Yorkton citizens readied themselves to support the war effort, and braced themselves for the harsh realities of the death of many of their young men. Headlines of the local paper The Yorkton Enterprise soon read, "News from the Front," "Killed in Action," "Wounded," "Missing in Action." One hundred years later, one can't help being emotionally involved, even in the process of research when reading the headlines and relating to the anguish of parents, relatives, friends and the general population. There were other sorrows too. Local area farmer John de Balinhard recalled his mother Iris relating the story about the "conscription" of horses. Agents for the military would come calling at farms and request that farmers donate their horses for overseas service. There was little choice given; only the few were left to the owners for their farm work. The rest - many beloved horses - were spirited away and never seen again. (Source: History book Yorkton - Windows On Our History.
Photo - British cavalry in action
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton Archives,
Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
