Written By Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives
“Somewhere in France
our hero lies,
Perhaps in an unknown grave;
Somewhere beneath
the flag he loved
He’s sleeping with the brave.
In life’s bright
more at duty post
And in youth’s
strength and might,
He made the supreme sacrifice
That stands for God and right”
As Remembrance Day approaches, we turn our thoughts to those who have served, some of whom have given the supreme sacrifice. We tend to think of those who served in the two Great Wars; however, our soldiers continue to serve today and some also make the supreme sacrifice as recently as October 2026.
The Middlesex Centre Archives has many records regarding our military. Currently, volunteers are creating a database to include those who have served, the theatre of service, campaigns, their decorations, personal information, any other pertinent facts and where the information may be found. Researchers will find this a very valuable tool.
One of those soldiers found in our collections is George Allan Cunningham. George was born in the former London Township on August 18, 1889 to William Cunningham (1843-1927) and Hannah Bryant (1860-1943). George grew up on Fourteen Mile Road doing the farm activities that any farm lad would do. He attended the local one room rural school with his siblings, Eva, Leila, Richard and Mary. After graduation he continued to help on the farm.
In 1914 when World One broke out, Colonel Bart Robson, the Farmer Colonel from London Township, recruited local lads from across Middlesex County for the Middlesex 135th Battalion. George responded to the call at Parkhill on March 13, 1916. On his attestation papers, he listed his occupation as Farmer. Following training with the 135th Battalion, George sailed from Halifax aboard the S. S. Olympic on August 22, 1916. He arrived in England on August 30, 1916. Upon arrival in England, he was transferred to the 125th Battalion on October 15, 1916 and prior to leaving for France on November 28, 1916, he was transferred to the 4th Battalion.
In letters home, he wrote of his fear of rats in the trenches. On April 25, 1917, at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, George lost his life along with over 3500 Canadian troops. Near Arras, France, the Canadian forces captured a hill from the Germans. That hill had previously defeated both British and French forces. The Battle of Vimy is said to be the coming of age of Canada.
His death was reported on May 17th in local papers. Pte. Cunningham is buried near and commemorated at Orchard Dump Cemetery, Arleux-en-Gohelle, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. He is also listed on the tombstone with his parents at St. James Cemetery, Clandeboye. At St. George’s Anglican Church, mourners overflowed the sanctuary for his memorial service. The original cross from his gravesite rests in St. George’s Church. From London Township A Rich History, page 346, a report noted that “He was a young man who had shown by his conduct that he was a credit to his family name and his death has caused a pang in the hearts of all who knew him.”
George represents many of those who served our country. The family retained much of the memorabilia associated with George. As the years pass, it is important to preserve this material in a safe environment such as a local archives. If you have letters, documents, family histories etc., please consider donating them to your local archives so it can be persevered to remind us why we are a nation and what they sacrificed for the future generations.
