Balls, George Russell

3133967 Private George Russell Balls

Service highlights

  • Born: 26 March 1896, Elma Township, Perth County, Ontario
  • Service Number: 3133967
  • Residence at enlistment: R.R. No. 2, St. Marys, Ontario
  • Trade: Farmer
  • Enlisted: 13 May 1918 (Military Service Act), London, Ontario
  • Unit at enlistment: 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment
  • Discharged: 30 January 1919 (demobilization), London, Ontario

A Life and Service Remembered

George Russell Balls was a Perth County son, born in 1896 in Elma Township and connected to the St. Marys area by the time the First World War was grinding into its final, costly year. When he enlisted in London, Ontario in May 1918, he gave his home address as R.R. No. 2, St. Marys and listed his trade simply and plainly: farmer. Ball, G Russell

He entered service at 22 years old, part of the wave of late-war reinforcements called up as Canada pushed to sustain the effort overseas. His file captures those “ordinary, real-person” details that make the distance of a century feel smaller: a young man described as fair-complexioned, grey-eyed, and just under five-foot-eight. Ball, G Russell

George’s wartime path, as recorded in the documents provided, runs through the training and depot system that prepared men for service and movement overseas, followed by his return and discharge in early 1919. Ball, G Russell

After the war, he came back into the life of this region, farming near science hill and working at Maxwells, raising his 6 children, including Earl who went on to follow in his fathers foot steps (we believe that this Earl Ball is his son but have yet to confirm with direct family) and serve as a Private in the Korean War. George built the kind of steady postwar story that rarely makes headlines but shaped communities for generations: work, family, and the long work of peace after years defined by conflict.

Major battles and operations

  • Depot and reinforcement service during the final year of the First World War (1918) Ball, G Russell
  • Overseas movement is indicated in the provided records, but the specific front-line unit or battles are not stated in the documents shared Ball, G Russell

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