Doupe, Private Fred Henry

Service Highlights

  • Service Number: 3135694
  • Born July 5, 1895 in Lakeside, Ontario.
  • Son of Adam Doupe of R.R. #6, St. Marys, Ontario.
  • Drafted; London, Ontario on May 17, 1918 under the Military Service Act, 1917.
  • Assigned to the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment.
  • Work; Farmer
  • Discharged on November 19, 1918 following the end of the war.
  • Residence after discharge listed as R.R. #6, St. Marys, Ontario.
  • Commemorated through the St. Marys Legion Veterans Banner Program.

A Life and Service Remembered

Fred Henry Doupe was born on July 5, 1895, in the Lakeside area near St. Marys, Ontario. Raised in a farming family, he worked as a farmer prior to the First World War.

In May 1918, during the final year of the war, Doupe was called to service under the Military Service Act and enlisted in London, Ontario. He was assigned to the 1st Depot Battalion of the Western Ontario Regiment, a unit responsible for training and preparing reinforcements for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Family connects him with the Perth Regiment, though his surviving First World War service record identifies him with the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment. We hope to clarify this detail with family further in the future, but as of publishing this detail remains vauge.

The war was drawing to a close, thousands of Canadians were still being mobilized to support the final Allied offensives in Europe. Doupe’s enlistment reflects this final phase of Canada’s wartime mobilization, when reinforcements were still urgently needed to sustain the fighting forces overseas.

With the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, the need for further deployments rapidly diminished. Doupe was discharged on November 19, 1918 and returned home to the St. Marys area.

His service represents the experience of many Canadians who were called up during the final months of the First World War, ready to serve overseas if required. Today his name is remembered through the St. Marys Legion Veterans Banner Program and the continuing effort to preserve the stories of local veterans.

Major Battles and Operations

  • Drafted under the Military Service Act, 1917
  • Training and reinforcement service with the Western Ontario Regiment Depot Battalion
  • Canadian Expeditionary Force reinforcement preparation during the final months of the First World War

Learn More

Canadian Great War Project
https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=948440

Lives of the First World War
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5838673