Howard Carleton Gordon – A Helping Hand to the End (Passchendaele 1917)

On November 16, 1917, my great uncle Howard Carleton Gordon gave his life in the First World War. He died instantly, moments after selflessly digging furiously against his sergeant's orders to save fellow soldier Will R. Bird, buried under several feet of earth by German shelling. Bird survived, and shared the details of his rescue in "Ghosts Have Warm Hands" - his memoir of WW1 experiences that is a republication of his 1930 book "And We Go On."

Like most, if not all, of the young Canadian men who died in the Great War, the family and friends who knew Howard are gone. He had barely reached the age where he might begin thinking of marriage and starting his own family. Instead, he was killed at Passchendaele, "blown to bits" and his "remains" buried at Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium.

 The details I had heard surrounding his death were sketchy. My understanding was that the Canadians had departed the area prior to November 16th. An acquaintance of mine - fellow Winnipeg Press Club member Norman Leach - is a military historian and author of the book "Passchendaele – Canada's Triumph and Tragedy on the Fields of Flanders", and was historical advisor on the Paul Gross movie "Passchendaele". He wrote that "no battle of the First World War will be remembered more for its unspeakable conditions and sheer carnage, or for its sacrifice and heroism," and that by November 14, the Canadians had been withdrawn from Flanders to the "relative quiet of the Vimy region". The British tanks arrived on November 20^th. This being the case, what were the circumstances in which Howard died on November 16, 1917? 


A cousin in Nova Scotia suggested that I read the book "Ghosts Have Warm Hands". Its author Will R. Bird, like Howard, was from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, and they had served in the same battalion. I admit I wasn't optimistic that it would shed any light specifically on what had happened to Howard. I was stunned when I opened the book and immediately found references to my great uncle. After contacting the book's publisher, CEF Books (www.cefbooks.ca), I received permission to use parts of the book when sharing the story of Howard's time in service for his country.

According to Bird, Howard was a good natured, generous young man. Here's a passage from his book, of a prank Bird and his pals played on Howard the day before they arrived in Ypres:

   But Howard didn't survive to have the gesture repaid by his mates on "the way back." Early in November, 1917, after suffering dreadful, heavy losses and injuries throughout their ranks, the men of the 42^nd Battalion – The Black Watch of Canada - received word that they had been chosen to make a second trip into Passchendaele, in aid of the Cameron Highlanders.

Then on November 16^th, 5 weeks before Howard's 22^nd birthday, an explosion from heavy German shelling threw an "avalanche of mud and debris" over Will R. Bird and two other men. Bird was buried 5 feet down. Here is his account:

  

   

Howard grew up in a large and loving family, with many siblings to remember him, and to pass on to their children a small but important memory of the life that was. How sad to think that there were thousands killed in those years who – as individuals – are now forgotten. Howard was my grandmother MayBelle (Gordon) West's favorite brother, growing up in Black River, Nova Scotia. She had been given his Next of Kin Memorial Scroll with its covering letter from Buckingham Palace, the photo of the handsome young man in uniform, and the cherished small bible that was a gift from his Sunday School class. These she passed on to my mother. My mom kept everything but the photo, which she gave to a special cousin whose brother had been named after Howard and who, like his namesake, had tragically died at 21 years of age. Another cousin has Howard's service issued bible and tintype photo, and carefully takes the photo every year to the cenotaph on Remembrance Day.

I found the memorial for Pte. Howard Carleton Gordon on http://www.findagrave.com and took over management of his virtual cemetery record, and have added some background information and pictures. I was also able to contact Veterans Affairs Canada and the Great Canadian War Project to correct several small errors in Howard's online information. It seemed important that it would be as accurate as possible.
From Howard's attestation papers, I learned that he had been a blacksmith. He wouldn't have had much chance to practice this trade, and I haven't been able to find any family stories about his brief days as a working man.

Like Will Bird, Howard had enlisted in 1916 in the 193^rd Battalion, the Nova Scotia Highlanders. However, the battalion was broken up for reinforcements upon arrival in England. Some of them, Will and Howard included, were sent to France to join the 42^nd Battalion in the trenches in front of Vimy Ridge.

 

My curiosity led me to the 42^nd Canadian Infantry Battalion War Diary, where I read that on November 5, 1917, the battalion was moved to the Watou area. Their kilts were called in and replaced with trews (trousers). The battalion underwent a complete readjustment due to its many officer casualties, and there were no entries in the diary from November 7 to November 12.

On November 13, the 42^nd Battalion, along with the rest of the brigade, took the bus to Ypres. The 42^nd relieved the 52^nd Canadian Battalion in the front and support lines.

 

Here is the war diary entry for Howard's final day:

 

Fri., Nov 16, 1917

"The Battalion on our left was relieved on the night of the 15th/16th by 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders, who on the 16th established a post in Virtue Farm to which our left Company conformed by swinging forward its left flank and establishing connecting posts. Orders were received from Brigade on the same day that the 1st Cameron Highlanders would, on the night of the 16th/17th, by a stealth operation push forward and occupy Vocation Farm, and that the 42nd Canadian Battalion would conform by swinging forward its left flank and establishing connecting posts. The operation commenced at 5.00 p.m. and Vocation Farm was seized. On information to this effect being conveyed to our left Company Commander he took two platoons and established a defensive flank between Venture and Vocation Farms as arranged. In carrying out their operation on our left flank the 1st Camerons were fortunate to fall upon an enemy relief and a large number of the enemy were dispersed by their fire. The greater part of these passed across our right front line Company which opened fire on them with rifles and Lewis Guns, apparently inflicting heavy casualties."

 

 For the conclusion of the operation, here is more from the war diary, for the following 2 days:

"On the night 17th/18th the Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade and the 1st Camerons on our left by the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch. Owing to the great congestion of troops on the Gravenstafel Road, the only mean of access from the front line in this area, and the heavy shelling of this road and the whole of the front and support areas, the relief was much drawn out, lasting from shortly after dusk until 1.40 p.m. Upon relief the Battalion moved to Savile Camp near Ypres. During this tour the shelling of our Support Companies, of the Gravenstafel Road, Battalion H.Q., and Company H.Q. at Mosselmarkt, and all the forward area was intense, and numerous casualties were received as a result.

During the tour the closest co-operation was maintained with the 1st Cameron Highlanders on our left, and the following message from their Commanding Officer is published:

TO/"42nd. Highlanders of Canada,Senders Number Day of MonthC.H. 17th.

Please accept our best thanks for the help you so kindly gave us in our little affair. We hold VOCATION but not VIRILE and our line is something like attached sketch. Can you give any news of what happened on your side and where we actually join." (Sgd.) J. W. Erskine Lieut. Col. i/c 1st. Cameron Highlanders

 

The following message was also received from the Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Black Watch:

"To/ The Officer Commanding ,42nd. Regt.Royal Highlanders of Canada. 

The Officers, N.C.OS., and Men of The Black Watch (42nd. Royal Highlanders) regret very much that they have just missed fighting alongside with you, and look forward to meeting you all again in the near future either in the mud or in billets." (Sgd.) V.M.Fortune,Lieut. Col. 1st.Battalion, The Black Watch.

Total casualties for the tour were as follows/

OFFICERS/ Killed 0 Died of wounds 0 Wounded 5

N.C.Os. / Killed 0 Died of wounds 2 Wounded 9

O.R. / Killed 12 Died of wounds 5 Wounded 66 Missing believed prisoner 1

{*** note: Our Howard Carleton Gordon would presumably be one of the O.R. Killed 12}

 For the rest of the month the Battalion stayed at Bourecq where it was re-equipped and re-clothed and intensive daily training was carried on. On November 30, The Battalion, pursuant to a request received some time prior from the 1st Battalion of Imperial Black Watch, adopted the Red Heckle [Hackle] as part of its head-dress. "

 

In Bird's memoir, he recalls the men's exchange when they received this news, "Red Hackles!" snorted Tommy, "What good are they? What about Mickey and Baillie and Ira and Gordon and all the boys? "Red Hackles, bah!"
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I admit to skimming through many of the 460 pages of the 42^nd Canadian Infantry Battalion War Diary. It can be found online and downloaded in PDF format. I don't know much about military procedures and operations, or for that matter, the War itself, but the details of the horrid conditions the men endured and the events of their daily life, carefully recorded, have had a profound impact on me. And Bird's "Ghosts Have Warm Hands" transports me right onto the battlefield and is so descriptive and powerful – and personal. Even more so because I know that my great uncle was right there sharing many of those same horrific experiences - at least through the first part of the book.

I want to close with the final entry in the 42^nd Battalion's war diary:

"The following statistics concerning the Unit are of interest:

 Royal L. Ewing. Lieut. Colonel, Cmdg. 42nd. Canadian Battalion, R. H. C.
   

 Howard Gordon was one casualty among the 42^nd's 566 "Killed in Action" by the time the battalion disbanded in 1918, and one among the nearly 16,000 Canadians killed or wounded between July and November 1917.

~ By Wendy Hart

Acknowledgements:

With special thanks to CEF Books, Dr. David Gordon, Dean Gordon, Norman Leach, Virginia Hart 

Sources:

1. Bird, Will R. "Ghosts Have Warm Hands," CEF Books, 1997 (originally published by Clark, Irwin and Co. as "Ghosts Have Warm Hands" in 1968, and as "And We Go On" in 1930)
   
2. Leach, Norman. "Passchendaele – Canada's Triumph and Tragedy on the Fields of Flanders: an Illustrated History," Coteau Books, 2008
   
3. Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Transcribed War Diary of the 42^nd Infantry Battalion (1915-1919), Library and Archives Canada http://archive.org/details/42ndInfantryBattalionWarDiary1915-1919