FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 4, 2017
QUEEN’S PARK – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett paid tribute to a Houghton Township family that suffered catastrophic loss during the First World War’s Battle of Vimy Ridge.
“One hundred years ago today, three young brothers from our area’s Houghton Township were fighting in France as part of the Canadian Corps, 14th Battalion,” Barrett said in the Legislature. “Within a matter of days, all three brothers would be dead. Bill West, age 20, and Arthur West, age 27, were killed April 9, 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Their third remaining brother, Lewis West, age 21, would die Sept. 7 from wounds suffered at Vimy.”
Besides the West family from King Lake, more than 20 Norfolk families would receive the dreaded telegram.
“All told, 16 Norfolk boys were killed April 9 at Vimy Ridge, and nine more in ensuing days at the Battle of Vimy,” Barrett continued. “Over 625,000 Canadians answered the call to arms—an incredible turnout from a total population of 7.5 million people. By war’s end, over 67,000 had been killed, 35,000 killed in action.”
He also gave credit to Grant Smith’s book Norfolk Remembers: The Great War as a great resource for those interested in First World War history.
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For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DezgsrhIhdk&feature=youtu.be
Ontario Legislative Assembly
Official Hansard
Monday, April 3, 2017
Mr. Toby Barrett: One hundred years ago today, three young brothers from our area’s Houghton township were fighting in France as part of the Canadian Corps, 14th Battalion. Within a matter of days, all three brothers would be dead. Bill West, age 20, and Arthur West, age 27, were killed April 9, 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Their third remaining brother, Lewis West, age 21, would die September 7 from wounds suffered at Vimy.
A poem in the 1917 Simcoe Reformer tells us this:
Three brave brothers from Houghton,
Went to fight the German foe,
Arthur, Lew and William West,
While others would not go….
And the poem goes on, Speaker.
All told, 16 Norfolk boys were killed April 9 at Vimy Ridge, and nine more in ensuing days at the Battle of Vimy. Over 625,000 Canadians answered the call to arms—an incredible turnout from a total population of 7.5 million people. By war’s end, over 67,000 had been killed, 35,000 killed in action.
There’s an excellent book that is titled Norfolk Remembers: The Great War, authored by Grant Smith. It goes into great detail of what occurred during the First World War. It has photographs of every local military person who was killed during the Great War.