c1915 ORIGINAL GROUP OF DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO THE MILITARY SERVICE OF A LANCE CORPORAL IN THE 5TH BATTALION OF THE CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 2ND BRIGADE A.K.A "TUXFORD'S DANDIES", WHO WAS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED, AND SPENT OVER A YEAR AT...

On offer is a collection of 19 historically significant documents pertaining to military service of Herbert Arscott, including a war-time photo, a booklet with handwritten notes, an active service pay book, and post-war correspondence from the Board of Pension Commissioners for Canada. These documents represent milestones of his wartime experience, and also of many Canadians fighting in the Great War. As the majority of Canadian soldiers at that time, Herbert Arscott was born in Britain, in the town of Wellington, and enlisted almost immediately after the war was declared. He served at the 5th battalion of the 2nd infantry brigade hailed from western Canada, and known as "Tuxford's Dandies" after the name of its first commander. Arscott made a few notes of dates and locations in a small book titled "Diary and memoranda": on September 17th he arrived at Quebec, spent two days in smaller camps, on the 22nd started training at Valcartier, a training base for over 32000 volunteers from across Canada who were formed into the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and eight days later boarded the SS Laplandia, the largest in the transport convoy of the 31 ships set to cross the Atlantics. They arrived in Plymouth on October 14th, and in early November he already was in Bailleul in Northern France, which is the last note in the diary. The diary also contains a poem from George Cary Eggleston's "Rebel's collection" starting: "I was frightened, for a wind crept along the grass…" Arscott's battalion entered the war theater in February 2015, participating in the Second Battle of Ypres from April 15th to May 25th, it is not mentioned if Arscott was involved in that battle, but the documents show that in the middle of May he was wounded. It is clear from his pay book and passes that he spent spring and summer of 1916 at the Granville Canadian Special Hospital in Ramsgate, a seaside town in Kent, a photograph showing him in a wheelchair most likely was taken in front of that hospital, and then in Folkestone - a note on his pass says: "Recuperation. Excused wearing puttees" because of the leg wound. While in England he probably got married - in 1915 he named as his next of kin Mrs. Arscott C.N who lived in West Indies, but later a line was added in his pay book with the name and address of his wife in Surrey. In 1918 he returned to Canada where he was taken to the Civil Service for six months, but since 1920 all correspondence was addressed to the U.S., first to Brooklyn, and later to Ohio. The post-war documents cover the period until 1952, and are related to his pension and insurance policy. The collection includes the following documents: 1.A red booklet titled "Diary and memoranda for 1914-1915: information relating to the wealth and population of the nations engaged, and the strengths of their respective Armies and Navies, Armaments etc.; published by the Union Bank of Canada, Valcartier Military Camp Branch. Contains hand-written notes. 31 pages, size: 3'2x6'; condition: good+ 2.A booklet titled: Canadian Expeditionary Force 2nd infantry brigade headquarters and 5th Battalion : nominal roll of officers, non-commissioned officers and men (issued with militia orders, 1915), 25 p., size: 8'2x13'; condition: creases, loose, slight tears on the cover3.Pay book for use on active service, containing records for 1915 - 1917. Size: 3.5'x5'' condition: good, regular wear, slight tears at edges4.3 passes dated May, June and August 19165.A photo of a man in a wheelchair in front of what looks like a military hospital, size: 3.2'x3.2' 6.Discharge certificate from Canadian Expeditionary Force, slightly soiled at creases7.Certificate of qualification for temporary employment from Civil Service Commission of Canada, dated October 25, 1918. Condition: tears at creases, slightly soiled, size: 7.5'x11'8.A printed letter from the Board of Pension Commissioners for Canada in London on a letterheaded paper, dated December 6, 1918, containing 2 pages, size: 8'x13'9.A printed letter addressed to Paymaster Casualties in Toronto, dated August 31, 1918, and signed by a representative of the Whitby Military Hospital, condition: good, size 6.5'x8'10.Adjustment of pension from the Board of Pension Commissioners for Canada and Authority for pension payment, dated February 20th, 1920, addressed to Mr. Herbert Arscott in Brooklyn, N.Y., 2 pages, 8'x13'11.A booklet titled: Information of former members of the Canadian and British Forces resident in the United States of America, published in Ottawa in 1921,, 16 pages, size 6.6'x10'; condition: tears at edges and creases, water stains.12.Authority for pension payments, from the Board of Pension Commissioners for Canada dated November 26, 1923; size: 8'x13'13.A letter from the Canadian Pension Commission about policy reviewing, dated March 9, 1940, and addressed to Berea, Ohio. Size 8.5'x10.5'; condition: tears on creases 14.3 letters from the Canadian Pension Commission dated July and November, 1946 and June, 1947; size: 8.5'x11', condition: very good 15.A letter from the Department of Veteran affairs in Canada regarding a returned soldiers insurance, dated April 8, 1952, size: 8'x13'; condition: very good; Manuscript; 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, HERBERT ARSCOTT, FIRST WORLD WAR, WW1, GREAT WAR, CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, CEF, 2ND BRIGADE 5TH BATTALION OF THE CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, "TUXFORD'S DANDIES", WESTERN FRONT, SS LAPLANDIA, VALCARTIER CAMP, THE BOARD OF PENSION COMMISSIONERS FOR CANADA, MILITARY HOSPITALS, MILITARY DOCUMENTS, WOUNDED SOLDIERS, GRANVILLE CANADIAN SPECIAL HOSPITAL, CHATHAM, WHITBY MILITARY HOSPITAL, FOLKSTONE, KENT, CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL, CANADIAN WWI VETERANS, VETERANS BENEFITS IN CANADA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DIARY, WAR DIARIES, CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION OF CANADA, CIVIL SERVICE ACR 1918, WARTIME PHOTOGRAPHS, WARTIME PHOTOS, CANADIANA, DEPARTMENT OF SOLDIER'S CIVIL RE-ESTABLISHMENT, WAR PENSION, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL