I co-authored the book with Michael who is my cousin through our paternal grandparents, May (Mulligan) McMullen and Lil (Mulligan) Morris. We trace our Chapleau connection to 1885 and the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway when Patrick Mulligan, their uncle arrived in the community.
"As a result of our on-going research of the past several years we felt we had enough information to produce the third edition", Michael said. " This is our legacy for the Chapleau Boys who served in uniform and we wanted all our information in print."
The third edition contains updated information of the Chapleau boys, particularly in World War One including the names of four additional deaths (up from 32 to 36), additional names of enlistments (up from 283 to 293), and more letters from overseas.
There is now a separate chapter on the 227th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, (Men of the North). Of the 293 volunteers with a Chapleau connection who enlisted for World War One with some exceptions they joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force .
By mid-1916 a Chapleau platoon had been formed with over 50 enlistments. Had we never undertaken our book I would not have known that my grandfather Harry Morris was the first recruit to complete his attestation form on April 16, 1916. He was 26 and a railroad conductor. He never talked much about his experiences overseas in World War One. He also never said too much about his son, James Morris, my father, who was killed on active service in the RCAF during World War Two on July 16, 1943. My grandmother and I would have chats.
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| Michael K and Michael J |
In April 1916 after a visit to Chapleau by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hugh Lepailleur Jones the Chapleau Citizens Recruiting Committee was formed. One of its members was William McMullen, Michael's grandfather,
Of the 62 who served in the platoon seven died during or soon after the war due to war related activities or disease illness suffered while on active service.
The third edition also contains more letters from the boys on active service to the folks back home. It is truly a moving experience to read these messages from a battlefield in Europe.
In 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War' we recognize that World War One and World War Two resulted in Canadians from all walks of life served in our country's armed forces. Our story is about the contributions and sacrifices made during these two wars, at home and abroad, by the people of Chapleau, Ontario, a relatively small community in northern Ontario in World War One and World War Two.
There are 18 more pages than in the previous editions.
Michael and I extend our most sincere thanks to Lucy Bignucolo of Chapleau Village Shops for all the assistance she had provided in promoting and sellling the first two editions of our book. The third edition is also available at Village Shops. It is also available at amazon.com and amazon.ca. You can also email me for a copy at mj.morris@live.ca..Thanks to all who have supported this project.
