Background

William Dalgleish Ford was born April 22, 1890 in Portneuf, Quebec to Joseph Ford and Mary Jessica Dalgleish. According to census records, Joseph and Mary had four other children in addition to William named Joseph Jr., Eric, Thomas, Catherine, and Mary. The couple both came from Portneuf, a small community between Quebec City and Montreal, and likely knew each other growing up. They married one another in 1887 in Thorold, Ontario when Joseph was thirty-two and Mary was twenty-one. At the time, Joseph was working in manufacturing and the paper industry. Despite being married in Ontario, the family lived and kept a residence in Portneuf. Although little is known of William’s early life growing up in the small community, he eventually attended and graduated from Macdonald College in Quebec. The Province of New Brunswick’s 1916 Agricultural Report suggests that he came to the province from Quebec prior to the war described as “a young man just beginning his chosen life work”. He was immediately seen as an endearing member of the Department of Agriculture working as an Animal Husbandman. Recognized as a very capable young man in his line of work, newspapers reveal that William was also a member of a Canadian livestock judging team that won a competition in Chicago in 1913. In early 1914, he was made Superintendent of the Provincial Livestock Division and was working as an agricultural instructor for the province. During his time working for the department William attended St. Paul’s United Church in Fredericton. When war broke out in the summer of 1914, like many civilians working in private business, individuals in the public service often chose to leave their positions for service overseas duty as well. According to Department records, despite sensing deep admiration for those who chose service to country, the loss of public servants was felt “to a very considerable extent.” William left New Brunswick for Quebec in 1915, enlisting in Montreal with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry June 7, 1915. His brother Eric also enlisted in Montreal. According to his attestation form, William was described as having blue eyes, brown hair, a fair complexion while standing about five feet ten inches tall. While not having military experience overseas, he had some militia training that would be useful once in England. Unmarried at the time and only twenty-five years old, William began training in Quebec in preparation for going overseas. It is unclear if he ever saw family and friends again.          

Wartime Experience

On June 29, 1915, Lance Corporal William D. Ford embarked for England aboard the S.S. Olympic just a few weeks after his enlistment. Arriving about a week later William remained in England with the PPCLI until August 24 when his unit left for Rouen, France arriving just after the Battles of Festubert and Givenchy. According to his active service record, he remained with the PPCLI in northern France and Flanders over the fall and winter of 1915-1916 at a time when both sides were busy preparing for engagements in 1916. On April 4, 1916, William was granted a nine-day leave-of-absence in France, a break that would be important in the lead up to Mount Sorrell and the start of the Somme. By this time, Canadian units were directly south of the Ypres Salient and could be used to support fronts in Flanders and in France. On the morning of June 2, 1916, a German artillery barrage opened fire all along forward Canadian positions near Mount Sorrel and on other important pieces of high ground. Lasting for almost two weeks, resulting in over 8,000 casualties, ground that was first lost to the Germans was retaken on June 13 by a well-organized Canadian counter-attack. On the second day of this fighting, June 3, William was in forward trenches north of Mount Sorrel with the PPCLI near Sanctuary Wood when artillery fire came down close to his position. According to his circumstances of death record, William “was last seen with four other comrades in a bay that was afterwards completely destroyed by enemy shell fire.” Lance Corporal Ford’s body would never be recovered. News of his death spread quickly into local papers shortly afterward and information was passed along to the Department of Agriculture by family members. According to Secretary J.B. Daggett, “Mr. Ford was an efficient officer and did splendid work as a member of our staff. His death will be learned with general regret among the livestock men of the province and the host of friends he made while connected with this department. We were all looking forward to his return as a member of the staff.” William was twenty-six at the time of his death. Researching the life of William D. Ford was incredibly difficult because his name was very common at the time, inconsistencies in spelling in documents and records, and because his name is spelled incorrectly on the Provincial Cenotaph in Fredericton as “William B. Ford”. According to the St. Paul’s Church Roll, service records, and other supporting evidence, William’s name should be inscribed on the cenotaph as “William D. Ford”.

Lest We Forget

Lance Corporal William D. Ford is honoured on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial located in Ypres, Belgium. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, William is one of 54, 613 names in honour of individuals killed in Belgium but who have no known grave. Between October 1914 and September 1918 hundreds of thousands of servicemen marched through Ypres on their way to front-line trenches. The memorial, one of the most well-known war memorials in the world, now stands as a dedication and reminder for those who never returned.