Great Grandfather John ‘Jack’ Wheeler

We had many family members fight in WWI including my great-grandfather (John R. -Jack- Wheeler). Jack came to Canada from England as a teenager when his parents died. He spent a few years listed as a pauper in the Union Work House in Kent. He settled in Collingwood, married his wife Louisa Jane Potter and raised a family. After the war, he moved his family to Englehart, Ontario. He had a good life.

He enlisted in 157th Battalion (124th Pioneer CEF) as a driver. Number 643035. He fudged his Birth Date as 14 Oct 1876 to enlist. He was so proud of his service in WWI as a driver that he had the word ‘driver’ engraved on his tombstone.