Gilwald Stanley Sandman
Private
238th Battalion - Canadian Forestry Corps
Opportunity & Loyalty
Luscious green forests and beautiful lakes in the remote Ontario town of Coboconk were a distinct change in scenery for the freshly arrived Gilwald Sandman, formerly of Plymouth, England. Yet the 10-year-old quickly integrated into the distinctly Canadian culture, eventually taking up a job in a local mill as part of the lumber industry, which dominated the town. It was a far-off place in the world but provided his family with opportunity, his father Daniel working as a laborer in the Lime Kiln. Despite the quaint remoteness of this northern town, the news of war in 1914 still traveled like a flame in a dense forest and became the hot topic of local discussion. Patriotism abounded among those of Anglo descent, with mistrust and sometimes outright hate being expressed to those of “enemy” nationalities (1).
Gilwald having grown up in Canada and being born in the Mother Country, was of course an ardent patriot as was his family. There however lied the fact that his father was German, having immigrated to England where he met his wife Ada, and having been in Canada since 1907. Despite his and others loyalty to their new home, anti-German sentiment abounded and even the slightest sliver of German culture would be extinguished (1). The most infamous case in Ontario being the renaming of the majority German town of Berlin to Kitchener (1). Undoubtedly, his dad did what he could to bury his birthplace for a period as did many, relying on his English wife and previous residence in Plymouth to shield him from an overly suspicious government. Such questioning of ones loyalty only helped to encourage Gilwald to enlist as matter of protecting the families honor within the community.
Mill Workers at War
Despite only standing at 5’3”, the blue-eyed millworker was exactly what the 238th Battalion was looking for, enlisting Gilwald in Coboconk on July 4th, 1916. The Battalion was seeking out rugged and experienced men of the lumber trade for the newly created Canadian Forestry Corps. The British government itself had requested more Canadian lumbermen following the initial groups arrival in England, with Parliment moving rapidly to fulfil this request (3). In short time, the 19-year-old was attached to B Company, which shipped out to England with all the needed equipment that same year (2,3).
The famed boundless forests of Ontario were traded for those more limited tracts of woods in Normandy, France as the 14th Company of the CFC set out to work in November of 1916 (4). Working tirelessly among their ranks was Gilwald, his tasks being rather familiar, though made more difficult due to the uniform with military cap which encouraged sweat to develop in his brown hair. It was undeniably exhausting work as various teams felled pine trees and processed them into useable lumber for the lads at the front. By December of 1917, the town of Bois Normand had been turned into a true mill network operated by the 14th Company who had been the first CFC unit to arrive in France (4). Such a fact instilled Gilwald and all his fellow lumbermen with a sense of pride in that they had introduced “the Canadian style of lumbering in France" (2). He would proudly return to Coboconk in 1919 having served his nation in the most Canadian capacity one could have devised.
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Sources:
(1) Baird, Craig, "Canada Turns Against Its German Citizens", https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/canada-turns-against-its-german-citizens/id1564131562?i=1000521897925
(2) Library and Archives of Canada, "Canadian Forestry Corps", https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Documents/canadian%20forestry%20corps.pdf
(3) Brooker, Chris, "The Canadian Forestry Corps.", https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/insignia/brookerpdfs/Part%209%20Forestry%20Corps.pdf
(4) Bird, C.W. & Davies, J.B., "The Canadian Forestry Corps", https://electriccanadian.com/forces/canadianforestry00birduoft.pdf
(1) Baird, Craig, "Canada Turns Against Its German Citizens", https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/canada-turns-against-its-german-citizens/id1564131562?i=1000521897925
(2) Library and Archives of Canada, "Canadian Forestry Corps", https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Documents/canadian%20forestry%20corps.pdf
(3) Brooker, Chris, "The Canadian Forestry Corps.", https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/insignia/brookerpdfs/Part%209%20Forestry%20Corps.pdf
(4) Bird, C.W. & Davies, J.B., "The Canadian Forestry Corps", https://electriccanadian.com/forces/canadianforestry00birduoft.pdf