Private George Couperwaithe
This excerpt from “York County Men and Women Who Gave Their Lives in World War I, Volume I” includes an obituary of Private George Couperthwaite, a serviceman who fought in the trenches of the Great War. Pte Couperthwaite was 24 at the time of his death and one of the nearly 3,600 Canadians killed while fighting at Vimy Ridge (image of the 1936 Vimy Ridge Memorial unveiling is also pictured above). Pte Couperthwaite enlisted into service in July of 1915 and was posted to the 75th Battalion before being transferred to the 3rd Canadian Battalion. He was later moved to the No. 2 Construction Battalion, also known as the Black Battalion. Before the formation of this unit, Black Canadians served in several combat units and its creation was the result of several appeals and protests to top military officials, including Defense Minister, Sam Hughes. In 1915, the Canadian government had ruled that enlistees could not be refused based on race, however, discrimination still existed at the level of enforcement. Subsequently, a segregated Battalion was created and recruits joined from all across Canada.
City of Vaughan Archives: MG 30, Ref 15
Private George Couperwaithe
This excerpt from “York County Men and Women Who Gave Their Lives in World War I, Volume I” includes an obituary of Private George Couperthwaite, a serviceman who fought in the trenches of the Great War. Pte Couperthwaite was 24 at the time of his death and one of the nearly 3,600 Canadians killed while fighting at Vimy Ridge (image of the 1936 Vimy Ridge Memorial unveiling is also pictured above). Pte Couperthwaite enlisted into service in July of 1915 and was posted to the 75th Battalion before being transferred to the 3rd Canadian Battalion. He was later moved to the No. 2 Construction Battalion, also known as the Black Battalion. Before the formation of this unit, Black Canadians served in several combat units and its creation was the result of several appeals and protests to top military officials, including Defense Minister, Sam Hughes. In 1915, the Canadian government had ruled that enlistees could not be refused based on race, however, discrimination still existed at the level of enforcement. Subsequently, a segregated Battalion was created and recruits joined from all across Canada.
City of Vaughan Archives: MG 30, Ref 15