Fallen in the Call: Remembering Private George H. Wiltshire and Private David Upper

Fallen in the Call: Remembering Private George H. Wiltshire and Private David Upper

​A Cold Discovery in St. Marys: Private George H. Wiltshire

​Private George Henry Wiltshire hailed from the town of St. Marys, Ontario. His service and sacrifice are documented, including a grave marker in the St. Mary's Cemetery. The Canadian Virtual War Memorial lists his details, citing a newspaper clipping from The Globe, Toronto on Saturday, January 8, 1916, which detailed the circumstances of his untimely death.

​The reports confirm the tragic nature of his passing, finding him frozen under a bridge after New Year's Day. The speculation surrounding his death was that he suffered a fall from either a train or the bridge itself. This devastating event, occurring in the winter of 1916, serves as a stark reminder that the risks faced by soldiers were not solely confined to the battlefields of Europe. It underscores the fragility of life even during training or transit in the home country. His name is an integral part of the memory and commemoration of the First World War in St. Marys.

​A Sidelined Tragedy in Listowel: Private David Upper

​Only days before Private Wiltshire's death, another young man, also of the 110th Battalion, Private David Upper of Listowel, met an equally unfortunate end.

​Private David Upper served with the 110th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry (Alberta Regiment). His record confirms that he was the husband of Annie Upper of Listowel, Ontario, and he passed away on December 29, 1915. This date places his death just a few days before Private Wiltshire's body was discovered after New Year's Day 1916, tragically linking their unfortunate circumstances at the very start of the year.

​Private Upper's story is a heartbreaking account of a common mishap turning fatal. He is believed to have passed away due to blood poisoning caused by a seemingly innocuous sliver in his finger. This tragic event highlights the perilous nature of even minor injuries before the widespread use of effective antibiotics. A simple wound, likely sustained during training or daily life, escalated rapidly into a fatal infection, claiming his life in Listowel, far from the battlefront.

​Echoes of Home and Service

​Both Private Wiltshire and Private Upper answered the call to service, a decision that placed them on the path to an early death not by enemy fire, but by shocking accidents and unforgiving illness.

• ​Service and Community: Private Upper's affiliation with the 110th Battalion shows the wide reach of Canadian recruitment, pulling men from small towns like Listowel to serve in units across the country. Private Wiltshire's history is similarly tied to his home community of St. Marys. Their passing, one just before the new year, and one just after, would have cast a shadow over both towns as 1916 began.

​Their names stand as enduring testaments to the cost of war, reminding us that sacrifice extends beyond the trenches and sometimes strikes in the most unexpected, cruel, and tragic ways at home.

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