GODFREY, PTE. MANLEY STUART Reg. #1589
Manley Stuart Godfrey was born April 10, 1896 in Novar, Ontario to Christopher Godfrey and Catherine Sarah Ann Mclean.
At the time of enlistment, Manley identified his home as Huntsville which is where he was also listed as living in 1921.
Manley’s connection with Magnetwawan came with his marriage to Rita Cassie McLachlan in Magnetawan November 22, 1926. (Manley and Lachlan ‘Lock’ Alexander Stuart Godfrey was born September 8, 1927 in Magnetawan.)
In his Attestation papers signed June 11, 1915 in Huntsville, Manley Stuart Godfrey, going by the name Stuart identified that he was a mail clerk.
In his Discharge Certificate it identifies that Stuart enlisted in the 37th Battalion and later in the 26th Battalion. He served in England and France.
He was discharged May 17, 1919.
Manley Stuart Godfrey arrived in England on December 11, 1915 on the S.S. Lapland.
In December of 1916 he appears to have been deployed to France as part of the 26th Battalion from 1CTB Sig. Base.
On September 8, 1917 he was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery in the Field.
The 26th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 15 June 1915. It disembarked in France on 16 September, where it fought as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war.(Wikipedia)
Jeanette Godfrey wrote the following: “Here is a picture of Stuart Godfrey. It is nice to know he was awarded a medal for bravery. We did not know that. My husband, Chris, is his oldest grandchild, but he died when Chris was young. Stuart joined in Huntsville, and after the war he married Reta McLachlan, who was born in Magnetawan. They operated the Godfrey store, which was located opposite the hotel in Magnetawan for many years According to family stories he was part of the signal corp. He would crawl in front of the line into no man’s land, and report back on the activities of the German soldiers. They would also give back firing information for the artillery.”
