Private Robert John Manthorpe
Robert was born in Norwich, Norfolk County, England on December 25, 1879. He immigrated to Paris and worked as a laborer. He attended St James Anglican Church. He was single and 35 years of age when he enlisted with the 125th Battalion in Paris. He had spent three years with the 16th Field Battery
Robert 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. He was transferred first to the Canadian Casualty Assembly Centre, an administrative unit responsible for assessing wounded soldiers. Then in February, 1917 he was transferred again to the Canadian Forestry Corps in Sunningdale, in Berkshire, which served as the vital English headquarters and Base Depot for the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) during WWI, beginning in January 1917.
The Forestry Corps (CFC) was created during the First World War when it was discovered that huge quantities of wood were needed for use on the Western Front. Duckboards, shoring timbers, crates, anything that needed wood had to be provided. The British government concluded that there was nobody more experienced or qualified in the British Empire to harvest timber than the Canadians. At first the idea was to harvest the trees from Canada's abundant forests and bring them overseas, but space aboard merchant ships was at a premium. So rather than stuff ships' holds with timber, it was decided to use the Canadians over in Europe, cutting down forests in the UK and France.
Robert remained with the CFC, it seems, until the end of the war, though there is no indication that he served at the Front. That may be because he was diagnosed with myalgia, the medical term for muscle pain or aches, often causing tender, stiff, or sore muscles He was demobilized to Canada in February, 1919. It is not clear what happened to his wife. It seems that while in England, he married Mrs. Beatrice Mary Manthorpe, formerly of Guildford Road in Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Robert demobilized in Toronto on March 21, 1919, and Robert’s proposed residence was Paris, so that became their most likely home. Written across that demobilization form is the note that Robert Maythorpe died on December 6, 1944.