Soldier Spotlight: Private Samuel “Dean” Hodgins

Image: The Lake Saskatoon Baseball Team in 1912. Standing: Leonard Eisenmann, Charlie Richardson, George Stoll, Charlie Stoll, Sel McAusland, and Max English. Seated: Roy Stokes, Dean Hodgins, Percy Perraton, Ulia Douglass, Walter Eaton, Hermann Reidrick, and Jimmy Loudfoot, bat-boy. (SPRA 032.08.08.0749)

Regimental Number: 101240
Rank: Private
Branch: 66th Battalion; 8th Battalion

Dean Hodgins was born in Port Rowan, Ontario on February 15, 1888. At the time of his enlistment in September of 1915, he was living in Grande Prairie (his homesteads were located at 36-71-7-W6 and 31-71-6-W6). A letter from the front written by Private Keith in July of 1916 suggested that Dean had had “cold feet.” Articles were published soon afterward to give the true story (see the attached news clippings) and suggested that the previous accusation was made out of spite. Shortly afterward, in September of 1916, Dean went missing in action, though this was not reported until March of 1917. It was later discovered that Dean had been killed during an attack on enemy trenches near Courcelette on September 26, 1916, just three months after arriving in France.

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.

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