THE www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Review Vol.16 Number 46
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
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Every soldier has a story Tara Bowie Review Staff
Because of research completed almost 100 years after his death a soldier from the area who died in the First World War will now have an accurate grave marker. Blair Mills was the youngest local soldier to die in the First World War. He was 19. “He rose quickly to the ranks of Lance Corporal. He was a pretty remarkable young man, very popular, well liked,” Andy English said following the Remembrance Day ceremony in Hedley Tuesday. English, a Hedley resident and military enthusiast, worked with Jennifer Douglass from the Hedley Heritage Museum for more than two years researching the lives and often deaths of area soldiers. Mills’ story is particularly interesting as the young man used skills he developed while working at the Nickle Plate Mine to join the 1st Tunneling COY. The specialized unit was in charge of digging attacking tunnels under enemy lines. The enemy was also digging attacking tunnels at the same time. “It was basically a war within a war, a war underground,” English said. While tunneling, a listening post was set up to hear the enemy digging. Mills died March 26, 1916 just outside St. Elois, France along with another teenage soldier, while standing guard at the listening post. “Two teenage soldiers were in there because they had the best listening ears to hear the enemy,” he said. Mills was buried a few days after his death and later exhumed and buried at the Strand Military Centre. Unfortunately the original grave
marker became ineligible and his death date was put on a new marker incorrectly. “We’ve just heard that they are going to put up a new grave marker with the actual date of his death on it,” English said. “That feels good to know we were able to fix that.” Research on the more than 50 other local soldiers who fought in the war can be viewed at the Hedley museum. English said work is still ongoing to find as many details as possible and he particularly hopes a photo of Mills will come forward. “We haven’t been able to find one and we desperately would like one. We’re hoping because his family lived here that perhaps someone might have one,” he said. During a speech at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Hedley cenotaph, English read the names of the 11 known local men who died in the First World War and four names of men who died in the Second World War. “The 15 men commemorated on this cenotaph from the two world wars are just names today, but they were once men and boys who walked these streets, grew up and played in our neighbourhoods and worked in some of the same buildings that still stand today,” he said to the crowd of about 120 people. About a month ago a five-person committee was struck to raise money to repair the cenotaph. Over the years several names have faded beyond readability, and a piece of granite has broken off. Through research it was found that several of the soldiers’ ranks were listed wrong. “We would just like to fix things up and restore it,” Douglass said.
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Tara Bowie
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