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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-11-04, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010. PAGE 23. Morris-Turnberry history book seeks soldiers’ stories Members of military actions and units need to get their name to the volunteers in charge of Morris- Turnberry’s upcoming history book if they want their achievements recognized in the two-tome publication. A Harvest of Memories of Morris- Turnberry is being put together by volunteers like Donna Nicholson and they need the public’s help to get all the stories that need to be told. Nicholson recently spoke to The Citizen about the difficulties associated with the book. World War I (WWI), and any military actions of that era, have proven to be the easier subject matter than later wars to research, according to Nicholson, because documentation is available to researchers, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. “People who didn’t live with their parents, or British Home Children for example, provide a challenge as we can’t find them by tracing their heritage quite as easily,” she said. “And people in the Navy and Air Force weren’t considered Canadian, they were considered British, so a lot of those records disappeared during bombardments in World War II (WWII). “It requires a lot of cross referencing to make sure we have the right people,” she said. Other problems further complicate the search, including individuals who lied about their age and marital status to get to where the fighting was. “There were young people who did it, but it didn’t stop there,” Nicholson said. “There were 50 year olds claiming to be in their 30s and 40s and claiming to be single so they could fight for their country.” For that reason, the group is looking for information regarding any Morris-Turnberry residents who have a connection to soldiers from the township. “WWII [and other, later 20th century wars are] proving difficult because of a lack of resources,” Nicholson said. “There are no attestations papers, and the privacy act has forced us to rely on newspaper microfilm, since the census hasn’t been released from those dates.” Using resources like census material, government databases, newspaper microfilms and simple word of mouth, the volunteers have been trying to illustrate just how involved Morris-Turnberry has been in military and peace- keeping missions in the past century. “We want the reader to know that, when they are looking at a particular road, there is someone from every other farm house that fought somewhere,” Nicholson said. “That is a huge impact both [on the front] and on the area.” However, they still need more information, and are looking for any stories, documents and pictures available. History about Turnberry residents should be sent to Jodi Jerome at jjerome@hurontel.on.ca while Morris information should be sent to Jenny Versteeg at versteeg@wightman.ca Nicholson explained that any stories can be delivered to the Municipal Office on Wednesday mornings, and that photos can be scanned on-site as to never leave the possession of the owner. “If you know of any soldiers who participated in the Boer War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam or any peacekeeping missions, pleasecontact us,” Nicholson said. “Wewant to honour these men and women. If you have photos of them, please contact us.” The research has turned up interesting information, like the events of October 26, 1917. On that fateful day, four members of the Canadian Army from Morris ward; William Forbes, George Davis, Robert Lawson and Charles Barclay Forrest lost their lives. “[Forrest] has an interesting story,” Nicholson said. “He was the recipient of the Companion of the Order of the Bath medal. The Companion of the Order of the Bath medal is a prestigious medal given to British Soldiers who display service “of the highest order”. It is no longer awardable to Canadian citizens and has only been awarded to approximately 160 recipients over the award’s lifetime. Other stories include John Barnhill, another WWI soldier who was recognized with foreign medals for his bravery. “[Barnhill] also served in the Boer War, then turned around and used his military experience to become a police officer in London, Ontario,” Nicholson said. The book can be pre-ordered for $100 plus applicable taxes until February 14, 2011 at the municipal office. After that, the price will be raised to $125 plus applicable taxes. The book should be available by the end of June, 2011. Looking to do your own research? Two of the volunteers putting together the Morris-Turnberry history book, Harvest of Memories of Morris-Turnberry, Karen Webster and Donna Nicholson shared their resources so you can start your own family research. Websites Census information: 1901-1911 - automatedgenealogy.com 1881-1981 - www.collectionscanada.gc.ca WWI Soldiers www.collectionscanada.gc.ca Canadian Virtual Museum www.vac-acc.gc.ca Soldiers of the South African War www.collectionscanada.gc.ca Home Children www.collectionscanada.gc.ca Attestation Papers - WW1 www.collectionscanada.gc.ca Commonwealth War Graves Commission www.cwgc.org Ancestry Library Edition Accessible through Huron County Libraries. Books Huron County in World War I Carolyn Duckworth has, over the last six years, made it her mission to compile all information on WWI soldiers who are connected to Huron County. To date she has found 2,500. Her information can be seen at the Goderich branch of the Huron County Library. Lest We Forget: A Brief History of the 161st Battalion of Huron 1916- 1996 Yvonne Reynolds wrote this short history of the Huron Battalion. It contains a list of the original soldiers who enlisted after its formation. A copy is available in the reference section of the Goderich branch of the Huron County Library. War Memorial of Huron County’s Heroes and Heroines A newspaper supplement produced by the Wingham Advance in 1919 that paid honour to thesoldiers from the Wingham Area.The Men of Huron: A book of Honour and Remembrance 1939- 1946 Published by Jim Rutledge in 2009, this book focuses on WWII soldiers and has a list of known soldiers from Huron County, each listed with a brief history, picture and cause of death if available. The book is available in the Seaforth, Clinton, Wingham, Goderich and Exeter branches of the Huron County Library. Rutledge is currently working on a book featuring WWI soldiers. Huron Historical Notes Created by the Huron County Historical Society, Volume XL of the notes, published in 2005, is dedicated to cenotaphs in the area. Copies are available for purchase from the Huron County Museum in Goderich. Sandy MacDonald Sandy MacDonald compiled extensive information on the 161st “Fighting Hurons” battalion. MacDonald visited veterans of the 161st in the 1970s to gather this information. The Citiz e n Get Your Message AROUND THE WORLD IMMEDIATELY If you have important papers that need to go somewhere FAST ... use THE CITIZEN’S FAX MACHINE! Our fax machine can contact any other fax machine, in the world, instantly. We offer this service for a cost of $4.00 per printed sheet for the first one and $1.00 per additional sheet. (Or $1.00 per sheet if it is not long distance) Our fax number, is also your number, so use it to receive your messages at $1.00 per sheet. WE CAN RECEIVE 24 HRS. PER DAY! This service is only available in our Blyth office Ph.: 51 9 - 5 2 3 - 4 7 9 2 Fax: 51 9 - 5 2 3 - 9 1 4 0 Ph.: 51 9 - 5 2 3 - 4 7 9 2 Fax: 51 9 - 5 2 3 - 9 1 4 0 John Anderson Morris-Turnberry soldiers like John Anderson will be featured in A Harvest of Memories of Morris-Turnberry, a dual-volume history book set to be released next year. (Denny Scott photo) By Denny ScottThe Citizen