Source: Facebook post at 18th Battalion Facebook Group by Greg Melanson.
Summary of Service[i] for Private Kenneth Kemp, reg. no. 405501
Notes from Summary of Service
- There is an entry in the service record that he was to be promoted to Company Quarter Master Sergeant upon his enlistment, but the entry is struck out.
- The entry dated September 25, 1917, for his pending return to Canada is unusual for an enlisted soldier. The reasons are not stated. Was his wife ill or some other family emergency? It is not clear that the order was related to military duty or compassionate grounds. In any case, it was cancelled the next day.
- It is more usual that a soldier of any rank, other than private, is reverted to the rank of private before they are sent to an active-duty unit. This is one of the rare case sI have seen a soldier keep, effectively, his present rank and have it carry over with him to his active duty unit.
| Date | Event | Remarks |
| April 28, 1886 | Born | Born at [Rosshire], Scotland to Mr. and Mrs. |
| Estimated 1905 | Emigrated | Emigrated to Canada |
| March 23, 1911 | Marries | Marries Annie Smith at Toronto, Ontario. |
| April 5, 1915 | Enlists | Enlists with the 35th Battalion at Toronto, Ontario. He is 29-years old and indicates he has 9-years military experience with the 48th Highlanders. He is currently a cutter and is married. He resides at 404 Clinton Street, Toronto, Ontario. A Presbyterian, he stands 5’ 9” tall with a chest of 38” with a 4” expansion. He weighs 190 lbs. He has a dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. He is assigned to “D” Company. |
| October 1915 | Assigns Pay | Assigns pay to his wife, Annie Kemp, of $25.00 per month. The cheques are assigned to 433 Graces Street but she later moves to 278 Montrose Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. There is a further record of an address at 382 Bathurst Street in the pay records and 433 Grace Street, Toronto, Ontario. |
| October 15, 1915 | Embarks | Embarks from Montreal to England aboard HMS Metagama. |
| October 25, 1915 | Disembarks | Disembarks at Plymouth, England. |
| October 30. 1915 | Detailed | Detailed for P.T. and B.F Course at Aldershot. |
| November 27, 1915 | Reported Returned | Returned to unit at West Sandling. |
| January 4, 1917 | Transferred | Transferred to 4th Reserve Battalion and TOS. |
| June 2, 1917 | Promoted | Promoted to Acting Sergeant Major with 2nd Class Warrant Rank at Bramshott Camp. |
| September 25, 1917 | SOS | SOS 4th Reserve Battalion, pending return to Canada. |
| September 2, 1917 | Cancelled | No explanation for cancellation. |
| October 18, 1917 | Arrives | Arrives at No. 2 Canadian Infantry Base Depot, Etaples, France. It is noted that this soldier is supernumerary to the establishment of the 18th Battalion and will carry his rank of Acting Sergeant with him to his assignment. |
| October 23, 1917 | Arrives | Arrives at the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp. |
| October 29, 1917 | Dispatched | Dispatched to join his unit in the field. |
| November 23, 1917 | Arrives at 18th Battalion | Arrives almost a month after being dispatched. No explanation is given. It may be a clerical error. The CCRC was close to the frontlines and most soldiers arrived at their active-duty assignments within days of being dispatched. The 18th Battalion is encamped at Viilers Au Bios and the Battalion was participating in parades and instruction. |
| April 22, 1918 | Wounded | Wounded in action. Sergeant Kemp is wounded with 1 GWS, right thigh; 2 GSW right axilla; 3 GSW to right leg and ankle with a compound fracture of the fibula. On that date the 18th Battalion War Diary relates: “During night of 21/22 working parties from Battalion cleaning and repairing trenches. Lieut. G.J. Spencer (Scout Officer) Sgt. Manby and 4 scouts reconnoitered entire system of surrounding trenches to check our lines and posts. Our observers discovered what appears to be part of enemy new front line trench at N.19.b.35.85 and several of our scouts lying in shell holes in No Mans Land were able to snipe. Scout Rymal claiming one hun. At 12.30 German sentry was observed at N.19.2.80.20 and Sgt. Manby with 4 scouts set out to secure line but were held up by wire in front of this post. Sgt. Manby therefore shot the Sentry. Germans were observed in the Church at Neuville Vitasse which is being used as an O.P.” |
| April 23 – 24, 1918 | Moved Between Medical Units | Sgt. Kemp probably was transported to a CFA and the to a CCS where he would be stabilized, his wounds dressed and then transported by train from the CCS to the hospital in Etaples. |
| April 25, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to No. 26 General Hospital, Etaples, France. |
| April 28, 1918 | TOS | TOS with the WORD from the 18th Battalion. |
| April 28, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to West Suffolk General Hospital, Bury St. Edmonds. |
| July 20, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to Auxiliary Hospital, Hill Road, Bury St. Edmonds. |
| August 9, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to General Military Hospital, Colchester, England. |
| October 4, 1918 | Admitted | Canadian Special Hospital, Witley, Surrey. |
| August 17, 1918 | Admitted | Military Convalescent Hospital, West, Park, Epsom |
| August 20, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted to the Remedial Treatment Gymnasium, Military Convalescent Hospital, Epsom. He is part of Division A, Hut 610. He is required to attend from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM. |
| October 2, 1918 | Discharged | Discharged from above. |
| October 19, 1918 | Admitted | Admitted Woodcote Park, Epsom. During this time it was noted that there were many pieces of metal in the area of his wounds but there would be no benefit to removing them. |
| January 10, 1919 | Discharged | |
| January 10, 1919 | Attached | Attached Depot Company, Witley Camp. |
| February 12, 1919 | Dental Exam | Card shows his teeth had not fillings, extractions or any other treatment. Very rare for this era. |
| February 18, 1919 | SOS | SOS CCC Rhyl. MD @ |
| February 19, 1919 | Attached | Attached CCC Kinmel Park for return to Canada. |
| March 10, 1919 | Posted | Posted to Cas. Co. (Ex. Camp). |
| March 10, 1919 | Embarked | Embarked HMT Celtic at Liverpool for Canada. |
| March 10, 1919 | TOS | TOS with No. 2 District Depot. |
| April 2, 1919 | SOS | SOS on transportation to Clearing Service Command, Quebec. Transfer is cancelled. |
| April 7, 1919 | Dental Exam | Dental exam in preparation for return to Canada. |
| April 9, 1919 | Posted | Posted to Cas. Co. (Park School) |
| May 14, 1919 | Posted | Posted from Cas. Co. to Hospital Section. |
| June 6, 1919 | Posted | Posted from Hospital Section to Cas. Co. Park Hill. |
| June 12, 1919 | Discharged | Discharged medically unfit at Military District No. 2 (Toronto). |
| June 18, 1919 | SOS to Discharge | |
| August 20, 192? | Updated address | Updated residence address from 812 Logan Avenue to 83 Browning Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. |
| January 17, 1944 | Deceased | His next of kin is his wife, Annie. She is now residing at Apartment C, 1 Glenridge Road, Ontario. He is interned at Saint James Cemetery Toronto, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada. |
Acronyms
| AWL | Absent Without Leave: Generally, a soldier would be deducted 1-days pay for every day absent. In some cases, the soldier would be confined to barracks. Sometimes it was a combination of both. |
| A Classification | Medical Board Classification that determined your fitness for duty. A1, A2, A3 and A4 were assigned to different units with the expectation that these men would be able to serve with active combat units. See this link for more information. |
| B Classification | Medical Board Classification that determined your fitness for duty. B1, B2, and B3 were assigned to different service units such as railway and forestry corps. See this link for more information. |
| D Classification | See this link for more information. |
| CAMC | Canadian Army Medical Corp |
| Cas. Co. | Possibly Casualty Company. |
| CB | Confined to Barracks: a punishment for minor infractions. |
| CCC | Canadian Convalescent Corp |
| CCD | Casualty Convalescent Depot: a depot at a base where men, in their final stages of convalescing, would be prepared for duty depending on their rating. |
| CCH | Casualty Clearing Hospital |
| CCRC | Canadian Corps Reserve Camp |
| CCS | Casualty Clearing Station: this facility was attached to rail transportation from the front to hospitals on the coast of France |
| CFA | Canadian Field Ambulance |
| DHA | Disorderly Action of the Heart |
| DRS | Divisional Rest Station |
| GSW | Gun Shot Wound – this was a generic term for all projectile penetrating wounds. |
| In the Field | This term relates to a soldier arriving at an active-duty unit after transporting from England, to France, and then to his duty assignment. The routing varied from soldier to soldier and could take 2-3 days to several months. |
| MD | Military District |
| PUO | Pyrexia of Unknown Origin: This was a term used for any illness that could not clearly be identified and typically was related to influenza symptoms. |
| SOS | Struck Off Strength |
| TOS | Taken On Strength |
| WORD | Western Ontario Regimental Depot. This was the “holding” unit for soldiers that make up the regiments recruited and raised on the Western Ontario district. |
[i] The Summary of Service for this soldier is meant as just that, a summary of his service. It is not intended to be an exhaustive biographical relation of his life or his war service. Some information may be deliberately suppressed by the author out of sensitivity to the soldier. Readers are encouraged to reference the actual service records available at the Library and Archives Canada in PDF format if they wish to learn more about this soldier. Such additional information (i.e. hyperlinks etc.) are for informational purpose only and no claim to verification or accuracy is made by the author of this summary.
