David McLean the final letter home

I have discovered that David's family letters are available through the Letters & Images Project located at Vancouver Island University's history department (www.canadianletters.ca). Because we know what is coming there is an increased poignancy to Dave's last letter to Lettie:
 France

April 5th

Dear Lettie

I received your letter dated March 10th tonight. Glad to hear that you were well. I wrote you a few days ago saying I had received the box which you sent away March 8th but I have not received the one you sent March 1st yet. Alex said he was sending a box so I will have it some of these days. I had a letter from Alf Gillam to night so must answer it to night. I was glad to hear that you have every(thing) paid up so you can put what you have over in the bank to see when I came back. We have been having some cold wet and snowy weather but today has been fine and sunny so it looks as if the weather has turned fine. We are out of the trenches at present so thought I would write you a few line before going back again. I did not know until today when Easter Sunday was for I did not think it was so near and this is Good Friday but I don't think I will have any eggs this Easter but hope to make up for it next one. I bought a quart of milk the other night. I drank half of it and I boiled the other half and bought three eggs which I paid six cents each for and boiled them in the milk so made a fine custard but it was rather dear for all the wealth I have but it was the second time I have tasted milk since coming to France. There is very seldom we are where we can buy milk. About the only things we can buy at times is biscuits and chocolate. I may not write a letter to you for some time but will try and send you a field card when I can. Hope you and George are always keeping well. You were asking me what to send in your boxes, well don't go to any expense getting boxes for me but don't send anything that isn't for eating. But I am getting along all right so don't worry about me. I have a few boils in the back of my neck just now to amuse me. I suppose I need some spring medicine. Well I will close this time. Hoping you are well. With lots of love from

Dave

Here is the final letter in the series:

July 6, 1917

Personal

Dear Mrs. McLean,

I desire to express to you my sincere sympathy in the recent decease of your husband, No. 799658 Pte. David McLean.

Who in sacrificing his life at the front in action with the enemy, has rendered the highest services of a worthy citizen.

The heavy loss which you and the Nation have sustained would indeed be dressing were it not redeemed by the knowledge that the brave comrade for whom we mourn performed his duties fearlessly and well as become a good soldier, and gave his life for the great cause of Human Liberty and the defense of the Empire.

Again extending to you in your bereavement my condolence and heartfelt sympathy.

I am

Yours faithfully,

E.A. Kemp

Minister of Militia and Defence for Canada

I have attached two photos of David, his friend Thomas Grant,  and some of their mates taken in France shortly before their deaths.  In the top photo David is sitting in the front row left, his friend Tom is standing immediately behind.  In the second photo Dave is sitting far right. Tom Grant is in the row behind immediately to Dave's right. 

Vimy Ridge - Thomas Grant (friend of David McLean)

In a recent blog I told the story of David McLean who was married to Bob Hearn's cousin Lettie Vanstone. David was killed at Vimy Ridge as he sheltered in a dugout with his friend Tom Grant. The two men, both native born Scots, lived on the same street in Toronto. They had enlisted together, trained together and remained in the same regiment in Europe. They had made a pact that if one was to die the other would write home breaking the news to the widow. In the shell attack that killed David McLean his friend Tom was not seriously injured.  True to his word Tom wrote home to Lettie Mclean telling her of David’s death.   I wondered in the blog how Tom carried on after the death of his friend and whether he survived the war.  I now have discovered that Tom Grant was killed on 15 August 2012 during an attack on Hill 70. I

have attached a newspaper notice of his death and the reverse side of his Record of Service card. Of course there was no one to write home to his widow.  Thomas Pringle Grant's name is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial.

Vimy Ridge Dave McLean Christmas letter 1916

Charlie Ballantyne was married to Gordon's Aunt Alice.  Charlie and Alice who farmed on land close to the McEwan farm had no children and were reputed to be wealthy.  In April 1918 Charlie purchased his first motor vehicle,  a Dodge Chevrolet Touring car which he ordered through Kalfleisch Brothers dealership in Stratford.   Built at the Dodge Brothers factory in Detroit, Charlie's new car was to be delivered a month after being ordered. The company offered a 90 day warranty on defective parts.  However, the warranty would only be honoured if the owner prepaid the transportation charges and if the vehicle had not be driven at a "speed exceeding the factory rated speed, or loaded beyond the factory rated load capacity." Furthermore the company offered "no warranty whatever in respect to tires, rims, ignition apparatus, horns or other signaling devices, starting devices, generators, batteries, speedometers, or other trade accessories".  It is not clear how much Charlie paid for his new Chevrolet.  There are two order forms: on the first form the price is listed as $1290.00 plus $20.00 freight charges, on the second order form, which I have attached, the price appears to be $840.00. Regardless of the final price I am sure that Charlie was proud of his new purchase and, just as importantly, the Ballantyne car was much admired in the community. Here is a picture taken at the Peter Smith farm of Alice and Charlie with their new car.  Underneath the photo Alice has written "Alice and Charlie Ballantyne. Our first car."

Battle of Vimy Ridge - David McLean

Lettie Vanstone was Bob Hearn's first cousin.  Their mothers were sisters, the daughters of Joseph and Sarah Fulcher.  Letta lived on Queen Street in St. Marys across from the present-day hospital. I have no pictures of Lettie but there are a few reports in the local newspaper of her attending a wedding in Forest or communicating with relatives in the United States.  At some point she met and married David McLean who had emigrated, along with his parents and brother, from Scotland.  Lettie and David lived in Toronto where David was a foreman at Dooderham and Worts distillery.  They had one son George. In January 1916, when the first war was well into the heavy slogging phase, David and a friend, who lived on the same street, reported to the Toronto Recruiting Depot and joined the 48^th Highlanders.  In August 1916 “after a period of hard training at Camp Borden, …. [they] completed their final leave and strode down the street together en route for overseas. Each had agreed that should some mishap overtake one of them the other was to advise the family folk with all due speed. …. During Easter week, which will always be remembered in Canadian history because of the gallantry of the Dominion’s representatives at Vimy Ridge, the two comrades, shoulder to shoulder, charged over the parapet and helped to capture the enemy’s trenches. ….. on April 20^th when enjoying a rest in a dug-out a …. shrapnel shell burst near them.  A fragment hit Pte. McLean on the temple and knocked him unconscious.  Other pieces of shrapnel badly wounded him about the legs. …. Fifteen minutes later Pte. McLean passed on, and his friend, true to the promise made, wrote the sad news home.”  (The quotes above have been pieced together from articles in the Evening Telegram 18 May 1917, p. 21 and the St. Marys Journal 24 May 1917, p. 5).

David McLean died almost exactly 100 years ago today on 20 April 2017.  His name appears on the Vimy Memorial. I have no record of how David's wife Lettie or their 10 year-old son George spent the remainder of their lives. Nor do I have any record of whether David’s comrade T. P. Grant from down the street on Eastmount Avenue survived the war.  Attached is a photo of David taken very likely in his back garden on Eastmount Avenue. I have also attached the official Record of Service card recording the death of David McLean.

James Ballantyne MacEwan - prominent business- & sportman

Even a cursory review of references to the name MacEwan in the newspapers of New Zealand spanning the period from the 1890's through to the 1940's will attest to the fact that James Ballantyne MacEwan was a well-know, highly-respected and prosperous businessman and society figure in New Zealand.  In the National Library of New Zealand collection of newspapers there are a total of 16,693 references to the name of MacEwan. While some of those references are for non-family MacEwans and many are advertisements for the MacEwan businesses, there still remain numerous reports of trips, golfing exploits, social activities, business meetings and board memberships.  Several articles involve court disputes over copyright infringements and contract conditions. Obviously, the MacEwan brothers did not shy away from confrontation when they felt it was necessary.
During those years James made several return trips to Canada and to the farm on Black Creek.  We know that he included Canada in his 1890's trip in which he planned to inspect dairy practices in both North America and Europe.  In addition, his son Ian tells that "I was taken to Canada in 1914 when 11 years old to be shown to the family and we went to the old home. I was a year a Upper Canada College, Toronto when the 1914 War started and Father came home at once to see how things developed."  There must have been at least one more trip.  Gordon McEwan who was born in 1914 remembered James this way: "I can recall him sitting on our front porch complete in Homburg hat, pear-grey suit and black, shiny shoes on one of his periodic visits."
One final story by way of  James' son Ian and as recorded by Gordon McEwan:  "On one occasion Jim was called upon to act as a judge at the exhibition for New Zealand-made cheese. After carefully considering the products, Uncle Jim gave two exhibits a tie for first place and then a second and third.  Because of this, the organizers of the exhibit were upset as only three prizes had been provided and they urged Uncle Jim to re-assess his judging and award only a first, second and third prize. Again testing the products, James turned to the committee and stated that they would have to have another judge as he could not find any difference between the two samples he had listed in first position.  Reluctantly they agreed to award four prizes and then, to their amazement they discovered when they opened the exhibition tags that the two first prize samples had been cut from the same cheese. Jim McEwan's reputation as a master judge had been established."
I have attached a newspaper photograph of James in his plus-fours on the first tee at a golf tournament in 1919.