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conditions and sheer carnage, or for its sacrifice and heroism," and that by November 14, the Canadians had been withdrawn from Flanders to the "relative quiet of the Vimy region".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!"
========

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
   

 

On “A Foggy Night in London Town” November 11, 1944 ... Val Werier evades death

During the final 3 years of his life, esteemed Winnipeg journalist Val Werier (Order of Canada and  Order of Manitoba) shared many stories with me. At times, I would scribble volumes as he spoke. Occasionally, we would dispense with the writing and simply record the conversations. “I thought you might make of some of these recollections a series of short vignettes,” Val had suggested. “What do you think?” “Val’s Vignettes!!” I enthusiastically declared.

Before Val moved into assisted living, I would often walk the few blocks home through a quiet River Heights neighborhood from his place to mine, after enjoying a drink with my friend. On this particular night, I had written in a small, ringed notebook with a blue nylon tipped pen. Making my way along the sidewalks, I flipped back through the pages whenever I passed under the dim glow of a streetlight, and tried to imagine the young man Val had been that foggy night in 1944, returning from yet another mission over Germany….

Val Werier receiving the Winnipeg Press Club Presidents Award for "Someone Who Made a Difference" in 2012, and an Honourary and a Life membership in the organization. 

 

Early on in his 75 year journalism career, WW2 erupted and Val Werier answered the call to serve his country in the RCAF. He was a navigator – the lone Canadian on an RAF Lancaster bomber crew. There were, of course, many harrowing experiences for the men. The missions were fraught with danger.  

Each year on November 11, as Val honoured his fellow countrymen who gave their lives, he would reflect in particular on the friends and crew mates he lost exactly 70 years ago this Remembrance Day, and upon his own very narrow escape. Here is Val’s story as he related it to me:

“It was the second time in my life that I evaded death. We had just bombed an oil refinery in Dortmund, Germany. We had been attacked by fighters there, but managed to get away and make our way back to England. One of those foggy, foggy nights. Couldn’t see your own hand in front of you.

"No lights were used on the airfield during the war. We were supposed to be circling the base at 2000 feet, when in fact our Lancaster was flying just above ground level. Unbeknownst to us, our altimeter wasn’t functioning. We flew so low over the control tower that everyone there ducked – they were sure they would be hit. Shortly thereafter, we smashed into some trees and crashed on the ground. Every engine was knocked off!  

"I’ll never forget that night. It occurred on November 11, 1944. Two of the seven member crew were killed – my pilot and my bombardier.  The others were all seriously injured, including myself. My injured fellow crew members were taken to the big hospital. I was unconscious for hours, and was the only one taken to the station hospital. I was well treated there.”

It was a lengthy convalescence, but by April 1945, Val was eagerly anticipating his return to Winnipeg and to his job as a reporter with the Winnipeg Tribune. Speaking in London to the Tribune’s James C. Anderson, Val said, "The time between briefing and take off is worse. You look around at the rest of the fellows and know that some won't come back. Funny, you never think of yourself as being one of them." About what he was most looking forward to in Canada, Val told Anderson “You know what I want? Well, a nice brook so I can sit and throw pebbles into it, and a nice lawn where I can wander about and kick grasshoppers in the teeth.”

Back home in Winnipeg and with the Tribune, Val resumed his civilian life, but with permanent injuries to his back and his leg. He championed for many important causes with an unshakeable love, respect and optimism for our country, our province, our city - and the people living here. A quarter century later, his January 1, 1971 column carried his New Year’s message to his readers:  

“This is one of the challenges as Manitoba enters its second century - to strive for a quality of life where people are more important than buildings, machines, or development at any price. It is important that squirrels play in the city, that the deer still roam around the outskirts, that the trees rise in the centre of the city, that people count more than beltways or freeways. All this we have now and we must cherish and maintain it.”

 Thanks to the sacrifices of our veterans, we have this quality of life. Let’s continue to follow through on Val’s challenge to cherish and maintain it.

 

~ Wendy Hart 

 

 

More on Val:

 

• Senior Scope - Goodbye "Sir Val"  - Wendy Hart
• The Globe and Mail - Winnipeg Was Val Werier's Beat For 75 Years - Susan Ferrier MacKay
• Winnipeg Free Press - Big Talent Fought For The Little Guy - Gordon Sinclair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I celebrate Winnipeg with THIS photo every day!

November 8 is Winnipeg's birthday - an impressive 140 years old! Incorporated on this day in 1873.

I celebrate Winnipeg every day. In fact, I plaster my favorite Winnipeg photo everywhere - and it is my trademark profile picture. So what makes this particular shot so special?

 

I'm not sure of the whys and wherefores, but for some reason, Winnipeg celebrated its 75th birthday not on November 8, 1948, but instead on June 5, 1949.

 

My dad was 21 years old and proud of his city. He had recently been hired for what was to become a 38 year career with the Greater Winnipeg Water District, and just a few weeks earlier had met my mom for the first time.

 

To mark this special occasion, a giant birthday cake had been erected on the famous "Portage and Main" intersection. Like several of his fellow citizens, Dad leapt onto the cake, camera in hand, to capture the essence of Winnipeg.

 

In the bottom left hand corner, an Eaton's catalogue truck, overflowing with sacks of goods for eagerly waiting customers rounds the historic corner filled with streetcars AND pedestrians. Eaton's, the streetcars, and the pedestrians - now forced to cross underground - are long gone, but several of the heritage buildings are thankfully still standing. It's also worth pointing out that some of these same people may well have been evacuated from Winnipeg exactly one year later, as the 1950 floodwaters swept through the streets.

 

Dad was delighted with his photo, and had it enlarged and framed - at Eaton's, of course. On the reverse side of the picture frame, news clippings and his own brief message tell the story. 

 

 

 

This framed treasure hangs over my desk, where I can enjoy it every day. I couldn't bear to damage what my dad had so carefully created with his clippings, and so I photographed HIS photograph through the frame's glass, and that's what I share as my profile shot. I know it would be so much clearer if it was taken out and properly scanned. I don't care. I absolutely won't do it.

 

This is my Winnipeg!

 

 

It's International Credit Union Day!! Here's some Manitoba Credit Union history you may not have seen or heard before...

On October 17, we recognize International Credit Union Day.

 

I'm proud of my grandfather's role as a "Statesman" of the credit union movement in Manitoba. You can read in more detail about his accomplishments on the Manitoba Historical Society's website  Memorable Manitobans - Harold Vincent West.

 

Here are some memorable credit union moments found in his personal archives:

 

60 years ago on October 15, 1953, the Greater Winnipeg Credit Union Chapter celebrated with a Credit Union Day banquet.

 

At the banquet, my grandpa received a special presentation from the Founders' Club of North America to recognize his role in organizing credit unions: 

 

 

 

In 1950, the Manitoba government established a Co-operative Services branch and passed its first Credit Union Act. 

 

The Co-operative Credit Society of Manitoba was established. The framework and content for the Act were prepared by the Society's founding directors. Many of the meetings were held in my grandparents' home at 240 Garfield Street. Here is that first board of directors:  

Harold West had been involved in credit unions since 1938, beginning with the Commercial Telegraphers' Credit Union - the first industrial credit union in Manitoba. For several years, it even operated from his Garfield Street home. It is best remembered for its final permanent location in the former CNCP Telecommunications Building at Portage and Main.

 

That's my grandpa. And that's the pouch he used on visits to Canadian National Telegraphs to collect  members' paycheques for deposit.

 

Harold West was completely dedicated and committed to the "credit union philosophy". In 1961, as President of the Credit Union League of Manitoba, he addressed the League's members at the Annual Meeting with this speech:

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Like he said... To promote and protect the welfare of the individual member... symbolized by "The Little Man Under the Umbrella".