Place of Birth: Sherbrooke, Guysborough County
Mother's Name: Lucy Walters
Father's Name: George W. Manson
Date of Enlistment: January 26, 1917 at Vancouver, BC
Regimental Number: 827203
Forces: Canadian Expeditionary Force; Canadian Railway Troops
Name of Unit(s): 143rd OS Battalion (BC Bantams); 3rd Battalion Canadian Railway Troops
Location of service: England, Belgium & France
Occupation at Enlistment: Pipe fitter
Marital Status at Enlistment: Single
Next of Kin: George W. Manson (father)
|Sapper Francis Stewart Manson|
After a year of recruitment and training, the battalion travelled by train across the country, boarding the SS Southland at Halifax on February 17, 1917. Ten days later, Frank set foot on English soil, travelling to billets at Witley Camp. Sadly, the battalion met the same fate as most of the Nova Scotian battalions raised through similar enlistment campaigns - it was disbanded shortly after arrival in England. Approximately 750 men, classified as 'Category A', were transferred to the 24th Reserve Battalion and dispersed among units at the front. The remaining members were assigned to the recently formed Canadian Railway Troops (CRT). Frank Manson was one of 135 'other ranks' (OR) attached to the 3rd Battalion CRT.
|CRT soldiers placing ballast on a light gauge line.|
On March 22, Frank and the other members of the battalion's 'C' and 'D' Companies proceeded overseas, arriving at Boulogne by mid-day. Two days later, they travelled by train to Calais, moving onto their first work assignment at Poperinghe, near Ypres, Belgium. On March 27, battalion's war diary described the weather as 'cold and clear… [with] snow and rain in [the] afternoon" as Frank and his comrades commenced work on a railway grade near Ypres. Two days later, two rail cars and four 3-ton lorries loaded with the companies' tools and equipment arrived at Poperinghe.
Working conditions were challenging at times. On April 2, for example, the battalion's war diary describes the weather as 'freezing', with "heavy snows in the afternoon [and a] gale at night". Nevertheless, work proceeded as usual. While 'A' and 'B' Companies connected regular gauge track to a light rail system near Fosse, 'C' and 'D' companies laboured in Belgium, relocating to Ploegsteert, near Armentieres, on April 6.
|Plan for light railway yard at Savy-Berlette, France.|
In Frank's absence, the battalion suffered its first fatality on April 23 when a 'sapper' was killed in an artillery shell explosion near Ploegsteert. The day before Frank's return, shrapnel wounded a 'sapper' while a second man suffered 'shell shock' during an artillery barrage on 'B' Company's work site. Military commanders were not immune to the dangers of working at locations close to the front lines. On May 19, the war diary reported the first officer fatalities when artillery shells struck battalion headquarters near Thelus, killing two officers and one OR. A fourth soldier was wounded in the attack.
While not actively engaged in combat, it is arguable that CRT personnel were more at risk of injury as they worked in the open, without protection from enemy fire. Their work also involved daily risk of injury or death. On May 2, for instance, two 'C' Company OR were accidentally injured while working in the ballast pit, "one trivial[,] one serious". Later in the month, a member of 'A' Company was killed when he fell in front of a moving train. Such incidents illustrate the perils of service in a CRT unit.
|CRT light railway work party.|
The following day, 'C' Company widened the existing line between Thelus and Bailleul. 'D' Company's work was delayed "owing to shelling" near Arras during the night, forcing the grading party's withdrawal from the forward area. Over the following two weeks, Frank and his comrades laboured under persistent artillery fire. On May 18, a 'C' Company grading party at Rochincourt was delayed by shelling that wounded two OR. Two days later, 'C' Company worked without incident while 'D' Company laboured under shell fire for the entire day, suffering one OR fatality.
The war diary also records the unit's various successes and challenges. On May 21, for example, the first ammunition shipment travelled over a newly constructed line to forward positions at Gavrelle. The following day, 'D' Company reported "great difficulty with sinking track over [a] shelled area". At this time, personnel were dispersed into 23 detachments in the Arras area, making it difficult to distribute rations, as a kitchen and cook were required to service each group. The transport officer later reported a 5 % loss of gasoline supplies "through either defective tins or through having inefficient plugs in tins". These incidents represent a few of the many difficulties encountered while building railway lines in a war zone.
|Clearing debris along standard gauge line.|
Frank's work with 3rd Battalion CRT continued through the summer and early autumn months of 1917. * He enjoyed several week's break at 1st Army Rest Camp from September 22 to October 4 before rejoining the unit in the field. Three weeks later, the health problems that plagued his earlier service returned. On October 24, Frank was admitted to # 3 Casualty Clearing Station with a suspected case of 'phthisis', a contemporary name for pulmonary tuberculosis. He was briefly admitted to 5th General Hospital at Rouen before being "invalided sick" and transported to England on October 31. Two days later, Frank was admitted to Grove Military Hospital, Tooting Grove, where the initial diagnosis was confirmed.
In mid-November, Frank was relocated to No. 16, Canadian General Hospital, Orpington, where the doctors continued his treatment for "chronic tuberculosis". On January 4, 1918, he was transferred once again to 5th Canadian General Hospital, Liverpool, remaining there for exactly one month before being "invalided to Canada". Upon his return, Frank made the long train journey to British Columbia, where he was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital's Military Annex. Here, he received "rest, [a] nourishing diet and fresh air" as medical personnel helped him cope with his illness.
|Tranquille Sanatorium, Kamloops, BC.|
"Patient is thin and pasty. Coughs a great deal[,] raising copious whitish thick sputum which is streaked with blood in the morning. He feels very weak but able to be up. Slight exertion such as walking 1/4 mile causes some dyspnoea [labored breath], also such exertion as climbing stairs. Could not walk over 1/2 mile without resting…. Even walking across room causes moderate dyspnoea."
Frank was also losing weight as his illness progressed.
|Sapper Francis Stewart Manson's gravestone, Kamloops, BC.|
143rd Battalion, C. E. F. (B. C. Bantams). Charles LeRoss, Webmaster. Available online.
Regimental Record of Sapper Frank Stewart Manson, no. 827203. Copy courtesy of Winn Manson Campbell, Kingston, NS. Attestation papers available online.
War Diary, 3rd Battalion Canadian Railway Troops. Library and Archives Canada. RG9 , Militia and Defence , Series III-D-3 , Volume 5012 , Reel T-10861-10862, File : 733. Portions available online.
Portrait of Frank Manson, postcard and letter from Kate Manson courtesy of Winn Manson Campbell, Kingston, NS.