Private George Harry Ball
George Ball was born in Leicester, England on August 29, 1880. He was married to Amelia Ball and they had three daughters and a son. George was working as a labourer. He had already served with the 25th Brant Dragoons when he enlisted with the 125th Battalion on April 1. 1916. His medical assessment noted he had amputated the thumb at first joint and the little finger of his right hand. Since these injuries left him unable to shoot a rifle, he was sent overseas as a cook.
George did not go overseas until April 29, 1917 when he sailed with the 215th Battalion and arrived in England on May 10. He was transferred on June 8 to the Central Ontario Regimental Depot. During WWI, the Canadian Expeditionary Force utilized a system of Regimental Depots in England to assemble reinforcements, manage equipment, and handle administration before deploying soldiers to the front lines. CORD specifically served battalions originally raised in the central Ontario region. He was attached briefly to the 2nd Battalion, then was posted back to the CORD on November 11. George was returned to Canada on November 17 because he was determined to be medically unfit. He was discharged from No. 2 Casualty unit in Toronto on February 14, 1918.