School Remembrance Projects

William James Boyd, Gunner
53rd Battery Canadian Field Artillery
8th Brigade

Personal Information: William James Boyd was born on March 5th, 1889 in Smiths Falls Ontario Canada. He had a Darker complexion with dark brown hair and grey eyes. Before enlisting in the army he would have been five feet and ten inches tall, and he weighed 132 pounds stripped. He was also a presbyterian. William graduated from the University of Toronto and then moved to Kingston and married his wife, Eleda, Sarah, Boyd. Before he registered for the army he was a forester. He grew up with a hearing problem in his right ear and frantically he woke quite easy. He had problems walking and could only walk approximately ½ a mile before tiring. When signing up for overseas travel, when war broke out on January 2nd 1916, he was only 27 years old.

Military Movement: When William was accepted for overseas travel, because of earlier training, his rank was lieutenant. He moved from the 8th brigade C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery) in between January 6th 1916 to February 1916. Then to the 53rd battery C.F.A. From February 1916 to April 1918. And finally to the C.A.R.D. from September 20th until he was discharged on November 11th. He served in France for 9 months and in total was in the war for 32 months. He made a dollar a day and was paying separation to his wife Sarah.

Medical Records: On October 5th 1917 he was cased by a shell on his left arm while in France. October 8th 1918 William was put into an England hospital for influenza. Shot in the right arm 3 times in a 5 day span. The hearing in his right ear was gone by April 2nd 1918. On March 21st he was in an explosion. Before his discharge his appetite was fair and he had pains in his right side. He also had a cough. His left arm was slightly weaker after his injury. He also had a small bone nodule in his sixth rib on his nipple line. He was very deaf, lost 40 pounds in 2 months and was not fit to go back to war for another six months.

More research needs to be completed on this individual.