World War I -- Cousins in Canada

My grandfather Albertson's sister, Lenah (Albertson) Slaight, moved to Canada with her family about 1902. So their involvement in World War I came through a different county than her brother in the United States. Because she was the oldest child, her sons were old enough to serve in the War. Both sons were in the Canadian Army. This is a photo of their oldest son, George Raymond Slaight, who was born in Kansas in Nov 1893. Ancestry has some Canadian records on their website and it shows that he was drafted under the Military Service Act of 1917. He had a medical examination at Red Deer Alberta, which was not too far from their home at Harmattan. The exam was done 22 Nov 1917 and he was classified as A.2. His draft paper was dated 23 Jan 1918 with the location at Calgary, Alberta. He was described as 24 years old, 5 ft 7½ ins, ruddy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.

The family moved back to the United States after the war ended and Raymond, as he was usually called, died in Iowa in 1938. His obituary stated that he had "served overseas in the Canadian army until he was wounded Oct 17, 1918." It also noted that at his burial there were "military honors."

Raymond's brother, Henry Wesley Slaight, was born 3 years after him in Nov 1896. A record for him is also found in the database on Ancestry.com. His record shows his medical exam was at Calgary in May of 1918. He was also classified as A.2 and was 21 years old, 5 ft 7½ ins, medium complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. His draft paper was dated 6 Nov 1918, which was less than a month after Raymond was wounded. After the War, Wesley, as he was called, also moved back to the United States and lived in Iowa until his death in 1969. His obituary showed that he had served in the Canadian army during World War I.

I am proud of the service given by my relatives in the "Great War."