116th Battalion and Chippewa of Rama Private Ben Sawyer

Private Ben Sawyer

643968

Born Rama, ON

Wounded at Hill 70 – Aug 28, 1917

Situated on the eastern shores of Lake Couchiching stands one of Canada’s First Nation bands. The people are descended from the Ojibwa who for thousands of years thrived on the north-eastern coastline of the USA. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, as Europeans began to settle in their traditional territory, the bands living there were pushed further and further west. Which each year the bands progressively came into conflict with both the settlers and the natives who were already living in those regions. Their struggle for survival was constant as they sought to raise their families, maintain their culture, their history and their traditions and do so in an era precipitated by disease, meager sustenance, and unending violence. And thus, with each year passing the bands were forced to move further west and further north. In the early 1800’s bands of Ojibwa moved into Canada and settled in the area just to the east of modern-day Orillia called Rama. The band refers to itself as the Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation.

Today is Canada’s National Truth and Reconciliation Day. It is a day where we are meant to appreciate and recognize the history and inhuman suffering that was inflicted upon our country’s First Nation people. Specifically, we are called to reflect upon the injustices inflicted upon the First Nation children who suffered at the hands of our Government’s stated policy of cultural eradication. As our group is meant to remember, recognize and celebrate the service and sacrifice of the men of the 116th Canadian Infantry Battalion, we can use this as an opportunity to recognize and appreciate those same First Nation men who served and sacrificed in the Great War.

The community of Rama has a personal connection to me and my family. My family’s summer cottage is located near the community and a painting of an original Ojibwe from the community has maintained a place of prominence in our home for almost 100 years. This summer, during my vacation with my daughters, we made a point to stop and appreciate the Great War memorial that the band has erected in the center of their community. This memorial lists the names of 40 men from their band that served in the Great War. After conducting research on the men, I discovered that 7 of these men served in the 116th Battalion. In this post I will highlight on of these men, Private Ben Sawyer.

The men who served in the 116th are as follows:

• Pte Wilfred Clarence Benson

• Pte Russell Hopkins

• Pte Ernest Stanley Joe

• Pte Ben Sawyer - 30

• Pte Wellington Simcoe

• Pte Herbert Wellington Williams

Private Ben Sawyer

Their differences may have been striking in the onset but their commonalities were what kept them together. In the darkest days of their campaign, when the units were bound together, shoulder to shoulder in the trenches, in the dirt, together, illuminated by the very lights that blast above the in the night sky and cast shadows upon and amongst them, they were all the same. In the terror and horror and blissful excitement of taking that last step on the ladder, the top one just vacated by their brother who was mere steps in front of them, they climbed over the parapet as one and waded together into the withering hell of warfare. Yet, that original difference, the darker complexion, the black eyes and the black hair were the only things that separated these men from the others as they queued up on the cold February morning a year and half before. Once they signed their names to their enlistment form, it was the experience of many First Nation’s soldiers that they were treated like ‘one of the lads’. Clad in khaki and sporting the badge with the small dark blue box atop a larger blue-grey box on their shoulder, men like Private Ben Sawyer were all the same…private soldiers in the 116th Ontario County Infantry Battalion.

On a cold day in February 1916, Rama First Nation member Ben Sawyer and his band mate Herbert Wellington Williams travelled together into Orillia and signed up to join the 157th Simcoe Foresters Battalion. It should be noted that at this time of the war, despite agreeing to place their lives in the hands and service of his country, both Ben and Herbert were not considered Canadian citizens. While they were ‘original’ Canadians whereby their families had been living in the lands of what was Canada for the past hundreds of years they were not either allowed to vote nor considered as a citizen of the country. Meanwhile, the other men who attended the same queue to sign up may have had just arrived mere months ago were given the honour and privileged of being consider a Canadian. Still, despite this blatant racist and prejudicial treatment, Ben, Herbert and soon thereafter, 38 other men from the Rama First Nation decided to join the cause. It is estimated that by the war’s end, 4000 First Nations men enlisted with the CEF.

Ben arrived in England in late Oct 1916 with the 157th. They were transferred to the 116th on the 8th of December. Soon after becoming integrated into the 116th, Ben wrote a note home. Based on his comment that the battalion just received a draft of 200 men, it can be estimated that he wrote the letter on Dec 31st. This was after Christmas and the unit just received a draft of men from the 169th Battalion. Please note the reference to Ben receiving letters from pupils from the Rama Day School. While Rama’s Day School was not a ‘residential school’ it should be noted that anecdotally some of the experiences of the students who attended ‘day schools’ were similar in nature to those who attended ‘residential schools’. The note reads as follows:

“Again I am sending a few lines to tell you we are all well at present. Of course myself, I got a bad cold mostly right along, and also good many of the boys. I guess the climate up here don’t agree with us, and I know the weather is often changeable this time of year, and I guess you ought to know. Thank you for the Christmas parcel. I received it yesterday, and I am really sorry that the parcel was undone when it reached me. I got the other things, all ok except the socks. I am really sorry for them. I got mine first, before the other boys. Theirs might be alright. I am using this notepaper that you sent me, and also the lead pencil. I also sent some postcards to the pupils who wrote me from Rama. I saw where they keep lots of deer near London, and we saw that clocktower on Westminster Bridge – Big Ben. In London, to go to picture shows, we are just too busy sizing up the big buildings. Only once we went to a picture show since we came to England, and it was last night and it was in the town of Goldalming. It is only three miles from Witley and it was just a little walk for the evening. I never thought I would fill this paper note when I started to write to you. Do you have much news from Bert or perhaps much better? I think when you read this letter we will be somewhere in France. We received a call sometime ago last week and so we are getting ready for France. Today we received a draft of 200 men to fill our battalion, but we are not drilling much now, only once in a while. When we go, I will drop a card to someone at home to let them know. Every time the Bugle band plays the tune of “pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile” my it makes me think of home. “

In February of 1917, the battalion was transported over to join the war in France. It was here where he saw service at Vimy, the battles of Arras in the months following and survived the harrowing events of the raid on Fosse 4 at Avion on July 23, 1917. However, his true experiential demonstration of bravery, honour and sacrifice occurred on the 28th of August while the 116th held the front-line Chicory Trench. It was on this evening where three brethren from the Battalion were killed by shellfire. In this enfilade, Private Ben Sawyer received a number of life threatening wounds. While the notes are not clear, he was wounded in the stomach, buttocks, scrotum, feet and thighs. Due to the fact he actually survived his injuries is in itself a miracle. The medical records note that large chunks of shrapnel remained lodged in his pelvis, feet and thighs. Thankfully, Ben was able to be moved clear of danger and back to get medical assistance. That night in the trenches where he helped hold our position outside the city of Lens near Hill 70 would be his last of the war. In the spring of 1918, Ben was sent home to Canada to recover. His service for his country would be over.

One year later Private Ben Sawyer married Caroline Taylor and was able to live a relatively long life, eventually passing away on June 8th 1969 at the ripe old age of 83. As one additional snippet related to today, our National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, the archives of the Chippewas of Rama contains an amazing photograph. The date on the picture is uncertain, however based on the ages of the children and that of their parents, it can be guesstimated that it was taken around 1929-1930. It is a class photo of the children of the Rama Day School. While remarkable in itself, the band has been able to identify most of the children in the photograph…and to my amazement, the names mirror the surnames of the men who left Rama in the Spring of 1916 for France and thankfully returned home to start their own families a few years later. One boy, a serious looking lad, with dark eyes, dark hair and a dark completion was identified as Ben Sawyer, son of the Canadian war here and later a war hero himself serving in the Canadian Armed Forces at Korea.

Remember him…Remember them.

References

https://issuu.com/bencousineau/docs/final

https://www.ramafirstnation.ca/?page_id=506