HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-11-18, Page 28•
PAGE 122--QQDERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, I'(OVEMBER.18,
Five Westioke
brothers serve
in .161st uron: ,.
BY SANDY McDONALD
The • Westlake family of.
Huron County are noted for
• having stuck together ,in both
peace and war. A' point
brought forcefully home
when William John Westlake,
a 'Saltford Heights' veteran
orWorld War One recalls that
he and two of his brothers
"enlisted on the same day, in
the, spring of 1916 with the •
161st Huron Overseas . Bat-
talion. -
Not only that, the Westlake
brothers, Frank, . Robert,
Fred, Thomas and William,
• were in the same draft of
161st . Hurons when the bat-
talion was broken up in the
spring of 19-17. A11 five we're
transferred to the 18th bat-
talion, in France. In fact,
William and Fred. Westlake
shared the same quarters and
rations while serving at the
front. Like many brothers,
they had their disputes about
certain things, such as food.
As William J. narrated, in
an interview at his colborne
.residence last month, he and
his brother Fred were given a
ration of 'bully beef' one day.
That night it was Fre0's turn
to go on patrol.. He took the
can •.of - tinned meat over
William's objections but Fred
promised' 'to retvrn'•at—teast..
the half of it. '
The beef ration was
returned to William' the next ••
day,.. although not by his
brother. Fred Westlake had
the- misfortune to be shot and
_wounded in the foot by an
over-anxious soldier of his
own battalion when returning
from patrol.
When the two Westlake
brothers Met again,-_ in
Canada, several •months
later, Fred asked William,
before . anything else . was
said, "Did you get that tin.of.
BullyBeef?
Even with five Westlake
brothers in •the army-; .there
were still three others to
carry or.'Aat the homefront",
which was in Howick
Township. William Westlake
has . a photograph : of his
family, in his bedroom. It'
includes his mother, two
sisters, and seven brothers.
Taken just before the five
•"VYes-ttaaa e—°-S°idiers"
departed for overseas with
the 161st .Hurons in late
autumn of 1916, it shows the
youngest Westlake, (who
might have been about 12 in
the photo) also .wearinga
military outfit.
Two of William's "Soldier
brothers", Frank and Robert,
are still .living: Frank, in
Vancouver and • Robert,. in
•MooseJaw, •,Saskatchewan:
The two other Westlakes who
were in. the 161st Huron
Battalion, • Thomas and Fred,
are Deceased.
Of the five Westlakes in the
161st, it appears William
John was the .only one ;who
made any advancement While
in uniform. Frank, Fred,
Robert and' Thomas are all-
listed as _ "Privates" in .
1935 ` nominal' roll of "The
F urons" whereas; William is e
listed as Lance Corporal.
William may have received t
his promotion at the same
time he was "recommended
for.a military medal". a
His regiment was taking c
part in one of the allied of-
fensives "during the las
months of the war. They we
advancing under enemy fir
when "Private" Westlak
came upon •a wounde
comrade. The ., man's han
was injured as well as hi
groin: William bandaged both
wounds then left the-injul-e
trooper for the stretcher
bearers.
Several years later, when
they met at a reunion of their
regiment, they talked about
the experience. The soldier
who had been hit said: "I
didn't c +:.e about-rny hand. It
was thether wound I was
'worried about: But . I was
fixed up so well in hospital
afterwards that I was able to
marry and have a family."
William Westlake came
through the war without
mishap, 'although: hi one at-
tack, he was saved from
•serious injury by the metal
cannister of his gas mask.
Following World War One,
the Wroxeter soldier moved
from there to . Colborne
Township, where, in the mid '
thirties, he was employed for
several, years at the Bissett
Brothers Dairy on Saltford
Heights. Then, in 1941, he was
given a position as caretaker
_at :