Private Charles Maguire
Charles was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland on December 25, 1872. He immigrated to Canada and was employed as a fireman. Before emigrating, Charles served for 9 years with the 4th Battalion, Royal Inniskellen in England and he had served with the Brant Dragoons. He was married with one son and three daughters, and he and his wife Elizabeth attended St James Anglican Church. He was 42 years of age when he enlisted with the 125th Battalion in Paris.
He was a member of the 9th Platoon that embarked aboard the S.S Scandinavia on February 12, 1916. The 9th and 10th Platoons were the first contingent of soldiers from Paris, nearly 100 men, to go overseas. The ship disembarked in Liverpool on August 18, 1916. On February 6, 1917, Charles was transferred to the Canadian Casualty Assembly Corps, which was established to process, track, and reassign soldiers who were wounded, sick, or recovered, managing the flow of men back to the front or to other duties. The CCAC assessed wounded or convalescing soldiers to determine if they were fit for further duty or required discharge. He was diagnosed with myalgia. During World War I, myalgia was understood primarily as a physical, localized manifestation of environmental exposure, infectious disease, or psychological trauma. Military medical officers used it broadly as an official clinical diagnosis to categorize soldiers suffering from debilitating muscle pain that lacked an obvious external wound.
Charles was taken from service on August 20, 1917 and returned to Canada shortly afterward. He was discharged in Toronto on September 25, 1917. Private Charles Maguire died on November 39, 1939.