Charles Harold Gowe was born of Canadian parents in Everett, MA, USA while his father was working there as a Wheelwright. The family moved back to Canada in 1905, settling first in SK where his father was a contractor building barns and grain elevators. During the severe times of drought prior to the first world war life was very hard for a family that was 'not on the land' who could produce their own food.
As Charles was 6' tall and very sinuous he was easily able to convince the recruiters to enlist him in the army, thereby escaping from a life he hated in rural Saskatchewan. He signed up on the 24th February 1916 in the 107th Canadian Engineers Regiment, at Winnipeg, MB. Following training at Camp Hughes he was embarked for England on 13 September 1916 via “S.S. Olympic” for further training and then on to France 24 Feb 1917.
On the front lines during various battles he was a signaller, telling several tales of having to crawl through the mud and gore, stringing new telephone lines to replace those blasted by shelling. This young soldier was so devastatingly affected by the carnage and conditions that there was only once, during a marathon session, did he ever talk of what had transpired.
On the ninth of September 1917 he was a victim of a Mustard Gas attack by the Germans and was evacuated to the 22 General Hospital at Etaples, Buchy, thence to 8th. General, Rouen thence to the Bath war hospital on 2 November 1917, Epsom 28 Nov 1917, No. 4 C.G.H. 31 Dec 1917, Lenham 7 May 1918, Canadian Special Hospital, Lenham 4 June 1918. Pte. Gowe was returned to Canada Canada: 26 June 1918 and was hospitallized until his release 13 January 1919. Several times over his remaining years he would be hospitalized in the Shaugnessy Military Hospital in Vancouver for period of up to several weeks as a result of this Mustard Gas exposure.
From 1923 until his retirement in 1957 Charlie was employed by the Canadian Federal Grain Weighing staff. When applying for a passport in preparation for a trip to Europe to visit with a daughter and son-in-law serving with the RCAF at Lahr, Germany, he was informed that he was NOT a Canadian and would have to be naturalized before he could obtain a passport. What a shock to a man who had served 3 1/2 years in the Canadian Army, was employed as a senior Federal Civil Servant and had raised ten children in Canada, almost all of it in British Columbia.
There never was a year that the entire family would not be up early on Nov. 11th, dressed up and a one hour streetcar ride to Victory Square in Vancouver for the Remembrance Day service. No cajolling could get him to visit with a Local Legion Branch. He would say "I fought that war once and I'll never fight it again!" Yet when distributing his effects after his passing, we found lapels badges for 35 years of continous membership in the Royal Canadian Legion.
