Recruits
Recruiting posters for the Canadian Forestry Corps specifically mentioned "bushmen and sawmill hands." Certainly, there were many of these tradesmen amongst the recruits to the 230th Battalion. The Corps was also looking for men with experience as teamsters, railway construction workers, steam engineers, and mechanics. There were jobs requiring all these skills waiting in France.
The 132 men mustered in Creston comprised about a quarter the total strength of the 230th Battalion. They joined the rest of the Battalion at Brockville, Ontario, and sailed for England on 3 May 1917. At Base Depot Sunningdale, England, the 230th Battalion was re-designated 41st Company CFC.
The following pages present an alphabetical list of the soldiers mustered in Creston. Clicking on the links in the soldiers' names (here and throughout the exhibit) will take you to their service records on the Library and Archives Canada website; download the PDF to see the full records. Please note: service records are large files, often 50 to 100 pages or more, and may take several minutes to download.
If you prefer, bypass the list and go directly to A Second Chance