Searching For Family From WW1 Vet- Sgt. Alfred Broadbent- Article

[Bruce Monkhouse]

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/10/15/15712101.html

Searching for family of WW I soldier
By CHERYL BRINK, QMI Agency
Last Updated: October 16, 2010 12:14am


CORNWALL, Ont. - An Ingleside woman is aiming to give a trio of medals discovered in a church basement back to its original owners.
The World War 1 honours, which should be a family treasure, remain unclaimed even though Catherine Lalonde has spent a year looking for relatives of the medals' recipient.

A frame with the three medals and a black-and-white photograph of Sgt. Alfred Broadbent were uncovered in the manse of Trinity United Church during some housecleaning before a new minister moved in.

Lalonde, an amateur history buff and Grade 5 teacher at Akwesasne Mohawk School, took on the task of bringing the medals and Broadbent's descendants together.
"We wanted to reunite this with his family," she said.

But a year later, Lalonde is losing hope.
With only one Broadbent in the region's phone book, who isn't related to the war hero, Lalonde is unsure what steps to take in tracking down the medals' owners.

She has called the Legion, Veteran's Affairs Canada, and past ministers of the church.
She set up the frame during the church's annual Remembrance Day display, hoping someone would recognize it.
"I took responsibility," she said, adding that she never imagined she would spend a year and hours of research with no results.

"I thought it would be easier to match with the owner."
However, Lalonde has managed to dig up some records of Broadbent.
She learned that he was born in England, lived in Victoria, B.C., and enlisted in the military in January 1917.

According to his records, he died on June 3, 1917 - six months after signing up and at only 20 years of age.
"I think he died during the war," said Lalonde, who couldn't review his entire service record since she isn't a relative of the former soldier.
But his file does mention he was buried in France, so Lalonde said he may have fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Broadbent was awarded with three honours: the British War Medal for all Canadians who served overseas between 1914 and 1918, the 1914-1925 Star for everyone who saw action during those two years, and the Victory Medal given to all Canadian soldiers in World War 1.

Lalonde has a few Broadbents she could call on the west coast, but because the medals were framed by a local company and stored in an old dresser in Ingleside, she doesn't think the sergeant's family is too far away.
"I can't help but think the relative is local," she said.

"I'd love to get it back by Remembrance Day," added Lalonde. "That's my goal."
Lalonde said anyone with information that could help her search or who wants to claim the medals can call her at 613-537-2575.

 

[kkwd]

Here is a Scan of his Attestation paper. He is listed as single and his next of kin was his brother in England. 

Here is his record from CWGC

He quite possibly became a casualty of The Arras Offensive during which his unit as part of the Fourth Canadian Division conducted a flanking operation towards Lens commencing June 3rd, the date of his death.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Lalonde has a few Broadbents she could call on the west coast, but because the medals were framed by a local company and stored in an old dresser in Ingleside, she doesn't think the sergeant's family is too far away.
"I can't help but think the relative is local," she said.

I suspect she is seriously under-estimating the potential mobility of surviving relations, who may no longer be in Canada, or anywhere near Cornwall.

 

[Blackadder1916]

There are few possible discrepencies in this article.  While I commend Ms. Lalonde for her initiative and desire to reunite these medals with the family of the soldier who earned them, her skills as an "amateur historian" perhaps leave something to be desired.  Of course, the possible errors in the story may simply be (as is often the case) due to a sloppy reporter.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/10/15/15712101.html

A frame with the three medals and a black-and-white photograph of Sgt. Alfred Broadbent . . . According to his records, he died on June 3, 1917 - six months after signing up and at only 20 years of age. "I think he died during the war," said Lalonde, who couldn't review his entire service record since she isn't a relative of the former soldier.
But his file does mention he was buried in France, so Lalonde said he may have fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Broadbent was awarded with three honours: the British War Medal for all Canadians who served overseas between 1914 and 1918, the 1914-1925 Star (1914-15 Star ?) for everyone who saw action during those two years, and the Victory Medal given to all Canadian soldiers in World War 1.

If Broadbent enlisted in  Janauary 1917, he would not have met the qualifying criteria for the 1914-15 Star.

According to the CWGC site and this site about the 143rd Bn (BC Bantams), Broadbent was a Private and 23 years old when he was wounded/killed at LaCoulette.  The BC Bantams/143rd Bn site lists him only as wounded and not dead, so there may be other errors in that entry.

How Pte Broadbent got from the 143rd Bn to the 47th Bn may be explained here.

http://bcbantams.org/overseas.htm

"The 143rd sailed from Halifax aboard S.S. Southland, on February 17th, 1917."  On board with the 143rd was the 218th Battalion, an Artillery draft and a draft of R.C.N.V.R.  The S.S. Southland and another troop transport was accompanied across the Atlantic by the armoured cruiser HMS Drake.  Ten days later they were in the Canadian Holding Depot at Purfleet Camp, Shorncliffe.

On February 7th, Sir George Perley, the Minister of the Overseas Military Forces issued a telegram cancelling the railway construction equipment required by the 143rd and the 228th Battalion, to function as construction battalions.  With this order, the battalion's fate was sealed.  It would not remain intact once it got to England.

On February 9th, the same day the Battalion left Victoria, a report on the battalion was sent by the OC, MD 11 to the Secretary of the Militia Council in Ottawa describing the operational readiness of the battalion, which had been recently re-designated as a railway construction battalion.  The report undoubtedly supported the final decision to break up the battalion. 

Break Up
Upon arrival at Purfleet, the battalion was medically examined and categorized.  On the 15th of March 1917 all ranks in Category A, (744 all ranks) were transferred to Seaford and attached to the 24th Reserve Battalion.  The remaining categories were transferred to the Canadian Railway Troops on the 14th of March 1917 and remained at Purfleet.

From the 24th Reserve Battalion, former members of the 143rd were assigned to several units on the Western Front.  In March 1917, documents from the National Archives show that 135 men went to the 3rd Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops. The War Diary of the 47th Battalion shows that at least 83 former members of the 143rd served in that battalion.  The history of the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles from the records of Lieut.-Col. G. Chalmers Johnston, show that in May 1917, at least 229 members went to that battalion.

No record has been found, other than the individual soldiers war records, that show where the balance of the men from the 143rd Battalion served.

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

Probably already seen but the back of the attestation paper lists age on enrolment as 23 years old

Also, I'm not sure why the article states that the service file is inaccessible to non-family members. That is decidedly untrue. However, it isn't free either.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-130-e.html?PHPSESSID=70fnagnlfn2tbdogg3a6orj4q6#h

 

[Blackadder1916]

The War Diary of the 47th Bn has the following entry for 3 June 1917 in which Pte Broadbent (827149) is listed as wounded.
http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001113923.jpg

5.30  pm

Report goes through to Brigade that situation is good but casualties heavy.  Final report shows that objectives were not all reached.  The day is quiet and is spent largely in evacuation of wounded.
  Our casualties  Killed 791134 629029  812074  687258  629450
                              Wounded  Lt F.R. WELLS.  629492  811823  827149  688241  790100

It is possible that Pte Broadbent was wounded during the day and had been evacuated, succumbing to his wounds while in a medical facility after the entry in the war diary.