Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthDecember 22, 1894
Place of BirthSudbury, Ontario
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Next of Kinfather - Leith Myles, 513 2nd. St. S, Kenora, Ontario
Trade / CallingBrakeman on CPR
ReligionBaptist
Service Details
Regimental Number439047
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion52nd Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Address at Enlistment513 2nd St. S, Kenora, Ontario
Date of EnlistmentDecember 23, 1914
Age at Enlistment20
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathAugust 20, 1966
Age at Death71
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario
Plot8E-8-1

Myles, Edward Andrew

Edward Andrew Myles was the fourth of six children born to Leith Myles and Mary Rathwell in Sudbury, Ontario on 22 December 1894.

The family moved to Rat Portage (Kenora), Ontario in 1898. Edward, known as ‘Pat’ to his family and friends, received his education in Kenora. He joined the CPR in 1912 and worked as a brakeman.

On the 23 December 1914 Edward answered the call for local men to join an infantry unit for overseas service. His group of 55 recruits first assembled on December 31st and, under the command of Major Schnarr, paraded through the main streets of Kenora. They continued to train in Kenora until 16 June 1915 when they left for Port Arthur to go into camp with the other units of the 52nd battalion. Their training continued there until they were sent overseas as part of the 2nd Reinforcing Draft. They embarked from Montreal on the ship ‘Missanabie’ on 04 September 1915. When they arrived in England, further training took place at Shorncliffe. Then, Edward was on his way to the front in France by November 20th 1915. He served with the 4th Canadian Infantry Battalion and in a letter home dated 05 October 1916 he said he was with the ‘headquarters runners’ stating,’I sure can go some too, when there are a few whiz-bangs, etc., flying around.’

This story was told to Edward’s sons by ‘Sandy’ Maluish and Keith Fraser. Sandy was a lifetime friend of Edward who went into the army with him in 1914 and served with him in the trenches. The fighting had ended for the day and Sandy was missing. Edward crawled out in darkness and found his wounded friend and brought him back to be attended to. He probably saved his life.

Sandy Maluish also told the story that Edward was promoted to a corporal and attended his first parade riding a donkey. He was promptly demoted back to a private.

Edward told his son, Don, that conditions in the trenches were horrible – water up to their knees and rats everywhere. Often the dead who had been placed in wooden caskets would be dumped out and those still alive would crawl into the empty caskets for a safe place to be for the night.

Edward’s mother died on 16 March 1918. Edward was still in Europe and was not allowed to return to Canada for her funeral.

After 3 1/2 years overseas,  Edward  arrived back in Kenora  in May  1919.

Edward rejoined the CPR but learned soldiers received no seniority credit for time served. He met Victoria Pinkerton who was a nurse in training at the Kenora hospital. They married 25 October 1923 in Dryden, Ontario (Victoria’s home town), and took up residence in Kenora.

Edward and Victoria had three children Shirley, Keith and Donald. They moved to Winnipeg in the 1950’s because of Edward’s job with the CPR. He retired as a conductor in 1959 and they returned to Kenora.   He was a member of Pequonga Lodge A.F. and A.M. #414, Order of Railway Conductors, and Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.

Edward died 20 August 1966 in Kenora and he is buried in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.  His brother, George, also served in WW1.

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Photographs provided by Edward’s son Don Myles.


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