I don’t know why, but the other day I was thinking about the Canadian generally regarded as the first to die during World War One.
I remember watching a documentary about the war sometime ago and they mentioned him. I thought it would be a cool name for a band or something… then I thought, maybe that will be my DJ handle.
I was waxing about it on my radio show a couple weeks ago and I got this email from Jeff at CFB Esquimalt:
Jeremy;
I can’t remember when but one afternoon, I think last week you were talking about the first Canadian war dead from World War I. The first Canadian war dead were actually sailors not soldiers and they died nowhere near the shores of Europe, they actually died in the Pacific.
The German squadron leaving Valparaiso on 3 November 1914 after the battle.
The first Canadian casualties of the war occurred before these troops arrived in Europe. Sir Christopher Cradock’s squadron was sunk at the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile, claiming four midshipmen who became Canada’s first war dead.
We sailed past Coronel last year and paid our respects by dropping a wreath in their honour. A moving moment for our ship’s company.
Hope that helps. Best Regards,
Jeff McCartney
Petty Officer 1st Class | Maître de premier classe
Senior Naval Communicator | communicateur naval Superieure
Information Systems Security Officer | Officier de securite des systemes informatiques
Chief of Maritime Staff | Chef d’état-major des forces maritimes
HMCS CALGARY | NCSM CALGARY
Canadian Fleet Pacific | Flotte Canadienne du pacifique
Department of National Defense | Département de la Défense Nationale
***
Now that is an interesting piece of historic knowledge. The first Canadian casualties of the war were likely reservists serving Cradock.
The story of this early navel battle is a decent read if you like your War History.
These men were not who I was thinking of. It took some digging, but the man I was looking for was a soldier named Bellinger.
German barrage on Allied trenches at Ypres. Probably Second Battle of Ypres, 1915
The Canadian Army at the beginning of World War was tiny. At the start, a new regiment was formed called the Princess Patricia’s and they became part of the 1st Canadian Division. They first dug into the trenches at a place called Dickiebush (France) on January 6th, 1915. By the 8th, the first two Canadians of the war were dead, Norman Fry and Henry Bellinger.
The name Bellinger has always stuck with me.
Go with yourself.
