Service highlights
- Name: Geoffrey Frank Baker
- Service number: A/232
- Rank: Sergeant
- Born: 18 May 1899, Brighton, England
- Came to Canada: as a child with his parents
- First enlistment: joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1918 (did not go overseas)
- Second World War enlistment: 11 Sept 1939, 1st Hussars (London, Ontario)
- Returned to Canada: demobilisation leave began 29 Sept 1945
- Death: 29 Jan 1947, Stratford, Ontario
- Burial: St. Marys Cemetery
- Family: wife Lillian H. (Skipper) Baker, daughters Frances and Beverly
- Commemorated: Supplementary plaque on the south wall of the St. Marys Town Hall
A Life and Service, Remembered
Geoffrey Frank Baker was born in Brighton, England, on May 18, 1899, and came to Canada as a child. He grew up in rural Ontario and, like so many of his era, learned by doing. He built skills wherever he could, including a correspondence course in radio repair, and he was drawn early to service. In September 1918 he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, though the war ended before he ever went overseas.
By the time the world was at war again, Baker was living in St. Marys and earning his living through mechanical and electrical work. On September 11, 1939, he enlisted for overseas service with the 1st Hussars in London. He advanced quickly, promoted to Corporal in January 1940 and Sergeant in July 1941, then crossed the Atlantic with the regiment in November 1941.
Baker’s war was not defined by a single named battle, but by the kind of work that kept the entire fighting force moving. In England he was posted to 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, part of the immense supply and repair system behind the front. The records describe him as capable, practical, and trusted with responsibility. He held a demanding position as a warehouse foreman in base workshop technical stores, work that required real expertise in automotive parts and repairs. He also served as an instructor in electrical and mechanical fields, passing on skills that mattered every day to the men who depended on equipment working when it had to.
When the war ended in Europe, he still volunteered for service against Japan, but by the time events unfolded he was repatriated and returned home. He came back unwell, and even in discharge paperwork you can see how he was trying to rebuild a future that fit the limits his health had imposed. In his own words, he planned to “seek employment as an electrician. I have a prospect in view.” His counsellor noted that while his formal schooling was limited, his knowledge and qualifications were far beyond it, and that he had a job lined up in electrical installation. He wanted to keep contributing, even if he could not return to heavy manual work.
For the next 18 months he remained technically on leave while receiving treatment at Stratford General Hospital. He died on January 29, 1947. His records later identified stomach cancer, and the Canadian Pension Commission ruled that his death was related to military service. He was buried in St. Marys, his grave maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and his name is remembered on the supplementary plaque on the south wall of the St. Marys Town Hall.
Major postings and roles
- Canadian Expeditionary Force (1918): enlisted late in the First World War, did not go overseas
- 1st Hussars (1939–1945): enlisted and promoted through the ranks
- England (1941–1943): 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, including warehouse foreman duties in technical stores
- Promotions: Corporal (1 Jan 1940), Sergeant (1 July 1941)
- Instructor duties: electrical and mechanical trades (as recorded in discharge assessments)
- Demobilisation and medical leave (1945–1947): treatment at Stratford General Hospital; death ruled service-related