Major James Howard Tupper - Letters to His Sons

Major James Howard Tupper

Jim, as he was known to his friends, was from the same rugged stock that bred Sir Charles Tupper, Father of Confederation and was a descendent of early settlers of Colchester County, Nova Scotia.  He was tall by the standards of the times at 5'11" with blue eyes and a fair complexion.  By profession, he was a farmer, born and living in Round Hill, Annapolis County.  In a beautiful June wedding in 1903, he married his sweetheart, Letitia May McLaughlin and the pair went on to have four children, two boys and two girls.  Life was idyllic for this happy family until World War One spread ugly its shadow across the world.

James Howard Tupper was 40 years old when he enlisted in the 25th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry - Nova Scotia Regiment.  The date was December 7, 1914 and he was designated a Major due to his age and experience as a leader in his community.

During his time in France, it is said that Jim asked a friend to take a small piece of ivy from a French Convent home to his wife, Letty.  She planted the dried up vine in the rich Annapolis soil and soon it thrived and became a symbol of luck in the community.  Even today it graces anniversary corsages, bridal bouquets and crawls along the walls of the old family home.

Before leaving for France, Jim left letters with Letty to be given to his children when they reached the age of 12.  These letters were written, just in case he did not return from the war.

In the letter written to his son Douglas - aged 9, he said:


'In going into this war it is a great satisfaction to me to know your mother thinks I am doing right and I do not know but what she has hardest part to do, to stay home and have the care of every thing. I know you boys will be a great help to her. Perhaps some day you will be a soldier and a soldier must on all occasions fulfill and carry out his duty his first duty is to obey. Can you do that? I hope so and I think you do. If not you are no soldier. A soldier must obey. I am taking a group of you four children with me. Vera is so young she will not remember me, she is a dear little thing. And now my own dear boy farewell I hope I may return to you. I pray that God may watch over and keep you. There is not a German Sword cut that cuts as deeply as it cuts me to leave you all. I am simply doing my duty as thousands of others are doing. My own dear boy good bye. 

Your loving father, 

J.H. Tupper'

The other letter that survived was to his son Borden - aged 12

My dear Son:

How dear you are to me you will never know or how hard it is for me to leave you, perhaps never to return, you can never understand unless you go through the same ordeal yourself some day and I hope you may never have to but if you do, face it boy, face it bravely. Do not back down. I love you with all the power of love within me and now on the eve of my departure for war I am writing to you and if I do not come back this will help you to understand why I went, why I took such a risk, why it was necessary. I count my life cheap in the scale compared with the empire. I am a man and being a man I could not stand by and see our country in danger and not do my best to save it. It does not appeal to all alike. As you grow older you will realize more fully what I mean. Perhaps when you read this the war will be over and peace in the world once more.

It may be my lot to fall and not return with the troops and if so I would like you to always remember that I loved you better than life itself. I have looked forward to the time when you would be a little older and I would have the benefit of the years of experience I have had. We would be good friends, you and I, the best of friends. You are my eldest son and I hope you will grow up to be as good a man as you promise to at present.

My boy, always be good to your mother. If my actions deprive you of a father, you will still have one of the best of mothers. You cannot afford to neglect her. Honour her and love her above all else and you can safely rely on her councils and judgement. Be kind and true to Grandma. She is Daddy's mother and has a great store of wisdom for boys and girls.

I must think of you as a boy of twelve, a big boy, a true boy, a boy who will make a man. True men are not plenty and all boys are not true boys. Be a true boy. There are things to be true too. First, be true to your "God". Second, be true to yourself. Third, be true to your country.

You can be true to God by obeying His commands, carrying out His will and being kind to all his creatures.

You can be true to yourself by treating yourself fair. God has given you a body to go through this life. Use your body in the way He would wish you to. Keep your body clean, that will keep it healthy. Keep your mind clean by reading good books, thinking good thoughts and doing kind acts. Choose clean friends and always by friendly. Never go back on a friend. One good friend is worth a great many poor ones. In your play and daily contact with your friends and school fellows be clean in your conduct to them, particularly with the girls. Remember you are a gentleman and treat them as ladies. No matter what they are like it will not excuse you. Avoid the bad ones. You cannot afford to spend time with them. That would not be treating yourself fairly.

To get an education God has given you a time of youth to prepare your mind, knowledge to gained every day but only one day at a time. You will get tired of school and you will see boys who do not do very much and you will think they get along just as well but they will not and they will perhaps find it out in time. Study your lessons each day, one day at a time and you will find the better you know your lessons the better you will like to go to school. You will not be true to yourself unless you learn your lessons each day as they come along. You are storing up knowledge that will be most useful by and bye. Get your storehouse "your mind" well stored with the useful knowledge that you get at school and as you go through life you will always find use for it and no man can take it from you and you cannot lose it. You will always have it.

Be true to yourself in your play. Play fair or not at all. A boy who will not play fair is likely to make a man who will cheat in his business. They are both on the same road. The business comes a little later on.

You can be true to your country by being a good citizen, one ever ready to defend what is right and oppose what is wrong. As you grow to manhood you will have to decide on many questions, "public questions" and take one side or the other. It is your duty to do that. Decide honestly and then act accordingly. If filling any office of any society, or in any public capacity, do your best. This is all included in "citizenship of the right kind. It is not always necessary to die for your country to serve her. You can live for her, and only do your duty as you see it and you will not be fulfilling your obligations.

I have many friends upon whom you may rely for council and help. I cannot name them all but only a few of my nearest and dearest ones. I need not mention your uncles Elias and Forbes as well as uncles Charlie, Hallet, and Uncle Reg. You can always depend on Rev. E. B. Spurr. He is one of my very best friends and I claim him as a brother. Mr. C. L. G. Hervey, Mr. L. Wiltshire, Mr. C. C. Rice, Mr. R. G. Whitman, as well as many of the newer friends in Bridgetown. You will of course have your own friends and companions but you can remember these as some of my best and truest friends. I did not mention Mr. Young or Mr. Williams you know now what friends they are.

And now my own dear boy may God keep you, protect you and watch over you and make you worthy of the love bestowed upon you.

Be kind to your sisters. You have two sisters now and I hope you will have them for many years. You and Douglas love each other which is right. I know you both love your sisters and they love you. How happy you will all be.

My own dear boy I must close. I cannot express my love for you. May God keep you and watch over you,

Your loving father,

J.H. Tupper

Major James Howard Tupper was killed by artillary fire during the Battle of Courcelette, France on September 16, 1916 and is buried in the Albert Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme France.  He was 42 years old.

What a rich legacy he left behind!

Springhill Mine Disaster of 1956

Springhill Mine - 1956

As with many historical events in Nova Scotia, my family was deeply affected by the Springhill Mine Disaster of 1956.  Three cousins were among the men who died on that cold November 1st.

George Thomas Ward

George (or Jack as he was often called) glanced up at the weak steel-grey November afternoon sky, pushing his miner's helmet to the back of his head, the lamp facing upward, and tucked his lunch under his arm.  The news on the radio today was pretty grim with stories about the battle over the Suez Canal and the invasion of Hungary by the Russians.  He breathed in the damp, cold air, waved to the neighbour lady,  and headed off to his afternoon shift at Number 4 Colliery.

Springhill Miners

Born in 1909 in Springhill, George had gone to work in the mines in 1949 as a hoist operator and was well respected by the men as one you could depend on. His mother, Phebe Ann Cook was a member of both the prolific Cook and Campbell families of Colchester County, Nova Scotia and George was my 6th cousin.

At 5:07 that evening, a mine train carrying fine coal dust derailed and hit a power line causing a massive explosion that shook the town of Springhill and sent the inhabitants running towards the mine to see what had happened.  Within a few hours the place became a bedlam of doctors, ambulances, police, Red Cross volunteers and hundreds of dragermen (mine rescue specialists) from other mines nearby.  For the first time in history, the story was covered - live on CBC and was followed by people across Canada.

In the end, 88 men were rescued from Colliery Number 4 and 39 lost their lives - among them George Thomas Ward - whose body was the final one brought to the surface before the mine was sealed off, leaving 26 men below.

Benjamin Herbert McLellan

Ben and his wife Rhoda Wilson lived in Springhill, and at the age of 50, he was beginning to feel the effects of a life underground.  He had four teenage children at home - 3 boys and a girl and was an active participant in the day to day life in the town.  He was my fourth cousin, twice removed and also my fifth cousin, once removed - being descended from William Nicholson on one side, and Joseph McLellan on the other.  The family originated in the Five Islands area of Colchester County, but Ben's father, Thomas had moved the family to a farm near Springhill when he was a young man.

On the evening of November 1st, Ben was working near the site of the mine railway when the explosion happened.  He was killed instantly.  A correspondant, Joanne Finlay sent me these lyrics from a song about the event:

In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia

Down in the dark of the Cumberland Mine

there's blood on the coal and the miners lie

In the roads that never saw sun nor sky (2x)

In the town of Springhill, you don't sleep easy

Often the earth will tremble and roll

When the earth is restless, miners die

Bone and blood is the price of coal

Benjamin Herbert McLellan was buried in the Mapleton Cemetery.

David Henry Vance

Springhill Miners Monument

David had just celebrated his 20th birthday earlier in 1956 and had been working at Colliery No. 4 since he left high school 2 years before.  He had big dreams of going west and working in the oil fields and finding the right girl to settle down with.  He was my 5th cousin, once removed being descended from the original David Vance who came from Northern Ireland to settle in Great Village.  His great grandfather, John McLaughlin Vance had moved his family to Springhill in search of opportunities in the mines as the Acadia Mines in Colchester County became depleted.

David Henry Vance was working on the mine railway at the time of the accident and took the full brunt of the explosion.  His body was recovered and buried at Leamington.

Lest We Forget - Lieutenant Daniel Lionel Teed and his brother Lieutenant Hugh Mariner Teed

Hugh and Daniel Teed were born in 1892 and 1893 respectively to Mariner George Teed QC and Margaret A. Hanington in Dorchester, New Brunswick.  They were descendants of our United Empire Loyalist ancestor, Daniel Teed and were my fifth cousins, once removed.  The brothers were close, having attended the prestigious Rothesay Collegiate Boarding School and then going on to Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

Lieutenant Hugh Mariner
Teed

Lieutenant Hugh Mariner Teed served in the 28th New Brunswick Dragoons prior to his enlistment in the regular army on September 22, 1914 at Valcartier, Quebec at the age of 22.  He became part of the Second Battalion of the Canadian Infantry, Eastern Ontario Regiment in the capacity of Engineering Officer.  On the very day of his enlistment, the Battalion was shipped overseas aboard the S.S. Cassandra and after several stops along the Gaspe Peninsula, finally arrived in Plymouth, England on October 14th.  His unit was immediately sent to an area near the Salisbury Plain for further training.

It was there, in Salisbury that Hugh met and married his wife, Violet May Stacy.

Over the next 3 years, the Battalion fought at Ypres, St. Julien, The Somme, Arras, Festubert and Pozieres.  It was near Bruay, France that Hugh was killed in action and was buried in the Bruay Communal Cemetery Extension at Bruay, France.

Hugh was memorialized in the Chapel of Remembrance in Ottawa and also on his parent's graves in the Dorchester Cemetery, Dorchester New Brunswick.

Lieutenant Daniel Lionel Teed had served with the 5th Battery, Canadian Militia as a Captain, prior to enlisting in January 1916 in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  His unit was the 36th Howitzer Battery, Canadian Corps, 9th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery.  He was with this regiment from its formation.

He appears to have been a respected officer and was considered to be a brave and clever man.  During the Battle of Hill 70 in August 1917, Daniel's gallantry earned him the Military Cross.  During this battle he was injured by a German chemical artillery shell that carried caustic substances that left the skin burnt and blistering.

On September 1, 1918 Daniel's unit was charged with clearing some German barbed wire in preparation for an impending attack.  The battery was very exposed and came under artillery fire.  A second volley of enemy shells fell short and as Lieutenant Teed ran to the next Howitzer to relay orders a shell struck the gun, killing Teed and two others instantly..

Daniel was laid to rest in the Monchy-le-Preux Military Cemetery nearby.  Like his brother, his name can be found in the Chapel of Remembrance in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and on the tombstone of his parents in the Dorchester Cemetery, Dorchester, New Brunswick.

Lest We Forget - Pilot Officer Douglas Waldo Peers

Joining the Royal Canadian Air Force must have seemed like a dream for Pilot Officer Douglas Waldo Peers.  Hailing from the beautiful seaside village of Wallace Bay, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, he was a descendant of my two fifth great grandfathers - United Empire Loyalists, Alexander Peers and Daniel Teed.  His parents were James Lalacheure Peers and Nina May Ellis and he had three brothers and two step brothers from his father's first marriage.  He was my 4th cousin, once removed.

He was about 21 years old when he enlisted and shortly thereafter, he married Ada Elsie Brander of Middle Musquodoboit in Colchester County.  Doug was posted overseas almost immediately but not before Ada discovered she was expecting.

During his first year overseas he became father to a lovely little baby girl, Elaine.  A little girl he never knew.

Pilot Officer Douglas
Waldo Peers

In the early summer of 1944, Doug was seconded to 101 Squadron, RAF which was part of Bomber Command.  He trained as an Air Bomber and soon joined the crew of Flight Lieutenant Marwood Tucker and his Lancaster Bomber. Their first mission was over Gelsenkirchen and it was a success.  The next two missions were over Evreaux in Normandy and Reims in the Champagne-Ardennes in France were also well executed and successful.

On the night of August 13, 1944 the crew's target was Braunschweig/Brunswick but before they could reach the place, their plane was shot down by a night fighter and crashed near the village of Brockum, Germany.  Douglas Waldo Peers did not survive the crash.  He was buried in the Hanover War Cemetery in Germany.

Lest We Forget - Private Henry Parkinson

Private Henry Parkinson was born on October 25, 1878 in Teeswater, Ontario to John Parkinson and Jane Tindall Hodgson.  He was my 3rd cousin, once removed.  His father, John was from England and his mother was part of the large Hodgson clan from River Philip in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.  They, with their 6 children, moved first to Teeswater, Ontario and finally to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

Henry, with his father and four brothers worked their prairie farm together and eventually moved to his own farm which he shared with his brother, Eleazer in Yorkson, Saskatchewan.

When World War One broke out, Henry was already 36 years old - much older than most enlistees.  However, on January 16th, 1916 he joined the Canadian Infantry, Saskatchewan Regiment, 46th Battalion.  This Battalion was subject of many books, including Pierre Burton's "Vimy" as it participated in many of the major battles of the war, including Arras,Ypres, Passchendale, Vimy Ridge, and Hill 70.  On his attestation papers, Henry is described as 5'7", fair with blue eyes and a Methodist.

It was at Droucourt-Queant, France on September 4, 1918 that Henry lost his life.  His remains were interred with full military honours in the Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, Pas de Clais France.  He is memorialised on Page 482 of the 1918 Volume of the First World War Book of Remembrance in the Chapel of Remembrance at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.  He was 42 years old when he was killed in action.. Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, Pas de Clais France

Lest We Forget - Private Perley C. Palmer

Perley C. Palmer was the baby in a family of nine.  He was born on February 8, 1896 in Wentworth, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.  His parents were Calvin Palmer and Sarah McLeod.  Perley was my 4th cousin, being a descendant of Daniel Teed, the United Empire Loyalist. He was also related to me by marriage through my great great grandfather, Thomas Swallow of Yorkshire, England.

It is unclear whether Perley moved to Maine prior to the war, or whether he decided to choose the American Army and went to Maine to join up.  At any rate, he enlisted in Aroostook, Caribou County Maine in 1917.  He joined the 103 Infantry Regiment, 26th Division which had the motto "To the Last Man"  Upon arriving in France, the Regiment was plunged immediately into action.

On the evening of September 25, 1918 Perley was part of a group of two platoons sent off to march in a different direction, hoping to create a diversion and to take the enemy attention away from the point of the main attack which was set to take place at midnight.  The rain was pelting down and the men had trouble keeping to their feet due to the slick muddy surface of the road.

This march was inevitably a death sentence for these men.  Within minutes, the enemy opened up with machine guns and mortar rounds.  Some time around 10:45 that evening, Perley was struck by a bullet and grievously wounded.  Eventually, with his life fading, he was transported to a hospital ship several miles away and succumbed to his injuries there.

The burial record states that he was buried at sea.  He is memorialised in the Memorial Chapel at St. Mehiel American Cemetery and Memorial at Thaircourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France.

Lest We Forget - Private Howard Richardson Murray

Private Howard Richardson Murray certainly did not start out to become a war hero.  His ambition was to become a plumber and to settle down to a quiet life in Harmony, Nova Scotia.  The eldest child of James Duncan Murray and Mary Harriett (Hattie) Johnson, Howard was born on the 17th of November, 1897.  Through a series on inter-family marriages, he was related to me as a descendant of John Johnson, the Cobequid Planter, James Campbell of the McNutt migration from Northern Ireland and James Blair of Aghadowey, Northern Ireland.  He was my 6th cousin, my 6th cousin once removed and my 6th cousin twice removed.

Private Howard Richardson
Murray

However, with the war well under way in Europe, he heeded the call of his country and enlisted at the age of 18 on November 25, 1915 in Truro.  Tall and lanky, his attestation papers describe him as having blue eyes and dark brown hair and a member of the Presbyterian Church.

After three difficult years of muddy trenches, rampant disease and terrible food, Howard finally met his end at the Battle of the Somme.  On March 12, 1918, as the war was in its last months, he was killed in action.  His remains were laid to rest in the Thelus Military Cemetery, near Arras in the Pas de Calais, France.  He was just 21 years old.

Lest We Forget - Private Frank William Langille

Frank William Langille was born one of 8 children of William Henry Langille and Priscilla Jane Lynds on December 28, 1897 in Malagash, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia..  He was my 7th cousin, once removed.

On finishing school, he went to work as a Labourer and also joined the 76th Battalion, Canadian Militia where he got his initial military training.

With the outbreak of the war in 1914, Frank was eager to enlist and, in fact, did so on his 18th birthday.  His attestation papers describe him as a tall young man - 5'11 1/4" tall with blue eyes and fair hair.  His religious affiliation was listed as Baptist.

Frank William Langille

Posted overseas almost immediately, he spent nearly 3 years in the battlefields of Belgium and France.  At some time during this period, he must have been promoted, as he was awarded the Military Medal which was designated for Warrant Officers or Non-commissioned Officers for individual or associated acts of bravery on the recommendation of a Commander-in-Chief in the field.

On the 18th day of October 1918, while armistice talks were well under way, Frank William Langille was killed in action in the Pas de Calais, France.  He was just 20 years old and was buried with full military honours in the Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais France.

His widowed mother received the Silver Cross medal for her sacrifice to her country.

Lest We Forget - Private Charles Ernest Johnson

Charles Ernest Johnson was born on the 12th of September, 1890 in East Mountain, Colchester County, Nova Scotia.  He was one of nine children of  William George Johnson and Eunice Emmeline Blair.  Related to me through two branches of the Bragg Family Tree, he was my fifth cousin, once removed as a descendant of the Johnson family who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1761 from New Hampshire.  He also descended from our Campbell family who also arrived in 1761 from Northern Ireland, making him  my fifth cousin, twice removed, as well.

Private Charles Ernest
Johnson

In 1916, Charles joined many of his fellow Nova Scotians and headed west to Manitoba to work on the harvest.  Jam packed harvest trains regularly crossed the country, providing much needed labour to western farmers.  Charles ended up in Lauder, Manitoba and it was there that he enlisted as a Private in the 16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Manitoba Regiment.  His attestation papers describe him as 5'9" tall with grey eyes, fair hair and fair complexion.  His church affiliation was Church of England.

On October 1, 1918, just 5 days before armistice talks began, Charles was killed in action.  He was 30 years of age and his remains were laid to rest with full military honours in the Sancourt British Cemetery near Cambrai, France.

Lest We Forget - Second Lieutenant Samuel Leonard Tilley Harrison

Second Lieutenant Samuel Leonard Tilley Harrison came into this world in 1874 in Baie Verte, New Brunswick.  Named for his Uncle, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Father of Confederation, he grew up in various Methodist Manses, where his father, George ministered to his congregations.  His mother, Margaret Tilley was a dedicated minister's wife as the family moved from place to place in New Brunswick and Northern Nova Scotia.

In 1904, Samuel married my Great Aunt, Josephine Ambrose and the two had a daughter, Margaret.

On December 20, 1915 at the age of 41, he joined the 38th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionery Force as a Lieutenant, and set out for Europe.  While there, he became attached to the elite Cameron Highlanders.  His war record indicates that he survived many major battles over the three years he served.

Grave of Second Lieutenant
Samuel Leonard Tilley Harrison

On September 29, 1918, Samuel was killed in action.  He account of his death tells the story:  "Killed in Action - While leading his platoon to the attack on an enemy strong point just in front of the Sunken Road and about 200 yards forward of the Douai-Cambrai Road, on the morning of September 29th, 1918, he was hit in the head and instantly killed by a bullet from an enemy machine gun."

Samuel Leonard Tilley Harrison was buried in the Bourlon Wood Cemetery near where he was killed.  He was 44 years old.