LEST WE FORGET 315 STEVENS, James Percival “Percy” WWII Born on January 17, 1915, James Percival Stevens was the son of James and Nellie Stevens of The Pas, Manitoba. His father James was a World War I veteran. One of five children of James and Nellie, Percy was working as a painter when he enlisted with the Fort Gary Horse RCAC in Winnipeg on August 4, 1942. During training, he qualified as a driver of wheeled and tracked vehicles. He embarked for England on March 18, 1943. His service included three locales: Canada: August 4, 1942, to March 10, 1943; the UK: March 11, 1943, to June 6, 1944; and Northwest France: June 6, 1944, to July 4, 1944. He was part of the famous D-Day Landing on June 6. His company, the 10th Canadian Armed Regiment, landed at Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. On July 3, the regiment was assigned the role of capturing a small airport at Carpiquet, outside Caen. On the 4th, the Canadians had barely started their advance through chest-high wheatfields when the Germans began a deadly barrage of shells. The attending padre reported: “Everywhere you could see the pale upturned faces of the dead.” James Percival Stevens was one of the soldiers killed on that day. He is buried in the famous Beny-sur-Mer War Cemetery along with the 2,047 bodies of his wartime comrades, the majority of whom are Canadians. STEWART, Charles Milton WWI Charles Milton Stewart was born on January 29, 1888, in Hopetown Lanark County Ontario. Along with four brothers and two sisters, Charles Milton Stewart was the son of Charles J and Catherine (Bulloch) Stewart who moved to Brandon in 1901. His brother Thomas Bulloch Stewart participated in World War I. Twenty-six-yearold Charles Milton Stewart was farming in the Milden district when he enlisted with the 1st Canadian Rifles in Saskatoon on December 31, 1914. He had previously served eight years with the Canadian Militia. At 6 feet 1 inch, he was considerably taller than his comrades. He landed in France on September 22, 1915. On September 16, 1916, he suffered a shrapnel wound to his chest. After convalescing in London General Hospital until October 2, 1916, he returned to the battlefields of France. On April 9, 1917, serving with the 29th Light Horse Cavalry, Lieutenant Charles Milton Stewart was killed at Vimy Ridge. The attack began on a snowy Easter Sunday near Arras. The Battle of Vimy Ridge proved to be a great success for the Canadian Army, but it came at an enormous cost. Lieutenant Charles Milton Stewart is buried at Thelus Cemetery, 3.5 km from Vimy Ridge. STEWART, Archibald WWI Private Archibald Stewart was born on April 26, 1872, in Lindsay, Ontario. At the time he enlisted in Outlook on December 30, 1915, he was a 40-year-old farmer; he also listed lineman as his occupation. Like all members of the 128th Overseas Battalion who signed up in 1915 and 1916, he trained at Camp Hughes in Manitoba and embarked from Halifax on August 15, 1916. Stewart landed in France with the 49th Field Battalion on December 6, 1916. On June 8 and 9, 1917, the 49th was part of an assault on German machine guns nests in the Vimy area. The battle began at 23:45 hours on the 8th with a Canadian machine gun barrage. The 49th was to spread out in a frontage of 500 metres. German resistance was less than anticipated, and their machine gun trenches were destroyed. Nonetheless, the 49th suffered losses: 24 men and officer killed, 132 wounded and 16 missing. Private Stewart was one of the injured soldiers. A gunshot wound to his left arm required hospitalization until the end of August. He received his discharge papers on August 17, 1919; the papers indicated that he was a widower. Little is known about Stewart’s post-war life, other than he died on November 21, 1954, and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver.
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