Image: Arthur’s description of his injury from his service file (Library & Archives Canada)
Regimental Number: 12969
Rank: Driver
Branch: Canadian Army Service Corps
Arthur was born in May Bank, Staffordshire, England on May 19, 1894. It is unknown when he first came to Canada. On September 23, 1914, Arthur enlisted in the Canadian Army at Valcartier. At the time he stated that he was working as a ranch hand. In April of 1915, Arthur received gunshot wounds to his leg. On September 21, 1916, Arthur slipped and fell while carrying a table into a marquee. The floor was wet, having just been scrubbed, and he fell while walking backward carrying the table, which subsequently fell on his leg. He was carried out on a stretcher and it was discovered that his left fibula was fractured (see pages 68 and 69 of Arthur’s service file for the story and witnesses’ testimonies). In 1927, Arthur filed on the northern half of 19-69-11-W6. Arthur was in the Veterans Guard and may have seen action in World War II as well. He died in 1960 and was buried in the Beaverlodge Cemetery.
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.