Private Joseph Crouse
Private Joseph Crouse was born to James and Martha Crouse in North Brookfield on May 28th, 1891. He was the second of twelve children, the others John, Pauline, Martine, Elwood, Elvis, Lydia, Percy, Gilbert, Ellen, Lillis and an unnamed child who died at birth.
The family were farmers, but Joseph had taken up mining, presumably in the nearby gold mines. At the time of his enlistment, Joseph was a Militia member, but his records do not specify which arm. A Lutheran, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall (168 cm), with blue eyes and brown hair.
Joseph Crouse enlisted on September 26th, 1914, less than two months after Canada entered World War One. He was 23 years and four months old and was assigned the designation of Infantryman and the rank of Private. His regimental number was 19274, but it is not clear to which Battalion he was initially assigned.
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Private Crouse’s records note that he was proceeding to the Canadian 17th Battalion on August 11th, 1915. On September 7th, he was “drafted to the 4th Battalion” in France. The 4th Battalion had previously engaged the Germans at Ypres and two other battles, so Private Crouse was a welcome addition to the ranks. Certainly, his skills as a miner would have helped him find a place among the seasoned fighting men in the trenches of France and Belgium. Private Crouse perished of a gunshot wound in a firefight with the Germans on October 5th, 1915. He was 24 years old.
There is no record of Private Crouse’s will, but it was customary for most soldiers to leave their estates to their mothers. His mother, Martha, was awarded the Memorial Cross Medal (also known as the Silver Cross), and his father, James, received the Memorial Plaque and Scroll.
Private Crouse was temporarily interred at the Neuve Eglise Road Cemetery in West Flanders, Belgium. He was later reinterred 50 km west in Plot III, Row H, Grave 3 at Trois Arbres Cemetery in Steenwerck, France. There are 1,704 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery, and 435 of those burials are unidentified. He is also remembered on the Honour Roll of congregation members of the North Brookfield United Baptist Church who served “In the Great War”
Private Joseph Crouse is commemorated on page 11 of the World War One Book of Remembrance. He is also listed on the Caledonia Cenotaph.
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Online References
War Grave Search – https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/203268/j-crouse/
Local Grave Search - https://www.findagrave.com/
Canadian Virtual War Memorial - https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/203268?Joseph%20Crouse
Canadian Census - https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=census&IdNumber=7930589&ecopy=e001973507
First World War Personnel Records Database (file download size 13.2 Meg) - https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=pffww&IdNumber=127453&ecopy=066018a
