Family Search: Arthur Elly was born on 26 July 1887, in England as the son of Edward Elly and Lilias Tobie. He married Eva Bernice Carter on 11 February 1919, in London, Ontario, Canada West, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States in 1921 and Thamesford, Oxford, Ontario, Canada in 1922. He registered for military service in 1914. In 1914, at the age of 27, his occupation is listed as tinner. He died on 4 August 1922, in Westminster, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 35, and was buried in Thamesford, Oxford, Ontario, Canada.
Biography
Arthur Elly served four years with the Grenadiers prior to World War 1. He enlisted in Windsor and listed his mother Lily (Lillias) Elly of Detroit as next of kin. His father was Edwin Elly. Arthur’s trade at the time was that of a tinner. After training they left London, Ontario on April 12th,1915 and sailed on the R.M.S. Grampian from Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 17th 1915. On April 29, 1915, they arrived at West Sandling, Britain. During his time in England he was AWL (absent without leave) 3 times and as a consequence he lost pay for those 5 days. Records indicate he served as both a Sergeant, Colour Sergeant (Dec. 1915), Quarter-Master Sergeant and then back to Sergeant (April, 1916) at his request.
In September 1915 they embarked for France. At the time he was wounded on March 30, 1916, he was serving with Company “A” of the 18th Battalion. The War Diary shows that they were at St. Eloi, France. Arthur was transported by St. John Ambulance to the Ambulance Brigade Hospital. April 1, 1916, he is listed as having a gun shot wound to the left elbow, left fore arm and hip. After being transferred to several Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS) he is sent back to England on April 9 aboard a hospital ship, the HS Cambria.This was one of 75 hospital ships used to convey the wounded from France to England. He was in various hospitals in England with the last one being the Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom. It was the largest one with 3,900 beds. On March 3, 1917 he boarded a ship back to Canada. He was discharged from a Toronto Military Base Hospital on July 31, 1917 as being medically unfit to serve. However it wasn’t until Feb. 11, 1919 that he received his military discharge which listed Arthur as Medically Unfit.
He married Eva B. Carter in Thamesford, Ontario and they had a daughter Bernice Carter Elly. At the time of his death in 1922, Arthur was in Westminster Hospital in London, Ontario, where he had been admitted the previous year. This hospital was built to treat veterans suffering from mental illness after WW1. He is buried in St. John’s Anglican Church Cemetery, Thamesford, Ontario.
Information given by John Berg of Milton, Ontario
POPULAR MAN IN 18TH BATTALION
QUARTERMASTER – SERGEANT ARTHUR ELLY, of A Company, 18th Battalion, has three cousins and two uncles at present on the firing line in France and another uncle serving in Egypt with the Manchester Regiment.
Quartermaster-Sergeant Elly served for four years with His Majesty’s Grenadier Guards, being in the 3rd Battalion stationed for duty at the Tower of London. In 1913 he went to Chicago to live, and when the war broke out came at once to Windsor, and was one of the first to enlist in the 18th Battalion. He is 27 years old, and one of the most popular men in the Battalion.
Transcription from a news clipping.
Biography by Mrs. Victor Jobbins
I was born May 31st, 1895 the third child of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Carter where my father worked for the local flour mill. I was named Eva Bernice Carter and was raised and went to Public and High School at Thamesford in Oxford County.
After high school I worked in the local telephone officer for about two years after which I went to London Ont. And was a long distance operator for the sum of $4.50 a week. I got the extra 50 cts [cents] a week because I was experienced. I paid my board $2.50 a week buts after six months my salary was $6.50 a week.
I was working in London when the Halifax explosion occurred and I worked over an hour to get a call through to Halifax but at that time there was no service there. Now you dial the number in Halifax and get through in seconds.
I was also in London when the peace was declared after the first World War 1914-1918.
I was married to Sgt. Arthur Elly a returned soldier in Feb. 1919. We were only married nine moths when my husband passed away from war wounds. Our daughter was born three months later. Her name was Bernice Carter Elly and is married to Mr. Wm. Gatco of Rosseau Muskoka.
When Bernice was six years old I was married to Victor Jobbins the Mrg. To the Kintore Tel. Co.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 
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