Though not one of CEFRG’s current cases, the case of Private John James Willoughby provides important background in identifying and recovering The Missing for the group. Willoughby’s remains were discovered by Jean Paul Brunel, of France, in 1986, and he did so much more than assure a Canadian Hero was given the burial he deserved. We have much to learn from Jean Paul, he is a true friend of all Canadians.
Early life
Private John James Willoughby 2293357 was born 19 October 1890 in Aspdin, Ontario. Parents of thirteen children, John James and Mary still lived in Aspdin. They soon moved to nearby Ashworth, and later to Kitscoty, Alberta. Jack, as he was called, stood 5′ 10″ tall, with fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. Willoughby moved to Sudbury sometime after 1911, then went to Edmonton where he worked as a barber.
When the Great War broke out, he immediately joined the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP), on 29 August 1914. Willoughby served with the RNWMP for more than two years, guarding POWs at the Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan. He was promoted Acting Corporal in 1916, but was demoted to Constable, and fined $10 for having falsified the detachment diary.
Service
Technically, John James Willoughby’s service had begun when he enlisted with the RNWMP, in August of 1914. He attested with Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), R.C.A.C., on 6 April 1917, at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jack enlisted as a Corporal in the 7th Reinforcing Draft of the L.S.H. Before traveling overseas, he assigned $18 of his pay to his mother.
Embarked on 29 April 1917, aboard SS OLYMPIA. Taken-on-Strength (T.o.S.) Canadian Reserve Cavalry Regiment (CRCR), Shorncliffe, on 7 May 1917. Once again, he is appointed Lance-Corporal on same date. However, Jack reverts to Private at own request, in order to proceed overseas, 26 June 1917.
Struck-off-Strength (S.o.S.) CRCR on posting to ‘C’ Company, Lord Strathcona’s Horse, Shorncliffe, 2 August 1917. Arrived in France, 3 August 1917. Joined unit in the field, with two Other Ranks, 15 October 1917. Jack would have a lot to prove among the men of the L.S.H. His skills as a horseman will not be recognized yet, for the L.S.H. are currently a dismounted unit. But, that is not the real issue.
Bangalore torpedo
During a recent action before Jack had joined, on the night on 8 July 1917, the Cavalry captured 36 prisoners during a night raid. Thirty-four of them by the L.S.H. In the raid, the unit used bangalore torpedoes in a very successful raid with few casualties. The torpedoes may have been provided by the Indian Corps, for their Commander was very interested to hear of the results of the raid.
While the unit was praised by both General Byng and Lt.-Gen. Sir Arthur Currie, the officers of the L.S.H. were not pleased with the performance of their recent reinforcements. Most of these men had returned with their bombs, never getting close enough to the action to have provided any assistance. Reinforcements needed to demonstrate they could be relied on in battle to the seasoned veterans.
Also of significance to the burials(s) of Private John James Willoughby, is the instructions given to Burial Parties of the unit during the raid. Burial Parties understood their unenviable task, one of which was to keep one of the two dog tags of a soldier, before burying the corpse. There was no excuse not to do so. This fact is significant during the discovery of Jack’s remains by Jean Paul Brunel.
Belgium
Jack had entered the Western Front at Jay Camp, two miles west of Poperinghe in Belgium. Patrols are sent out to St.Julien, Zonnebeke, Passchendaele and Poelcapelle. Perhaps unlikely, Jack accompanied the patrols, but he was witness to considerable aerial activity on his first day at the front. Too much perhaps, for the L.S.H. is moved to the Back Area, on 16 October 1917. Jack already finds himself back in France at billets in Marles-sur-Chance.
Battle of Cambrai 1917
In November of 1917, the L.S.H. are in support of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (R.N.R.) in the Battle of Cambrai. Note the Canadians Corps is involved in the Battle of Cambrai during Canada’s Last Hundred Days in 1918. The R.N.R. struggled to seize and hold the bridgehead at Masnières in the battle. Coupled with earlier fighting at the Third Battle of Ypres, and of course, the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel, this had earned the regiment the unique recognition “Royal”. The title was granted by His Majesty King George V. The distinction was one that no other regiment of the British Army was to have conferred on it during the Great War while fighting was still in progress.
The L.S.H. moved to Winter Camp at Montecourt on 19 December 1917. Casualties for the month stood at 2 officers killed, 1 wounded, 10 Other Ranks killed, 74 wounded, and 3 missing.
Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew
The L.S.H. see action at Vadencourt, taking over the trenches there on 26 January 1917. On 12 February, Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew leads a raid of the enemy trenches at Sunken Road. Again, the bangalore torpedo is used with great success. Except for this action, much of February is spent training in the back area.
At Ennemain, the L.S.H. are given order to saddle-up, and they march to Beaumont-en-Beine, Aisne, on the night of 22 March 1917. The men must have been quite excited, but for some, disappointment remains. During the night, orders are received to also include a dismounted battalion. The mounted men then proceeded to Varesnes, in Oise, near Noyon. On 28 March 1917, information is received the Germans have broken through near Montidier, on the Somme. The mobility of the mounted Cavalry is once again called upon during the Great War. At 06h30 the L.S.H. moved off as advance guard.
Last Charge of the Flowerdew’s Squadron
What transpires over the next two days for the L.S.H., culminating in the Last Charge of the Flowerdew’s Squadron at Moreuil Wood, on 30 March 1918, is as we say, the stuff of legend. Captain Gordon Muriel Flowerdew was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Moreuil Wood. He succumbed to his wounds the following day. The Battle of Moreuil Wood is beyond the scope of this article, and will have to be kept for an upcoming post. Besides, the details of the discovery of Private John James Willoughby’s remains, and the work of Historian Jean Paul Brunel are what this blog post is really about.
Private John James Willoughby was killed-in-action, at the Battle of Moreuil Wood, 30 March 1918. Nearly sixty-eight years later, on 11 March 1987, buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Plot XXI, Row A, Grave 16.
Jean Paul Brunel
French farmer Jean Paul Brunel of Moreuil worked his fields as normal, on 2 October 1986. Jean Paul was not yet an Historian who had caught The Great War Bug. Since he did own the land in and around Moreuil Wood, he was of course familiar with the Battle of Moreuil Wood and Rifle Wood.
Though not the period of the Annual Spring Iron Harvest, where farmers like Jean Paul kept their eye out for UXO (un-exploded ordinance from the Great War), he always needed to be vigilant. Twenty percent of the hundreds of millions of shells fired during the Great War were duds. Many still contain deadly gas. Jean Paul’s land was not saturated with shells like the Somme and Ypres, but this area had seen it’s share of shelling, especially by the CFA during the Battle of Amiens in August of 1918.
Discovery
Rounding the wood, from his tractor seat he saw something innocuous, the remains of a boot. Amazingly, Jean Paul saw that boot contained a skeletal foot, with other bones still intact. Though this was Jean Paul’s first discovery of a Canadian soldier, he knew exactly what to do. He immediately contacted the local authority. The Gendarme also immediately appreciated the remains were human, and from the Great War, so therefore the CWGC was contacted.
Following procedure, the CWGC then unearthed the remains and investigated. With the body were various metallic objects. A bayonet, brass buttons, a shoulder badge, that read LSH(RC), and two metal identity tags. Two of them! Meaning the body had not received a burial by friend, or foe. Or, had it really?
First burial
Unknown, was that Jack may already have received a burial. Note, this is just one reason the case is similar to that of the Hallu Eight. In a letter to his parent’s, his Captain wrote. “Your son was killed on capture of Moreuil Wood on March 30th, in the charge which was made by our squadron that morning. He was hit by a machine gun bullet and instantly killed, which was a mercy when one remembers the terrible sufferings which so many of our brave men have had to endure before death releases them”.
Forensic evidence is unable to determine how many bullets passed through Jack’s body. However, it is unlikely Jack was felled by a single machine gun bullet. The Captain does reveal that many in the squadron suffered much more than Jack. It was not only comforting, but customary for a superior officer to inform the family their loved one’s passing came with some form of dignity, and was not unduly barbaric.
“We mourn with you the loss you have sustained. He was a true soldier, never complaining, taking the rough with the smooth, and he died like a soldier and a man bravely doing his duty.” The Captain continued. “He was buried in the wood near where he fell, as it was impossible for us to get our dead without owing to the heavy German shell fire. Your son was universally liked by all the regiment, officers and all men”.
Mysteries
A mystery will remain. Had Jack been buried by his squadron? Being discovered with both his dog tags makes the Captain’s account suspect. However, the reference to the location of his body does support the Captain’s story. Irregardless, did the Captain also write 38 other similar letters? For that is how many L.S.H. are listed on the Vimy Memorial from the action.
Another 34 men of the Cavalry are also missing, and therefore their name is found on Vimy. Perhaps, this is what drives Jean Paul Brunel so much. The remains of up to 72 men of the Cavalry fell here on his land. Some may have been recovered, and buried as Unknowns during the years of concentration of cemeteries in the 1920’s.
Descendants
Jean-Paul Brunel set up a memorial to John Willoughby on the site of his discovery. But, his efforts to locate John Willoughby’s relations were not successful. His efforts to find more men of Gordon Flowerdew’s Squadron also proved unsuccessful. However, the former struggle would be resolved in 2007. Fortunately, for Canada, and perhaps unfortunately for Jean Paul, the latter struggle continues to this day.
Nearly sixty-eight years after the death of Private John James Willoughby, he was buried, on 11 March 1987. He is buried 150 kilometres from where he fell at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Plot XXI, Row A, Grave 16. The cemetery contains more than 3,300 burials, and was considered an ‘open’ cemetery. Remains were brought in from isolated sites, and other burials grounds throughout France, where maintenance could not be assured.
Reunion
Twenty years would pass before a Yap Films crew interviewed Jean-Paul Brunel for a documentary film called Man and Horse, about the Canadian Cavalry and Private John James Willoughby, in 2007. It was the research by Judy Ruzylo which turned up great-nephew John James Willoughby, of Rocky Mountain House Alberta.
Jean Paul Brunel had developed a relationship over the years with the L.S.H. From time to time, he would welcome descendants of the Moreuil Wood veterans, history buffs, and serving members when they sought out the site. I met Jean Paul in 2016, two days after visiting Willoughby’s grave at Terlincthun. A very modest, and generous man, Jean Paul gave the full tour. We visited the site where he had recovered Jack’s body, and he described in detail the last charges of the L.S.H. It was very dramatic. After which, I re-visited the memorial for the Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron with a newfound appreciation.
Visit to Canada
A more dramatic event occurred back in 2008, when great-nephew John James Willoughby was introduced to Jean Paul. John James Willoughby was given the same tour I was provided, like Jean Paul would do for any guest. Jean Paul would continue to organize events leading up to March 30th each year. Ten years later, a most dramatic event transpired. But first, Jean Paul needed to visit Canada.
In August of 2010, Jean Paul Brunel visited Canada for a ceremony at the Strathcona’s Steele Barracks in Edmonton. He had turned over the artifacts he found, and delivered a medallion from the village of Moreuil. “They were so grateful,” said great-nephew Willoughby. “They can’t believe someone would come from as far away as Canada to help them in their hour of need.” Jean Paul is still seeking a sister city in Canada for the town of Moreuil. He is also lobbying to have Moreuil Wood declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Centennial
For thirty-two years, Jean Paul Brunel continued to keep the memory of John James Willoughby alive. On 30 March 2018, a dozen members of the Willoughby family gathered at Moreuil Wood to mark the death of Private John James Willoughby, who died exactly a hundred years earlier. Hundreds attended the anniversary, highlighted by the presence of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse Mounted Troop. Some were descendants of veterans of the battle. They were surrounded by French citizens. The most dramatic event had to have been the re-enactment of the Last Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron.
More
CEFRG hopes you enjoyed learning about the case of Private John James Willoughby. If you are interested in learning more about Private John James Willoughby, The Last Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron, and the Battle of Moreuil Wood, the expert on these subjects is none other than le président de Moreuil Wood, Jean Paul Brunel.
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One response to “Private John James Willoughby in the Great War”
These were the honoured of their generation and were to the glory of their times… Their bodies are buried in Peace. [Ecclesiasticus 44]