Background

William B. Graham was born June 20, 1872, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick to John Graham and Adeline Jones. According to the 1901 census, William was the oldest of four children including, Frederick, Mary, and Edith. There are few details about his parents; however, according to the Saint John Daily Telegraph, William spent most of his childhood in St. Stephen. A woodsman by trade, William moved to Fredericton prior to 1895 and joined the 71st Regiment. While in Fredericton he became a member of the Wilmot Church and eventually met a young woman named Annie R. Hooper, although it is unclear where William and Annie met. On August 11, 1897, they married one another in St. Stephen surrounded by family. Given the nature of William’s work in the woods and the fact that Annie was from Calais, the family shifted a lot between Southern New Brunswick and Maine. While living in the United States prior to the war Annie gave birth to two children. Harry was born in 1898 while Irene was born four years later in 1902. Their last child, Charles, was born in 1917. Newspapers suggest that for years William was eager to become involved in military engagements overseas. Twice he had attempted to enlist and both times he had failed. When the Spanish War broke-out he was rejected because of physical requirements while the same occurred when he attempted to join a Canadian unit during the Boer War in South Africa. Luckily, his third attempt to enlist for military service would be successful. When war was announced in the summer of 1914, William went to Saint John immediately and joined the 26th Battalion. According to his attestation form, he was described as having grey eyes, brown hair, a mild complexion, while standing approximately five feet nine inches tall. Older than the average soldier at the time, William was forty-two years old. Despite his age, he had a wealth of experience through his work that would make him valuable to the Canadian Expeditionary Force going to England. It is unclear if he had the opportunity to see his family again before going overseas. William spent the winter of 1914-1915 in Canada training with the 26th Battalion as Annie and the children remained in Maine during the war.    

Wartime Experience

Sergeant William B. Graham left Canada with the 26th Battalion from Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 13, 1915, aboard the S.S. Caledonia. Arriving in England a week later, William spent the first few months of his service in England before going to France September 15. Prior to leaving England, his service record suggests he may have spent some time enjoying his last few days before going to the front as he was “severely reprimanded” for intoxication on September 3. Over the next three months little was reported of his whereabouts until it was noted that he was detailed to a grenade school in January 1916 and rejoined his unit January 29. By early spring the 26th Battalion was near Ypres, Belgium along the Ypres Salient and on the border of northern France. A month before the Battle of Mount Sorrel was set to begin, William was in the trenches when, according to his circumstances of death record, he received a gunshot wound to his head. On May 20, 1916, he was evacuated quickly to No 3 Casualty Clearing Station near Poperinghe, Belgium where he succumbed to his wounds. A week and a half after his death, the Saint John Daily Telegraph, confirmed a story in Maine newspapers that he had been killed and family was notified. William was described as being “well known and highly esteemed on the border” and that news of his death was being met with sincere regret by everyone. At the time of his death, William was forty-four years of age leaving behind his wife and three children. All his medals went to his wife and mother. The couple’s third child, Charles, was born while William was overseas and would never meet his father. The young Charles William later served in the United States Army during World War Two and the Korean War. At the age of thirty-five, in 1952 he would be killed during actions in Korea. Researching the life of William B Graham was difficult because in 1923 his name was incorrectly inscribed on the cenotaph plaque as “Percival Graham”. Records obtained through the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick confirm that there is no “Percival Graham” on any church rolls and that no one by that name from the area had been killed during the war. William B. Graham, the young man who originally attended  Wilmot Church and whose name is listed on the church honour roll and plaque should have his name corrected at some point in the near future.        

Lest We Forget

Sergeant William B. Graham is buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the cemetery is southwest of Ypres close to a city called Poperinghe. There are approximately 10, 121 identified casualties making it the second largest cemetery in Belgium.