| Rank | Private |
| Service # | 401819 |
| Unit # | 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles |
| 24th Reg. | Yes |
| Resident | Chatham |
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Shearer of 78 Lansdown Ave., Chatham, ON. His parents received official notification of his death 21 October 1916 advising them that their son died of his wounds to his left leg at No. 6 General Hospital, Rouen, France on 19 October. He was employed as a spinner at the Chatham Pad and Textile.
Joseph had enlisted with the 70th Battalion, attestation at Chatham, ON 17/09/1915 transferring to the 33rd Bn., to go overseas and once there to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. The family had been notified on 15 October of his being admitted to hospital with a “severe leg wound
The vagary of war often manifests itself in strange and personal ways. Susch was the case of three mud smeared, rumpled photo postcards and a Chaplin’s letter that found their way to the desk of Mayor Foreman of Chatham, Ontario.
The letter from Thomas B. Colwell, Chaplin of 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles from “Somewhere in France” who apparently not knowing who to send the photographs to but was aware that they were in the possession of a soldier who was from Chatham, ON. In the letter to the mayor said, “I have the honour to enclose these three picture post cards pickewd from the field of battle by one of the soldiers of the 2nd CMR and turned over to me.” He goes on to say “If the owner was killed, his people might be glad to have these post cards. I have a reference to Chatham, Ontario. So I am sending them to your care sir, with the hope that you might be able to find the next of kin of the brave soldier whose they were.”
The photographs were of a soldiers mother with a baby, a separate photo of the child and a photo believed to be of the fallen soldier with two of his comrades. In the mayors office at the time the letter arrived was City Alderman McLean who recognized the area that the photo had been taken being Landsdown Avenue in Chatham. A Mr. Prior, who lived on the street was contacted and he was able to identify the child as the baby Shearer with it’s mother.
Finally Mr. and Mrs. Shearer became connected with their son’s last moments, the child in the photo was Pte. Joseph’s baby sister. CDP 14/11/16.
Sadly we have no known photograph of Joseph William Shearer 401819.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
| Sources | No Return Ticket - Wallaceburg War Casualties - Alan Mann 2002, RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 8832 - 54 |
| Supplemental Information | DOW, Date of Death: 19/10/1916 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: B. 13. 38. Cemetery: ST. SEVER CEMETERY, ROUEN |
| Birthplace | 22/12/1897 |
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