| Rank | Private |
| Service # | 123322 |
Regt. No. 123322, Born: 12/04/1895 at Cooperville, ON. Son of: Mrs. William Newham, 168 Grande Ave. East, Chatham, ON., also Next of Kin. A labourer. Single.
Age 20 years 5 Months, Height: 5’ 7”, Girth: 34”, Complexion: Fair, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Light Brown, 135#, Vision: 20/20, Hearing: Rt. 21 / Left: 18.
Attestation: 15/09/1915 at Chatham. To 70th Batt., Overseas. “Left varicocele – had never caused symptoms now used to heavy work.”
He arrived in England aboard the S.S. Lapland 5/05/16 and was sent to the Royal Cdn. Regt. (RCR).6/06/16. “Pte. Ernie Betteridge Is Now With Renowned Unit In France.”
15 Sept. Canadian Survey
Arrived in France 7/06/16. He was granted a 10 day leave 29/09/17. A more interesting leave was for 14 days in Paris. His next leave was for dentistry for an abscessed tooth on 13/0218
Pte. Bettridge, E.F., joined the P.P.C.L.I. in the field June 9th, 1916. Struck off strength to Can. Corps Survey Sect., July 27, 1918.
The War Diary mentions this:
Fri., Jun 9, 1916
“Draft of two hundred and seventy-nine men arrived including the fifth University company.”
(unproofed version, construction in progress)
Ernest left for CCRC on 29/04/18 and was TOS for the Cdn. Corp Survey Section 4/09/18. He was admitted to hospital 5/01/19 “sick”.
He was sent back to England from France 4/03/1919. 25/03/19 for a Standard Medical Board and a report on his ears, the hearing in his left ear was not good.
Ernest embarked from England 26/04/19 arriving in Canada 1/03/19. His abscessed tooth was still and issue and he was referred to 10th CFA suffering from Pyouhora 21/12/18 to 4/01/19
Pte Ernest Betteridge was discharged from service 4/01/19 for Demobilization.
Transcribed from From the Chatham Daily Planet 29/06/1916 by J.R. Hind.
Pte E. Betteridge who enlisted in the 70th Battalion and later went to France with a draft from England is now attached to the Princess Patricia’s. In a letter to his mother Mrs. William Newham, the soldier tell of conditions at the front. The letter follows:
Somewhere in France,
June 13, 1916
Dear mother:
I will now try and write a letter. I wrote one to-day but I was up in a billet which is a hay loft of a barn and the bunch was all around and talking and I couldn’t write very well.
I was in the first draft that left the 70th to come here from England. We were in England just about a month, this is a nice place if it wasn’t for the war, but it is awful strange to go down the street and not be able to talk to anyone.
I am now in No. 1 Company of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. It is a good battalion. There was some mail to-day from Canada, it came from England there wasn’t any for me, but maybe there will be tomorrow. When you write to me write to the above battalion.
Pat Flanigan was wounded and he is back again. Charlie Groombridge is here to. Give my best to Sam and Hannah and everybody that I know I can’t write to everybody. It is too much bother, you know it isn’t like a place where you can go and sit down at a table whenever you want to and write.
Don’t worry about me mother as I am in the best of health and I am better satisfied to be doing my bit than to be a coward. As there is no more news I will have to close for this time.
From your ever loving son.
Ernie
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