Private Frederick Leslie Trewella

Private, 8th Battalion, Infantry (Army).

Born 01 Sep 1888, Frederick Leslie Trewella was the son of William and Caroline (Hopper) Trewella. Originally from Falmouth, Cornwall, England, William and Carrie had married there during the first quarter of 1884. The couple decided to immigrate to Canada and had booked passage on the Sardinian out of Liverpool, England that was to arrive in Quebec 07 Sep 1886. However, their leaving was delayed and the couple sailed 10 days later on the Circassian, arriving in Quebec 17 Sep 1886. With them were their three children, William, Olive, and Jessie, and a domestic, Emily Bowden, their destination Qu'Appelle. By the 1891 Canada census the family was living in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, William's occupation given as carpenter. By that time there were two new additions to the family: Fred, age 3 and Violet, age 9 months. In the 1911 Canada census the family was living at 318 9th Street in Portage la Prairie although William was not listed in the household. Members were Mrs. W Trewella, Fred who was working as a miller at the flour mill, a son Reginald who had been born Jul 1896 who was working as a driver for a butcher, Clarence born in 1906, Violet, and a boarder,William Kyle.

Frederick Leslie Trewella enlisted at Valcartier on 21 Sep 1914. Five feet, nine and half inches tall, he was twenty six years old. The CEF Commonwealth War Graves register for Frederick states that he was killed in action 25 April 1915 when his unit was in the vicinity of Langemarck (Grafenstafel Ridge / St. Julien). His burial place is unknown. Chlorine gas was first used by the Germans on a large scale on the Western Front starting 22 April 1915 at Grafenstafel Ridge. The 8th Battalion was hit by it on 24 April. From the War Diary of the 8th Battalion, 24-25 April 1915, Grafenstafel: "The trenches were all attacked at night, and all the men in the trenches except the reserves were weak from fumes - in fact some men had already died from fumes." The 8th battalion suffered heavy casualties from the gas attack and in the Battle of St. Julien which began on 24 April. A detailed description of the battle and the 8th Battalion's part in it is here: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/westernfront/ypres1915.htm

Frederick Leslie Trewella is commemorated on the Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial in Belgium along with the names of 55 000 men who were lost without a trace during the defence of Ypres Salient in the First World War. His name is entered on page 39 in the First World War Book of Remembrance, he is listed on a Roll of Honour, published by the Quebec City Chronicle, 1920, for men who worked with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company and on a Lake of the Woods Milling Company Roll of Honour plaque house in the Keewatin Legion in Keewatin, Ontario.

Frederick's brother William died 21 Oct 1901, his mother died 03 Aug 1926, both buried in the St Mary's Cemetery in Portage la Prairie. His father died 25 Dec 1930 in New Westminster, British Columbia.