Private Harry Edgar Lovett

Harry Lovett was born in Shipshed, Leicestershire, England on June 18, 1889. He immigrated to Paris to work as a knitter in Penmans Mill #1. He was married and Harry and his wife, Lucy Ann, lived on Jury Street and attended St James Anglican Church. He was 25 years old when he enlisted with the 125^th Battalion in Paris.

Harry was a member of the 9^th Platoon that embarked aboard the S.S Scandinavia on February 12, 1916. The 9^th and 10^th Platoons were the first contingent of soldiers from Paris, nearly 100 men, to go overseas. On March 15, 1918, Harry was transferred to the Canadian Railway Troops in Purfleet, England.

The Canadian Railway Troops (CRT), formed in January 1917, was a crucial World War I unit composed of experienced railway workers, organized in England, and deployed to France in February 1917 to build and maintain vital railway infrastructure on the Western Front, supporting logistics and troop movement until the war's end. The military planners recruited skilled railway workers from across Canada, ensuring technical expertise. They were essential for building, maintaining, and operating railway lines to transport troops, ammunition, and supplies, keeping the war effort moving. 

Canadian Railway Troops (CRT) were frequently under enemy fire. Because their primary mission was to push rail lines as close to the front as possible to support major offensives, they operated in highly dangerous zones. Unlike infantry who had the protection of trenches, railway troops often worked above ground in the open to build or repair tracks. This made them prime targets for artillery shelling and aerial bombing. And they were constantly in such danger because there were often roughly 100 breaks per day due to enemy shell fire. During the massive German Spring Offensive in March 1918, CRT units were forced to abandon railway work and were instead used as emergency combat troops to build rear defense trench systems under fire. From early 1917 until the end of the war, the Canadian Railway Corps suffered 1,977 casualties due to accidents, shelling, gas, and direct fire. The Canadian Railway Troops played a vital, though often overlooked, role in the Canadian Expeditionary Force's success, ensuring the lifeline of supplies reached the front lines. On March 28, 1918, as Allied forces were driving the German Army back towards Germany in very fierce fighting, Harry went overseas with the 13^th Battalion CRT. He survived, and on January 18, 1919, he was granted a leave. On May 3, he reached the District Depot in Toronto and he received his discharge in Hamilton on May 11, 1919.