John Clarence Ross Collection

John Clarence Ross was the only one of his immediate family to enlist in the "Great War".

• September 26, 1915: He enlisted in the 73rd Battalion, R.H.C., at Blury St. Barracks, and was issued rifle #891. Read this transcription of his diary, which ends March 15, 1917, about three weeks before he died. Because the original is a small, pocket-sized notebook with plain black covers written in a cramped script with pencil and some of the pages have damaged edges, some parts are unreadable. Clarence also used a number of abbreviations and obviously didn't know how to spell the names of many of the places he visited. Consequently, some of the transcription is guesswork, and there are many question marks where we were unwilling to guess.

• December 10, 1916 Bruay, France: Clarence had his photo taken to send home to his family.

• April 9, 1917: Clarence was killed at Vimy Ridge, France. He has two grave markers, one in Villers Station Cemetary, Villers-au-Bois, France, and the other in Williamstown Cemetary, Ontario.

Contact us:

Don and Jeanne Ross Duncan, BC Canada

phone: 250-715-1857