WWI British War Medal to the Western Ontario Regiment

Bronze, obverse illustrating a left-facing cannon, inscribed "FORT ERIE" above and "JUNE 2nd 1866" below, reverse inscribed in a circle "PRESENTED BY THE COUNTY OF WELLAND", 36 mm, scattered spotting on the reverse, very light contact, near extremely fine. Footnote: The Battle of Fort Erie was a bloody skirmish in the afternoon immediately following the Battle of Ridgeway on June 2, 1866 in Canada West. The Fenian force, withdrawing from Ridgeway towards the United States, met and defeated a small force of Canadian militia at Fort Erie, then known as the village of Waterloo. In response to the Fenian occupation of the township of Fort Erie, Ontario on the night of June 1, 1866, militia units throughout the Niagara Peninsula had been mobilized or put on alert. At Port Colborne, a detachment of 51 gunners and N.C.O.s, British Royal Artillery bombardier Sergeant James McCracken and three officers (Captain Richard S. King M.D., Lieutenants A.K. Schofield and Charles Nimmo [Nemmo]) taken under command by Lieutenant-Colonel John Dennis, boarded a tugboat, the W.T. Robb carrying the Dunnville Naval Brigade, consisting of 19 men and three officers (Captain Lachlan McCallum, Lieutenant Walter T. Robb, Second Lieutenant Angus Macdonald) (a total of 71 men and 8 officers) and steamed east to the Niagara River, then scouted downriver as far as Black Creek. The Welland Field Battery did not have its four Armstrong guns with it, and were only half armed with Enfield muzzle-loading rifles while the other half with obsolete smooth-bore "Victoria" carbines that had a limited range of approximately 300 yards at best. The Fenians apparently gone, Dennis turned back upriver to secure the village of Fort Erie and deny them an easy escape route. Dennis and a company of the Welland Field Battery, landed without difficulty, rounding up a number of stragglers. But when John O'Neill returned with the bulk of his force from his victory at Ridgeway, the volunteers, expecting to encounter only scattered bands of defeated Fenians under close pursuit, were unable to resist them. A fierce firefight followed, in which the militia soldiers and sailors were swept off the shores by the better-armed Fenians and most of the Canadians who had landed were captured. While his men were making their stand, Dennis ran away on foot and hid in a house, shedding his uniform and shaving off his luxurious sideburn whiskers. He would later be court-martialled for deserting his men but he was acquitted by two of the three officers serving on the tribunal. (George T. Denison, commanding officer of the Governor General's Horse Guard voted to convict on some of the counts). Except for the verdict, the conduct of the Dennis Inquiry (unlike the one into the conduct of Colonel Booker at Ridgeway) was kept secret. The contents were not released even a year later, to members of Canadian Parliament who were demanding to see the transcripts of the testimony. While the original transcripts are available to researchers today in the Canada Archives in Ottawa, their contents have never been published in print anywhere. The remaining Canadians on the gunboat steamed back to Port Colborne, leaving O'Neill and the Fenians in possession of Fort Erie once more. However, with an estimated 5,000 British regulars and Canadian militia converging on his position, and a U.S. naval detachment blocking any attempts at reinforcement, that night O'Neill hastily planned his retreat back to New York State. Some Fenians chose to desert, crossing the river on a variety of stolen or improvised craft. The remainder, 850 in number, crossed in a body and surrendered to a U.S. naval party from the USS Michigan near Buffalo, putting an end to Fenian incursions along the Niagara Peninsula. Canadian judge Kenneth Mackenzie was retained by the US Government to defend the Fenians. He secured acquittals for about half of them. (C:14)

A British War Medal to the Quebec Regiment CEF - (3155366  PTE.A.CHAGNON. Q.R.) Naming is impressed, very fine. Footnote: Albert Chagnon was born in Montreal in 1896 and was working as a Carter prior to being recruited into the CEF in February 1918. 

Military Medal, George V, uncrowned head (1257512 Cpl A.W. SILLETT. 9/SGE;BY;CAN:G.A.); British War Medal (1257512 SJT. A.W. SILLETT. C.G.A.); Victory Medal (1257512 SJT. A.W. SILLETT. C.G.A.); and Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (SGT. (COOK) A.W. SILLETT R.C.A.). Naming is impressed. Court-mounted, edge nicks, light contact, near extremely fine. Accompanied by copies of his Pre-War/CEF/Post War Militia records, including Index Cards, Attestation Papers, Service Records, Medical Records, Discharge Certificates, along with the Supplement to the London Gazette 30940, page 11840 (dated October 7, 1918, naming him as a recipient of the Military Medal), a printed photograph of The 1907 Draft of Men of the Royal Garrison Artillery (taken in Liverpool, England before sailing for Halifax on February 21, 1907) and assorted research papers.

Footnote: Alfred William Sillett was born on April 17, 1886 in Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland, the son of Alfred and Helena Sillett of Queenstown, Ireland. He enlisted with the Royal Garrison Artillery on October 28, 1904, under the alias of Alfred Armstrong and was to serve for two years and four months before being discharged on February 21, 1907, with a view to enlisting with the Canadian Garrison Artillery, regimental number 5296. Sillett (AKA Armstrong) was part of the draft of men of the Royal Garrison Artillery, which sailed from Liverpool, England to Halifax, Nova Scotia on February 21, 1907. He signed his Attestation Paper as Alfred William Armstrong (Sillett's alias) with the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery, at Plymouth, England, on February 22, 1907, at the age of 20, naming his next-of-kin as his father, Alfred "Armstrong", stating that he had two years and 117 days previous service with the Royal Garrison Artillery and had been discharged with a view to enlistment into the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery, that he was not married and that his trade was that of Labourer, joining No. 2 Company, RCGA. He was promoted to Corporal in May 1909 and re-engaged for additional service on February 18, 1910. Sillett married Mary Payne in Halifax on October 25, 1910, still claiming to be Armstrong, and was to later have one child, Alfred Samuel Edgar Sillett. He successfully completed courses in Gun Laying (1910) and 1st Class Gunner (1913-14). However, he was declared Absent Without Leave on January 11, 1911 at Halifax and by February 2nd, had been struck off by a Court of Enquiry, forfeiting his rank and previous service. He did eventually return from desertion on August 22, 1911 but his former service was not restored to him until September 1914. He immediately re-engaged at Sandwich Battery Headquarters at Halifax, with his rank being restored to him in May 1916. Sillett's alias of Armstrong was finally rectified in his records in January 1915, in a sworn statement signed by him and notarized by a Justice of the Peace: "I Alfred Sillett do solemnly and sincerely declare that I was enlisted on the 22nd February 1907, under the name Alfred Armstrong, which name I now declare to be incorrect. The name of Alfred Sillett, contained in the accompanying certificate of marriage, I now declare to be my true name, and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously, believing the same to be true, by the virtue of the provisions of an Act made and passed in the sixth year of the reign of King William the Fourth. Chap. 62, entitled "The Statuatory Declarations Act, 1835."" Sillett declared himself available for war service in the Great War, signing his CEF Attestation Paper with No. 8 Overseas Siege Battery, Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery, regimental number 1257512, in Halifax, on July 18, 1916, naming his next-of-kin as his wife, Mary Sillett, stating that he had two years and six months previous service with the Royal Garrison Artillery and nine years with the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery, that he was married and that his trade was that of Soldier. In the summer of 1916, authority was granted for the RCGA at Halifax and Esquimalt, British Columbia, to form a battery for overseas participation. Sillett was appointed Acting Bombardier and left for England on September 26, 1916, when he embarked Halifax for Liverpool, England, arriving on October 6th. Three months later, the No. 8 Siege Battery was re-designated No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery in January 1917. Six months after arriving in England, he proceeded to the French theatre on March 21, 1917, landing in France the following day and was confirmed in the rank of Bombardier. Sillett was in France for just two months, after which he was transferred to England and posted to the Canadian Artillery Regimental Depot at Shorncliffe in May for the next five months, thus missing the action with No. 9 Siege Battery at the Battle of Hill 70 in August. While at the Depot, he was appointed to Acting Corporal on July 3rd and promoted to Corporal on October 18th, after which he returned to Boulogne, France, where he reverted to the rank of Bombardier upon his arrival as a reinforcement, rejoining his unit on October 31st. He officially re-engaged for service on November 17th and was to remain with No. 9 Canadian Siege Battery RCGA until the end of the war. He saw a promotion to Sergeant on June 11, 1918. In the rank of Corporal, A.W. Sillett, Canadian Garrison Artillery was awarded the Military Medal, as mentioned in the London Gazette 30940, page 11840, on October 7, 1918. He returned to England on April 2, 1919 and was placed at the Canadian Concentration Camp, Kinmel Park, before embarking from Southampton, England on May 3rd aboard the H.M.T. Mauretania, arriving in Halifax on May 9th. Sillett was discharged upon demobilization on June 20, 1919 at Military District No. 6 in Halifax, credited with having served in Canada, Great Britain, France and Belgium, entitled to wear the War Service Badge, Class "A" and earning him his WWI Pair. Intending to continue his career in the RCGA, three days previous, he had signed his Permanent Force of Canada Attestation Paper as a Corporal on June 17, 1919 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, regimental number 4092, stating that he had two years and 117 days previous service with the RGA and twelve years and three months with the RCGA, that he was married and that his trade was that of Soldier. He was officially re-engaged on June 20th. He successfully completed four additional courses in Gun Laying (1922, 1923, 1924, 1925). Sillett was appointed Sergeant (Master Cook) on November 1, 1923, with superior officers noting that he was "A very good cook and an excellent caterer for the men. A very good allround Artilleryman and a good clerk." and "A very clean hard working N.C.O., very willing and had good initiative." Sillett was awarded his Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1926 by General Order No. 63. He was discharged to pension on December 24, 1933 at Halifax, his character noted as "Exemplary". He died on June 12, 1963 in Halifax, at the age of 77.

A Canadian Korea Medal Pair to W.R.Comtois -  (SD-105289 R.W. COMTOIS) Naming impressed. UN Medal for Korea.  Naming impressed. Pair is extremely fine.