McIntosh, Peter Angus

Peter Angus McIntosh (MacIntosh) was born on 19 January 1888 in St Peter’s, Nova Scotia. His parents Angus McIntosh and Catherine Robertson (aka Robinson) were both from Nova Scotia, likely marrying around 1883. Farming in the St Peter’s area, children born to the couple were Christine Euphemia (1884), John James (1885), Peter, James Vincent (1889), Charles Francis (1891), Daniel Joseph (1893), Joseph Colin (1895), Edward Alphonse (1898), Thomas (1900), and Margaret Mary (1901).

At some point Peter and his brother John James moved to Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) in northwestern Ontario where they found work at the Rat Portage Lumber Company’s sawmill. While in Rat Portage Peter served with the 98th Militia. In the summer of 1914 he moved to Calgary.

Peter enlisted on 22 September 1914 at Valcartier, Quebec. His occupation was given as labourer, year of birth as 1890, and his father Angus in St Peter’s as next of kin. As a Private with the 9th Battalion, Peter embarked for England in early October. Once in England the battalion was redesignated as the 9th Reserve Infantry Battalion.

In late January of 1915 Peter was transferred to the 4th Battalion for duty in France/Belgium. On 15 June 1915, near Duck’s Bill Mine in Givenchy, when in charge of a machine gun Peter sustained a gunshot wound to his left arm. He was admitted to the No 11 General Hospital in Boulogne on the 17th, transferred to the No 1 General Hospital in Etretat and then invalided to England on the hospital ship Oxfordshire a few days later. Once in England Peter was first admitted to the Royal Infirmary in Perth, transferred to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital Monks Horton on 20 August, to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital Hythe, and finally to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital Epsom where he was discharged to a reserve unit on 4 November.

During the last quarter of 1915, in the registration district of Lambeth in London, Peter married Beatrice Ibbetson. Born in 1888, Beatrice was likely the daughter of John and Fanny (née Butcher) Ibbetson.

Peter was to serve the remainder of the war in England. After going through a series of transfers, he served with the Canadian Military Police at Hastings, promoted to Acting Lance Corporal with pay in early June of 1917. However that November he reverted to the grade of Private for allowing a prisoner to escape. In December Peter was briefly transferred to the Canadian Postal Corps in London. From 23 January to 31 October 1918 he was hospitalized at the Canadian Hospital Etchinghill, Lyminge (vdg and gleet).

With the end of the war Peter and Beatrice embarked for Canada aboard the Megantic on 21 January 1919, the passenger list indicating they were on their way to St Peter’s. Peter was discharged from service on 21 February 1919 at Halifax.

Peter’s brother Charles served overseas during the war with the Canadian Forestry Corps while his brother Colin served with the Canadian Engineers.

It appears that the marriage did not survive as at the time of the 1921 census Peter, working as a carpenter, was living with his mother and some of his siblings in St Peter’s. It is not known if Beatrice returned to England. Peter likely lived in the United States for a while but returned to St Peter’s, a 1949 Voter’s list placing him there and working as a carpenter.

Peter died on 28 February 1954 in St Peter’s. He was predeceased by his father Angus in 1915 and mother Catherine in 1944. Along with his parents and some of his siblings Peter is interred in St Peter’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, his surnamed spelled as MacIntosh.

By Judy Stockham

Peter’s grave marker photograph by Michael Proctor, findagrave.com.

« Back To Soldier Biographies