November 7, 2003 A World War One Soldier's Story

A year ago a Toronto newspaper listed sixteen Canadian veterans of WWI who were still alive. Five, including Meyer Levin who died last week at age 104, have since died. Many, often because of war wounds, did not live long lives. Tom Anderson, the first person from Chisholm Township where I live to enlist in 1914, died forty years ago in 1963 at age 74, after a good life. Not bad for someone wounded twice and gassed on the front lines in France in 1915.

Tom Anderson (1889-1963) a soldier with Canada's First Contingent, First Battalion 1914-1916.

Tom Anderson's grandfather, also named Tom, came to Chisholm Township in the 1880s from Kells. Ireland, with four sons and a daughter. They all, including Tom's father Henry, established farms on Chisholm's eighth concession road (now Pioneer Road). 

The log house Tom was born in was replaced by a brick house in 1910 and remains today on the corner of Kells Road and Pioneer Road, across Kells road from a Cairn celebrating the Anderson family history in Canada. Soldier Tom's history is recorded by Anderson family historian Lewis Seale, who recently shared it with me. His mother Dorothy Anderson Seale, Tom's cousin, was recently profiled in the "Lives Lived" section of the Globe and Mail on her death at age 95. The profile talked about the history of writing by family members over the years. Much of soldier Tom's story comes from the many letters he wrote home during his war experiences. Space here only allows for a brief overview.

In August 1914, twenty-five year old Tom Anderson had his own farm and was single when Britain declared war on Germany and Canada followed with an offer of 25,000 men. Tom was one of the first to join in the district. The twenty-third regiment of the militia (The Northern Pioneers) had a group in the area but Tom was not a member. A fellow recruit who became a friend was Francis "Peggy" Pegahmagabow, an Ojibway from the Perry Island band who became Canada's legendary most decorated Native soldier. The Anderson family keepsakes include a photo and correspondence from Peggy to Tom after the war.

Tom's letter from his training camp at Valcartier, Quebec described the powerful impact of the required inoculations for Typhoid and the terrible food (Tom's mother died of Typhoid at age 54 in 1919). Tom became an excellent marksman and participated in several sham battles. He and a man from Powassan were chosen to be a part of the First Contingent of the First Battalion and sailed for England on the Laurentic on September 26, 1914. 

There were 2,000 men on board his ship from across Canada, and they were a part of a much larger convoy of other ships. Tom served as one of the guards because some of the men were rowdy, and on one occasion a Sergeant was thrown overboard.

They reached Plymouth England to cheering crowds on October 15. They drove and marched to their training camp, where it rained 89 of their next 123 days. Tom was picked for training as a scout, which provided him with advanced training that separated him from some of the regular trainees. He spent Christmas Eve 1914 guarding the camp's horses all night, coming back to the barracks to find the men singing Christmas carols. Tom wrote about an excellent Christmas dinner with gifts and messages from Prime Minister Borden and others. Tom had a six-day furlough and went to Ireland to visit family and friends. On February 4, 1915 they were reviewed by the King and they knew they would be soon on their way to battle in France.

When they arrived in France they were shipped inland in crowded cattle cars where they could not sit for forty-eight hours. They eventually heard the guns of battle ahead. Many books have been written about the hell of the battles that followed. Tom and his mates slowly moved forward as a part of a long line of allied soldiers. While they waited they trained in the trenches, often in mud up to their elbows, occasionally coming out for a shower and a change of clothes. On one occasion tom had just had a shower and left when the building was hit, killing several men. Tom started some scouting sorties into the enemy lines on his own or with a few other scouts. On one occasion he was shot at by one of his own men in the confusion. He saw hundreds of women and children, many wounded, streaming away from the fighting.

On April 22, the famous Second Battle of Ypres began, and the Germans, using favourable winds, sent chlorine gas at a French force, sending them running. The Canadians fought to fill the gap at Kitchener's Wood, and at Mauser Ridge where 850 Canadians were killed and where Tom was gassed and wounded twice. By the time the battle was over, there were 6,000 Canadian casualties, including 2,000 dead. In a previous article on general stores I mentioned Major Tom Kelly. Soldier Tom’s Uncle Tom was his business partner in their general store in Chisholm. The Major was killed on April 25, 1915. On May 5, Dr. John McCrae wrote "In Flander's Fields" on the battlefields.

Tom Anderson, on the right with the head bandage, recuperating in England in 1915. (Jim Anderson photos).

With a wound on his hand and on the side of his head, and some chlorine gas repercussions, Tom crawled to safety with the help of another wounded soldier. He lay with hundreds of wounded, some of whom died beside him. On another occasion he had just left the Red Cross dressing station when it was hit, killing many. By the end of April Tom was in hospital in Cardiff, Wales recuperating (see photo) and had a brief furlough when he again returned to Ireland. After months more of rest, Tom was one of 500 wounded soldiers sent back to Canada on the CP liner Matagma, reaching Canada in November.

Tom spent more time in hospital in Toronto and was finally discharged on Feb 28, 1916. When he returned home, he sold his farm because of his physical condition and trained as a lumber scaler. In 1920 Lois Durrell came to teach in Chisholm, and Tom and Lois married in 1924. There were two children, Betty and Jim. Jim lives in Brockville and along with Lewis Seale has recorded the story of Tom's life as I have briefly outlined it here-one of the many such stories we should remember, along with our thoughts on the thousands who did not return.