The great-grandchildren of Henry Charles Byce saw information about the Battle of Vimy Ridge on our website. One contacted the Strathroy – Caradoc Lions looking for details about her great-grandfather’s war experiences as she and her husband were planning a trip to France and were interested in learning where he fought. Those specifics are tricky to determine specifically after all these years, but here’s what we’ve learned so far.
Regimental # 409318 (Sergeant)
Henry Charles Byce was born July 25, 1887, in Westmeath, Ontario.
The following information was summarized from Henry Byce’s WWI military records.
Henry was 28 years old and married to Louisa at the time of his enlistment at Sudbury, Ontario on September 7, 1915, and was then transported to Niagara, Ontario. He was 5’6″ tall, weighed 158 pounds, had brown eyes and dark brown hair. His trade was a fireman. Henry had a deep commitment to fighting for his country, and he could not be dissuaded, by family or anyone else, from signing up. This desire was very significant for his family because he had 5 children, with another on the way, when he enlisted. He entered the war as a private and was promoted to sergeant as of August 21, 1917. The Casualty Form – Active Service shows that on August 13, 1918, he had gunshot wounds to “face, arm, side” and on August 12 or 15, 1918, was sent to England.
Henry survived the war and he was 31 years 8 months old when discharged on March 27, 1919. He had served in Canada, England, and France. His discharge paper indicates that he had 4 gunshot wounds to the right side of his neck, his right shoulder blade, his right nostril and to his chin.
He was awarded three medals; the Distinguished Conduct Medal on January 16, 1919, and the Medaille Militaire on January 29, 1919. HIs Active Duty Casualty Form shows a notation on May 22, 1919, for the M.M. (Military Medal) while he was with the 14th Battalion.
Henry was in a variety of battalions and corps at various times. It was usual for men to be transferred from group to group as and when and where they were needed or were placed in reserve while awaiting transfer or during medical rehabilitation. According to his military records, (click to go to a separate page with the documents) these were his placements:
December 11, 1915 – arrived in England (private)
March 16, 1916 – 12th Battalion at Shorncliffe, England,
August 17, 1916 – 1st C.I.B. Signal Base, Quebec Regiment, at Suffgate
September 16, 1916 – ceases to be attached to 1st
September 16, 1916 – 23rd Reserve Battalion
December 26, 1916 – 14th Battalion
March 21, 1917 – 14th Battalion
May 18, 1917 – made corporal
July 21, 1917 – made sergeant
August 12, 1918 – Gunshot wounds to face, arm, shoulder, (Battle of Amiens), treated at No. 1 Aus.G.H.Rouen, Invalided to England and posted with the
August 19, 1918 – 2nd C.C.D.,
February 6, 1919 – 23rd Reserve Battalion,
February 25, 1919 – Embarked for Liverpool
March 27, 1919 – 37th Overseas Battalion
May 22, 1919 – 14th Battalion,
August 14, 1919 – 23rd Reserve Battalion “Having Proc.to ? Camp Rhil for return to Canada…”.
Thus, it appears that Henry acquired several wounds that required his withdrawal from action in the field and led to his discharge and eventual return to Canada.
The military records found for Henry Charles Byce may be found here:
Byce – Military Records
Detailed descriptions of the actions of the 14th Battalion at the time when Henry Charles Byce was at The Battle of Amiens, including maps outlining where Henry probably was at the time, may be found here:
Battle of Amiens – August 1918
Henry also served in the Second World War but did not get shipped overseas. He served as a guard in a prison camp in Espanola, Ontario for Italian and German Canadians they wished to inter. When discharged he had attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. In his exit interview, the commanding officer said, “Henry is a mature, serious thinking man who displays a high degree of common sense. He is responsible and possessing a high degree of tact and diplomacy which is reflected in his rank.“
After his discharge from the Veterans Guard (WW2), he worked as a stationary engineer. He moved from Chapleau and settled in Espanola, where he lived until his death, Dec 6, 1961.