Dwyer Charles 195845

Charles Dwyer  195845

Charles M. Dwyer was born in the city of Peterborough on April 23, 1891 to parents William Dwyer and Matilda nee. Sanders.  William moved his family to Dummer Township sometime before 1901, as they appear living in that township in the 1901 Census.  William at the time was working as a farmer.  Charles lived in Dummer with his parents, working as a labourer.  He was married on November 25, 1913 to Hannah “Jane” Ellis of Belmont Township.

The young couple moved to Peterborough and was recorded living at No.1 Crescent Street, in that city when Charles enlisted into the 93^rd Peterborough Battalion on March 25, 1916.   He was nearly 25 years of age, married and had a 16 month-old daughter, Clara Kathleen.  Charles stood 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed 148 pounds. He had a dark complexion, dark brown hair and blue eyes.  He listed his religion as Roman Catholic. 

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Charles accompanied the 93^rd Battalion when they left for training at Barriefield camp, Kingston on May 30 1916.  After nearly a month and a half at Barriefield, they boarded the S.S. Empress of Britain at Halifax on July 15, and sailed ten days across the Atlantic to Liverpool, England.

Immediately upon arriving in England, Charles entered the 1^st Western General Hospital in Liverpool with the measles.  He was treated and discharged from the their care on August 04, and entered the No.7 Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Hillington House, Uxbridge on the 20^th of that month and stayed for 5 days until he was discharged to duty on August 25, 1916.

Charles returned to the 93^rd , now at Otterpool Camp, and was stationed there with them until the 27^th of September.  At that time he was selected among a draft of 93^rd men to join the 1^st Canadian Battalion, which was already fighting in France.  He crossed the channel and after moving through the Canadian Base Depot, joined the 1^st Battalion on the Somme battlefront on September 09, 1916.  The indoctrination to battle was short, as Charles would joined the 1^st Battalion as they made a costly attack against the village of Courcellette on September 22^nd.  Charles survived the grueling, month-long battle, but it seems like the trying conditions at the front took its toll.  On March 3rd, 1916 Charles Dwyer was admitted to the No.2 Field Ambulance on, suffering from Myalgia. 

Members of Canadian Forestry Corp

He was sent to the Casualty Clearing Station to recover until April 18, at which time,  he was transferred to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp, a centre in France where troops were held before being assigned to an existing unit.  At that time, Dwyer was selected to join the No.2 Canadian Forestry Party.  That unit was predominantly concerned with clearing trees and providing lumber for the Canadian forces.  Dwyer served with this unit through the remainder of 1916 and 1917.  His records show that he received two weeks leave in Paris on December 14, 1917.  He rejoined the No. 2 Forest Party on the 26^th of December without incident.  It seems from his records that though Charles was working with the Forestry Corp, he was still on the roll of the 1^st Battalion whom he served with in the Fall/Winter of 1916.  He was officially transferred to No.2 Company Canadian Forestry Corps on May 24, 1918.  He was appointed as an “Edgerman”, indicating that he was involved in running a sawmill in some capacity.  With this new position came a hefty raise to the $2.25 per day, double what he would have been previously been making as a private in the infantry.

 

An example of field punishment No.1

Dwyer’s service record also indicates that on June 10, 1918, he was sentenced to 7 days of Field Punishment no.1 for “conduct to the prejudice of good order in military discipline in that he was in possession of the making of a crown and anchor game for the purpose of gambling after being warned.”

Charles served in the Canadian Forestry Corp until the end of the war.  He was taken out of the field in January 1919 and started the process of demobilization.  He crossed the Channel back into England on March 26^th to the Canadian Forces base in Sunningdale, and then to Kimmel Park Camp in Wales April 03, 1919. He embarked Liverpool for Canada on the S.S. Lapland 5 days later on April 8^th.

Charles Dwyer was officially discharged from military service on April 12, 1918 in Toronto, Ontario.  He returned to civilian life in Peterborough with no disability. 

He died in 1969 and is buried in Rosemount Memorial Gardens in Springville, Peterborough County, Ontario

Sources:

Archives of Ontario, Registrations of Births and Stillbirths 1869-1913. MS 929, reel 107. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Archives of Ontario.

Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Census of 1901. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2004. Dummer, Peterborough East, Ontario, Page 1, Family no.09.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Census of 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2007.  Dummer, Peterborough East, Ontario, Page 7, Family no.67.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2013. Peterboro (city), Peterborough West, Ontario, Page 2.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), “Complete Service File: Dwyer, Charles”. Accessed January 20, 2016.

Peterborough Evening Examiner. “Three Brothers Who Are in the Ranks of the 93^rd Battalion.”. July 26 1916.  p.5.