as a friend.

Wm. M. Hughes

The mud-soaked battlefield where Will Jordain was buried endured another 12 months of artillery shelling, obliterating the final resting places of many Passenchendaele fatalities, Will’s grave among them. His name is engraved on the panels of the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium, erected after the war to commemorate the deaths of 54,587 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ypres Salient, and who have no known graves.

Special thanks to Jennifer MacKay, Truro, NS, great-great-niece of William Andrew Jordain, for sharing this news item.

Tuesday 7 February 2023

Private James Burton Cluney—Died of Illness May 11, 1934

 James Burton Cluney was born in Indian Harbour, Guysborough County, on November 22, 1876, the oldest of Thomas and Sarah Catherine “Kate” (Bennett) Cluney’s eight sons. Thomas Burton traced his Cluney roots to Thomas Cluney, born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1812. A farmer by occupation, Thomas married Mary Bridget McCoy, also a native of Waterford. The couple immigrated to Nova Scotia, where they settled in Indian Harbour, Guysborough County, and raised a family of 12 children.

Pte. James Burton Cluney's headstone, Sherbrooke, NS

Thomas Cluney Jr., one of Thomas and Mary’s sons, was born in Indian Harbour on June 3, 1849, and married Sarah Catherine “Kate” Bennett, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Suyden) Bennett, in a ceremony held in Sherbrooke on October 28, 1875. At the time of the 1881 Canadian census, two young sons, James Burton, age four, and Angus, age two (DOB January 24, 1879), were living in the Cluney household, along with their grandfather, Thomas Cluney Sr., age 69.


Over the next two decades, six more sons joined the Cluney family—William T. (DOB March 4, 1882), Edward (DOB c. 1884), Robert (DOB July 1, 1890), Archibald (DOB December 28, 1892), Charles (DOB June 1, 1894), and Henry (DOB December 1900). While James Burton was still living at home at the time of the 1901 census, he was no longer residing there 10 years later. His exact whereabouts are unknown.

On May 15, 1915, James Burton Cluney married Mary C. (Johnson) Lawson, a 30-year-old widow and daughter of Thomas and Priscilla Johnson, Country Harbour, in a ceremony held in Sherbrooke. At the time of his marriage, James, a farmer by occupation, was living in Indian Harbour, where the couple established residence. Two children soon joined the family—a daughter Janet, date of birth unknown, and a son, Burton Thomas, born in late 1916.

While married with two young children, James was soon caught up in the “war fever” sweeping across the province during the months following his marriage. On January 10, 1917, he enlisted with the 246th Battalion at Halifax, NS. At the time, he gave his occupation as “lumberman” and listed his wife Mary as next of kin.

Perhaps not surprisingly under the circumstances, James gave his year of birth as 1888, making himself 12 years younger. Had authorities known that he was 40 years old at the time, it is doubtful that he would have been accepted into an infantry unit.

Within weeks of James’ enlistment, tragedy struck the Cluney family. On February 17, 1917, his wife Mary died of tuberculosis in Sherbrooke. James arranged for H. Roy Cameron, Sherbrooke, to assume guardianship of his two children, entitling Roy to the separation allowance which James’ deceased wife would have received while he served overseas.

On May 23, 1917, James was transferred to the Nova Scotia Forestry Depot. He departed from Halifax aboard SS Justicia in late June and arrived in the United Kingdom on July 4, 1917. James was immediately posted to the Canadian Forestry Corps’ Base Depot at Sunningdale, where a medical examination determined that his “left foot [was] slightly flat and pronated.” Despite the impediment, he was assigned to duty with No. 59 Company, CFC, on June 28. Two days later, James crossed the English Channel to France with his new unit.

No. 59 Company had been organized and recruited as the Nova Scotia Forestry Depot in 1917. Its personnel had travelled to England aboard SS Justicia in late June and reported to CFC Headquarters, Sunningdale, where they were reorganized into No. 59 Company. The unit landed in France on July 30 and set out for the Bordeaux region, located in southwestern France, adjacent to the Bay of Biscay.

The Company was assigned to duty in No. 12 District, CFC, which became known as the Bordeaux Group. The District, also a new entity, was assigned the task of harvesting mature pine from the “Landes forest.” Located in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France, the area was originally covered with swamps and moors. During the 18th and 19th centuries, pine plantations were established throughout the area, halting erosion and reclaiming the land for human use.

By the early 1900s, the forest covered large areas of Landes and Gironde, two of France’s administrative “departments.” With timber resources dwindling in areas already being exploited, the French government granted the CFC permission to selectively harvest mature trees from the area. No. 12 District established its initial headquarters in Bordeaux, the prefecture (administrative capital) of Gironde. The first CFC units arrived in the area in July 1917 and mill production commenced before month’s end.

On August 4, the CFC’s No. 59 and 60 Companies arrived at Belin-Béliet, Gironde, approximately 60 kilometres south of Bordeaux, and immediately commenced establishing a lumber harvesting and processing operation in the nearby forests. No. 59’s mill commenced operation on September 20, processing logs harvested by its crews since their arrival.

By the end of October, six Canadian portable mills were operating in the District. At that time, its resources consisted of 82 officers, 2,380 “other ranks” and 969 horses. In mid-December, CFC personnel commenced construction of a 50-bed hospital at Facture, where the District’s shipping railhead was located.

In mid-February 1918, No. 12 District headquarters relocated to Facture, approximately 50 kilometres southwest of Bordeaux. The move placed administrative staff much closer to forestry operations, making oversight more convenient. Simultaneously, No. 59 Company—James Burton Cluney’s unit—relocated to Parentis-en-Born, Landes, close to the Bay of Biscay, where it established a new camp and began harvesting the nearby forests.

For more than a year, James served in France without incident. Toward the end of August 1918, he contracted typhoid fever. While medical records indicate that he had recovered from “two previous attacks” of the illness, James became “seriously ill” on this occasion. On September 5, 1918, he was admitted to hospital at Facture, where medical staff determined that he was suffering from “nephritis” (inflammation of kidney tissue).

After two weeks of care and rest, his “condition improved” significantly. On October 10, hospital authorities removed his name from the “seriously ill” list, but he remained under medical care. By late November, James had recovered sufficiently to be invalided to England, where he was admitted to No. 4 Canadian General Hospital, Basingstoke.

A thorough medical examination at admission determined that James was suffering from “venous thrombosis (following typhoid fever).” Shortly after being allowed out of bed in late October, his left leg began to swell below the knee. At the time of his arrival in Basingstoke, medical records state that he looked “60 years of age in appearance, [was] debilitated and thin.” His left leg was “swollen, bluish purple [in] colour. Veins of calf are cord-like, heart slightly enlarged.”

James spent almost three months in hospital before he was well enough to travel. On February 27, 1919, he was transferred to No. 5 Canadian General Hospital, Liverpool, where a note in his medical record indicated that there was “no swelling [of his leg] at present as he stays in bed mostly. Awaiting HS [hospital ship] to Canada.”

On March 11, James departed for Canada aboard the hospital ship Araguaya. He arrived in Halifax 11 days later and was immediately admitted to Camp Hill Hospital, where he was diagnosed with “phlebitis thrombosis [inflammation of a vein near the surface of the skin].” Medical staff indicated that “after a couple mile walk [sic] left leg gets tired and starts to swell. Ordered to wear a bandage elastic web.”

A Medical History of An Invalid form, completed at Camp Hill Hospital in early July, stated that James was suffering from debility, numbness and swelling of the left leg, which was still enlarged and “somewhat bluish,” the veins on its inner side “cord-like.” His heart was “slightly enlarged,” with “every 25 or 30 beats missed.” Medical staff assessed James’ debility as “permanent with possible improvement.”

James was released from hospital on July 12 and discharged from military service six days later, “being no longer physically fit for war service.” He returned to his parents’ Sherbrooke home, where he found work as a labourer in a local sawmill. At the time of the 1921 Canadian census, James and his son Thomas Burton, age four, were living in Sherbrooke with his parents Thomas, age 71, and Sarah, age 63. Also in the home were James’ younger brothers Charlie, age 28, and Sydney, age 20. The fate of James’ daughter Janet is unknown.

On February 1, 1922, James married Ethel Munro, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Hendsbee) Munro, Half Island Cove, in a ceremony that took place in Sherbrooke. The couple established residence in Half Island Cove, where they raised a family of four children—sons Robert Doyle (DOB September 22, 1923) and Murray Forrester (YOB c. 1924), and daughters Hattie Mae (YOB c. 1922) and Winnifred Gertrude “Winnie” (YOB c. 1925).

While the decade following James and Ethel’s marriage passed without incident, two successive tragedies in the mid-1930s led to the family’s dissolution. On May 11, 1934, James Burton Cluney died at Sherbrooke, the result of cerebral thrombosis. Canadian military authorities attributed the cause of death to his overseas military service. James was laid to rest in St. James Anglican Cemetery, Sherbrooke. A little more than a year later, his widow Ethel passed away on June 1, 1935, after a two-year battle with tuberculosis.

Following their parents’ deaths, the Cluney children remained in the Half Island Cove area, where their maternal grandmother, Mary Munro, cared for them. James Burton and Ethel’s eldest child, Robert Doyle Cluney, enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at New Glasgow, NS, on April 23, 1942. Robert arrived overseas in late March 1943 and was assigned to the West Nova Scotia Regiment. He departed for Italy with the West Novas in early July 1943 and was killed in action near Ortona, Italy, on December 12, 1943. A detailed story of Robert’s service is available on the Second World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia blog.

Photograph of James Burton Cluney's headstone courtesy of Hattie M. Creamer, Canso, NS.

Wednesday 23 March 2022

Guysborough County's No. 2 Construction Battalion Enlistments, Part 9

This blog post is the ninth and final in a series, summarizing the information available on the life and First World War service of Guysborough County's 28 No. 2 Construction Battalion enlistments. Readers are asked to notify the blog author if there are any errors, or if a reader has additional information on any of the men profiled in these posts.


25, 26 & 27. Privates Angus, James Alexander & William John Tarbot/Talbot:

Brothers Angus, James Alexander and William John Tarbot were born at Sand Point, near Mulgrave, Guysborough County, sons of Edward and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Benoit/Bennett) Tarbot. The family surname was spelled “Tarbot” in earlier documents, but transitioned to “Talbot” in the years following the First World War.

James Alexander was the oldest of the brothers. According to his death certificate, he was born on April 1 1892. Military service files list William John’s birth date as September 2, 1896, while Angus’s birth date is recorded as May 15, 1897. Census records, however, suggest that Angus was likely born in 1898 or 1899.

At the time of the 1901 Canadian census, the three boys were living with their mother Lizzie in the household of their grandparents, James and Mary J. Tarbot, Mulgrave. On October 22, 1903, Lizzie married Dominick Marshall at Sydney, NS. The couple took up residence on Lingan Road, where Lizzie’s three sons became part of the household. Lizzie gave birth to a daughter Jennie in November 1906. By 1911, James, the oldest of the three brothers, was working as a labourer in the local steel plant, where his step-father Dominick was employed as a foreman.

Following the formation of No. 2 Construction Battalion on July 5, 1916, the three Tarbot brothers were among its earliest enlistments. James and William joined the unit at New Glasgow on July 25, while Angus enlisted the following day. The trio commenced their military service in a barracks on the Pictou waterfront and relocated to Truro with the battalion in September.

Angus, James and William spent the winter of 1916-17 in Truro and departed for overseas aboard SS Southland on March 18, 1917. The brothers arrived in the United Kingdom on April 7. Six weeks later, the brothers crossed the English Channel to France as part of a large detachment of No. 2 Construction personnel who landed on the continent on May 17, 1917.

The men were assigned to the Canadian Forestry Corps’ Jura District, near the Swiss border, where No. 2 Construction personnel worked alongside several CFC Companies, harvesting and processing timber in the mountainous region. The district’s mill specialized in the production of wooden ties for small-gauge railways constructed behind the front lines.

James and William remained in the Jura District for the duration of their overseas service. During that time, both were hospitalized with minor medical issues, but quickly recovered after treatment. In late December 1917, their younger brother Angus was part of a detachment of No. 2 Construction personnel transferred to CFC’s No. 1 District, Alençon, located in the Normandy forests. The group consisted mainly of No. 2 Construction men from the southern United States and Caribbean islands, judged by CFC officers to be susceptible to the Jura District’s colder winters. Angus worked in the Alençon district for the remainder of his time in France.

Following the signing of the November 11, 1918 Armistice, CFC harvesting operations ceased and sawmills processed the remaining harvested logs. CFC personnel then dismantled the mills and lumber camps. No. 2 Construction men were the first to return to the United Kingdom, gathering near Étaples and crossing the English Channel in one group on December 14, 1918.

While Angus and James departed for Canada aboard SS Empress of Britain on January 12, 1919, with the majority of No. 2 Construction men, post-Armistice health issues delayed William’s return until May 18, 1919, when he sailed for home aboard SS Aquitania. Angus and James were discharged from military service at Halifax on February 14, while William was discharged at the same location on June 2, 1919.

The brothers gave their post-war address as 79 Lingan Road, Sydney, the address where their mother and step-father resided. The trio remained in the Sydney area over the next several decades. Their mother Lizzie passed away from lobar pneumonia at 79 Lingan Road, Sydney, on March 24, 1934, and was laid to rest in New Calvary Cemetery, Sydney.

On February 21, 1920, William was working as a “machinist” at the time of his marriage to Violet Walker, daughter of John and Helen (Arsenault) Walker, Montreal, QC. The ceremony took place at St. Alban’s Rectory, Sydney, NS. The marriage was short-lived, as Violet appears to have passed away within the next three years. On March 17, 1924, William, a widower, married Agnes McKinnon, daughter of Roderick and Sarah (McDonald) McKinnon, Glace Bay.

William John Talbot succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis at 116 Tupper St., Sydney, on February 9, 1945. He had retired from his position as  “steelworker foreman” with Dominion Iron & Steel Corporation the previous year. William was interred in the New Calvary Cemetery, Sydney, NS. There is no record of children from either marriage in available documents.

After returning to Sydney, Angus found work in the local coal mines. On September 26, 1926, he married Rhoda Hanrahan, daughter of Welsey and Rhoda (Morgan) Hanrahan, in a ceremony that took place at 36 Lingan Road, Sydney. Rhoda was a native of Dominion No. 6, while her father Welsey was born in Newfoundland.

Angus worked as a general labourer at the Sydney still plant until 1954. He passed away at Curry’s Lane, Sydney, on December 7, 1955, the result of chronic myocarditis, and was laid to rest in Hardwood Hill Cemetery, Sydney. There is no record of children in available documents.

On March 17, 1924, James Alexander married Margaret LeBlanc, daughter of Charles and Sophie LeBlanc, East Margaree, in a ceremony that took place at 79 Lingan Road, Sydney, NS. The couple had at least one child, Lawrence James, born in 1930. Following his first wife’s passing, James married Josephine Jarvis, daughter of George and Margaret (Mombourquette) Jarvis, Tracadie, in a ceremony that took place in Mulgrave, NS.

James passed away at St, Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, on October 9, 1970. Widowed at the time of his death, he had been residing in Mulgrave prior to being admitted to hospital following a heart attack. James was laid to rest in New Calvary Cemetery, Sydney. A son William, 113 Tupper St., Sydney, was listed as informant on his death certificate.

28. Private Hartley Fraser Jackson:

Hartley Fraser Jackson was born in Birchtown, near Manchester, Guysborough County, on September 10, 1898. Hartley’s father, William Henry Jackson (DOB February 20, 1865), was also a Manchester native, the son of John and Agnes (Devost) Jackson. On May 19, 1887, William Henry married Sarah Elizabeth Williams, daughter of John and Caroline Williams, Tracadie, in a ceremony that took place in Manchester.

By 1901, the Jackson household consisted of William, Sarah and five children—Caroline “Carrie” (DOB September 15, 1889), Mary E. (DOB March 20, 1890), William Ernest (March 15, 1893), Fannie E. (DOB March 1, 1895) and Hartley. Over the following decade, three more children joined the family—John J. (DOB September 1901), James (DOB May 1906) and Charles A. (DOB June 1907). Sarah Jackson passed away sometime after 1911. On December 22, 1916, William married Maryanne Morris, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Morris, Birchtown, in a ceremony held at Sunnyville, Guysborough County.

Five months prior to his father’s second marriage, Hartley enlisted with No. 2 Construction Battalion at New Glasgow, NS, on July 16, 1916. At the time, he gave his birth date as May 15, 1897, which differs from the information contained in 1901 (September 10, 1898) and 1911 (September 1899) census documents. Hartley identified his older sister Fannie as his next of kin and gave his address as Boylston, Guysborough County.

Hartley was briefly hospitalized with tonsillitis at Truro on March 21, 1917, but was discharged in time to proceed overseas with No. 2 Construction aboard SS Southland one week later. The unit disembarked at Liverpool, United Kingdom, on April 7 and traveled by train to a military camp at Seaford, England.

On May 17, 1917, a detachment of approximately 500 No. 2 Construction personnel crossed the English Channel to France, in the company of 11 officers. Upon disembarking at Le Havre, the group made its way to the Canadian Forestry Corps’ Jura District, near the Swiss border, where the men commenced work alongside several CFC Companies, harvesting and processing timber in the mountainous region.

On November 13, 1917, Hartley was part of a group of 50 No. 2 Construction men attached to No. 37 Company, CFC, located at Cartigny, near Péronne, France.  The No. 9 District (Bordeaux Group) to which No. 37 belonged operated behind the forward area, the closest CFC operation to the front lines. The No. 2 Construction men sent to Cartigny had numerous disciplinary infractions on their service record. It was thought that an assignment not far from the front lines would have a positive effect on their behaviour.

Hartley’s service record contains six infractions prior to his departure for Péronne. For a young man who was either 18 or 19 years old at the time and unfamiliar with the demands of military service, this is perhaps not surprising. In general, CFC camps were “rough and tumble” operations, not unlike Canadian lumber camps of the day, and District war diaries describe numerous incidents among CFC personnel.

While working at Péronne, Hartley and his compatriots experienced the impact of the German Spring 1918 offensive. Given the code-name “Operation Michael,” the massive attack on the Allied line commenced on March 21, 1918. During the following two weeks, German forces advanced approximately 65 kilometres toward Amiens before Allied forces managed to re-establish solid defensive positions.

The advance placed the CFC operation at Péronne within range of German artillery, forcing all personnel to retreat to a CFC camp at Wail, where they remained for the remainder of their service in France. During his time there, Hartley was admitted to No. 59 Casualty Clearing Station with a “wounded neck” on May 4, 1918. His service file contains no details on the circumstances in which he was injured. Hartley was discharged to duty five days later, suggesting that the injury was not serious.

Following the signing of the November 11, 1918 Armistice, CFC units ceased cutting operations and processed any remaining harvested logs. No. 2 Construction personnel were the first to leave the continent, gathering at Étaples, France, and crossing the English Channel on December 14, 1918. One month later, the bulk of the unit’s members boarded SS Empress of Britain and departed for Canada.

Huntley was part of this group, arriving at Halifax on January 22, 1919. He was discharged from military service on February 11 and returned home to Manchester. On November 20, 1920, Hartley married Cora May Morris, daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann Morris, Manchester. The young couple initially established residence in their home community, but later moved to Priestville, on the outskirts of New Glasgow, where Hartley worked as a general labourer.

Hartley and Cora raised a family of three children—Gladys (Mrs. Richard Evans, Halifax), Evelyn (Mrs. James Reddick, Vale Rd., New Glasgow), and Henry (Halifax). Private Hartley Fraser Jackson passed away at Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, on March 27, 1969, the result of “acute pulmonary oedema” (fluid buildup in the lungs). He was laid to rest in Lorne St. Cemetery, New Glasgow, NS.