Each soldier has a story.
Samuel J Harding was born in Greenspond, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland in 1897. He enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment in February 1916 at age 19. His trade was listed as a school pupil. He was wounded in action and discharged as medically unfit in May 1917. A March 1917 medical report from the third London General Hospital states:
He was on a fatigue party when a shell exploded near to him and damaged his right eye. He did not go sick. Later on he was hit in the left foot by a pick, accidentally. He went sick in August 1916, and was admitted here in August and discharged in October 1916. He rejoined Depot in Ayr(?) and did light duty until December 1916. He went back to General Services in France, but had to report sick on 2nd Mar at Combles, after he had been blown up by a shell. Then taken to 5th General Hospital, Boulogne and thence here.
Harding died in October 1943 and is buried in Forest Road Anglican Cemetery, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Rooms (Newfoundland and Labrador’s Provincial Archives, Art Gallery and Museum) has an online database of the military files of over 2200 soldiers* from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who served in WW1. The files are searchable by name or by community.
* August 2016 note: The Rooms is currently updating its database. Files previously found online may be temporarily unavailable. Names previously not included will become accessible. They advise researchers to revisit the site over the coming year to determine if the file they seek has been uploaded.
Great War 100 Reads 