“…of a roving nature.”: Private Archie Turner

Friend after friend departs;
Who hath not lost a friend?
There is no union of hearts
That finds not here an end.

Part of a hymn[i] laments for the death of Private Archie Turner. His sister-in-law selected this hymn to reflect on her brother-in-law’s passing.

Private Turner enlisted in St. Thomas, Ontario October 23, 1914 and indicated he had thirteen years of prior military service. As an original member of the Battalion he trained in London, Ontario with more training and conditioning upon the Battalion’s arrival in England in May 1915. He then moved with the Battalion to France and Belgium where the Battalion was initiated to trench warfare. He served in “C” Company and some time in January 1916, just after leaving the Somme, he wrote a letter to the members of the International Order of the Daughters of the Empire St. Thomas Chapter thanking them for a care package they had created and sent to him.

The portion of the letter published in the St. Thomas Times-Journal on February 2, 1916 relates some of the details of the package and the conditions that the soldiers were suffering through in the front-lines. “Rats run over the faces of the soldiers.” The men experience German artillery of all types and Imperial (B.E.F. and C.E.F.) artillery responds with outgoing shelling. He wishes to be remembered to Col. Green and a Mr. Robinson and then ends, after relating about rats running over the soldiers, with a more positive observation and some hope:

“The birds sing lovely out here in the morning. Spring is not far off out here, and I wish the end of the war was not far off.”

PTE. TURNER SAYS RATS RUN OVER FACES OF THE SOLDIERS[ii]
St. Thomas Man in the 18^th Tells of Experiences in Belgium – Spring in Air and Birds are Singing – Local Ladies are Thanked for Kindness.

Mrs. J.D. Lamont, secretary of the St. Thomas Chapter I.O.D.E.[iii], has received a letter from Pte. Archie Turner[iv], in Belgium, thanking the chapter for gifts sent at Christmas time the letter says in part:

“I now take pleasure in writing to you, thanking you very much for the presents you sent us boys, for we were so glad to see the good ladies of St. Thomas had not forgotten the boys of the 18^th Battalion. We have been under shell fire for four months. That call us the ‘Mad Brigade[v].’ We were the first to go to the trenches overland[vi]. All the boys are doing well. We had Christmas dinner in the trenches. We had plum puddings, but no turkey this time; but we cannot complain, for we had lots of everything, and I think it was all right. They jar my dugout. They are sending a few over to Bill.[vii] Mr. Lamont, we have lots of rats for bed chums. The run over our faces when we are asleep. I think this is all this time, thanking all of the lady officers for their kindness, and hoping to see you all when we return.

Give my kind live to Mr. Lamont. Tell him to remember me to Col. Green[viii] and also Mr. Richardson. We have to wear hip rubber boots; lots of mud. I am in Belgium four months. A long time not to have your clothes off.

The birds sing lovely out here in the morning. Spring is not far off out here, and I wish the end of the war was not far off. So good-bye to you all again. Hoping to hear from you soon.

Your truly,
Pte. A. Turner (53745)
C Company, 18^th Battalion
4^th Brigade C.E.F.
Care G.P.O. London.

Regrettably for the Turner family, Archie was not to survive much longer after this letter is printed in the local paper. On May 12, 1916 the Battalion had returned from the Somme and was serving in relatively familiar surroundings near “Dickebusch”[ix], Belgium. The Battalion, as of May 9, was in the centre of the front-line and suffered two men killed and three men wounded[x] though the official records show only one soldier died on this date. Private Humphreys[xi] died the next day and it is possible their fates were related but due to record keeping errors the date of death for both men was recorded on two different days. Private Humphreys’ Circumstances of Death Card relates:

‘“Killed in Action” He was with two comrades sitting in the bay of a trench in front of St. Eloi about 1 a.m. May 13, 1916, when a shell burst amongst them instantly killing Pte. Humphreys and one other.’

Photo of John Humphreys – John Humphreys (brother to Elizabeth). Note: source of photograph does not indicate which man is John Humphreys. Assuming his age was close to 28 years old when this photograph was taken I believe it is the man on the right as he looks older than the man on the left.

Whatever the circumstances of these men’s death they are buried beside each other at the Voormezeele Enclosure No.3, Idaho, Belgium along with twenty-two other members of the 18^th Battalion.

The St. Thomas newspaper related the news of the death of Private Turner giving some details of this soldier’s life filling in some of his background and that, “He was of a very kind disposition, good-natured and jovial, but of a roving nature.” Perhaps his “roving nature’ refers to his recent foray out west. He, and his brothers, worked for businesses that were typical for that era: A coal dealer, a railroad repair facility, and a liquor store.

ST. THOMAS MAN DIES IN BATTLE[xii]
Pte. Archie Turner if 18^th Falls While Fighting for Freedom – Has Two Brothers Here.

A telegram was received Sunday[xiii] by Mark Turner, 5 Regent street, this city, informing him of the death of his brother, Pte. Elias (Archie) Turner, on May 12, in France.

Pte. Turner came to St. Thomas from the West in the fall of 1914 and enlisted with the 18^th Battalion for overseas service. He had been through some of the thickest of the fighting and escaped unhurt until the day upon which he met his death while in the trenches.

Pte. Turner will be remembered in St. Thomas as being employed with Ellison & Lewis coal dealers, before going west. He came to this country with his brother about twenty-five years ago[xiv] from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England. He was a middle-aged man and a great sport. He was of a very kind disposition, good-natured and jovial, but of a roving nature. He was for some time with the 1^st West Surrey Infantry before coming to this country.

The deceased soldier leaves two brothers and three sisters. The sisters all live in England and George Turner, employed at the Pere Marquette shops[xv], and Mark Turner, 5 Regent street, are the brothers. Pte. Arthur Franklin Turner[xvi], of the 91^st Battalion, son of Mark Turner, is a nephew.

Mark Turner is a faithful employee of A.E. Ponsford Ltd[xvii]., until last September when he was compelled to cease work on account of illness. He has been unable to do anything since.

Private Turner came to Canada and made a living for himself and his familial connection seemed to be so strong that his other brothers lived in the same town together. When the call came to begin to respond to the needs for a 2^nd Contingent Archie joined early and served his Battalion well until his death. The news paper article gives us some details that allow us to imagine some of what this man experienced as a member of Canadian society prior to the war in St. Thomas. His photograph gives a further hint about the man. He wears a button on his lapel. The details of the button do not allow one to discern what the button represents but it would help give more of the story that was Elias “Archie” Turner.

[i] Friend After Friend Departs, 1824. Words by James Montgomery. Music by William H. Cooke.

[ii] St. Thomas Times-Journal. February 2, 1916.

[iii] International Order Daughters of the Empire.

[iv] Private Turner was not to survive the war being killed in action May 12, 1916.

[v] The origin of this reference is not known and is the first time seen by the transcriber.

[vi] This may be a reference to when the Battalion entered the line during its first deployment on September 21, 1915. During this march my Grand Father, William Robb Dewar was wounded.

[vii] “…for we had lots of everything, and I think it was all right. They jar my dugout. They are sending a few over to Bill.” This passage appears to reference artillery fire. Getting “lots of everything” may refer to the variety of calibres of shells the Germans are firing upon them. The shells “jar my dugout” and the Imperial forces are shelling Bill, the nickname for Kaiser Wilhelm.

[viii] Lieutenant-Colonel William James Green was the officer commanding the 91^st Battalion based at St. Thomas. He would be temporarily attached to the 18^th Battalion in March 1917 for a ten-day tour of instruction. He died October 26, 1958.

[ix] Dikkebus.

[x] Per the 18^th Battalion War Diary. May 12, 1916.

[xi] Private John Humphries, reg. no. 413050.

[xii] St. Thomas Time-Journal. May 29, 1916.

[xiii] May 28, 1916.

[xiv] This information is incorrect. Archie Turner’s attestation papers indicate he served with the West Surrey Regiment for six years followed by seven years in the reserves.

[xv] Part of the Pere Marquette Railway system.

[xvi] Private Arthur Franklin Turner, reg. no. 123732, served with the 21^st Battalion and survived the war.

[xvii] A local liquor store.