Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.
please scroll down to send a message
253714
Pte. Isaac Canton Johnston
Canadian Expeditionary Force 46th (Saskatchewan) Battalion
from:Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
Isaac Johnston was a student at Manitoba College in Canada. In 1916, he enlisted due to a recruitment campaign of university students and staff in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It formed the 196th Battalion, known as the Western Universities Battalion. Their nickname became the WUBians.
After they arrived in England on the 11th of November 1916, they were disbanded to reinforce more than seven other units. On 21st of June 1917 near Lens, Isaac was hit by a high-explosive shell. That night, both legs were amputated above the knees. He arrived in Boscombe Hospital on 11th of July 1917, and on the same day, he had two inches of femur removed from both legs. One month later, another two inches was removed from the left leg.
On 1st of October 1917, Isaac was transferred to the Canadian Military Hospital in Basingstoke, then on 21st of February 1918, transferred to Canadian General Hospital in Liverpool. Isaac sailed for Canada 11th of March 1918 where he was admitted to three more hospitals in Kingston, Toronto and Winnipeg. He returned home to Dauphin, Manitoba in October 1918. Isaac went back to school, became a lawyer, married and had two sons who also became lawyers.