World War One

Athens, Ontario Honour Roll

Village of Athens Cenotaph

Athens, Ontario – World War One - 1914 – 1918

Our heroes - TO THE MEMORY OF OUR BOYS WHO PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE IN THE GREAT WAR. “They sleep among the poppies in the land of France.”

The loss of these brave men would have not only been felt by their family and friends, but the entire close-knit rural community.

-ROSS DE WOLFE – Pte. – 47th Battalion

Killed in action – October 24th, 1916, at Courcolette

-FRANK WHITFORD – Pte. 156th Battalion

Killed in action – August 27th, 1918, at Arras

-J. MILLS JOHNSTON – 2nd Lieutenant – Royal Air Force

Killed while flying in England

-BASIL CONNERTY – Pte. – 156th Battalion

Killed in Action – August 30th, 1918, at Arras

-LLOYD SCOTT – Pte. – 156th Battalion

Killed in action – September 29th, 1918, at Cambrai

-DELOS SPENCE – Pte. – 5th Battalion, 1st Canadian Division

Killed in action – August 15th, 1916, at Watten

-JOHN CORR – Cpl. – 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 1st Central Ontario Reg. Killed in action – September 12th, 1917, at Cambrai

-GORDON KELSEY – Pte. – 156th Battalion

Killed in action – March 29th, 1918, at Arras

-EVERETT CROSS– Pte. – 156th Battalion

Killed in action – August 10th, 1918, at Amiens

-WILLIAM CARL - Pte. – 21st Battalion

Killed in action August 5th, 1918, at Amiens

-GERALD BOTSFORD – Pte. – 156th Battalion

Killed in action – January 25th, 1918, at Amiens

To honour the WWI fallen soldiers, the village of Athens has created a memorial tree system on Town Hall grounds, where each solider has a tree planted in their honour and a cross adorned with a poppy and their name. “That their names shall not perish from among men.”

Tribute at Athens District High School - by main door entrance

Submitted by the Athens High School Alumni Association

Posters Commemorating Athens WWI Heroes

Original posters can be found at the Athens and Area Heritage Museum in Athens, Ontario.

Gordon Kelsey and Frank Witford ww1_edit

William Carl and DD Spence ww1_edited.jp

Basil Connerty and John Corr ww1_edited.

Everett Cross and Lloyd scott ww1_edited

Gerald Botsford and James Mills Johnston

Students from Athens District High School Honour Local Soldiers in France

History students from Athens District High School researched local WWI soldiers and commemorated their sacrifice at their grave sites while visiting France in 2024. Students input the soldiers information from their war records into a national database and honoured their soldiers through written work, artwork, and creative pieces. For more information on this educational trip see Global Excursions.

Global Excursions

Student completing a grave rubbing.

Allied mass graves in Northern France.

Alex Simmons Honouring Pte. Frank Whitford

Photographs on the left are of students in Athens, Ontario.

To honour the WWI fallen soldiers, the village of Athens, Ontario, has created a memorial tree system on Town Hall grounds along Highway 5, where each soldier has a tree planted in their honour and a cross created by students of Athens District High School decorated with a poppy and their name. "That their names shall not perish from among men."

Photographs on the right are of students in France sharing their soldier's story and their creative work to honour their sacrifice.

AJ Irvine Honouring Pte. Gordon Kelsey

Owen Miles Honouring Pte. Basil Connerty

Aaron Smid Honouring Pte. W. G. Botsford

Lilly Taylor Honouring Pte. Ross De Wolfe

This is a rubbing of private Roscoe De Wolfe's name on the Vimy Memorial in France.

This is a piece of shrapnel that I found in the battle fields of northern France, now farmer’s fields. This would have been part of a WWI shell that exploded. It has a small hole drilled through the top to turn it into a necklace.

This is a drawing of Roscoe and Ethel DeWolfe sitting on the memorial for the battle of Courcelette in France. Private Roscoe DeWolfe died in the battle of Courcelette on October 24, 1916. Beside him is his sister, who wrote a poem after his death talking about how she wished to visit his grave. This was drawn after visiting the memorial in France and researching Private DeWolfe’s service, and it was done to honour the memory of Private DeWolfe and his sister.

Artist Statement

This drawing is based off of the cemetery, Adanac cemetery, where I presented my soldier, Roscoe DeWolfe’s, story. Throughout my research for him, my main focus was his connection with family, specifically with his sister Ethel. With help from the Athens Museum, I had found a poem that Ethel wrote for DeWolfe, saying how badly she wanted to be there with him. So, as the first main theme of my drawing, I wanted to give her that moment and reunite her with her brother. On top of the Stone of Remembrance, where I left Ethel’s poem and a cross for DeWolfe, Ross, as he was called by his sister, sits in his uniform with Ethel beside him wearing a blue and pink dress, representing love and friendship (pink) and trust and peace (blue). They overlook the field where DeWolfe fought, died and still lies.

The second main theme of my drawing was the ides of – “If the earth could talk, what stories would they share?” – When I presented DeWolfe’s story of how he died in the battle of Courcelette, something that I found incredibly special was the fact that the weather was dreary and foggy, just like I can imagine it was the day DeWolfe died. To me, it felt like Earth’s way of remembering his sacrifice, so, in my drawing, I drew the fog slowly clearing, just like it did throughout the day I presented. In the pathway leading up to the memorial are the words "Time might wash away their footprints, but the earth never forgets... She will remember".

Aside from the two main themes, my drawing also includes a few other details from the day. The trees are made with beautiful autumn colours, just like I remember. I drew the cross and poem that I left by the Stone of Remembrance, and around the stone are sunflowers, which I remember growing beside the cemetery.

Biography

In 1914, the world fell into a time of fear, loss and tears. The great war had begun, leading hundreds of thousands of brave men and women from around the world to jump in harm’s way, in order to fight for their country, and among them was Private Roscoe Delbert DeWolfe, a loving brother, son and friend.

Private DeWolfe was born on November 13th, 1886, to Brock and Mary DeWolfe. He grew up in Athens, Ontario, where he attended the local Anglican church. He was a student at Athens District High School, where he was a member of the school hockey team. He also played the cornet in the Athens band. After graduation, Private de Wolfe worked as a painter in the Athens area, painting houses up until the time he enlisted at 29 years old.

On November 9th, 1915, just four days before his 30th birthday, Private DeWolfe enlisted in Brockville, Ontario. With his musical talents, he enlisted as a bugler, hoping it would be less dangerous for him. He was assigned to the 77th battalion and became a part of the military band.

Private DeWolfe sailed from the Halifax harbour on June 19th, 1916, after many months of training in Canada. He arrived in Liverpool on June 29th, 1916, and trained some more in Bramshott camp. Soon later, he was transferred from the 77th to 47th battalion, and he departed for overseas service, arriving in France on August 11, 1916. Along with his duty in the military band, Private DeWolfe also became a member of a stretcher bearer squad.

On September 15, 1916, the battle of Courcelette began as a part of the Somme offensive. This little known yet deadly battle was one of the first where tanks were used. It was also the cause of thousands of battlefield casualties, including the death of Private DeWolfe.

On October 24, 1916, Private DeWolfe was occupying a dugout with several other comrades, when they were directly hit with a mortar shell, and he was killed instantly.

While Private DeWolfe was lost, he was and will always be fondly remembered for his service. Aside from being commemorated on the Vimy memorial, he also has a monument in the Athens cemetery. His name is listed on the Athens village cenotaph, and a maple tree was planted in his honour along with many other Athens men who fought in WWI. A smaller replica of the cross that is placed in front of his maple tree in Athens was brought to France, as a way for Private de Wolfe to stay connected to his home.

I have been honoured to research Private Roscoe DeWolfe, and I have found myself making many connections to him and his family, making this project all the more meaningful. Ross, as he was called by his family and friends, was an incredibly talented person, and not only in terms of his athletic and musical abilities. One of his greatest and arguably most memorable characteristics was his talent for lifting the mood. He was described as witty and humorous, in other words, the guy everyone wanted to be around.

As I quickly learned in the last month or so, the memory of DeWolfe is so much more than just a name on a memorial and a handful of service files. I can see him in the personality and talents of my classmates, and my family back home. When I think of Athens District High School and the school spirit, I think of him. When I look around my village, so many things remind me of DeWolfe and not just the sacrifices he made for his home, but all the amazing memories he would’ve made before he left, and with all of this information I gathered and feelings I’ve experiences through the research of DeWolfe, I thought the best way to honour him, and the best way to share his story, is through his memories.

The book below was designed as a memory book to tell the story of DeWolfe and his family. Throughout the book you can see different photographs of him that I was able to find with the help of the Athens Heritage Museum. As well, there are a couple of my own sketches that I made based off of other photographs and descriptions. With each picture, there is a bit of a caption written in Ross’s perspective, helping us to see through his eyes and experience some of his greatest memories. At the very end is a real poem that was written by DeWolfe's sister Ethel after his death.