BX June 28, 1915

In the casualty lists issued from Ottawa on Sunday, the name of Albert Charles Lewis, of Brantford, appears as having been reported as suffering from concussion. The information was received on Saturday in a telegram to his father, and was announced in The Expositor.

BX November 20, 1915
 
Many Invalided Men Arrived

Four Brant County men have been returned to Canada, invalided out of the service owing to wounds. Three of these have been taken to the Soldiers’ Convalescent Home in Toronto, these being Private Harold Joseph Ireland, 36th Battalion, Kennedy Street, city; Bugler Albert Charles Lewis, 1st Battalion, 139 Chestnut Avenue, city and Pte. Charles H. Bloxham, 10th Battalion. The fourth, Private Aylmer Donald Fraser of Paris, returned to Paris. The men formed part of the 142 men who arrived at Toronto yesterday and who were given a big reception in Toronto. It is not known when they will come home here.

BX November 24, 1915

Reception Given to Heroes Who Returned from Front – C.H. Bloxham, A.C. Lewis – Big Crowd Gathered at the Station and Gave a Warm Home-Coming to D.C.M. Wearer and Plucky Little Bugler Who Have Done Their Duty – Enthusiasm Was Spontaneous and Lasting

As the 6.42 train from Toronto pulled into the G.T.R. station last evening two figures in Khaki stepped off one of the middle coaches of a long train. There were cries of “There they are!” and the thousands gathered there to welcome the Brantford heroes back from the battlefront broke into a spontaneous and lasting cheer and hundreds of willing hands were thrust out and the boys swung shoulder high to the delight of the crowd.

The heroes whom the crowd welcomed back last night were Pte. Charles H. Bloxham, D.C.M., 10th Battalion, of 27 Sheridan Street, and Bugler A.C. Lewis, 1st Battalion, who have been invalided home. Thousands were gathered at the station to meet the train, which was right on time, but the crowd would have been much larger had there not been some uncertainty as to the time of arrival.

On their arrival here the returned heroes were hustled into waiting automobiles, in which were their parents and friends, and then lined up in a procession. The train was met by a detachment of men from the 84th Battalion, the local units and two bands. These along with dozens of automobiles and hundreds of people, then formed a procession that wended its triumphal way to the Market Square. The procession was headed by Mayor Spence’s car and closely followed by Mr. W.F. Cockshutt’s car, in which was Bugler Lewis and then Ald. Dowling’s car in which was Private Bloxham.

The cars were lined up on the Market Square and speedily the whole Market Square was thronged with a wildly enthusiastic crowd.  Mr. Cockshutt’s car was used as a platform and the reception proper was under way. Mayor Spence acted as spokesman, formally welcoming the boy’s home, and touching on the honor they had brought to the city. Mr. W.F. Cockshutt, M.P., and Lt.-Col Stewart also spoke in a congratulatory vein and their utterances were loudly applauded by the big throng.

Lt.-Col Stewart had just finished speaking when the crowd called for the heroes. “Where is Bloxham?” was the cry and he had to be hoisted up onto the car. His appearance was the cause of more cheering and “Speech! Speech” was the call. Bloxham told the gathering that he was too nervous and tried to talk then, but would be around for two weeks and would in that interval try to see all his friends. He spoke of the good conduct of the Canadians at the front and said that the best British regiments delighted to fight against the Germans with the Canadians alongside of them. They preferred the Canadians to any other soldiers. He told the members of the 84th that he knows what they would do when they got to the front – sustain the good name the rest of the contingents had made.

Bugler Lewis was also urged to his feet and he too, pleaded tiredness thanking the crowd for the reception and saying he had just done his duty.

The automobiles were besieged for a long time by chums and friends desirous of shaking the hands of the returned heroes. The returned soldiers did not have the appearance of wounded men. The extent of their sufferings was not easily apparent, both looking strong and robust. Their step was fairly elastic, but on closer view it was noticed that they were very nervous, and in a convalescent condition.

Immediately after the reception the men were whisked to their homes in the automobiles and the battles were again fought over for the interest of relatives and friends, and many tales of the battlefields that will not be written up were told.

Bloxham and Lewis came up from Quebec to Toronto on Sunday with about 83 Toronto men, in charge of Lt.-Col. F.W. Marlow, A.D.M.S. Seventy-five percent of the men who came home to Toronto had wounds. In Toronto they received a big reception. They are here only for a couple of weeks and will then return to Toronto, where they will be maintained in the convalescent home in the old Bishop Strachan School.

BX November 24, 1915

Still Suffers From Injuries

Among the heroes who returned to the city last evening was Bugler, Albert Charles Lewis son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Lewis, 139 Chestnut Avenue who was wounded at the Battle of Givenchy, on June 15.

Bugler Lewis, at the first call to arms, enlisted at Dundas as bugler with the 77th Regiment and after usual drills at Valcartier left with No. 2 Company First Battalion, for Salisbury under the late Major Kimmins, who was killed at the battle of Ypres.

After a sojourn of some months spent there in preparation he, along with the members of his regiment were sent to France, where he was engaged as a bomb-thrower, figuring in many important battles, including Langemarck, St. Julien, Festubert, Hill 60, and Givenchy, where he received the wounds which necessitated his being returned home. Of the 23 others who went into the battle with Lewis, not one returned alive. The explosion of a mine caused their deaths and his injuries which consisted of a broken shoulder, injured back and crushed hip. After the battle he was removed to the base hospital at Rouen, and from there to Lady Forester’s Hospital, Shropshire, thence to Lady Forester’s Convalescent home at Llandudno, North Wales, and from there to No. 1 Western General Hospital, Liverpool, in all spending about two months and a half in the hospitals. In all cases he was accorded the best fare and treatment. He intends however, returning to one of the hospitals after a couple of weeks’ visit with his parents to undergo a course of treatment for his hip, which is quite stiff yet. Lewis witnessed many of the awful atrocities committed by the Germans and states that he is endeavoring to efface them from his memory as quickly as possible.