Joseph Whittle
1st Battalion - Royal Canadian Engineers
Western Canada in the early 20th century was home to vast amounts of unclaimed land and untapped resources. The potential opportunities were boundless and attracted people such as the Whittle family to move there. Among the family members to move to Midlandville, Alberta, was Joseph Whittle. He and his 6 siblings would grow up in Midlandville where the family very quickly became an integral part of the community. Joseph would attend school up to the age of 14, when he left in order to pursue a career as a miner in the Midlandville mines. He would stay in the little community where he worked in the mine and lived with his wife, Janet. 1939 brought another war to Europe and saw a call for Canadians to enlist. By 1941, the situation had grown dire as the United Kingdom was isolated and now remained the lone beacon of hope in Europe. Joseph knew his country needed him and enlisted in April of that year in the Royal Canadian Engineers. The army would send him to Saskatchewan for training and then to England in October.
The Albertan would arrive in England and be attached to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Engineers. Joseph, like many other Canadians, would enter into what seemed like an endless routine of drilling and training. This included everything from instruction on the operation of motor vehicles to mock operations. Joseph would qualify as a driver and certainly had trained more than he probably thought was possible. But not all of his time in England was spent training, he was given a fair amount of leave to explore the country. The U.K. was vastly different from Alberta and Joseph marveled at the shear amount of people who resided in the towns and cities across the country. His leave and service would take him all over and he became very familiar with what many refereed to as the "mother country." On March 25th, 1943 he was traveling via train to Newcastle in Northern England. He was standing close to an open door as the train finally pulled into Tynemouth Station when he suddenly lost his balance. Joseph fell out of the rail car and hit his head on the ground extremely hard. The bystanders rushed to his aid and got him to a hospital. But he was in a bad way and the doctors were unable to save him. The news of the tragic incident would reach his wife and family who were devastated. The entire town of Midlandville would mourn the loss of one of the best members of the community (1). Joseph was laid to rest in Surrey, England where he lies beside many other men of the Commonwealth, who like him, gave their lives in service of their country.
The Albertan would arrive in England and be attached to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Engineers. Joseph, like many other Canadians, would enter into what seemed like an endless routine of drilling and training. This included everything from instruction on the operation of motor vehicles to mock operations. Joseph would qualify as a driver and certainly had trained more than he probably thought was possible. But not all of his time in England was spent training, he was given a fair amount of leave to explore the country. The U.K. was vastly different from Alberta and Joseph marveled at the shear amount of people who resided in the towns and cities across the country. His leave and service would take him all over and he became very familiar with what many refereed to as the "mother country." On March 25th, 1943 he was traveling via train to Newcastle in Northern England. He was standing close to an open door as the train finally pulled into Tynemouth Station when he suddenly lost his balance. Joseph fell out of the rail car and hit his head on the ground extremely hard. The bystanders rushed to his aid and got him to a hospital. But he was in a bad way and the doctors were unable to save him. The news of the tragic incident would reach his wife and family who were devastated. The entire town of Midlandville would mourn the loss of one of the best members of the community (1). Joseph was laid to rest in Surrey, England where he lies beside many other men of the Commonwealth, who like him, gave their lives in service of their country.
Lest We Forget
For the article with photo and further Information on Joseph Whittle click here : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2929424
Sources:
(1) Correspondent, Herald. “Killed in Train Crash Overseas.” Calgary Herald, 4 Mar. 1943, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2929424.
(1) Correspondent, Herald. “Killed in Train Crash Overseas.” Calgary Herald, 4 Mar. 1943, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2929424.