Leonard Blake
1898-1916
St. George in the East Church where Private Blake was baptized
Map of London England from 1910 with the East End (Stepney) enlarged
The S.S. Sicilian ship
All Saints' Anglican Church in Peterborough Ontario
151 Rubidge Street Peterborough Ontario
Recreation Centre at the Barriefield training camp
Leonard Blake and his twin brother Horace were born on January 13, 1898 to James and Amelia Blake (nee Palmer) in the Tower Heights district of London, England. The boys had two older brothers, James Charles and Arthur George, and an older sister, Amelia Sarah. Leonard was baptized in the St. George in the East Church on February 6, 1898. In 1900, Leonard’s older sister, Amelia, passed away in the Hamilton Fever Hospital. Leonard became an older brother when the Blake family welcomed the arrival of his new sister, Hazel Doris, in 1902. The Blake family grew again when yet another sister, Ada Alice, was born in 1904; tragically, she died only one month later.
The Blake family had very little money. They lived in rooming houses near the docks on the River Thames. This was an area known for its poor living conditions and its criminals, including the infamous Jack the Ripper. Before he turned 15, Leonard had already lived in multiple rooming houses. This is likely because the family could not afford to pay their rent. Leonard’s father James worked as a stableman, omnibus washer, and laborer during this time. James and Arthur picked up jobs as a cellarman and a carman respectively. Leonard and Horace were noted as attending school in the 1911 census.
On March 27, 1913, the Blake family departed London on the ship Sicilian for a new life in Canada. The ship docked in St. John, New Brunswick and from there the family moved to Peterborough, Ontario. The Blakes lived in a small home on Rubidge Street. They attended All Saints' Anglican Church and Leonard found work as a baker for T. H. Hoover at his bakery and confectionery.
Leonard enlisted in the 8th Canadian Mounted Rifles on August 19, 1915. He was 17 years old. (The minimum age to enlist was supposed to be 18.) He had no previous military experience. On his attestation papers, Leonard agreed to serve for “one year or until Britain’s war with Germany is terminated and six months after its end.” His service number was 113093.
Leonard's medical exam report describes him as having been 5 feet 4 inches tall, 110 pounds, with blue eyes, a fair complexion and light brown hair. He had no distinctive marks.
Leonard and Horace enlisted together. They arrived at Barriefield Camp in Kingston on the 9th of August, 1915. They trained there for approximately one month, and were then transported to England aboard the S.S. Missanabie. The adventurous duo arrived at the British army camp at Bramshott on October 19, 1915.
Both Horace and Leonard were transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles (4th CMRs). They were sent with this unit to the Western front in Belgium in January of 1916. There they were split up for the first time: Horace was assigned to serve in the 3rd Regiment and Leonard was assigned to serve in the 2nd Regiment.
As a soldier, Leonard made $1.00 a day and sent $20.00 home to his mother every month. His Regiment was visited by the Prince of Wales on January 27, 1916. In February of the same year, the 4th CMRs supported others in holding trenches, went on night patrols, continued bayonet practice, witnessed a demonstration of the new German flamethrower and took part in entertainment put on in Bailleul. March 1916 saw the continuation of drilling and practicing. The men then marched to Ypres, then onto Zilbeke. There they relieved the 9th Infantry Battalion in defending a line of trenches first won by the Canadians during the Second Battle of Ypres in the Spring, 1915. The 2nd Regiment worked to repair the trenches, did drainage work and erected barbed-wire entanglements known as "knife rests." By May 1916, the enemy had begun shelling the area more heavily and the 2nd Regiment was joined by the 1st and 3rd. Together they spread along the line and prepared to hold the trench.
On June 1st, 1916, the Germans were caught digging wide emplacements for shelter in front of the section of trench Leonard’s regiment was defending. The enemy's trench-building activities were interrupted by Allied gunfire. Later that night, the enemy was reportedly very quiet. A group of Canadian soldiers was sent to work on a sap (a small trench used for cover while building a new trench) and a new trench. The next day, Blake's Divisional Commander, Major General Mercer visited the front lines along with Aide-de-Camp (ADC) Captain L. E. Gooderham; Brigadier General Williams; Brigade Orderly Officer, Capt. Fraser; and Lt. Col. Ussher. At 08:00, the Germans started bombing the trench. This bombing lasted about five hours and resulted in the detonation of three mines. Following this attack, which marked the beginning of the Battle of Mount Sorrel, 191 men of the Mounted Rifles were declared dead, 350 were taken prisoner, and 71 were listed as injured. Among the dead was Private Leonard Blake.
Leonard was initially declared "missing" following the battle in the trenches on the 2nd of June. He was later "presumed dead." On January 20th, 1917 (more than seven months after the battle), the following note was added to his file: “Previously reported missing, believed killed, now for official purposes presumed to have died on or since June 2nd 1916”.
Leonard was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These medals were sent to his mother. She was also sent a Memorial Plaque--commonly known as a “death penny”--inscribed with his name. His father received the Memorial Scroll which accompanied the "death penny." These commemoratives were sent to the next of kin of every soldier killed in action. In addition, Leonard’s mother received the Silver Cross. This medal was created in 1919 and is given to all of the mothers of Canadians killed during and since the Great War.
Private Leonard Blake is memorialized on panel 32 of the Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial, on the road to Menin and Courtai in Belgium. His name is on the 2nd page of the Peterborough Book of Remembrance. It is also on the 55th page of the Canadian First World War Book of Remembrance which is displayed every year on February 13 in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
The S.S. Misanabie ship
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Death Penny
The main road through the army camp in Bramshott England
Silver Cross
Private L. Blake's Attestation Paper
Private L. Blake's Medical Examination
Private L. Blake's military will
Private L. Blake's pay sheet
Private L. Blake's Missing Man report
Click Play to watch a video compilation
of the photos from this website
Private L. Blake's casualty sheet
Private L. Blake's official casualty report
Article from the Evening Examiner describing the first days of the battle of Mount Sorrel
Article from the Evening Examiner stating that Private L. Blake is missing
List of the missing, wounded and dead C.M.R. from Peterborough Ontario following the battle of Mount Sorrel
Article from the Evening Examiner listing the Peterborough boys missing after the battle of Mount Sorrel
Page 2 of the Peterborough Book of Rememberance
Page 55 of the Canadian World War One Book of Rememberance
The Menin Gate
Private L. Blake's obituary from the Toronto Star
The panel of the Menin Gate where Private L. Blake is memorialized
Click Play to hear The Last Post a song that has been played at the Menin Gate at 8:00 pm every evening since the spring of 1929. The only exception being the years of World War Two. During this time the ceremony was moved to Brockwood Military Cemetery in England. This ceremony commemorates those who fought for the freedom of the Ypres salient during the war.
Please Note: The following four images are fictional letters and were not written by Leonard and Amelia Blake. They have been included on this webpage to provide an insight into what life might have been like during this time period.
The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles
The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles (4th CMR) were formed on November 5, 1914. The Battalion was made up of officers and troopers from Central Ontario, Canada. They were initially trained to ride into battle on horses and fight on foot. During the First World War, the 4th CMR served on the Western Front as part of the 8th Canadian Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. The unit arrived in England in July, 1915 and were sent to France that October and joined the lines a month later near Messines, Belgium. The Battalion was transferred to Zilbeke Belgium on the 19th of March, 1916. The unit was tasked with holding that segment of the trench. From June 2 to June 12, 1916 the 4th CMR fought at Sanctuary Wood in the battle of Mount Sorrel, near Ypres, Belgium and suffered over 50% casualties on the first day of fighting. In September, 1916 the unit had moved south and were engaged in the battle of the Somme, France, fighting at Thiepval. and the Regina Trench. After spending the winter months as divisional reserves, the 4th CMR began training for the next major offensive. The Battalion fought with all 5 Divisions of the Canadian Corps during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9-12, 1917. The unit also entered the assault at Passchendaele in November of 1917. Again, it suffered horrendous losses, with over 30% casualties on the first day. During the battle, Private Thomas William Holmes of Owen Sound, Ontario was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour, for his brave actions in taking out two German machine gun emplacements in a concrete pillbox. During "The Last Hundred Days" through the late Summer and Fall of 1918, the 4th CMR fought in the major battles at Amiens and Cambrai. They arrived at the city of Mons, Belgium, on November 11, 1918, the last day of fighting in the war. The Battalion sailed back in Canada aboard the Carmania in March, 1919 and on March 20 of the same year, all men were dismissed after a final parade in Toronto. The 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles was officially disbanded on October 6th, 1920.
Recruitment poster advertising quick service overseas with the C.M.R.
Members of the 4th C.M.R.
Hat pin for the 4th C.M.R
Music During War Time
Music was an important part of life during the time of the first world war. The songs presented many different outlooks on the fighting. Music kept soldiers feeling connected to each other and their homes. The war changed the way music was written. During the first world war music was a key part of the lives of the people at the front and at home.
Some songs, like Helen King's Your King and Country Want You, urged men to go over seas and fight. They painted pictures of a glorious war and told their listeners about the importance of 'doing your part'. Other songs, such as I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier by Morton Harvey. were decidedly against the war. Most of the anti-war tunes speak of the futility and sacrifice of the war. Though without their lyrics both pro- and anti-war songs sound very similar, their lyrics are very different.
Other songs, like Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) and It's a Long Way to Tipperary, were not originally written about the war and do not share the same heavily opinionated lyrics. Danny Boy was originally written by a women who was waiting for her brother to make the journey from Ireland to the United States to join her and their family. It's lyrics have since been interpreted as a mother singing about her son going off to the war. It's a Long Way to Tipperary was written about an Irish man who had been living in London, England and was returning to his sweetheart in Tipperary. It was used as a marching song by the British Army and quickly became one of the most popular songs of the war. Its words have been interpreted as a soldier singing about the adventures he was having far away from his home. Both of these songs were very popular and are considered some of the most well known songs of World War One.
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Music was an important way of making sure that the soldiers felt connected to home and to each other. With the new invention the phonograph, soldiers at the front were able to listen to music from home. Music was a topic often discussed with their families through letters. In addition to the fifers, pipers and drummers that accompanied some of the units, some soldiers fashioned their own instruments out of whatever materials they could find. Playing music was a good way for them to relieve tension and to relax after a battle. A lot of music written around the war time was very patriotic and brought its country together, a good example of this type of music is Over There.
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Before the war, music was considered very romantic; it used symbolism and dramatic melodies to tell stories. During the war, the focus of music shifted. It was now meant to entertain and motivate those touched by the fighting. The music became faster, and its beat became one that could be marched to. The lyrics themselves often focused on the war and told stories of life at home or on the front lines. Some songs, like keep the Home Fires Burning, encouraged people at home to do their part for the war effort. This new trend in music was very different than its predecessor.
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Music influenced the way people looked at the war. It ensured that there remained a connection between those at the front and those at home. The war itself shaped the way music was written. Wartime music had a large effect on the culture and people around the world.
Sheet Music Cover for Over There
Sheet Music Cover for It's a Long Way to Tipperary
Newspaper page advertising the influence of music on the war
Click Play next to the title of the track to listen to the song described in the text. The titles are arranged in the order that they are mentioned.