The Original 40

When war was declared in August 1914, a battalion from Toronto started mobilizing within days. The 3rd Battalion drew primarily from Toronto’s Queen’s Own Rifles regiment, reinforced by other local militias — the 10th Royal Grenadiers and the Governor General’s Body Guard. They trained at Valcartier and set sail for England in September.

When the battalion arrived in England in October 1914, it had 42 officers and 1,123 men from other ranks. Many of them died over the next 4 1/2 years; others were sent home wounded or taken prisoner. After the war was over and the battalion arrived back in Toronto in April 1919, only 40 officers and men who shipped out at the beginning of the war came home with them.

They took pride in being the last 40 “Originals” of the 3rd Battalion. Lt.-Col. J.B. Rogers, CMG, DSO, MC Lt.-Col. D.H.C. Mason, DSO, OBE Capt. E.H. Minns, MC Capt. A.K. Coulthard, MC, MM Capt. H.T. Lord, MC Lt. A.V. Noble Lt. D. Morrison, MM Lt. J.L. Austin Regimental Quartermaster Sgt. G.R. Pollock Sgt. H.V. Spence, DCM, MM, Belgium CdeG Sgt. R.J. Clapton, MSM Sgt. N. Thorn, MSM Sgt. R.H. Williams Sgt. W.H. Minnett Cpl. J. Mullen, MM Cpl. R.J. Murdock Lance Cpl. G. Spraggett Pte. W. Bennett Pte. J. Bodell Pte. J.J. Burns Pte. T. Clarke Pte. G.W. Dent Pte. T. Franklin Pte. H. Kinsley, MM Pte. W.J. Leathem Pte. W.C. Legier Pte. Ed Lindsay Pte. A.S. Lukeman Pte. W. Maitland Pte. R.G. Ottey Pte. S.H. Pilling Pte. Wm. Renfrew Pte. H. Sanderson Pte. H.F. Smith Pte. P.C. Stephenson Pte. G. Stretton, MM Pte. E.W. Thorne Pte. P.H. Theberge Pte. H. Webster Pte. G. White