Selby Brothers During WWI
The photograph above is my great-grandfather Guy Selby (seated) and his younger brother John Selby taken in 1914.
Thomas Tresham (T.T.) Selby and Martha Parke of Beaver Rapids (near McAuley, MB) had four sons all of who served in the Canadian Forces during World War I: James Guy born 1889; Thomas Littleton born 1890; John Edgar born 1894, and Robert Tresham born 1897.
James (Guy) Selby
James (Guy) Selby, the oldest of four Selby brothers, enlists in Winnipeg with the recently formed 32nd Battalion just after his 25th birthday on December 14, 1914. At the time, John Edgar Selby (the third of the four brothers) was a Winnipeg police officer. The photo of two brothers (above) was taken in Winnipeg prior to Guy heading overseas.
Guy Selby in England, 1917.
Guy Selby (Reg. No. 81783) now a private in "B" Company of the 32nd Battalion embarked for England on February 23, 1915. The nominal roll of the 32nd contains a few local names including Thomas Miller of McAuley, Manitoba who is in "A" Company. Upon arriving in Britain, the unit is held in reserve and used to provide reinforcements for units in the field. Between April 22-29, 1915, the 10th Battalion sustained very heavy losses during the second battle of Ypres. Guy Selby is taken on by the 10th Battalion and dispatched to the field on April 26, 1915.
Guy Selby + Doris Moore's Wedding, 1918.
On July 4, 1915, while serving in Flanders, near the western front, Guy incurred a serious shell wound in the thigh near Ploegsteert, Belgium. Guy was picked up by the No. 2 Canadian Light Field Ambulance and eventually ended up on the hospital ship HMS Dieppe. The injury damaged much of the upper leg muscles limiting Guy's mobility and ability to walk long distances. As a result, Guy serves the remainder of war stationed in England in various roles. He rises to the rank of Company Sergeant Major of the 119th Battalion and in 1918 receives permission from the military to marry Doris Moore originally of Hull, Yorkshire.
Guy is finally discharged to Canada on April 23, 1919, almost 6 months after the end of the war. He returns with his war bride and resumes farming in the Beaver Rapids district, raises a large family and eventually dies on May 24, 1975. Guy Selby is buried at Beaver Rapids Cemetery with his parents and other members of his family.
Thomas (Tom) Littleton Selby
Thomas (Tom) Littleton Selby
The second of the brothers, Thomas (Tom) Littleton Selby aged 26, enlists with the 183rd Battalion on March 4, 1916 in Winnipeg. This is one month after his younger brother John Selby enlisted.
Transferred to the 107th Pioneer Battalion in October 1916, Thomas Littleton Selby (Reg. No. 871421) lands in Boulogne, France on February 25, 1917 at the same time as his bother John Selby who is also with the 107th. The landing and mobilization are described in detail in this link to the 107th's War Diary. Part of "C" Company, Tom Selby dies only ten days later on March 7, 1917 due to pneumonia caused be exposure. He was 26 years old. Tom Selby is buried in Plot 1.G.54 at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension at the village of Aubigny-en-Artois located approximately 15km northwest of Arras, France. Tom Selby is also commemorated on the War Memorials in the villages of St. Lazare, McAuley and Foxwarren, Manitoba.
John Edgar Selby
Middle brother John Edgar Selby (Reg. No. 718424) enlists in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on February 3, 1916 at the age of 22. He may have enlisted as a result of a recruitment drive for the 107th Battalion in southwestern Manitoba. The 107th was formed by Glenlyon Campbell who may very likely have known John Selby's father T.T. Selby as they both served in the Boulton Scouts at the Battle of Batoche.
There are 29 recruits from Roblin listed in the nominal rolls of the 107th including John Ashby and Aubrey Smith whose attestation papers just proceed John Edgar's. Stuart Kerman and George Arthur Webb of McAuley, Manitoba are also part of the battalion.
107th Battalion at Camp Hughes, 1916
Due to catching pneumonia while still in Canada, John Selby's departure for England is delayed. He finally leaves Halifax aboard the SS Olympic on September 18, 1916. John Selby lands in Boulogne, France on February 25, 1917, at the same time as his brother Tom Selby who was transferred to the 107th Pioneer Battalion from his original unit.
On June 20, 1917, John is gassed and suffers shell wounds which cause loss of vision for 2 days and loss of voice for 4 days. John returns to England to recover. The effects of pneumonia and mustard gas have a long-term effect on his respiratory and nervous systems. Although noted as having very good conduct and achieving one gold bar during his short time in France, John Selby is discharged as medically unfit for service on June 22, 1918 and returns to Canada. John returns to St. Lazare and by 1920 marries Marie Venerande Mathilde (Hilda) Simard with whom he raised a large family. John Selby dies on April 30, 1959.
Robert (Bob) Tresham Selby
The youngest of the four brothers, Robert Tresham Selby who has reached the minimum age of 20, is conscripted under the Military Service Act of 1917 in Brandon, Manitoba on May 7, 1918. Assigned to the 1st Depot Brandon, Robert Selby never leaves Canada and is discharged on December 30, 1918 after the armistice is signed.
Bob marries Jean Smith in 1932 and together they have a son, John. The family continues to live in the Beaver Rapids district and eventually retires to the village of Welwyn, Saskatchewan. Bob Selby dies on September 24, 1980, at the age of 84, and is buried in the Beaver Rapids Cemetary with many other family members.
