Sapper George Harvey: 9th Battalion, Canadian Engineers (C.E.)

Posted on 5 November 2025 by
AI Generated Image

AI Generated Image

As Remembrance Day approaches, we pause to honour the countless individuals whose lives were forever altered by the First World War. This year, I’m looking closely at one such life – that of 2007216 Sapper George Harvey of “B” Company, 9th Battalion, Canadian Engineers, the great-grandfather from whom Harvey inherited his name.

Early Years

George Harvey, a mason and fisherman’s son, was born in Newlyn, Cornwall, on 23rd July 1884. He married Lizzie Annie Thomas on 5th April 1908 and their eldest daughter, also named Lizzie Annie, arrived in August. The following year he sailed to America on the Steam Ship Teutonic to join his brother-in-law in Houghton, Michigan.

After a period of more than five years away, George returned home to Newlyn, arriving on 6th June 1914 on the White Star ocean liner, RMS Olympic. A couple of months later the now bricklayer, embarked at Liverpool on the S.S. Merion bound for Bell Avenue, Braddock, Pennsylvania. While he was abroad, his second daughter, Marie, was born in Cornwall on 25th February 1915.

Military Service

George was still resident at Bell Avenue when, in December 1917, he enlisted at Toronto, Canada, for the Canadian Over-seas Expeditionary Force. His Attestation Paper notes four years of prior military service as a Gunner (details currently unknown).

On 11th March 1918, George arrived in England on the S.S. Metagama and was stationed at the training base at Seaford, East Sussex, before deploying to France on 23rd June. He likely arrived at Grosville, nearby Riviere, with the seventy-nine reinforcements joining the 9th Battalion on 5th July.

Mobilising for Amiens

The Battle of Amiens marked the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive, a series of rapid Allied advances that would ultimately end the First World War. The war diary of the 9th Battalion, Canadian Engineers (C.E.) of the 3rd Canadian Division offers a compelling, day-by-day look into their intense activities. Led by Major N.R. Robertson DSO, the battalion played a critical and often perilous role in the preparations for, and execution of, the massive offensive that began on 8th August.

“B” Company’s Activities throughout July 1918

“B” Company (George Harvey’s unit) was engaged in a demanding schedule of engineering, construction, and movement during July.

The initial focus was on defensive and demolition work, including:

  • Patrolling.
  • Managing road mines: inspecting, repairing charges and fuses, and constructing and installing new ones (including a specific mine at Tank Bridge on July 14th).
  • Preparing points for demolition.
  • Constructing barbed wire concertinas.
  • Sawing pit props and performing carpenter work in Grosville.
  • Erecting shelters.
  • Operating and repairing the water trough system in Grosville.
  • Repairing the Light Railway and salvaging material and loading rails.
B Company's July Tasks

B Company’s July Tasks (click to enlarge)

The end of the month saw a major shift in location:

  • July 26th: The Battalion moved to Ecoivres.
  • July 30th: The 9th Battalion C.E. endured an 11-hour, 35-kilometre march in “great heat” to Brevillers.
  • July 31st: The 3rd Canadian Division C.E. began moving by rail and route march, with the 9th Battalion C.E. eventually billeting in the woollen mills at Saleux.

Preparations for Attack

Before the main thrust, the 9th Battalion C.E. was tasked with crucial engineering work in the forward area near Saleux and Boves. The work was high-stakes and done under enemy fire, often at night, with the added difficulty of maintaining absolute silence.

Key preparatory tasks included:

  • Bridging the River Luce: The battalion, particularly “A” Company, was responsible for almost all the bridging for the initial attack. This involved constructing footbridges and causeways across the swamp and the River Luce. The swamp was up to 300 yards wide, with water up to 10 feet deep in places, and the river itself about 20 feet across. The objective was to allow the Infantry to assemble on the far bank.
  • Creating Infantry Tracks: “B” Company constructed several miles of Infantry tracks using lines of stakes driven into the ground, about 50 yards apart, and plain wire that guided soldiers from the rear area across the fields to their assembly points and bridges over the River Luce. These tracks were essential for maintaining order and speed in the dark, chaotic landscape.
  • Road Work and Logistics: “C” Company worked on repairing and maintaining the main Amiens-Roye Road and other cross roads, including removing a barrier in Domart Village. Logistical challenges were immense, with the main Amiens-Roye Road experiencing traffic jams “solid for miles” at night, delaying material delivery.
  • Advanced Dressing Station: “D” Company converted a tunnel under the main Amiens-Roye Road, just west of Domart, into an Advanced Dressing Station. They also built a separate dry-weather Ambulance Road.

The engineers even prepared for contingencies: fascines were loaded onto tanks in case the main bridge was destroyed and signs were placed to guide walking wounded to medical aid. Their work ensured the infantry could move swiftly and that the wounded could be evacuated efficiently.

The Assault on 8th August

The diary records the commencement of the attack: The 3rd Canadian Division successfully attacked enemy positions between the Andrea Ravine and Hangard at 4:20 a.m. on 8th August 1918. The Engineers’ preparatory work was immediately validated:

  • Infantry Success: The Infantry assembled “undiscovered”, using the bridges and tracks laid by the Engineers.
  • Sapper Action: Sappers from “A” Company remained at the bridges to control Infantry traffic and repair them when broken.
  • Road Opening: Lieut. Jones and his section of “B” Company, assembled with the Infantry, and followed their fourth wave over, and assisted the Infantry to get over the barbed wire. They removed obstructions from the main Roye Road and had the road open for traffic, with most of the shell holes filled in up as far as Dodo Wood by about 6.30 a.m. This “exceedingly good work” allowed the artillery to move forward for the second phase of the attack. This party even captured an enemy machine gun crew of eight men and their gun near Dodo Wood.
Traffic on the Amiens-Roye Road

Traffic on the Amiens-Roye Road.
Copyright © Canadian War Museum.
German prisoners carry Canadian wounded to the rear, passing a tank on the Amiens-Roye road during the Battle of Amiens. The Allies used 420 tanks during the surprise attack on 8 August 1918, but the majority had been knocked out or had broken down by the end of the battle.

Wounded in Action

Despite the success, the day was costly. The diary notes: “During the course of the operations, Lieut. Byron, and 4 O.Rs. [Other Ranks] who were with a party, under command of Lieut. Jones, were wounded“.

One of the men wounded with Lieut. Jones’ party of “B” Company was Sapper George Harvey. He received a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Despite being evacuated to No. 9 General Hospital in Rouen, George succumbed to his injuries two days later, on 10 August 1918. He is buried in St Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen.

Honouring George Harvey

George Harvey’s story is one of countless lives shaped, and lost, by war. But through the lens of his unit’s war diary, we see more than just tragedy. We see a network of men working together under impossible conditions, building the literal and figurative bridges that carried the Allies toward victory.

As George Harvey is remembered, we also honour the 9th Battalion, Canadian Engineers, whose quiet heroism helped turn the tide of history. Their legacy lives not only in military records and battalion diaries, but in the hearts of descendants who continue to remember them.

May his name, and theirs, never be forgotten.

++ Click here to view a photograph of George Harvey, as well as his headstone and other memorials ++

———-

The War Diary has been digitised and can be viewed and downloaded from the Government of Canada Library and Archives website: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/search.html
Input the following in the search box: 9-52 war diaries 9th Battalion Canadian Engineers 1918

Posted in Ancestors Corner | Tagged | (Leave a comment)

Death Of A Son, Birth Of A Granddaughter

Posted on 8 September 2025 by

ON THIS DAY… 8TH SEPTEMBER

I’ve relayed the story of my great-grandfather, Henry James Weaver, many times whenever the anniversary of his death comes around. But recently, a newspaper clipping reminded me of something I hadn’t considered before – when Henry was killed, he didn’t just leave behind a widow and an unborn child. His parents, too, were mourning the loss of their second son.

The following notice appeared in the Langport & Somerton Herald on Saturday, 23 September 1916:

KILLED IN ACTION.– On Monday Mr. Henry Weaver received the sad news that his second son Pte. Henry J. Weaver of the Bucks L.I. had been killed in action. The deceased joined the army in March last and had been serving about six months. He proved an excellent and efficient soldier and a good shot gaining his “cross-guns” for marksmanship. Before going to France five weeks ago he was made a bomb thrower. He leaves a wife and one child, a girl born on the day the news of the father’s death was received. Much sympathy is expressed with the sorrowing parents and young wife in their great grief. The deceased was well known in the district and much respected. The following kind letter of sympathy conveying the news of Private Henry Weaver’s death was received from the chaplain of the regiment:- “Dear Mrs. Weaver, – I regret to have to inform you that your husband was killed last week. I buried him in a peaceful spot, where others of his fallen comrades lie. A cross will be erected to his memory and his grave will be well cared for. May God bless and comfort you. Yours sincerely, J. R. Foster.”

Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 23rd September 1916

Langport & Somerton Herald – Saturday 23rd September 1916

Florence and the Timing of the News

Henry’s widow, Florence, was living with her parents in Tavistock, Devon, when he was killed on 8th September 1916. The newspaper reported that Henry’s parents (William Henry Weaver & Jane, née Arnold) in Curry Rivel, Somerset, received the news on the Monday prior to publication, which was the 18th September 1916 – the very day my gran was born. According to family legend, Florence wasn’t told the news for another ten days, likely because she was recovering from childbirth.

It may be that Henry’s parents received an official telegram or perhaps Florence’s parents, William Henry and Grace Smale, sent a telegram to Somerset, and later followed up with a letter that included a copy of the chaplain’s words. This would explain how the Langport Herald was able to publish the story so quickly, just five days later.

A family member still holds the original letter written by J. R. Foster. Until I saw this notice, I hadn’t realised he was the regiment’s chaplain. Interestingly, the wording in the original differs slightly from the version printed in the newspaper.

Letter from The Chaplain of the Regiment

Letter from The Chaplain of the Regiment

Details Confirmed and New Insights

The article confirmed some facts I’d already known and helped to substantiate and expand on others:

Marksmanship: I knew Henry was a skilled shot, as the family still holds a silver teaspoon which he was awarded in 1914 by the North Cadbury Miniature Rifle Club. The inscription reads:
“N. Cadbury.
Miniature Rifle Club.
–1914–
February – H. Weaver.
Monthly Spoon.”
(view the spoon here.)

Army Service: I’d previously assumed Henry was conscripted, but the article says he joined the army in March 1916. While single men were “deemed to have enlisted” on 2nd March 1916, conscription for married men didn’t begin until later that year. Henry married in 1915 so he must have been a volunteer.

France: The article notes he went to France “five weeks ago,” which places his deployment around 19th August 1916. This aligns with Henry’s surviving letters. One, written from France on 25th August 1916 shortly after his arrival, fits the timeline perfectly.

The Date Of The News: My gran had always understood that the news of her father’s death arrived on the day she was born. The newspaper confirms this heartbreaking detail.

Bomb Thrower: I knew Henry had been killed by accident when a bomb (hand grenade) prematurely detonated during training at the base, but I hadn’t appreciated until now that he’d actually been assigned as a bomb thrower shortly before deployment. In the early years of the First World War, British soldiers improvised with jam-tin grenades but, by 1916, they were issued with Mills bombs. These grenades were powerful but unpredictable and bomb throwers faced enormous risks even before reaching the front line. The fact that Henry’s life ended this way underscores the harsh reality that danger for WWI soldiers was not confined to the trenches. He died alongside two others.

Closing Reflections

The cruel timing of events in September 1916 bound my gran’s birth and her father’s death together. Henry was killed on 8th September, yet the news didn’t reach his parents or his wife’s family until the 18th – the very day Florence gave birth. For Florence, the shattering reality of widowhood came a little later when she was finally told that Henry would never return.

Henry’s story is one of quiet bravery and deep loss. He was respected in his community, loved by his family and remembered with honour. Each new detail, whether from a newspaper clipping or a family keepsake, adds depth to the legacy he left behind.

Posted in Ancestors Corner, On This Day... | Tagged , | (Leave a comment)

Balancing The Books – Joseph Dando: Philadelphia’s Bookkeeping Pioneer

Posted on 7 September 2025 by

Joseph Dando, the Younger (my 3 x great-grandfather), was a figure who navigated the competitive world of 19th century commerce and left a visible mark on history. Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, and later active in Philadelphia, USA, during the 1830s and 1840s, Joseph built a career as a bookkeeper, teacher, and author. Contemporary newspapers praised his innovative bookkeeping methods and his efforts to train young men for careers in commerce. At the same time, like many entrepreneurs of his era, he was not without his faults, as I’ve found in other chapters of his life. He wasn’t simply a success story, but a complicated man whose ambitions, choices, and flaws are as much a part of his legacy as his innovations. This aspect of his journey is less about a flawless hero and more about a man navigating the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly growing American city.

From Bristol to New York and Philadelphia: The Rise of an Entrepreneur

Joseph began life in Bristol but his ambitions led him across the Atlantic and by 1835, he’d already developed his own method of bookkeeping in New York. The Journal of the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania stated that his system, described in a series of four books, was a marked improvement over the traditional “Italian system” of double-entry bookkeeping, long criticised for being tedious and cumbersome. At the heart of his innovation was a “Journal of Settlements”, which streamlined accounting procedures and made it far more efficient. This early recognition paved the way for his eventual move to Philadelphia, where he would cement his reputation.

8th August 1839 - Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

One of Joseph Dando’s Advertisements –
Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) dated 8th August 1839

By 1839, Joseph had been in Philadelphia for about three years and he’d opened the “Institute for Book-keepers” and “Dando’s Institute for Accountants” at the southeast corner of Fifth and Walnut Streets. Advertisements from this period show him as a respected figure, with multiple “Recommendations” from prominent local businesses. These included Sampson Tams who was a merchant and importer specializing in selling various wares, primarily china, glass, and other goods and who ammassed a significant fortune, and also Frederick Fraley who was an American businessman, politician, and civic leader from Philadelphia, a co-founder of the Franklin Institute and who served as president of the American Philosophical Society. These endorsements not only reinforced Joseph’s credibility but also positioned him as a trusted source for aspiring accountants.

Educator, Author and Mentor

Joseph’s contributions went beyond his own bookkeeping. He trained young men in the practical and theoretical skills they would need in Philadelphia’s commercial sector. His advertisements served a dual purpose – inviting young men to study bookkeeping under his guidance, while also informing local businesses that competent and trustworthy bookkeepers were available through his institute. Students praised his method for combining hands-on experience with solid theory, preparing them for real-world work in the counting houses of the city.

In 1842, he published “A Complete and Infallible System of Book-Keeping by Double Entry”, allowing his innovative methods to reach an even wider audience and setting a standard for accounting practice at the time. An article in the New-York Spectator from 2nd November 1842, highlighted his reputation as a “scientific and practical accountant and teacher of book-keeping, of the very first class” in both New York and Philadelphia. It stated the book was “beautifully printed on fine paper” and was for sale by the author in Philadelphia and was also available through Stephen Dando (Joseph’s uncle) at 401 Pearl Street, New York.

A Shrewd Businessman

Joseph was not only a teacher and author but also a keen businessman. By 1844, he’d relocated to No. 31 Merchants’ Exchange on South Third Street. In 19th century Philadelphia, the Merchants’ Exchange was a prominent hub for commerce – a central building where merchants, brokers, and financial professionals conducted business. Being located there would have been a strategic choice – it placed Joseph at the centre of the city’s commercial activity, making his bookkeeping instruction highly visible and convenient for the businesses and students he served. Advertisements show he adjusted his fees to be more accessible – “five dollars below the former charges” – showing his adaptability and understanding of the city’s changing economic landscape.

The Merchants' Exchange - 1840

The Merchants’ Exchange, Philadelphia
Lithograph published by J.T. Bowen in 1840

The Merchants' Exchange - 2017 (Google Maps)

The Merchants’ Exchange – 2017 (Google Street View)

The Merchants' Exchange on S 3rd Street - 2024 (Google Maps)

The Opposite Side of The Merchants’ Exchange on S 3rd Street – 2024 (Google Street View)

Through his teaching, publications, and ability to adapt, Joseph Dando was more than just a bookkeeper. He was a pioneer in commercial education, a respected author, and a vital link between aspiring young men and the businesses that needed their skills.

Later Career

After his years in Philadelphia, Joseph returned to England, probably around 1845, and spent a period of time working in the family’s hat-making business in Bristol. He established an accountancy firm in Manchester in around 1857 and later entered into a brief partnership with his son, William Elbert Dando, running an auditors and accountancy business there. During the mid 1860’s, he relocated to Belfast, Ireland, where he resumed practising on his own until he died in 1870. These later years show a man still engaged with his profession, adapting to new circumstances, and passing on his skills to the next generation.

Posted in Ancestors Corner | Tagged | (Leave a comment)

A Tavistock Widow’s Tragic End – Florence Smale (1888-1921)

Posted on 18 August 2025 by

ON THIS DAY… 18TH AUGUST

On the 18th August 1921, my great-grandmother, Florence Weaver (née Smale), passed away at her parents’ home, 22 Ford Street, Tavistock, at just 33 years of age. Her death, sudden and tragic, left behind a grieving family and a daughter who was not quite five years old.

AI Generated Memorial Image

AI Generated Memorial Image

A Life Touched by War and Loss

Florence was the daughter of William Henry Smale and Grace Smale (née Martin) and her life had already been marked by tragedy before her untimely death. Her husband, Henry James Weaver, had died during the First World War nine months after he and Florence had married. Serving in France, he was accidentally killed by a bomb at the base, just after leaving the trenches for a brief respite. Her baby was born ten days later – my grandmother, Phyllis Grace Weaver.

A Community Mourns

A newspaper report, published just after Florence died, described the sorrow felt in Tavistock at the loss of a woman who was “amiable…. well liked and greatly respected by all who knew her”. It also noted with particular sympathy the plight of “the little orphan child” and expressed condolences for Florence’s grieving parents and the rest of the family.

Illness and Sudden Decline

The same article recounts that Florence was out and about on the evening of Thursday 11th August 1921. The very next day, Friday 12th August, she fell ill, and within a week, on Thursday 18th August, she had passed away. That means her decline was frighteningly fast. Despite the care of Dr. C.C. Brodrick, who visited her and did all he could, she succumbed to meningitis in just six days. Her father, William Henry Smale, was present at her death and registered it the same day. Her burial took place two days later, on the 20th August.

Following her passing, the family extended their gratitude in the local paper for the sympathy and floral tributes they received during their time of “great bereavement”.

Newspaper Notice of Thanks

Newspaper Notice of Thanks from the Smale Family

Final Resting Place

Florence was buried in an unmarked grave in Tavistock New Cemetery, Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon. She rests in plot F114, alongside her mother who was buried in 1925, aged 68, and her father who was buried in 1944, aged 78. To locate their resting place, you can take the left path at the cemetery. Near the top, just before the right turn, you’ll see a large tree. The unmarked plot lies five or six graves in from the path between the names Ash and Kenworthy.

The Smale Plot at Tavistock New Cemetery

The Smale Plot with No Markers at Tavistock New Cemetery (click to enlarge)

Location of the Smale Plot at Tavistock New Cemetery

Location of the Smale Plot between the Ash and Kenworthy Graves at Tavistock New Cemetery
(click to enlarge)

A Daughter’s Reflections

Many years later, my gran told me that when her mother was lying gravely ill in bed, she heard her daughter playing in the garden and asked her family to quieten the child. I know this saddened my gran, realising they were the last words she spoke of her, but I can only imagine how poorly Florence must have been at that moment.

Memorial Announcement

Another notice was placed in the local newspaper, perhaps on the anniversary of Florence’s passing. It reads:

IN MEMORIAM

WEAVER.-In loving memory of Florence, the beloved daughter of W. and G. Smale, and darling Mother of little Phyllis, who died August 18th, 1921.

Day by day we sadly miss her,
Words would fail our loss to tell.
But in Heaven we hope to meet her,
Happy there with Christ to dwell.

22, Ford-street, Tavistock.

A Life Remembered

Though her life was tragically short, Florence’s story reflects both the personal cost of war and the devastation of sudden illness in an age before modern medicine. A beloved daughter, wife, and mother, she left behind a grieving family and a young child who grew up without her parents.

Today, more than a century later, her story is not forgotten.

Posted in Ancestors Corner, On This Day... | Tagged , , | (Leave a comment)

Born Together, Gone Too Soon: The Story of Lily and May Hellyer

Posted on 13 August 2025 by

ON THIS DAY…13TH AUGUST

In the late summer of 1880, twin girls were born into a Royal Naval family in Plymouth. Their father’s work kept the household afloat but also took him away from home, while their mother managed daily life and cared for the children. For a brief moment, Lily Elizabeth and May Amelia Hellyer shared the same early milestones but, within two years, both would be gone – two tiny lives lost in quick succession, leaving their parents with grief they would carry forever.

Lily and May Hellyer were born on 13th August 1880 to John Hellyer, a stoker in the Royal Navy, and his wife Mary Ann, née Congdon. The girls began life in the family’s home in Mount Street, Devonport, Plymouth and were baptized just two weeks after their birth, on 27th August at St Mary’s Church in Devonport. Their arrival must have brought joy and hope to the Hellyer household but their time together would be heartbreakingly brief.

AI Generated image depicting the Hellyer Family

AI Generated image depicting the Hellyer Family in 1880

By June 1881, the family were living in Tavistock, Devon, a quieter market town on the edge of Dartmoor. While Plymouth’s dockside streets bustled with noise, sea smells, and the grit of coal smoke, Tavistock offered cleaner air and a slower pace. Yet in both places, illness and infection were constant threats.

Lily Elizabeth was the first to pass away on 8th June 1881. At 10 months old, she succumbed to pneumonia and exhaustion at 24 Bannawell Street, Tavistock, Devon, the home of Charles and Elizabeth Gill. She was ill for 5 days and Elizabeth, described as an aunt, was present at the death. She was actually the second wife of Lily’s great-aunt’s husband. Lily was laid to rest on 12th June.

Her sister, May Amelia, followed a few months later. She died on 26th February 1882 at the same address. At just 18 months old, her cause of death was recorded as Tabes Mesenterica, a form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes of the abdomen.  May’s death certificate noted her father was a stoker on board H.M. Ship Briton and therefore, it’s possible John was not at home when she died. She was buried on 5th March.

In the 1880s, England’s infant mortality rate was high. Even in families with stable housing and an income, diseases such as diarrhoea, scarlet fever, measles, and whooping cough claimed countless young lives. Without antibiotics, safe infant feeding practices, or modern sanitation, a simple illness could turn deadly in days. For John and Mary Ann, the twins were not the only children they lost. Alice Maud was born in February 1887 and died in the December of that year.

There are no photographs, no surviving letters, no toys tucked away in attics to tell us more about Lily and May but their names endure in the family tree, quietly nestled among siblings who lived longer lives. Their brief existence reminds us of the fragility of childhood in the 19th century, when even the most cherished children could be lost in the blink of an eye.

In remembering Lily and May, we honour not just their lives, but the resilience of families who carried on through grief, holding fast to memory and love.

Posted in Ancestors Corner, On This Day... | Tagged , , | (Leave a comment)