Corporal Gordon F. Calberry 25th Battalion Aug. 08 1918

 

Pte. Gordon Frank Calberry  412070

Gordon Calberry was born the 6^th of February 1893 in Methuen Township, Peterborough County.  He was one of five children born to Frank Calberry and Sabina Newell.  His siblings include Foster, Oscar, Isabel, and Herbert Calberry, who was also killed in France in 1918.  The family resided in Clarina, between Dummer’s 4^th and 5^th lines, where Frank farmed.

 On May 8^th 1915, Gordon attested into the Peterborough contingent of the 39^th Battalion. He was just over 22 years old and stood 5’5” tall.   He had a dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair.  He listed his occupation as a labourer, and indicated that he had no previous military experience. He was unmarried and his religion was Wesleyan.

 

The 39^th was later broken up to reinforce existing Canadian battalions already at the front.  Calberry was assigned to the 25^th Battalion and was later promoted to the rank of Corporal.  On August 8^th 1918, during the first day of the battle of Amiens, Calberry and his battalion attacked through the French village of Vrely to the outskirts of Meharicourt.  The official Casualty report states:  “he was wounded in the back by the explosion of an enemy shell while ‘digging in’. He was immediately evacuated to No. 9 Cavalry Ambulance, where he succumbed to his wounds the same day.”  One might assume from this description that Corporal Calberry was with the 25^th as they met their objectives on the outskirts of Meharicourt, and was only hit as the men started to dig in and consolidate their final positions.  He is buried in Heath Military Cemetery, 5 miles South-west of Bray-sur-Somme, France. 

His name appears on the Dummer Township Cenotaph in Warsaw, Ontario.  Several years ago, the Dummer News featured an article in which Gordon Calberry’s medals and “Death Penny” (along with his brother’s) were being donated by the family to the Warsaw Legion for display.  Since then the Warsaw Legion has been closed and the property sold, it is unknown by the author as to the current whereabouts of the medals.

Photo from The Dummer News, J.Murray Jones ed.

 

Sources:

Canada. "Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)." Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box

4930 - 35. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

War Graves Registry: Circumstances of Death Records. Record Group 150, 1992–1993/314, Boxes 145–

238. Library and Archives Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1901. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada,

2004. <http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1901/index-e.html>. Series RG31-C-1. Statistics

Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels: T-6428 to T-6556.

Library and Archives Canada. 25^th Battalion War Diaries 1918/11/01-1919/04/30. 

< http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/archivianet/02015202_e.html> [2015]