Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | December 6, 1887 |
Place of Birth | Maybole, Ayrshire |
Country | Scotland |
Marital Status | Married |
Next of Kin | Robert McLeod Gordon, his brother |
Trade / Calling | Teamster |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 439030 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | Young Soldiers Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Keewatin, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | December 24, 1914 |
Age at Enlistment | 27 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | June 8, 1969 |
Age at Death | 81 |
Buried At | Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario |
Plot | 22E-22-2 |
Hugh was born December 6, 1887 in Maybole, Ayrshire Scotland to Alexander and Mary (McLeod) Gordon. He was the 11th of 14 children. Some of the family, including Hugh, set sail for Canada on the SS Corinthian, leaving Glasgow on August 18, 1906. Upon arrival in Montreal, the family arrived in Keewatin, Ontario September 1, 1906 (from diary of his brother James Gordon). Hugh began his working career around the local sawmill. He began as a carpenter then moved to the yard. He took a position with the Prince Albert Lumber Company, then transferred to the Hudson Bay Company where he drove a fur buyer’s team north of Prince Albert. From there, down to Grand Falls, Montana, where he had family connections, working for the Washburn-Crosby Milling Company. Coming back to Keewatin, he began work with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company until the start of World War 1 in 1914.
Hugh enlisted with the 4th Canadian Infantry Battalion on December 24, 1914, and listed his occupation as a teamster.
He set sail for Europe on the SS ‘Missanabie’ April 9, 1915. Serving in Belgium and France, he saw battle with the 4th Canadian Battalion at Courcelette, Vimy Ridge, and Ypres where he was wounded in the right arm June 14, 1916. He was wounded again October 2, 1916; admitted to Woodgate Park Hospital, England; discharged December 29, 1916. On June 1, 1917 he transferred to the Canadian Military Police at Hastings, England with the rank of Acting Sergeant. Six months later, December 21, 1917, he requested transfer to the Young Soldiers Battalion at Bexhill, England. On December 7, 1918 he set sail for Canada and was discharged in Winnipeg January 31, 1919.
His service in Belgium and France entitled him to the service medals for those war theatres and he applied for these medals on June 1, 1922.
Hugh returned to Keewatin and resumed work with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company until 1928. He worked construction until January 1944 when he joined the Ontario Minnesota Pulp and Paper Company as Camp 44 foreman.
Hugh married Bertha Brugge on September 20, 1912, and they had two sons, both of whom served in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. Robert McLeod Gordon who served with the Algonquin Infantry Regiment in Italy was killed in action in 1944. Son John (Jock) Herman Gordon also served overseas in the Royal Canadian Army Ordinance Corps.
In his later years, Hugh enjoyed his time at his cabin on Dogtooth Lake east of Kenora. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 13 Keewatin and the Keewatin Masonic Lodge. His wife, Bertha, passed away in 1960. Hugh passed away June 8, 1969 and both are buried in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.