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Lakefield War Veterans > Contact Us

Lakefield District Historical Society is located in the former Village of Lakefield—now part of Selwyn Township—and is a community of approximately 2,900 residents in the scenic Kawartha Lakes region northeast of Toronto along the Trent–Severn Waterway. Incorporated in 1875, Lakefield is a picturesque and historic town known for its vibrant downtown, art gallery, museum, local restaurants, and charming streets lined with heritage homes and churches.

Lakefield has long been home to notable literary and cultural figures, including Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie, Isabella Valancy Crawford, and Margaret Laurence, as well as early settler Colonel Samuel Strickland. In 2001, the village was amalgamated into Selwyn Township.

Founded in 1879, Lakefield College School has grown from a boys’ school into a respected co-educational institution. Its alumni include distinguished individuals such as Felipe VI and celebrated Canadian musician Valdy, among many others.

Lakefield also has a rich industrial heritage. It was once home to several canoe manufacturers, including the Lakefield Canoe Company, as well as master builder Walter Walker. The towering smokestack of the former Lakefield Cement Company—later the Canada Cement Company—remains a lasting symbol of the town’s industrial past, when a significant portion of Ontario’s cement was produced here.

Today, Lakefield offers outstanding opportunities for fishing and boating, along with miles of scenic rail trails for walking and cycling.

We welcome your feedback and contributions. You can contact us at lakefieldhistorical@gmail.com to share your thoughts, suggest improvements, or provide additional information and photographs relating to Veterans from Lakefield and the surrounding area. If you know of a Veteran not yet included in this archive, or would like to have a family member remembered, we would be honoured to hear from you.

There is no cost to include a Veteran’s history on this website. As a volunteer-driven initiative, we rely entirely on donations to help offset our operating costs, and we gratefully appreciate your support.

Mailing Address –

War Veterans of Lakefield & Area
C/o Lakefield Historical Society
P. O. Box 1215
Lakefield, ON K0L 2H0

Send an email to the website administrator 

Michael Chappell lakefieldhistorical@gmail.com

 

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  1. You ought to take part in a contest for one of the greatest sites on the internet. I most certainly…

  2. Thanks so much…. photographs have been forwarded for your use.

  3. If you want to send a photo, you can submit it to me chappell@ryerson.ca

  4. viewing a page for Victor Bullock this a.m. and note that a photo in uniform is not available. I have…

  5. Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to give it a look. I’m…

15 thoughts on “Contact Us”

  1. Just wondering –
    I presume that the term “war veterans” includes the Cold War- however I am not sure.. I i
    I know that Eugene Payne who was killed in a mid air collision in the late 1950s was based in Baden Soellingen Germany. His name is on the Lakefield cenotaph.
    He and my husband, Terry Kuch, were squadron buddies during their time at 4 Fighter Wing in Germany. They were both attached to 444 Squadron
    There are several other Sabre pilots from this area that were stationed on bases in Germany or France during the Cold War. I think that the last time they were together was for the special dedication of the F86 Sabre jet on the pedestal at Riverside Park in Peterborough.

    Thanks for “listening” Lenore Kuch
    Just wondering? Many thanks Lenore Kuch .

    1. Thanks for writing Lenore,

      Yes Veterans include Cold war veterans as well, and all veterans living and dead. We are moving through the lists slowly as for each veteran we must obtain their military service records as well as personal information and photos from the family. I just do the posting online, but two board members work behind the scenes to write the information in the form you eventually see it, and I know their focus on quality and completeness takes time. If you have any photos of your husband we would be happy to include them in any future posting as we complete the work.

      Mike Chappell
      Webmaster

      1. Hello
        I have a question concerning Edward Blomfield.
        Your article mentions that, according to his parents, he attended Lakefield Preparatory School. If you have any information on what years he attended the school and/or any additional information about his time there, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

        Thanks for your time
        Jim DeWolf

  2. I am looking for information on my granduncles WW1

    William Johnson
    Parents: Isaac Johnson and Sarah Spencer
    Born: March 25 1876 (Curve Lake)
    Enlisted: January 15 1916
    Died: about 1916
    Buried in Etaples Military Cemetery near Bologne France

    Alfred Coppaway 93 Battalion
    Parents: Richard Coppaway Sarah Spencer
    Born: May 24 1872 (Curve Lake)
    Enlisted: March 28 1916
    Died: Unknown

    I am also looking for information on my father and uncle WW1:

    Joshua Johnson
    Parents: Isaac Johnson Ruth Chase
    Born: July 25 1916 (Curve Lake)
    Enlisted: 1939 Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment Peterborough Ontario C.72237
    Died: December 17 1973

    Dallas Johnson
    Parents:Isaac Johnson Ruth Chase
    Born: 1912 (Curve Lake)
    Enlisted 1939 Canadian Scottish Peterborough Ontario C.7223
    Died Unknown

    I read the histories of George Hoggarth in the WW 1 (Burleigh Falls WW1) his son Andrew (WW11) and my granduncle, Joshua Johnson (WW1) and have read the history that your site has provided. It is very moving. I hope that you can help with information on the other members of my family.
    Thank you,
    John F Johnson

  3. Could you please tell me if you are open. I am with the Lindsay legion and we have published a book dealing with the Canadian Railway Troops in WWI. We published the book together with the Jones Family. It is the dairy of major Finlay. He was born in Tory Hill. The Jones family told us to get in touch with local museums and historical societies. I would like to drop off a copy of the book.
    Thank you so much.
    Claus

  5. I wonder if you could add a WW1 soldier to your Lakefield list? He was born in Lakefield Oct. 14, 1877. He joined the 86th Machine Gun Battalion in Hamilton and served overseas. His name was (Epaphroditus) William James Bell. His service records can be viewed here: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B0625-S043 His father George was born in the USA and was one of the early Black settlers to Lakefield. George’s son William married Gertrude Holland of Hamilton and moved to Hamilton to work in her uncle’s hay and feed business. George and his wife Bridget remained in the Peterborough area until their deaths in 1898 and 1888 respectively.
    Pte William James Bell was somewhat of a rarity; a Black soldier in a regular CEF Battalion. I have pictures of Bell and the 86th Machine Gun Battalion if you would wish to have them. Bell suffered some debilitating war injuries and died in Christie Hospital in Toronto in 1944. His offspring were both interesting and accomplished. You can read about some of them and their close relationship to the Hon Lincoln Alexander in this newspaper article: https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2012/10/26/linc-the-family-man.html

  7. A note about Percy Bertrand: Your site shows him as having signed up with the 43rd Battalion (Cameron Highlanders of Canada) but his Attestation Paper clearly shows that he signed up with the 57th Regiment, 93rd Battalion.

    1. You are technically correct, almost all Peterborough enlisted soldiers were initially part of the 93rd Battalion. Percy never fought under the 93rd, and like many other soldiers was transferred to another battalion when he disembarked for France.

      The 93rd Battalion (Peterborough), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 93rd Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain on 15 July 1916 where the battalion provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until 6 October 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 39th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion disbanded on 21 May 1917.

      For this reason we listed his active service in the way we have.

  8. Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to
    give it a look. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers!

    Fantastic blog and wonderful design.

  9. viewing a page for Victor Bullock this a.m. and note that a photo in uniform is not available. I have that photo… where can I submit it please.
    Betty (Webster) Drain

    Victor was a relative on my mother’s side of the family.

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