Drain Lewis John 195729

Lewis John Drain  195729

Lewis John Drain was born on July 13 1893 in Clarina, in the northern portion of Dummer Township.  His father was James Drain, who was a labourer, and his mother was Jane Anne “Jenny” Robinson.  Lewis was the oldest of three children in the family, his brother being Thomas James (1896-1902) and sister, Sarah Jane (1892-1958)

Lewis was nearly 23 years of age when he enlisted in the 93^rd Battalion on February 8^th 1916. At the time he was single, had no previous military experience and was employed as a lumberman. He stood 5 feet 3 inches tall and was 124 pounds.  He had a fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.  He listed his religion as Methodist.  At the time of enlistment, Lewis declared that his parents were aged and that he was their sole means of support.

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Lewis trained with the 93^rd Battalion at Barriefield, Kingston until he disembarked entrained for Halifax and disembarked there on June 15 1916 aboard the S.S. Empress of Britain.  Ten days later he arrived safely at the docks of Liverpool England.  He and the rest of the Battalion were stationed at Otterpool Camp for further training.  A month after arriving Drain entered the Hospital at Otterpool camp August 27 1916.  His ailment must have been slight as he was discharged the very same day.  While at Otterpool Camp, the 93^rd Battalion learned that they were to be eventually to be broken up and leave as drafts to join other existing Canadian battalions already at the front in France.  Pte. Lewis Drain was among a draft of 93^rd men that were to join the

18^th Canadian Infantry Battalion.  He left the 93^rd on September 16 1916 and was sent to Canadian Base Depot in France.  He joined the 18^th Battalion in the field on October 03 1916.  Just in time to take part in the heavy fighting of the Somme offensive and that attack on Courcellette.

Drain made it through unscathed, through regular rotations through the trenches in the fall and winter of 1916.  He took sick on Feb 03 1917, and entered No.5 Canadian Field Ambulance with laryngitis.  There he stayed 6 days until he was discharged to duty on February 09.  He did not seem to recover though as he returned to  No.5 Canadian Field ambulance on February 21 with more severe symptoms of laryngitis.  This time his condition warranted a transfer to No. 8 British Red Cross Hospital in Le Touquet on March 14 and then he was shipped across the channel to the Norfolk War Hospital in Norwich on the 23rd of March 1917.  There he convalesced until April 17^th when he was returned to the Casualty Clearing Depot at Epsom until the 22^nd of June.  At this time he was sent to the 4^th Canadian Reserve Battalion at Bramshott Camp, England.  He eventually proceeded overseas to the 18^th Battalion in France on November 29 1917.

After a short stay with the Canadian Corps Relief Camp, Drain rejoined the 18^th Battalion in the field on December 11, 1917.  His laryngitis had resulted in him missing the costly actions of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele.  He would have been part of the reinforcements, both new recruits and returning veterans, who joined the shattered battalion over the winter of 1918 after it was shattered in the Passchendaele campaign.  The battalion would have trained and prepared for the upcoming costly offensives that would begin in the summer of 1918. 

Drain entered No.6 Stationary Hospital on May 22 1918, with P.U.O. or “trench fever”.   He was stable enough to be transferred to No.11 Convalescent Depot to recuperate from his illness on June 02 1918.  After close to a month there he was discharged to the Canadian Infantry Brigade Depot July 4^th in the first step to rejoin his battalion at the front.  Making his way ever closer to the trenches he arrived at Canadian Corps. Reinforcement Camp on July 14 and, for unknown reasons, joined the 8th Battalion in the field that day, being taken off strength of the 18^th.

He served about a month with the 8^th Battalion in the Arras sector, and was most likely with them during the major Battle of Amiens.  Though the battle resulted in many casualties among the Canadian troops, Drain came through unhurt.  He left the 8^th Battalion on August 15^th after the battle had ended. He bounced around the rear reserve camps for about a month until he rejoined his old battalion, the 18^th on September 10^th 1918.

Drain would have seen heavy fighting as he rejoined his unit and fought in the last offensive actions against the Germans in the last 3 months of the war, known as the Last Hundred Days.  This last push to victory was responsible for the highest casualty rates for Canadians during the war, as over 45,000 Canadians were casualties in the last 96 days of the war.

Pte. Lewis Drain, however, came though physically unscathed.  The War ended on November 11^th 1918.  Almost immediately the Canadian troops began reshuffling and moving towards demobilizing and the journey home.   Drain left the front lines and his battalion to join the 2nd Canadian Division Entrenching Company, a reserve unit in the rear, on November 16 1918.  He then made his way to the Canadian Infantry Brigade Depot on the 29^th of the same month.  He bounced around a bit in Canadian reserve camps in France before being transferred to England and posted at Witley Camp on January 11^th, 1919.  At Witley he was officially taken on strength to 4^th the Reserve Battalion, and on January 28^th transferred to Western Ontario Regimental Depot.

By February 10^th 1919, he was later transferred to Wing #3 at the Canadian base at Kimmel Park, North Wales. There, he was given clearance to depart for Canada on the 22^nd of that month.  He sailed out of Liverpool the next day on the H.M.T. Belgic and arrived in Canada on March 2nd 1919.  He returned to Ontario and went before the demobilization Board at Barriefield Camp, Kingston on March 20^th.  He was discharged in good health and no complaints.

Lewis Drain returned to Dummer Township after the war.  He married Frances “Fanny” Andrews of Dummer in Norwood on April 19 1922.  The couple resided at Lot 4, Concession 6 of Dummer Township after the marriage and had one daughter, June Marie (1927).  Lewis Drain is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Havelock, Ontario.

Sources:

Archives of Ontario. Canada Births, 1869-1913. Series: MS929, Reel 128

Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Marriages, 1801-1928. Toronto, Canada. Archives of Ontario. Series MS932, Reel 622.

Library and Archives Canada online.  The Complete Military Service File of Lewis John Drain.  Accessed November 27 2015.  RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4930-35. <www.bac-lac.gc.ca>

Library and Archives Canada. 1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Dummer, Peterborough East, Ontario, Page 3, Family no.27.

Library and Archives Canada. 1911 Census of Canada.  RG 31-C-1; Folder Number 81, Census Place: Dummer Township, Peterborough East, Ontario. Family No. 76. Page 08.