Sapper Allan Lonsbery

183^rd Canadian Battalion/107^th Pioneer Battalion/ 5^th Canadian Engineers

Regimental Number 871768

Allan Gordon Lonsberry was born on September 29^th, 1892 in Dummer Township, Ontario to parents Francis and Tillie (Hicks) Lonsberry. Like many young men from Dummer, Allan later left his home to travel west to Saskatchewan to take land and farm.

He was living and farming in Maston, Saskatchewan when made the journey to Saskatoon to enlist with the 183^rd “Manitoba Beavers” Battalion on April 10^th, 1916.  He was 20 years old, stood 5 feet, five inches tall and had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair.  He listed his religion as Methodist and declared that he was not married and had no previous military experience.  He listed his father Frank, living in Warsaw, Ontario, as his next of kin.

Allan trained with the 183^rd Battalion for close to six months before sailing to England aboard the S.S. Missanabie on October 3^rd 1916.  Allan landed in Liverpool ten days later.  His battalion was slated to be disbanded and its ranks used to reinforce other Canadian battalions.  Allan was immediately transferred to 100^th “Winnipeg Grenadier” Battalion at Whitley Camp, England, until that unit was itself disbanded.  During this time Allan was struck down with German measles and entered the hospital for ten days.  When he emerged on the 20^th of December, he was immediately assigned to the 11^th Reserve Battalion at Shorncliffe to await further assignment at the front.  On February 3^rd, 1917, Lonsberry learned that he would join the 107^th “Winnipeg” Infantry Battalion. 

The 107^th had been a Canadian Battalion slated for dismantling, but the pleading of their commanding officer and his insistence that they be re-designated a pioneer battalion which saved them from being broken up. 

Lonsberry landed with the 107^th Battalion in France on February 25^th 1917.  The Pioneers worked close to the front lines, digging and repairing trenches, laying cable, wire and railway tracks building dugouts among many other tasks.   

The 107^th was crucial in supporting the infantry advances made throughout 1917.  One such instance was during the Battle of Hill 70-Lens.  The first day and night of the attack on the German-held city of Lens, the men of 107^th including Allan Lonsberry made dangerous forays into No Man’s Land to dig trenches that would aid their troops in capturing the town.  The Pioneers took extensive casualties as Germans rained shells down on them while they extended the trenches.  After the men of the 107^th completed their construction of the trenches, many of the Pioneers volunteered to stay behind on August 17^th to help rescue wounded Canadians left on the battlefield.  During this action they were caught in a German mustard gas attack, which resulted in the gassing of eighty-eight Pioneers.  Allan Lonsberry was likely one of these men as he is recorded to have been admitted to the Casualty Clearing Station on August 18^th suffering from the effects of gas burns and inhalation. 

Lonsberry was later evacuated to No.30 General Hospital in Calais on August 21^st.  Five days later he was taken across the Channel to Chester War Hospital.  Doctors noted that his eyes were still inflamed by the gas as well as exhibiting hoarseness, chest pains and weakness.  Lonsberry remained in rough shape and was noted to have been only able to get out of bed on September 1^st.

Having recovered sufficiently, Lonsberry was transferred to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom on September 30^th, before being discharged on the 19^th of October. Allan remained in the Reserve Camps in England, until transferring to the Canadian Engineer Training Depot at Seaford on April 30^th 1918.

He left the training depot to return to his original unit of the 107^th Pioneer Battalion in France on April 10, 1918.  He was with them for a short period of time before transferring to the 5^th Canadian Engineers in the field on June 22^nd.  Allan served with the Engineers until the end of the war.  He returned to England on April 13^th, 1919 and sailed home to Canada on May 10^th.  He was discharged in Toronto two weeks later.

Allan Lonsberry died in 1973 and is buried in Wiseton, Saskatchewan.

Sources

Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Births and Stillbirths – 1869-1913. Toronto, Ontario; Series: MS929; Reel: 112.

Canada. "Military Service File of Alan Lonsberry." Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa: Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 5735 - 10. Item Number 537029.

Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Year: 1911; Census Place: Northumberland West, Ontario. Page 2, Family 19.