FRENCH, Herbert

DIVISIONAL UNIT: 1st Canadian Infantry Division, 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion  -  Western Ontario, Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO: 7145
DATE OF BIRTH: 1876 at Kilmer - Sussex
DATE OF DEATH:  December 24, 1914, 38 years
CEMETERY: Bulford Village Church Cemetery – Bulford – Wiltshire – England  I     3     6
WIFE: Mrs. Jane French – Wingham Ontario & Lemberg Saskatchewan
PARENT: Mrs. P. French - England
Occupation: Labourer 
Enlistment:   August 16, 1914 -  Valcartier - into the 25th St Thomas Overseas Regiment
Enlistment Age:   38 years

This man had very little background history for whatever the reason as to birthparents, birthdate or where he was born. In addition there is no information as to height, weight, eye colour, hair colour or religion. This should all have been on his attestation paper. His attestation papers in his file are not even signed. His mother is mentioned however as living in England. There seems to have been no official medical examination. In our research we were unable to answer why.
His file states that he was the 33rd Huron Militia. 
     
Private French and his unit sailed from Canada on October 3, 1914 and would have arrived in Liverpool somewhere about October 13/14, 1914. His first pay period was August 12-23, 1914 and we am assuming this is about when he would have enlisted.

He entered No. 1 General Hospital on December 17, 1914 about four weeks after he began to feel ill. He began to to experience occasional swelling of the feet, headaches, loss of appetite, and a cough. His body temperature on December 19, 1914 was 103. Medical reports state that one day later on December 20th he acted dull and stupid at times. He did not experience vomiting but it seemed his right frontal sinus was affected and he was experiencing attacks of severe pain.

On December 21st his body temperature was 101. Private French died from an abscess on his brain with the secondary cause being meningitis at Manor House in Bulford