Wiltshire, Private George Henry

Service highlights

Rank: Private
Service number: 727134
Unit: 110th (Perth) Battalion
Enlisted: 25 November 1915 in St. Marys
Born: 6 March 1878, Surrey, England
Came to Canada: 1904
Occupation: Farm worker
Earlier service: Volunteered for about nine months in the South African War (1899 to 1902)
Died: 6 January 1916 near the Grand Trunk Railway station area in St. Marys.
Death: Found deceased on 6 January 1916 at the foot of a pier beneath the Grand Trunk Railway bridge over Trout Creek, with a head wound, broken legs, and exposure noted as a likely factor. Contemporary reports suggested he may have slipped while crossing the bridge on foot, or fallen from a train.
Burial: St. Marys Cemetery, his grave is treated as a war grave and is periodically inspected.
Commemoration: Named on the St. Marys cenotaph.

A Life and Service Remembered

George Henry Wiltshire had already lived through one war before the Great War called him again. Born in England and arriving in Canada in 1904, he made his living by steady farm work, moving where the work was, taking on the kind of labour that leaves little record but keeps communities running.

When he enlisted with the 110th (Perth) Battalion in late 1915, he was in his late thirties, older than many of the men he trained alongside. Christmas brought a short leave to see friends in St. Marys, then winter closed in hard. In early January 1916, he vanished from the routine of camp life and became, on paper, absent without leave. The details that follow are sparce and heartbreaking. He was seen in the early morning near the railway station, and later that day he was found beneath the bridge, the cold and the fall having done their work.

Local accounts noted he was single, and that there were no close relatives in Canada. His family was an ocean away in England. Even so, the St. Marys community wanted to make sure he was remembered. Years later, local veterans briefly considered placing a cross near the spot where he died, a small sign that people felt his loss and wanted him marked with care. He rests in the St. Marys Cemetery, and his name remains part of the town’s record of service and sacrifice and his name is commemorated on the cenotaph in St. Marys.

Major battles and operations

South African War (1899 to 1902), served as a volunteer for about nine months.
First World War: Enlisted with the 110th (Perth) Battalion and began training in Canada.
He did not deploy overseas.