Letter
Fredericton Region Museum
All rights reserved.
| Object Name: | Letter |
|---|---|
| Category: | Documentary Objects |
| Material: | Paper |
| Accession Number: | 1969.753.4 |
| Description: | A letter that accompanied the Memorial Plaque. Addressed from Buckingham Palace, it reads I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War. It has the facsimile signature of George R.I. |
| Narrative: | Charles William Darcus was born in Dublin, Ireland on 22 February 1893. He emigrated to Canada in 1910 and appears to have lived in the Fredericton, NB area. Soon after the First World War began, he answered the call and enlisted in the 26th Battalion at Saint John, NB on 28 November 1914. While the unit was doing its initial training, he married Anna Naomi I Staveley on 17 March 1915 in Fredericton. He went overseas with his battalion on 15 June 1915 and, after further training in England, embarked for France on 13 September. Following specialized training, he was employed in the machine gun section. After recovering from a shrapnel wound, he rejoined his battalion on 14 August 1918. The famous Canadas 100 Days had started. His first action was in the Battle of the Scarpe that had begun on 26 August. On 28 August, Lance Corporal Darcus "was hit in the stomach by shrapnel and instantly killed". He was initially reported as missing and later as dead. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial. Following the war, his medals and other Remembrance memorabilia were sent to his wife between 1920 and 1922. She had relocated to Victoria, BC. In 1966, Mrs. Anna Darcus-Hodder donated these items to the York-Sunbury Museum, now known as the Fredericton Region Museum. |
| History of Use: | This letter was sent to families and accompanied the Memorial Plaque. |
| Institution: |
Fredericton Region Museum
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| Institution City: | Fredericton |
| Institution Province: | New Brunswick |