My grandfather Merkury (Mike) Checkel

My grandfather Merkury (Mike) Checkel was a Russian immigrant and homesteader in Alberta. He enlisted on September 19, 1914 and served with the Fourth Battalion in France. In April 1915 he was wounded in action at the Battle of Festubert and again in the trenches in the Ypres Salient on February 14, 1916. In October 1918, he served with the 259th Battalion, Canadian Rifles of the Siberian Expeditionary force at Vladivostok. He was awarded the Russian Cross of St. George.