Alexander Auld McDonald of Kamloops, B.C. Canada

[kenmorrison]

Looking for help please regarding the military service at the time of death of ALEXANDER AULD McDONALD.
He was a bank clerk with the Canadian Bank of Commerce at the Kamloop Branch in British Columbia when he was drafted as Private, 2022538 to the 1st Depot Battalion of the BC Regiment in April 1918 but was almost immediately discharged to the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force as Flight Cadet 171550.
He died of pneumonia at Vancouver on 5 January 1919 but I am not sure if he was still serving or had been demobilised.
He does not (I think) appear on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, not is he listed on the Commonwealth War Grave Commission Register.

Any thoughts. ideas, etc.
Ken

[alf mcm]

Ken,

  His service records may give you the answer. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=141020

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

[Rob Bulloch]

Ken You are perhaps aware of this. Your man gets a mention and there is a photograph of him in the Canadian Bank of Commerce Memorial book. If you do not have this info I will post it for you.

Rob.

[Mark1959]

He appears to have been discharged from the Canadian the day he turned up for duty - 9/4/18.

Edited 16 March , 2019 by Mark1959

[alf mcm]

Ken,

  His RAF record is on Findmypast https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbm%2fair79%2f1551%2f00166&parentid=gbm%2fair79%2f64854

  It shows that he was discharged as being "surplus to requirements {not having suffered impairment since entry into the Service}" on 2nd January 1919. The pneumonia must have happened very quickly.

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

[tullybrone]

Hi,

 

My gu - 2022550 - from Fernie, BC called up to 1st BC Depot Battalion at Vancouver on the same day

 

I note mention of authority for discharge was a telegram dated 28th March 1918 (presumably received by him rather than Military Authorities) so I’d guess he “surrendered” to his “call up” as required and produced his telegram, went through the induction medical etc that allowed time for verification of the telegram by Depot staff so he could be discharged on the same day.

 

Steve

[kenmorrison]

Thanks guys.

Taking your information (and especially Alf's "nugget" about the 2 January 1919 discharge) together with the details from the CBC Roll of Honour and from De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, I think I've got the story straight.

There are some minor variations about dates but...……. Alexander is named on the Ednam Parish War Memorial in Roxburghshire (in the Scottish Borders) as:

2/LT. ALEXR. AULD McDONALD.

Alexander was educated at Ednam School, where his father was the headmaster, at Kelso High School and at Queen's University in Toronto. He had joined the Canadian Bank of Commerce in August 1910 and was a bank clerk at the Kamloops branch in British Columbia when he was drafted for military service as Private (2022538) in the 1^st Depot Battalion of the British Columbia Regiment on 9 April 1918 but he was immediately discharged to serve with the Royal Flying Corps. He joined the Royal Air Force as Flight Cadet (171550) on 18 April but was discharged as being "surplus to requirements (not having suffered impairment since entry into the Service)" on 2nd January 1919. Alexander died of pneumonia in Vancouver three days later.

Born 1892 at Freswick in Canisbay, Caithness.

Son of the late Helen (Mowat) McDonald (died 1909 in Ednam) and of George McDonald of the Schoolhouse, Ednam.

Died – 5 January 1919.

Buried in Vancouver.

Also named on the Kelso War Memorial (as Flight Cadet) and on the Kelso High School memorial.

 

 

His death after discharge from an illness not connected to his service excludes him from the CWGC's Register.

Many thanks again.

Ken

[kenmorrison]

Regarding his rank, he is listed amongst

The undermentioned Canadian Cadets are granted honorary commissions as 2nd Lts., with effect from the date of their demobilisation:

London Gazette Publication date: 19 March 1920 Issue: 31830 Page: 3437.

 

Ken

[laughton]

This is all on the CEFSG as well. Can someone check Folds as it appears "attributable to Service".

 

He is a CADET in the British air services (RFC) and death was attributable to service. Sounds to me like he should be war dead?

I don't subscribe to FOLD3 but I am sure we can find someone to check.

Name:    Alexander Auld McDONALD
Gender:    Male
Age:    25
Birth Date:    abt 1893
Service Date:    18 Apr 1918
Service Number:    171550

 

https://img0.fold3.com/img/thumbnail/614966400/400/400.jpg

[alf mcm]

Laughton,

  Alexander doesn't appear in the Fold 3 Pension Indexes, yet! Records for Officers won't be released until the end of this year. We shall have to wait and see if he is included with these records.

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

[mancpal]

did Auld McDonald have a farm? [apologies]