Private Samuel Townsend
Samuel was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England on September 2, 1882. He served in England with the King’s Royal Rifles for 8 years. He immigrated to Canada and at the start of WW1 was working in Paris as a laborer. He attended St James Anglican Church. He was single and 32 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. Samuel transferred to the 4th Canadian Division, which saw action at Passchendaele and Vimy Ridge, though he did not transfer until June, 1917, after the battle. He never had the opportunity to serve in France.
He was discharged in April, 1918 due to varicose veins, which seemed to have plagued him throughout his service. In November, 1916, he was found to be fit only for Base Duty. Samuel was transferred to the Canadian Casualty Assembly Centre in Witley. It was a medical unit tasked with assessing soldiers from the front to determine if they required further medical treatment. Samuel was assigned to Garrison Duty there and in the Regimental Depot in Greenwich.