A lot of them left on farm leave for a month

Mr Gerrard and I went to Angus Saturday night and had some hot-dogs

I am getting nicely settled once more

We're in the papers!

Strathroy Age Dispatch

20 July 2011

War letters find a home online

By Brianna Hammer

When Private Richard Harold Armer first arrived at the newly-opened Camp Borden in July 1916, he was far from impressed.

"This is an awful place, all trees and shrubs growing in sand… our tent was pitched where there had been a fire and there was plenty of black dust flying around," he wrote to his wife. "I don't like this place one bit [but] I am keeping well. I'm in the army now."
Richard (Dick) Armer was a member of the 142nd Battalion—"London's Own," he scribbled at the top of one of his letters home. He was a recent immigrant, however, having arrived from Ulverston, England just four years prior to enlisting. When Dick signed up to fight in the First World War, he was the head of a young and growing family in London, Ontario that included children William and Margaret, and wife Mabel, who was expecting the couple's third child.
Pte. Armer, who strongly believed it was his duty to serve Canada and the old country, spent about four months at the Borden training camp west of Barrie. In late October 1916 he and other soldiers boarded a train to Halifax, and then a ship to Europe. Dick arrived in France to fight in April 1917.
His journey and experiences were documented in approximately 400 letters he wrote to his wife during his time in service. These letters were kept by descendants of Dick's children, who still reside in Middlesex County. Late last year the family made the letters available to Museum Strathroy-Caradoc for digitization by volunteer John Sargeant, who scanned each piece of correspondence and read Dick's story with great interest.
"It took several months of weekly sessions to where my eyeballs ached and my seat was numb, but eventually they were all scanned," John said. "As I've continued to work with the letters, I've been impressed with Dick Armer. I think I would have liked him very much."
John has a great passion for researching Canadian military history and servicemen, particularly those who served in the First World War. His dedication extends to his work with the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Project, a group planning to erect a statue honouring First World War general and Strathroy-native Sir Arthur Currie. The letters of Dick Armer, a contemporary of Arthur Currie's, provide a meaningful glimpse into the war from a Private's viewpoint.
"Each of the letters is a treasure," says John. "Woven into Dick's feelings about missing his family, some incidental business matters, and his anxiety about his wife's pregnancy, are little vignettes of a World War One soldier's life."
John was impressed by the regularity of Dick's writing and his consistent affection for his wife and children. "He would tell his wife to 'kiss the chicks', meaning his children," said John. "The letters were full of hugs and kisses."
Many of the letters capture Dick's emotional struggle between leaving behind his beloved family, and holding a deep conviction that his duty was to fight for his country.
"I cannot express to you how much I miss you all and long for a kiss and a good hug," he wrote to Mabel on July 10, 1916. "Give them [William and Margaret] a good love-up and kiss from Daddie and send me a snap of them for Daddie is lonely."

Museum staff, John Sargeant and the descendants of Private Richard Armer decided to honour the memory of Dick and his contribution to the war effort by publishing his letters online. The story can be followed online via "Dear Old Girl" (http://dearoldgirl.blogspot.com), a blog maintained by John and titled after Dick's favourite term of endearment for Mabel. John posted the first letter on June 29, 2011, 95 years after Dick wrote it on June 29, 1916. The rest of the letters will follow this pattern, allowing followers of the blog to read along and experience Dick's life in the army in real-time.

Museum Strathroy-Caradoc is pleased to share such meaningful insight into the First World War with the community, thanks to the generosity of Dick and Mabel's descendants. Readers are invited to comment on letters and blog posts, and to follow Private Richard Harold Armer on his journey at http://dearoldgirl.blogspot.com.

Next letter the 21st of July 1916

I don't know when I shall get home again

Portrait

Thought you might like to see a picture of Richard Armer,  obviously taken before he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Nominal Roll for 142nd

Some more documentation on Richard. His name appears on the Nominal Roll for the 142nd Battalion CEF

Attestation Papers

There were no letters in the files for this period until the 18th of July.
The following are Richard's Attestation Papers. They were filled in and signed when Richard joined the Canadian Forces and show details about his home, country of birth, next of kin, height, weight and some other details.

Undated letter from Camp Borden

There were no letters on file from the 12th to the 17th of July 1916. However there was one letter which was undated and it looks from the content as if it was written at Camp Borden, perhaps early in Dick's time there. From the letters after the 17th, it looks as if Dick may have journeyed back to London Ontario on a leave of absence. 

The reader will also observe that Dick comments on how his wife "isn't feeling well". The family and I have discussed this and it seems she was expecting her third child and perhaps was experiencing "morning sickness". 

I've also included a clipping from the Globe on the 12th of July 1916 wherein the L Col of the 142nd makes it quite clear that "London's Own" had nothing to do with the booing of Sir Sam Hughes.

A visit from Sir Sam

Here is the rest of the letter posted yesterday, that applies to the 11th July 1916. I've repeated page 2.

Battalion Riots

Dick started his letter of the 11th of July part way through the second page of the letter of the 10th.  We will put up the rest of the 11th tomorrow. Looks like the 135th, 149th and 168th Battalions were up to no good.

I don't like this place one bit

The 142nd Battalion - London's Own

Here is some information on the battalion Dick Armer joined. It was known as the142nd Battalion (London's Own)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

 

 

  (Redirected from 142nd (London's Own) Battalion, CEF)

The 142nd (London's Own) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in London, Ontario, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in that city. After sailing to England in November 1916, the battalion was absorbed into the 23rd Reserve Battalion on November 11, 1916. The 142nd (London's Own) Battalion, CEF had one Officer Commanding: Lieut-Col. C. M. R. Graham.
Stewart reports that the 142nd Battalion was organized on December 22, 1915, with a strength of 574 men. The unit was disbanded after the Great War on September 15, 1920. The 142nd Canadian Infantry Battalion was absorbed by the 23rd Reserve Battalion [1] to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The 142nd Battalion is affiliated with the 1st and 33rd CEF Battalions and is perpetuated by the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) "London and Oxford Fusiliers" of the Canadian Army Militia. During the Great War the 142nd Battalion (due to men serving in other active battalions) received "Battle Honours" at Ypres 1915-17; Gravenstafel; St. Julien; Festubert 1915; Mount Sorrel; Somme 1916; Pozières; Flers-Courcelette; Ancre Heights; Arras 1917-18; Vimy 1917; Arleu; Scarpe 1917-18; Hill 70; Passchendaele; Amiens; Drocourt-Queant; Hindenburg Line; Canal du Nord; Pursuit to Mons; France and Flanders 1915-1918.
Lieutenant George Van Wyck Laughton, M.C. (Vimy Ridge) [2] of the 7th Regiment Fusiliers (Militia) attested to the 142nd Canadian Infantry Battalion in 1915. Details of the links between the Militia and the Canadian Expeditionary Force are provided on Lt. Laughton's web site.

References

Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971.
Stewart, Charles H. "OVERSEAS - The Lineages and Insignia of the Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919. Little & Stewart, Toronto ON, 1970.
Canadian Expeditionary Force MATRIX PROJECT [3]

Come back tomorrow for Dick's first letter home from Camp Borden

Merwin Heights London Ontario

You will have noticed that the letter is missing some portions. The original sheet was very large and could not be scanned in one piece.  

Next letter is 9th of July as Dick seems to have been on leave before he left for training at Camp Borden.