George Archie Tyrrell

Rank:

Corporal

Regimental number:

7843

Unit at enlistment:

7th Canadian Mounted Rifles

Force:

C.E.F.

Volunteered or conscripted:

Volunteered

Survived the war:

Date of death:

April 1st, 1918

Cemetery:

Vimy Memorial - Pas de Calais, France

Commemorated at:

Park Baptist Church, I.O.O.F. Obelisk Gore Lodge

Birth country:

Canada

Birth county:

Oxford

Birth city:

Tillsonburg, Ontario

Address at enlistment:

81 Grey Street, Brantford, Ontario

Next of kin address:

9 Rose Avenue, Brantford, Ontario

Trade or calling:

Moulder

Employer:

Buck Stove Co.

Religious denominations:

Baptist

Marital status:

Single

Age at enlistment:

Image gallery:

Letters and documents

Cause and Place of Death: Killed in Action

BX May 27, 1918

Corporal George Archie Tyrrell Officially Reported Killed in Action

Mrs. Tyrrell of 9 Rose Avenue has received word of the death of her son, Corporal George Archie, who has been killed in action in France. He enlisted some three years and three months ago with the Brant Dragoons and at the time of his death was serving with the Strathcona Horse. His death took place on March 20. Corporal Tyrrell before joining up was employed as a moulder at the Buck Stove Works in this city.

BX May 29, 1918

Details of Death of Corporal George Archie Tyrrell – Was Wounded and Then Hit Again by an Exploding Shell

A letter which throws light on the manner in which Corporal George A. Tyrrell met his death has been received by Corp. Tyrrell’s mother, Mrs. John Tyrrell, 9 Rose Avenue, from Lieutenant S.H. Williams, L.S.H., the deceased hero’s commander. He writes:

May 9, 1918
France

Dear Mrs. Tyrrell,

I have just received a letter from Miss Hall, asking about your son, Corp. G.A. Tyrrell of this regiment, and saying that neither of you had heard of him since March. I knew that he had been wounded on April 1, in our capture of Rifle Wood, a little wood just south of the village Hourges, on the river Luce, but had heard nothing further of him since that time. Have been hoping to hear something of him, and was much surprised that you had no news. However, on the receipt of Miss Hall’s letter, I made personal inquiries from every one of the men who was in the action, and who is still with the regiment now, and have ascertained that your son died from his wounds on the same day. Our previous report was that he was wounded, and while you may think it strange that we made no further inquiries, I assure you that it was not through any lack of interest on our part. Your boy was one of my own troop N.C.O.’s, and one of whom I as others had the highest opinion. Your loss is also keenly felt by those who have lived and worked and fought with your boy, and who knew him for what he was, a conscientious, clean and straight boy throughout, a soldier and a gentleman.

When I tell you that on that day we had 82 casualties in the regiment, , and that myself was the one officer of four who went into the action, left unhit, you will appreciate the difficulty of keeping touch with those wounded. Usually we wrote to all our boys in hospital, but at present the task is too gigantic to attempt, especially in these days, when one’s time is never one’s own for a minute at a time.

I have written to all the relatives of those brave boys who were killed, and even that has been no light task. There is no way for us in the regiment to get in touch with our wounded until we hear from them and learn where they are, and so, until Miss Hall’s letter, I had made no further inquiries as my former information was that Corp. Tyrrell was not seriously wounded, and I was daily expecting to hear from him. I am very deeply sorry that I did not know sooner of his death, so that I could have written to you earlier. I realize the anxiety that must be yours, not to know what had happened to him. I often think that those of you at home have perhaps the heaviest share of the burden to bear, the waiting. From what Pte. Turner had told me, it is evident that Corp. Tyrrell was hit a second time, while making his way out after his first wound. He was first hit while he and Corp Sandison were dressing the wounds of Sergt. Reilly, when a second shell exploded, wounding both Corp. Sandison and Corp. Tyrrell. It was some time after this that Pte. Turner saw Corp. Tyrrell and he says he is positive that he was dead at the time.

We were relieved by another unit later on in the afternoon, and they said that they would see that our dead were buried, so while I know the approximate spot of his burial, I was not able to attend to it myself. When relieved I had only nine men left with me in the section I was holding, so you can appreciate that it was impossible for us to attend to our own casualties as we should have liked to have done.

With sincerest regret that I did not know of his death earlier, and could not, therefore, inform you, and with deepest sympathy to you in your sad bereavement, I remain,

Yours sincerely,

S.A. Williams, Lt.,
L.S.H. (R.C.)

BX May 6, 1915

Letter from Canterbury – Trumpeter George Archie Tyrrell, With Second Contingent Writes Home to His Mother

That gum is appreciated by the Canadian soldiers at the training camps, is shown by a letter received by Mrs. Tyrrell, 81 Grey Street, from her son, Trumpeter G.A. (Archie) Tyrrell with the Fort Garry Horse at Canterbury, Eng., he having been formerly with the 25th Brant Dragoons. The letter, divested of personal matter is:

April 19, 1915
Canterbury Cavalry Depot

Dear Mother

Received your letter and gum and enjoyed both immensely. I was fooling around the stables and hurt my foot, and got put in the hospital for a few days. I will be out before you get this letter, as I am all better now. It wasn’t serious but they take no chances. It doesn’t cost me anything, so there is no need to worry.

The other week a German aeroplane went over Canterbury. We could see the airman way up in the air, but he was so high up we couldn’t tell whether it was a British or German machine, but next morning we heard that it was a German machine. It only dropped bombs near the coast so the aviator took mercy on us and we were free from accidents here.

I guess we will be here for four months yet at least so there is no need for worry. Goodbye, with love.

Your son,

Arch.

Trumpeter G.A. Tyrrell
D. Squadron, Fort Garry Horse
Canterbury, Kent, Eng.

BX May 29, 1915

Brantford Trumpeter Writes About Life In British Camp – Says It Is Not All Honey and Jam but Offers No Complaints – Germans Will be Made to Pay Dearly for the Lusitania and Other Outrages

Life in a training camp for active service is not all honey and jam. Hard and continuous work is usually the order of the day, starting at 5 o’clock which is earlier than most people get out of bed. Trumpeter G.A. Tyrrell with the Fort Garry Horse at the Canadian Cavalry Depot Canterbury writes an interesting letter to his brother, Roy of the C.P.R. telegraph office here, in which he gives some glimpses of life in camp there and also a few touches on the feelings of the Canadians now in England on the sinking of the Lusitania and other German horrors. In part he writes:

May 9, 1915
Canadian Cavalry Depot
Canterbury, Eng.

Dear Brother,

You are still single, eh? Well, if you were over here you wouldn’t be, as it is the easiest thing over here to get married.

Wasn’t the Lusitania business hell? Just imagine those poor people. The Germans will pay dearly for it now, believe me.

We have it easy over here. Oh, yes! We get up at reveille, 5 a.m. and out of the stables at 6; ride until 8.30, musketry training from 9.30 to 11.15, then stables until 12. Then we have our dinner and are out again at 1.30 till 5. Then we are off till the morning – that is if we are not on a guard or something. All I get is a guard once in a while as fire trumpeter, so I am lucky.

We have some rides over five foot jumps, crossed stirrups and arms folded, just gripping with our knees. My body gets so sore I can hardly walk sometimes. I am pretty tender as I had a 22 day trip to the hospital.

I got an Expositor today and that letter of mine was in it. Who put it in?

It has been raining for two days so everything is pretty wet and muddy. The rain makes a fellow feel lonesome, especially when I am alone which I am a lot of the time, as I do not drill with the other boys.

A lot of the boys are away for musketry training about 20 miles from here. Al Chambers and Nick Simmons and a lot of the other Brantford boys are with them. They come back Saturday.

There is a big bunch of Canadians about 16 miles from here, who came over later than we did. They have only been here about a month. I hear the 19th is among them. I am going down to see.

Young Prouse has been transferred to the infantry – the gravel crushers. He likes it very well.

Saturday is our pay day and I guess I will draw about £1.10s, which is about $7.50 so I am going to be rich. This is half a month’s pay. A fellow from Brantford is our paymaster. His name is Watson. He used to play hockey there. He came over in the First Contingent and had been made captain of the Fort Garry’s.

I don’t know when we will go to the front. Anyway we are not ready yet, but it will be three or four months. We heard the other day that they were going to use us for a coast patrol, but I guess there isn’t anything in that rumor.

Three boys have just come in – Flett, Happy Wheeling and Leach. They are trying to bone me for a drink for we had herring to eat today and that makes us thirsty. They are all broke, but the best I can do is to show them the water tap.

From my window here I can see Canterbury Cathedral, and believe me it is some cathedral. You should hear its bells and chimes. They are wonderful.

Goodbye with remembrances to all,

Trumpeter G.A. Tyrrell,
D. Squadron, Fort Garry Horse
Canadian Cavalry Depot
Canterbury

BX February 23, 1916

Canadian Boys Are Dare Devils – Trooper Archie George Tyrrell Writes Interestingly From Trenches

From Trooper Archie George Tyrrell, “C” Squadron, Lord Strathcona Horse, R.C., somewhere in France, to his mother, Mrs. John Tyrrell, 81 Grey Street, comes the following chatty story of some of his experiences. The letter reads:

I received some surprise when I returned to my billet and there was your letter awaiting me. I suppose they will all come, but they are generally held up at Shorncliffe, where they re-address them.

Did I tell you that I met Billie Wilkinson over here? I met him just before he went up to the lines. He is well and looks fine. We are not in the trenches now, and are expecting our horses. We have some now, but they belong to another regiment. I have seen a bit of the line up yonder and you can believe me it seems funny here, where we are out of the sound of the guns.

I have seen some great air fights. You talk about dare-devils, if you could only see the chances the boys take you would wonder if they would ever return. Old Fritz gets pretty mad some times, but you can believe me our boys always pay him back and generally a double dose of that.

Well, mother, I can't say much more just now as the writing department is not up to its standard, but I will write again soon, and hope to write a more interesting letter when I do. I expect pay day to come along soon with my fifteen francs and will try and hunt up some decent writing paper. We have some time trying to spit out some French; it is awful how it sounds.

By the way I had a great joke played on me the other night; I was in an estaminet or cafe, when in walked a couple of French soldiers and sat down at the same table and were going to smoke. They didn't have any matches, so I had some, and being big, I asked them in French to have mine, and one of them said in English, "alright." I didn't think anything of that, because they mingle with us so much, but when I asked him to have a Player cigarette, he said right back at me, "Oh blimey me, good old Players, eh?" Why I nearly dropped - me trying to speak French to him and he a Londoner. Well, after all this I think I will have to close.