Family Search: When Sergeant Harold Stanley Gardner was born in 1891, in Westbury, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom, his father, John Gardner, was 39 and his mother, Jane, was 39. He immigrated to Canada in 1913 and lived in Wavertree, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom in 1901 and Oswestry, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom in 1911. He registered for military service in 1914. In 1914, at the age of 23, his occupation is listed as furniture finisher. He died on 2 March 1916, in Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium, at the age of 25, and was buried in Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium.
Grave Marker for Florence Gardner, Sister. She died aged 22 Sgt Harold Stanley Gardner, Canadian Infantry killed in action at Flanders 2nd March 1916 aged 24. Interred at Dickebusch.(Sergeant 54020, Western Ontario Regiment) Fourth daughter and youngest son of John and Jane Gardner of Shrewsbury. Marie, died 9th September 1922 aged 37. 3rd daughter of above Lily May who died 31st December 1960 aged 77. Burial: Whitchurch Cemetery Whitchurch Shropshire Unitary Authority Shropshire, England
CHESLEY MAN KILLED Special to The Free Press.
CHESLEY, Ont. April 27. – Joseph McNeel, manager of the Bank of Hamilton, to-day received word from Ottawa, that his son, Joseph Harold McNeel, who left with the first contigent, was killed in action at St. Elois on the 18th inst. He was a private in the infantry and a member of the Geneva Church choir. A memorial service will be held on Sunday morning. Pte. McNeel is the second native-born her from Chesley to fall, and the fifth resident to give his life for his country in the present war. The other heroes are: Harold Gardiner, Davide Scobie, E. Parsons, and Maurice Williams. Seven solders have returned here more or less severely injured, and H. Norman Williams, a brother of Maurice Williams, is now a prisoner in Germany. Capt. Ralph W. McNeel of the 118th Battalion, is a brother of the late Pte. McNeel.
Source: London Free Press, April 27th, 1916 via CVWM.
HAROLD GARDNER one of the Chesley contingent writing to Mr. Leitch from Sandling Camp, Hythe, Kent on May 16th 1915 says: “Dear Mr. Leitch.—
We have now got well settled down in camp and started our training. We find out that we don’t know the first thing in the war game so we have to get down to it because the sooner we learn the sooner we shall get to the front. We have very comfortable wooden shacks to live in and the food is very good. The weather has been great since we landed so we have been able to make a good start. Our trip from London Ont. only took 14 days so we made pretty good time and had a very good voyage. We were escorted across by H.M.S. Cumberland and when we reached the danger zone the battleship left us and two torpedo-destroyers took us to Avonmouth on the British Channel where we disembarked. We did not see anything of German submarines although we kept a very sharp outlook. We had our machine guns mounted on the bridge in case we should see one and took turns in watching all through the day. Along with us on the boat were a bunch of Army Service Corps from Calgary and they are a fine lot of men. Sandling camp where we are stationed is just miles from Folkstone on the south coast. The country around is very hilly and very pretty and being so near the sea it makes an ideal training place. Our training over here is to consist of shooting, physical culture, and bayonet fighting. Most of us have had four days leave which enabled us to get home and see our people. I spent a very nice 3 days at home and my people were very glad to see me again. Hancock, McDonald Cummings are all doing well here. German people here have been having a pretty rough time since the sinking of the Lusitania and the government is interning them all. Our quarter-master sergeant’s wife was drowned on the Lusitania. She was coming over to live in England while her husband was at the front. It has made him just wild to get a blow at the Germans. Our camp is just about 40 miles from the firing line so we are getting pretty near to the actual thing. Some days when the wind is blowing from the French coast we can hear the big guns over there firing away. I don’t know if you remember the tall Englishmen named Edwards who was in the first bunch to leave Chesley. Well he is laid up about 3 miles from here with a sore foot. The doctors operated on it and it has left it pretty near useless although he is able to walk on it but cannot stand the strain too long. I hear two or three of the boys have been knocked out. Please give our kind regards to the Chesley people. Hoping Mrs. Leitch and yourself are keeping in good health.
I remain
Yours very sincerely
Harold Gardner.
The Chesley Enterprise, June 3, 1915
The Chesley Enterprise, June 3, 1915
“Previously reported Missing, now Killed in Action.”
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 
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