LEST WE FORGET 107 BROWNING, Leslie Adams WWI Leslie was born on February 18, 1892, in High Barnes, England to Edward Adams Browning and Catherine Ann (Mercer). He was the youngest of five children. The family immigrated to Canada in the early 1900’s and his father farmed in the Woodleigh area (between Wapella and Rocanville). His occupation was locomotion fireman when he filled his attestation papers on December 18, 1914, in Moosomin. He was part of the 34th Fort Garry Horse Unit. Leslie had blue eyes and light hair and was 5’7”. He was sent overseas on August 23, 1915, and was sent to France on February 25, 1916, with FGH, 10th CMR – 2nd Reinforcing Draft. He was granted leave from January 11, 1917, to January 24, 1917, and was granted a Good Conduct Badge on January 26, 1917. He was appointed Lieutenant Corporal on June 8, 1917. He was granted another leave from February 7, 1918, until March 2, 1918. On April 11, 1918, he was wounded receiving gunshot wounds to his right thigh, hip and buttock. He was hospitalized and promoted to Corporal on June 30, 1918. He was sent to the Cavalry Corp to gas school on July 20, 1918, and rejoined his unit on July 27, 1918. Corporal Browning was listed missing on August 18, 1918. Over 11,000 Canadian soldiers were posted as “missing, presumed dead” in France. His death card states that he “took part in a charge against an enemy machine gun nest situated in some wood on the Amiens-Roye Road. Search parties covered the ground again at night as far as the enemy fire would allow, but no information could be secured concerning Corporal Browning.” Corporal Leslie Adams Browning’s name is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial in Pas-de-Calais, France. He is also remembered on the Wapella Cenotaph. BROWNING, Stanley Mercer WWI Stanley was born on October 18, 1885, in London, England to Edward and Catherine (Mercer) Browning who brought their family to Woodleigh district (near Wapella and Rocanville) in the early 1900’s. He was the second oldest in a family of five. Stanley was farming in the district when he enlisted in the Army on December 21, 1915, in Winnipeg. Between January and April 1916, he was hospitalized with both influenza and mumps in Winnipeg. He arrived in England on May 29, 1916, aboard SS Empress of Britain. He spent May 30 to midAugust 1916 training in England and disembarked to France with the 78th Battalion on August 12, 1916, to May 13, 1919. He was granted several short leaves to Paris and to the United Kingdom. Stanley was hospitalized on April 9, 1919, with a sprained ligament in his knee from a football injury on April 1, 1919, in Belgium. Private Browning was awarded a military medal and his name appeared in the London Gazette (31430) on August 2, 1919. He sailed back to Canada on June 7, 1919, and was discharged on June 12, 1919. Stanley married Maisie (May) Mills in Winnipeg in 1920 and they farmed NW 26-16-33 until 1936. He sold the farm, moved to Toronto, and later moved to Watford, England. Stanley passed away in 1938.
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