Private Sylvester Angus Herbert
644065
Born Simcoe, ON (Orillia)
Died April 1st, 1917
Buried at Bruay Communal Cemetery
Modern warfare is something that one cannot just ‘learn on the job’. This reality was very true at the beginning of the Great War and continued until the later stages of the conflict in 1918. For the Canadian’s volunteering for the war service, each one of them had to go through much training and preparation. For the 116th, many of the men went through basic training at Camp Niagara in the late Spring of 1916 before being sent overseas that July. However, many of the men would come to serve in the battalion started by enlisting in other battalions. They would primarily train at the newly constructed Camp Borden. These men enlisted with the 126th (Peel), 157th (Simcoe Foresters) 164th(Halton and Dufferin), 169th (Toronto), 173rd (Canadian Highlanders - Hamilton) and 208th (Irish Canadians-Toronto). Once in England, the men trained at the Camp Bramshott and Camp Whitley.
Private Sylvester Herbert, from the Hawkestone south of Orillia ON, enlisted with the 157th Simcoe Foresters. He would have trained at Borden and Bramshott in England prior to getting folded into the 116th in December of 1916. The men crossed the channel with the rest of the battalion on Feb 2nd, 1917 and set out to further prepare for war. He was assigned to “A” Company and joined them up in the line when they first took positions on the foot of Vimy Ridge. In the months before the planned attack, when not in the line, the men were involved with extensive training in all the camps situated in the area to the West of Arras and Vimy. For green soldiers, like the men of the 116th, this preparation was critical to both the success of the attack and for the effectiveness and wellbeing of the men.
One week prior to the planned attack, the men of the 116th had been involved in live fire training at a town called Houdain when the incident occurred. Platoon after platoon of men from each company would be called upon to participate. If a man could not effectively use his weapon in the benign conditions of a practice trench that was not being bombarded by high explosive shellfire, how would he perform when he was? Thus, soldier by soldier, they moved through the make-shift trench and when it got to be their turn, they discharged their weapon. However…as happens in warfare, mistakes and accidents happen… sometimes tragically. It was during one of these practice sessions that while attempting to shoot his grenade rifle, Private Herbert, rather than seeing his grenade propel out of the muzzle to blow up an imaginary German in the distance, it just fell to his feet and blew himself up. An terribly unfortunate end to a young soldier, so full of promise and prospect.
Lest we forget.
Here is a copy of the letter sent home to Private Herbert's mother.
Major H. P. Cooke
Dear Madam,
As company commander of “A” Company of the battalion, the unpleasant duty falls on my lot of informing you of the facts concerning the unfortunate death of your son S.A. Herbert. We were practicing a platoon in attack on a system of trenches using live bombs and live rifle grenades. Fourteen platoons had gone over the course when the platoon to which your son belonged had its turn. Your son was a rifle grenadier and was firing at an imaginary point along with others of his section. I myself was near the scene of the action when I heard a grenade explode in the trench, closely followed by another. I realized something was wrong as the bombs were further down the trench and no one would be throwing live bombs in that place.
Hurrying over I found to my horror that one man was wounded and proceeding further found the body of your son. He never suffered. Death was instantaneous. I have made an investigation and the cause of the accident was defective cartridge. The grenade in question was placed in a cup attached to the muzzle of the rifle and a pin holding the spring that drives the striker onto the cup that sets fire to a fuse which exploded a charge in the bomb is drawn out. What happened in this case was that the cartridge was strong enough to allow the spring to work and then it fell back. Probably your son did not notice that the had acted until it was too late. Your son had recently been with us to a trip up to the line and there as in every other case, conducted himself as a Canadian soldier should.
Since he joined my Company at Whitley, your son was a model of what a soldier should be. His platoon commander and comrades all speak highly of him and the most general regret in felt as his most unfortunate death. I made it my personal business to at once do all that could be done and battalion arrangement will be made who died just as much for Canada as if he had fallen in the field of battle.
Lt Col. Sharpe in writing to his mother said, ”He was buried with full military honours on April 2, 1917 in a little town about three miles from here. “A” Company to which he belonged attended in a body with the band and firing party, and the Rev Mr. Bradford, late of Orillia and now with the battalion conducted the service in a very suitable manner, and he was laid to rest with fully military honours. I attended to pay my last respects to the by and you and your family have my sincerest sympathy. From accounts, your boy was an exceedingly good soldier and it will be greatly regretted that he died without an opportunity to meet the enemy.”
(Barrie Examiner May 10, 1917)