The role Wellington County residents played in war, including the time period before Wellington County was formed, was the focus of a presentation at the November Congregate Dining program here.
Wellington County Museum and Archives program assistant Kyle Smith was the guest speaker at the event hosted by the Seniors Centre for Excellence.
Smith explained that after 1812, the world was relatively peaceful, but by 1861 the Civil War began in the United States. Between 50 and 60 men from Wellington County fought for the Union Army. A few men may also have joined the Confederate ranks, Smith suggested.
In Guelph, a foundry illegally produced cannonballs for the war effort, he noted.
The Union army wanted control of Canada. To deter this issue, colonies were united, work was done to make amends with the United States and rifle units were established.
A number of units, including the Wellington Rifles, existed in Wellington County to prepare in case of an attack from the south, although after fighting in the Civil War, the American troops were exhausted and did not pursue the control of Canada. The only threat to Canada was from Irish Fenians based in the United States, Smith stated.
Drilling continued after the completion of the war with units still dressing in military uniforms and hats and performing military exercises.
By 1901, the brutal Boer War began, with 7,000 Canadian soldiers enlisted. Many survived the battle but died from disease.
The Wellington County Museum has a large number of photos of soldiers from the county who served in the First World War. Men tended to sign up with their buddies and their unit fought together. In some cases the losses to one town were large.
The unit from Fergus was sent overseas but divided up so a mass casualty was not possible. Those enlisting on May 31, 1916 knew the war was not going to be short but they were unprepared for what they were about to experience. The town came to see them off at the train station. They travelled by train to Montreal and then overseas.
Letters sent home by those serving overseas were sugar coated with good News. Wellington County resident Gordon Jones sent home cheery, chipper letters to his mother in 1916-17. When wounded in battle, a chaplain mailed a letter home stating that Jones was injured but was fine. Photos of Jones in a hospital bed, posing with two nurses, neglected to reveal a leg amputation and the removal of pieces of shrapnel. Jones never recovered.
Fred Campbell of Mount Forest was a true military man who continued to fight into his early 40s. On the battlefield in World War I, Campbell and a fellow soldier saved their unit when surrounded by 150 German soldiers. The other soldier got down on his hands and knees and Campbell used his back as a stand for their broken gun. Campbell managed to hold the advancing Germans back while the remainder of his unit escaped. Campbell was riddled with bullets and perished. The Victoria Cross was presented to him posthumously.
While nursing in Africa and Egypt, Mount Forest resident Harriet Brydon was so profoundly affected by the screams of soldiers wounded in action, that she repeatedly sent letters home to her 14-year-old brother hoping to convince him not to enroll for service.
Those at home in Canada also played a role in the war effort.
Women joined the work force at Beatty Brothers in Fergus while the men were overseas. The women built war materials as their contribution to the war.
Although farm labourers were exempt from enlisting, some chose to volunteer, leaving a need for extra help in the agricultural sector. The Farmerettes, a group of young women, rose to the challenge and contributed to the war effort on home soil.
The Women’s Institute kept the morale of soldiers up by sending overseas care packages containing socks, chocolate and cigarettes. Letters received by the institute contained thanks for many things, but most stated that cigarettes were the most appreciated.
Children performed pageants and plays, donating proceeds from these events to the war effort.
Male high school students prepared during gym classes for their turn at war by training in marching, grenade throwing (using imitation grenades) and rifle firing.
One positive to come out of the war was the marriages that occurred between those serving their country. Elmer Smith was captured in December of 1941 and spent four years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Amy, his future wife, worked with the war effort in Kitchener and New Brunswick. The two met at the completion of the war in New Brunswick, married and moved to Rothsay.
Residents from Wellington County continue to serve their country in war and in peacekeeping missions. Two residents of the county were killed in action during the Korean War and in the war in Afghanistan.
Each year the Wellington County Museum and Archives gathers more information about those who served. The work continues in recording their efforts.
