John E. Wheeler


By John Stonier, Surrey

In 1957 I was working on the construction of the paper mill at Crofton on Vancouver Island. We had rented a waterfront cottage nearby in Chemainus, on Dogwood Road. One of our neighbours was a retired bachelor, John Edward Wheeler. He was friendly and we got on well, visiting on weekends.

On one occasion I noticed something addressed to Lieutenant John E. Wheeler and asked him about his time in the army. His story about enlisting in the army went something like this:

Shortly after World War I began, Mr. Wheeler and seven of his friends from Walhachin decided to join the army and fight for their mother country.

They all wanted to be in the same unit and made an informal pact to join up as a group. In 1914, you had to get a medical certificate of fitness to take to the recruiting office. After failing to get the required certificate for the entire group in Vancouver and Victoria, they decided to try again in Kamloops. The doctor there lined up the eight of them (Mr. Wheeler was eighth) and began his examinations.

After examining five or six, he said, “You all look fit to me” and filled in and signed all the required forms.

With the necessary forms in hand they went to the nearest recruiting office and joined the army.

Three months later they were in England. Once in England they were taught one of the essentials of war: dismantling and assembling rifles, and then to the firing range for target practice. This was Mr. Wheeler’s downfall for he could not hit the target board, never mind the target. After an eye examination, he was deemed unfit for the infantry and transferred to a supply division. He must have excelled in his new position as he was discharged at the end of World War I as a lieutenant. Mr. Wheeler died in Chemainus in late December 1958 or January 1959.

 

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