Privates
William and Vernor |
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Pte William
D Street, 455749, kia September 15, 1916 Vernor Abraham Street was born 28 March 1895 and his brother William Dempster on 15 October 1897, both in Brewers Mills. They were part of the large family of Abraham and Mary Anne (nee Pope) who raised six sons and six daughters. Before the war, they worked on the family farm on the Taylor Road north of Gananoque. Vernor also served in the 8th Field Battery, an artillery militia unit stationed in Gananoque. Vernor enlisted 8 December 1915 at age 20, only a little more than a week after his younger brother William had joined 27 November 1915 at age 18. The brothers were assigned to the same infantry unit, the 21st Battalion (Eastern Ontario Regiment), arrived in France in late August 1916, and immediately moved to the Somme. They were about to participate in one of the bloodiest battles in history. Canadians entered the front lines 3 September. The objective of the Canadian Corps on 15 September was Pozieres ridge and the village of Courcelette which was at the centre of the Canadian assault. Occupation of these positions allowed the Germans to observe the movement of British and Canadians troops up to five kilometers away and to shell them. German trenches on the high ground were protected by machine guns, artillery, and belts of barbed wire up to 50 metres deep. Courcelette itself occupied an area only 400 by 200 metres but contained bunkers and destroyed homes which had been converted into small fortresses defended by machine guns. It took 1,600 Canadians two days to capture a village that occupied an area of only 16 football fields. During this attack, the British used newly-invented tanks for the first time in warfare but all six broke down before the end of the day. It was not until 1918 that they became a factor on the battlefield. The 21st Battalion, including Privates Vernor and William Street, attacked as part of a major offensive by about 20,000 Canadian infantrymen which lasted from 15 to 22 September 1916. Of the fewer than 700 men in the Battalion who began the assault, 405 were wounded or killed before they were relieved three days later. Among the dead were Vernor and William Street and two other Gananoque men. Before the battle ended 22 September, it claimed the lives of another four local men. Mary and Abraham Street learned of the deaths of their sons in telegrams that arrived a day apart. Private Donald Fraser of the 31st Battalion (Alberta Regiment) participated in the attack of 15 September and wrote in his diary his recollections of the assault on Courcelette: "All around our men were falling, their rifles loosening from their grasp. The wounded writhing in their agonies and toppled into shell holes for safety from rifle and machine-gunfire ... Rifle fire was taking its toll and on my front and flanks, soldier after soldier was tumbling to disablement or death and I expected my turn at any moment. The transition from life to death was terribly swift." Privates William and Vernor Street are commemorated on Page 169 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Their bodies never were recovered, and their names are inscribed on the VIMY MEMORIAL. Vernor's name is spelled incorrectly on army records and on the Gananoque Cenotaph as Vernon. In the photo above, William Street is standing and his brother Vernor is seated.
Dedicated to the memory of our uncles: Stephen Street, Lindsay, Ontario, and the family of Conley and Eva Street.
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Text reproduced with permission Taken from the "Gananoque Remembers (A tribute to the men who gave their lives for our freedom)" by Geraldine Chase and Bill Beswetherick |
| 2010
For the 7
nights leading up to November 11, 2010, the names of all Canadian soldiers were projected
onto the Belgian War Memorial in Ypres. At
the same time, the same names were being broadcast via the internet to schools across
Belgium and Canada. The image above shows
the opening ceremonies at the Belgian War Memorial on November 4, 2010. Below on the
left is the name of Vernon Street being projected on that wall. Below right shows the name being broadcast to the
schools. Each name appeared for 25 seconds
and each night 9,700 names were shown.
Below on the left is the name of William Street being projected on that wall. Below right shows the name being broadcast to the schools. Each name appeared for 25 seconds and each night 9,700 names were shown.
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The Street brothers are also
honoured on the Memorial Wall in Kingston |
