Remembering World War I Yarmouth Connections

Herman Leslie Porter

Name: Service No Rank Battalion/Service Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Date of Enlistment: Place of Enlistment: Address at Enlistment: Age at Enlistment: Height: Complexion: Hair Colour: Eye Colour: Military Previous: Martial Status: Religion: Trade: Next of Kin: Date of Death: Cemetery:

Herman Leslie Porter 283086 Lieutenant Canadian Infantry 219th ("D" Company) / 85th Battalion / YMCA Military Service November 3, 1891 Arcadia, Yarmouth Co., NS February 26, 1916 Wolfville NS Wolfville, NS 24 5 feet, 8 inches fair brown blue Cadet Corps (4 years) Single Baptist Student William Porter (Father), Arcadia, Yarmouth Co., NS June 19, 1935 (aged 43) Arcadia Cemetery, Yarmouth Co., NS Lieutenant Porter, the son of William and Harriet May (Saunders) Porter, enlisted with the 219th Battalion at Wolfville, NS on February 26, 1916. He transferred to stretcher bearer (August 1, 1916) while in Canada. Arriving in England on the SS Olympic on October 18, 1916 he was transferred from the 219th Battalion to the 85th Battalion at Witley Camp. He proceeded overseas to France on February 10, 1917 and joined the unit in the field serving as a stretcher bearer. On April 2, 1917 he was admitted to No 1 Canadian General Hospital at Etaples with slight wounds to his foot. He was transferred to the Military Hospital Fort Pitt, Chatham, Kent on July 9, 1917 and to the Military Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom on September 22, 1917. He was discharged on November 28, 1917 to the Nova Scotia Regiment Depot. He was then assigned to the YMCA Educational Department, London and reported for duty at the YMCA Headquarters in London on December 28, 1917. Between March 4, 1918 and August 17, 1918 he was posted to District 53, 126th Company of the Canadian Forestry Corps at Ampthill, Bedfordshire for YMCA duty. He was appointed Temporary Hon. Lieutenant on September 16, 1918 and attached to Canadian Forestry Corps Base Depot at Sunningdale, and posted to YMCA Hut, Sunningdale for duty. While there, he fractured his right wrist, an accidental injury on October 29, 1918. He retuned to Canada departing Southampton, England on the HMT Aquitania on June 14, 1919 and disembarking at Halifax on June 20, 1919. He was discharged at Halifax on demobilization June 26, 1919. On returning to Arcadia he was employed as a teacher. In 1919, he married Alfreda Evangeline Smith at Woods Harbour, NS on July 31. There were two children, Barbara (b. 1932) and Doris (b. 1933). In 1935, the family lived in Ontario and Herman was a Branch Manager for Monarch Life Assurance Company. On June 19, 1935 the family were riding in a car along the bank of the Welland Canel at St Catherines. While attempting to turn, the car slipped over into the canal. The four members of the family died, the result of accidental drowning. The family was buried at Arcadia, NS

While a student at Acadia University, Herman Porter wrote the following poem: