Pte. Percy Rutherford 3057193 1st Depot Battalion

 

Pte. Percy Oliver Rutherford

1^st Depot Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment

Regimental Number 3057193

Percy Rutherford was born on May 29^th, 1897 in Dummer Township, Ontario. He was the son of George Rutherford and Isabel Moore.  The early part of Percy’s life was spent on the family homestead in Douro.

Percy was living in Indian River Township and working as a farmer when he was called to report to Peterborough, Ontario under the Military Service Act on November 17^th, 1917 to undergo a medical examination to determine is fitness for active service overseas.  He was 20 years old at the time, stood 5 feet nine inches tall and weighed 130 pounds.  He was described as having a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair.  His religion was recovered as Presbyterian.  Doctors rated him category A.2, and fit for overseas service 

Percy likely returned to the farm to await a further call, which came on March 9^th, 1918 when he was ordered to report to the Canadian Forces training camp at Barriefield, near Kingston.  Shortly after his arrival to camp, he contracted scarlet fever and spent the next 4 months in hospital.  He was discharged to duty on the 15^th of June and then sailed for England a month later on July 7^th.

Upon arriving in England, Pte. Rutherford was placed in F Company of the 6^th Reserve battalion and stationed at Seaford.  He would train there while awaiting assignment to a fighting battalion at the front.  Rutherford would never see action as he contracted Pleurisy on October 15^th 1918 and was hospitalized for nearly 5 months before being invalided back to Canada aboard the ship Araguya.

Rutherford’s ship returned to Canada and he immediately returned to the hospital in Kingston on March 23^rd for close to 3 weeks for Pleurisy. By early April he was well enough to be granted leave and by May was fully discharged.

Rutherford would later return to the Peterborough area and marry Annie Andrews.  The couple would have two sons, Lorne and Ronald, and a daughter Gloria.  Percy Rutherford passed away on June 15^th 1943 in Peterborough, Ontario.

Sources

Canada. "Military Service File of Percy Oliver Rutherford." Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa: Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 8568-26. Item Number 607409.