Leading up to Remembrance Day, I’m going to focus on two individuals from around Lloydminster who gave their lives for our country. One from the First and one from the Second World War.
On May 22, 1916, Guy Pearce Stephenson, 24, travelled from his farm in Harlan, Sask., to Lloydminster to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Stephenson was of Irish descent, standing 5’4 ½ inches, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Guy was married to his wife, Dorthy and would eventually serve with the 46 Battalion, Canadian Infantry Saskatchewan Regiment as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Additionally, according to multiple sources, it took recruits between three and 12 months to reach the front lines. In 1916, as casualties mounted, the time frame was shorter for most recruits.
It is unclear when Stephenson arrived with the Battalion. They don’t mention any mass recruits arriving to fill the spaces of the casualties in their diary. Based on the reported casualties to the division during November 1916, one can reasonably assume he arrived shortly afterward. However, it is known that he fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
According to war diaries, the 46th Batt. spent most of its time from May 1916 through April 1917 in an area southeast of Calais, France. They took part in the battle of Ancre in November of ’16 in support of the British. The 46 Batt. fought in and around the towns of Estree and Carnoy, France. They spent many weeks on the front lines, suffering significant casualties. They trained not far from the location for three weeks leading up to the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Vimy Ridge:
On the night of Apr. 8, the battalion arrived at the head of “Caberet Rouge,” a code-named trench not far from the tunnels of Vimy Ridge. They were a reserve unit with corresponding orders to support the battle on either the right or left flank, as necessary.
Additionally, the 10 Brigade ammunition dump provided them with rifles, bombs, and grenades.
At 2 p.m. on April 9, they secured various objectives, including four craters big enough to be considered objectives. As a reserve unit, they encountered little resistance as they advanced.
The next day, however, was different, and Stephenson’s last.The enemy heavily and accurately shelled “A” and “B” companies of the 46 Battalion. During the day, a fatal wound struck Stephenson.
He now lays, with 822 other war casualties at Canadian Cemetery No.2, Neuville-St. Vaast. His inscription on Spec. Mem. No. 24 reads, “GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH.”
In conclusion, Stephenson saw unimaginable images to many of us today. He choose to sign up to serve his country when the call came through. He died so we could be free, Lest We Forget.
Read more: Students recognized at Holy Rosary
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