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Record #3270
Name :
: Charles REAPER (1899 - 2003)


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 27 Jul 1899

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 1 Mar 2003   Notes : Source: Obituary
Abode (1) : Place of BirthScotland, Banff, Keith
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Manitoba, Winnipeg
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 8 Apr 1912
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Scotian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Quarriers
NotesCharles Reaper, 12, arrived from Glasgow, Scotland, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a group of 98 children en route to Brockville, Ontario, Canada.

On February 25, 1915, Charles Reaper enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He declared that he was born in Keith, Banffshire, Scotland; that his next of kin was his half-sister, Mrs. Lizzie Bowman of Keith, Banffshire, Scotland; that his birthdate was July 27, 1897 (he was actually only sixteen--he said this was "the only lie I ever told,"; and that he was a farm labourer. He was described as 5 foot 7 inches in height; ruddy complexion; brown hair; and brown eyes.

Charles Reaper lived to the age of 103 years. With his death, Canada lost its last living link to the infantry soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge in the First World War:

Winnipeg Free Press

INFANTRY'S FINAL SURVIVOR OF VIMY RIDGE DIES AT 103:
An orphan from Scotland, the young Charles Reaper signed up for war because he figured that it would be easier than the farm work he was doing in Manitoba. He was shot twice in battle. In later years he told descendants he was proud to have served his adopted country.

Canadian soldiers return from Vimy Ridge in this May, 1917, photo. The last surviving Vimy Ridge veteran, Charles Reaper, died on Saturday.

WINNIPEG - Canada has lost the last of the thousands of soldiers who climbed out of their trenches to attack and take Vimy Ridge, the First World War battle that turned Canada from a colony into a country.

Charles Reaper died Saturday in Winnipeg from complications from a stroke, one month before the 86th anniversary of what historians consider Canada's first great military victory.

He was 103.

"He was the last Vimy Ridge infantry veteran," said Steve Harris, the chief historian for the directorate of history and heritage at the Department of National Defence. "This is the last of the thousands who went over the top .... there's no one now to answer questions about it, about what it was like."

Mr. Reaper joined the army at 16 because he thought it would be easier than the back-breaking farm work he was doing in rural Manitoba. On April 9, 1917, he was among the 20,000 Canadian soldiers who went over the top to attack German positions on Vimy Ridge. Although the Canadians were given little chance to take the heavily fortified ridge, which French and British troops had tried and failed to capture, within three days they had routed the German defenders.

The victory cost the Canadian Corps 3,598 dead and 7,699 wounded.

"It was living history and now it is learned history," Mr. Harris said. "It's the kind of loss that is priceless. For people who don't know about this event, we've lost the ability to relate first-hand what happened."

"It's now Great Granddad's war, it's gone into the past, like the American Civil War."

There are only about a dozen Canadian veterans of the First World War still alive, all of them more than 100 years old. At least three of them were at Vimy Ridge; Mr. Reaper was the last surviving infantryman.

Darren Stirling, Mr. Reaper's nephew, said his uncle had lived at home with his wife of 69 years, Anna, until he suffered a stroke last month.

"He always said he didn't do anything that a lot of guys didn't do. But I know he said he was proud and loved Canada. He said if he had to, he would have done it again."

Rey Pagtakhan, the Veterans Affairs Minister and a Winnipeg MP, called Mr. Reaper's death "the loss of one more hero."

The battle of Vimy Ridge was the first time that the four divisions of the Canadian Corps had fought together and was the first battle largely planned and carried out by Canadians.

The Canadian troops managed to take the ridge by using innovative tactics such as accurate counter-battery fire to silence German guns and a creeping barrage of Canadian artillery that advanced just ahead of the foot soldiers, who were able to catch the German defenders unprepared.

"So you have three or four factors coming together and, damnit, we won," Mr. Harris said.

He said the first people who realized the significance of Vimy were the ordinary soldiers, such as Mr. Reaper, who fought the battle.

"They knew it. The soldiers were the first ones to recognize that they and all the guys around them were wearing maple leaf [badges] on their shoulders," Mr. Harris said. "And they were the ones who saw what they had done, who took pride in doing what the Brits and the French hadn't been able to do.

"My grandfather -- who was British -- told me that Vimy was the moment when he became a Canadian."

The battlefield was later ceded to Canada by France, and is now the site of the Vimy Memorial, a towering white monument atop the highest part of the ridge which bears the names of the 11,285 Canadians killed in France during the war whose remains were never found.

Born in 1899 in Banffshire, Scotland, Charles Reaper was an orphan when he came to Canada a few years later. He was put to work on farms in his teenage years before he joined the army.

"He said he figured if he was going to do a man's work, he should get a man's pay. Like a lot of guys at the time, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into," Mr. Stirling said of his uncle.

Mr. Reaper was shot in the abdomen and the arm during his two years of service in the war, but Mr. Stirling said his uncle never considered himself a hero.

"He didn't talk a lot about it," he said. "He was proud of the fact he went and served his country. He thought Canada was a great country to live in.

"What he'd done only really dawned on me a few years ago when he received the Legion of Honour from the French government. Since then, I'd catch myself complaining about things, as we all do. I'd bite my tongue and remember. It makes you proud to know someone like him," Mr. Stirling said.

After the war, Mr. Reaper returned to Winnipeg and joined the city transit department. He retired as a supervisor 46 years later.

? Copyright 2003 National Post

Charles beloved wife of 69 years, Anna Reaper, passed away on May 28, 2004.

CHARLES REAPER

CHARLES REAPER Peacefully at the Riverview Health Centre, on March 1, 2003, Charles Reaper passed away into the arms of the Lord. Left to mourn are his dearly beloved and dedicated wife Anna; his nephew Darren Stirling (Debbie) and Janice Gill (Don) who were always there for him with endless love and kindness. Also many loving family members including numerous nieces and nephews. Charles was born on July 27, 1899 in Keith, Banffshire, Scotland. He came to Canada at an early age and joined the army during the First World War. He served in Canada, England and France. He was a survivor of Vimy Ridge. After the war Charles met and married Anna, his wife of 69 years. He worked for the Winnipeg Transit and retired as a supervisor after 46 years of service. During his retirement Charles and Anna visited Scotland and also enjoyed many happy motoring trips. Charles was a longtime member of the First English Lutheran Church where he spent many years of worship and fellowship. He loved people and was loved and respected by all who knew him. The family wishes to thank Dr. R. Hayward for all his care and kindness over the years. Funeral service will take place on Friday, March 7, at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of Glen Eden Funeral Home, 4477 Main St., with Pastor T. Chell and Pastor D. Lowe officiating. Interment Glen Eden Memorial Gardens. A gathering of family and friends will follow in the Glen Eden Reception Centre. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada, 100-650 Waterloo St., London, ON N6B 2R4. Dear Charles, "Rest in Peace-We will miss you." Arrangements entrusted to: GLEN EDEN FUNERAL HOME 4477 MAIN STREET 338-7111
As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on March 04, 2003 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-03-04 19:54:56 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : mollipops1

Last Updated : 2013-09-30 19:46:18 /

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