Barnum, Frank

Frank Barnum was born in Belleville, Ontario, to George and Abbie (née Thrasher) Barnum on 21 November 1892. Frank Barnum worked as a labourer before the First World War and served three years in the Canadian militia before he attested. His uncle, S. Latta, is listed as his next of kin and the beneficiary of his pay allotments.

Barnum attested to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) at Valcartier, joining the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Eastern Ontario) on 22 September 1914. Little is known of his service as many documents are missing from his service file except for the final few pay files. However it is possible that Barnum sailed off with the first draft of the Battalion which had been formed up largely from members of existing Ontario militia regiments. This draft sailed in the S.S. Cassandra, arriving in England on 25 October 1914, where it commenced training. He was issued a second service number which happened to some units around this time. In February 1915 the Battalion was sent to France aboard the S.S. Blackwell and went to Armentieres. Its first engagement was at the second battle of Ypres in April 1915. Barnum was clearly with the battalion in 1915 and was with it at the end of the war. The battalion was engaged at Ypres, St. Julien, Festubert, Pozières, Vimy, Arleux, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, and Canal du Nord amongst others, and suffered over 1,200 killed. There is no record of Barnum suffering any wounds. He returned to Canada in the S.S. Olympic on 14 April 1919 and was demobilized at Kingston with his unit on 29 April of that year.

He gave Mill Street in Bellville, Ontario as his address on discharge. He married Annie Horn on 11 October 1921, listing his occupation at the time as a cooper, and had two daughters. He shows up on the 1935 Electors’ list in Belleville. He died on 8 December 1946 in Thurlow, Ontario and is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery there.