In the autumn of 1915, the reality of the Great War settled heavily over Pontiac County, intertwining the normal rhythms of rural life with the grim news of the conflict. On October 14, 1915, The Equity noted the brief return of several town boys—Cliff Woodley, John Landry, Mel Shouldice, Alex Ledingham, and Carleton Wainman—who had arrived home to spend a day or two with friends before proceeding to England. They had enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa and were drafted to leave shortly, their departure marking a tangible connection between the quiet county and the distant front.
As winter approached, the calls for support from the home front grew more urgent. The Canadian Patriotic Fund issued desperate appeals, reminding the public of their pledge to care for the wives, widowed mothers, and little children of the men who had gone forward.
Meanwhile, local efforts focused on smaller, vital comforts. The Equity continually promoted the Soldiers’ Tobacco Fund, reminding readers that a mere 25 cents would send 50 cigarettes, a quarter-pound of tobacco, matches, and a return postcard to a soldier in the trenches.
Citizens and the Homemakers’ Clubs also busied themselves with raising funds for the starving people of Belgium, whose industries had been strangled by the German invaders.
However, the burden of the war was not borne without internal friction, and ethnic and political tensions occasionally flared in the press. On November 18, 1915, The Equity published a piece titled « Satan’s Work, » which fiercely condemned a French-Canadian « demagogue » for reopening old wounds and portraying the French and English as hereditary foes.
Satan’s Work.
by J. S. Brierley
Fighting side by side, in the most Titanic struggle the world has ever beheld, fighting with their backs to the wall, in the darkest hour of that struggle; fighting for justice to ravaged Belgium, home of the Roman Catholic faith—France and Britain have forgotten the animosities of the past. Not so Monsieur Henri Bourassa. For some reason unfathomable by the ordinary man, he chooses this time, of all times, to re-open old wounds, to picture French and English as hereditary foes, and to speak of the English people in terms which, in such a crisis, can proceed only from the lips of a man who considers them still his enemies, and rejoices in their plight. It is Satan’s work, the work this man of influence and high ability is doing in deliberately fomenting discord between his fellow citizens of French-Canadian stock. A man who can scoff at the sacrifices of the English, when half a million of them have already suffered on the field of war; a man who can gloat over what he considers their degeneracy, when they have in one short year thrown three millions of men into the line of battle, and when their ships rode supreme on every tide; a man who can do these things at the moment when we, his fellow citizens of English descent, feel that we are fighting for our very existence as a people, has lost not only his sense of justice, but of common decency.
Further frustration was directed at Nationalist Armand Lavergne, who flatly declined an invitation from General Sir Sam Hughes to raise a regiment for overseas service, asserting his opposition to Canadians engaging in warfare other than the direct defense of Canada
Despite these political storms, the local push for manpower continued. The December 9, 1915, issue of The Equity detailed a massive recruiting rally held in the Shawville rink by the officers of the 77th Battalion.
The evening was filled with the clarion tones of a bugle band and speeches that touched many hearts, including poignant references to the martyred Edith Cavell. But the results were sobering; less than a dozen recruits gave in their names.
The paper observed that men naturally hesitated to take such a serious step without deliberation, and lamented that the call to duty seemed to fall only on the youth, while the mature, responsible men of the land held back.
The hesitation of the older men stood in stark contrast to the supreme sacrifices already being made by the boys. In that same December 9 issue, the community was forced to add a name to the Empire’s « Roll of Honor » – our first local casualty of the war.
Word had arrived of the death of a promising local boy, Irvin Wilkie, who was killed while gallantly attempting to rescue a wounded comrade.
Dear Mr. Wilkie,
In behalf of the boys and myself, of your son’s company, I send you these few lines to convey our deepest sympathy to you. This is just how the affair happened: I was at the end of our line of trenches, when about the centre of a trench one of our boys crawled over the back and was shot. Your son (God rest his soul) immediately jumped over and ran to his rescue and was shot.
He was one of the brightest and best boys in my platoon. Never once did he grumble nor complain at whatever he was asked to do. I have his waist belt with a few badges, on which at the earliest opportunity I will send to you; and anything any of our boys or I can do for you, rest assured you will not have to ask twice.
Once more, conveying our deepest sympathy, and to tell you we are all certain your son’s soul now rests in heaven,
I am, yours sincerely,
SGT. H. M. MACDONALD.
As the year drew to a close, the community sought to send whatever warmth it could across the ocean. With the proceeds from a food sale and luncheon, local young ladies packed and forwarded Christmas boxes to the soldier lads from Shawville and the neighborhood, hoping to bring a touch of home to the mud of Flanders. The war was far from over, but the county, amidst its grief and divisions, had settled into a steady rhythm of endurance.
Soldiers Mentioned in The Equity
Cliff Woodley
Mentioned: October 14, 1915; December 9, 1915
Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa. He was drafted to proceed to England shortly and later received a Christmas box from the young ladies of Shawville.
John Landry
Mentioned: October 14, 1915; December 9, 1915
Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa. He was drafted to proceed to England and received a Christmas box.
Melvin (Mel) Shouldice
Mentioned: October 14, 1915;
December 9, 1915
Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa. Drafted to proceed to England and received a Christmas box.
Alex Ledingham
Mentioned: October 14, 1915; December 9, 1915
Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa. Drafted to proceed to England and received a Christmas box.
Carleton Wainman
Mentioned: October 14, 1915; November 18, 1915; December 9, 1915
Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion in Ottawa. By November, he was stationed at the big military camp in Shorncliffe, England, and wrote a letter home expressing his admiration for the English scenery. He also received a Christmas box.
Pte. H. E. Brownlee
Mentioned: October 14, 1915
Status: Serving in France with No. 641, 8th Batt., 2nd Bgd. 90th Winnipeg Rifles, B.E.F. He wrote a letter home describing the cold, the lack of blankets, and heavy artillery shelling in the trenches.
Emmerson Paul
Mentioned: October 14, 1915; November 18, 1915
Status: A young man from Bryson who passed the examination to enlist with the Canadian Field Engineers. He was subsequently stationed for training at Kingston.
Lance-Corp. Roy Clarke
Mentioned: November 4, 1915 Status: Enlisted with the 77th Battalion and was reported visiting his home town.
Albert Hynes
Mentioned: November 4, 1915
Status: A resident of Murrells who was reported to have gone to enlist.
E. Harris
Mentioned: November 4, 1915
Status: Left his position as principal of Shawville Academy to enlist in Ottawa with the 77th Battalion, engaging in pioneer work (constructing railways, bridges, and trenches).
Wm. H. Blakely
Mentioned: November 4, 1915
Status: A young man from Arnprior who wrote a detailed letter describing a massive military review of 40,000 Canadian troops by King George and Lord Kitchener at Shorncliffe, England.
Pte. Charlie (or Chas.) McGuire
Mentioned: November 18, 1915; December 9, 1915
Status: Serving with the 77th Battalion. He visited his parents in November, was listed among recruits signing up at a local rally in December, and received a Christmas box.
Irvin Wilkie
Mentioned: November 18, 1915
Status: Killed in action in Flanders. He met a hero’s death when he was shot by a sniper and died an hour later after dashing into the open to rescue a wounded comrade who was crying for help.
Frank Armstrong
Mentioned: November 18, 1915
Status: Serving at the Front with the Sixth Ambulance Corps. He wrote a letter home to his father at Green Lake detailing the heroic death of Irvin Wilkie.
L. Carey
Mentioned: November 25, 1915
Status: Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Carey of Starks Corners. Stationed on the firing line in Belgium. He wrote a letter noting they were resting in huts but lacked blankets and were in need of socks and one-fingered gloves.
Dr. H. T. Lippiatt
Mentioned: November 18, 1915; December 9, 1915 Status:
Formerly of Shawville, serving on the staff of a large base hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. He was sent a Christmas box from Shawville.
Duncan Draper
Mentioned: December 9, 1915
Status: From Clarendon. Signed his name as a recruit for the 77th Battalion at the Shawville rink recruiting rally. He also received a Christmas box.
Cyril Dale
Mentioned: December 9, 1915
Status: From Shawville. Signed his name as a recruit for the 77th Battalion following the local rally. Received a Christmas box.
James Shean
Mentioned: December 9, 1915
Status: From Shawville. Signed his name as a recruit for the 77th Battalion following the local rally.
Willie Deans
Mentioned: December 9, 1915
Status: From Shawville. Signed his name as a recruit for the 77th Battalion following the local rally.
Gerald Eades
Mentioned: December 9, 1915
Status: From Shawville. Signed his name as a recruit for the 77th Battalion following the local rally.
Mabel Hamilton (Military Nurse)
Mentioned: December 16, 1915
Status: Daughter of Wm. Hamilton of Beech Grove. Sailed from England on the Aquitania on Nov. 10 as a nurse, and cabled her safe arrival at Lemnos, near the Dardanelles.
Graham (First name not provided)
Mentioned: December 16, 1915
Status: Eldest son of R. A. Graham of Cobden. Enlisted with the 73rd Royal Highlanders for overseas service.
Alex V. Wilson
Mentioned: December 16, 1915
Status: Formerly of Shawville. Enlisted for service at Barons, Alberta, where he had been working on a farm.
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Timelines: October - December 1915
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