215 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND HALL, Richard “Dick” Richard was born on December 7, 1897 in Surrey, England. He enlisted in the 248th Battalion at Owen Sound, Ontario in February 1917. During the Battle of Amiens, Richard, with the 58th Battalion, had his left knee shattered by a shell burst on August 8, 1918. According to family information, he lay wounded in a trench all night before medical aid arrival. Richard had already suffered from a gas attack the previous month. He was taken to a field hospital, where his leg was amputated mid-thigh, on August 10. He was then evacuated to the 2nd Southern General Hospital in Bristol, England. Richard passed through a succession of hospitals in England and by October he was in the Red Cross Hospital at Gloucester. More surgery was done there to prepare the eight inch stump for a willow bucket leg, a prosthesis made of willow wood and leather. After an assessment in Toronto, Richard was assigned to the Brant Military Hospital in Burlington, Ontario and at a later time the Hamilton Military Hospital. Private Richard Hall was discharged from military service at Toronto on August 12, 1919. Richard was a life member of the War Amps of Canada and passed away at the Guelph St. Joseph’s Hospital on August 30, 1972. He is buried in the Erin Union Cemetery. HAMILTON, Louis James “Lewis” Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland on August 20, 1893. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force to serve in World War I on December 13, 1917. In official documentation the spelling of his name was inconsistent but he was known as Lewis to his family. After his training, where he was qualified as a Machine Gunner he ended up serving with 205th Battalion of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR). Lewis was discharged on May 17, 1919. His medals include the Victory Medal and the British War Medal 1914-1918. During the war, Lewis was exposed to gas and suffered effects of this his whole life requiring oxygen at home. He had been in and out of Westminster Hospital from 1939 until his death on February 21, 1963 at the age of 69. Lewis was a Life Member of The Royal Canadian Colonel Talbot Legion Branch in Aylmer, Ontario. HAMILTON, James Lewis James was born in Pontiac, Michigan, USA on October 15, 1926 and moved to Aylmer, Ontario at the age of three. He enlisted in the Canadian Army (Active) to serve in World War II on October 25, 1944 at Wolseley Barracks London, ON. James was an Infantryman with the Canadian Infantry Corps and became qualified as a Driver and a Sniper. He ended up serving with the #7 Platoon, B Company of The Kent Regiment. His discharge date is unknown, but it was at the rank of Private. James’ medals include the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945. He passed away on May 4, 1988 at the age of 61. James had been a member of three Royal Canadian Legion Branches, Aylmer, West Lorne and Sir Arthur Currie Branch 116 in Strathroy, ON.
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