This exhibit is an unusual and rich collection of correspondence to and from the front lines between Hugh and Arthur and their family and friends.

The exhibit comprises approximately 191 pieces of correspondence, plus photos and military records, including:

• 34 letters from Gordon to his parents
• 63 letters from Melville to his parents
• 11 letters from James and Jessie Munro to Gordon
• 4 letters between Gordon and Melville
• 22 letters between Gordon and Melville and their other siblings
• 17 letters from their friend G.B. Chisholm to Gordon and Melville
• 40 letters between Gordon and Melville and other family members and friends
• photos of the Munro family
• photos of Gordon and Melville before their enlistment
• photos of the Contay British Cemetery in France with a video link
• photo of the gravesite of Gordon Munro
• copies of the military records of Hugh Gordon Munro and Arthur Melville Munro
   

Rev. Dr. James Munro was born in Ontario in November, 1861. Jessie Munro was born in June 1868, also in Ontario. Sometime after their marriage, they moved to Gladstone, Manitoba where Dr. Munro served at the Gladstone Presbyterian Church. They had 5 children while they lived in Gladstone: Edward, Gordon, Melville, Margaret and Ethel.

The Munros moved from Gladstone Manitoba to Oakville in 1909. Rev. Dr. Munro served as minister at Knox Presbyterian Church from 1909 until the vote to form the United Chruch was held in January of 1925. They lived at The Manse (now 241 Trafalgar Road). Rev. Dr. Munro supported the union of the Congregationalist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches into a single, United Church. 98 members of his church joined with him at what became St. John's United Church. Most of his congregation stayed with the Presbyterian Church. Within a year of the split, the Munros moved to Toronto.

Hugh Gordon Munro was born December 30, 1896 in Gladstone, Manitoba, according to the 1911 Canadian census. He enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on May 26, 1915, where his birthdate is given as December 30, 1897. He served with the 17th Canadian Battalion and transferred to the15th Battalion Canadian Infantry in France and was promoted to Corporal. He died on October 9, 1916 of gunshot wounds suffered in the first battle of the Somme, at the age of 19. He is buried in the Contay British Cemetary, Contay France.

Arthur Melville Munro was born July 3, 1898 in Gladstone, Manitoba. He enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on March 4, 1916 at the age of 17 and served in France. He served with the 164th Batalion and transferred to the 2nd Canadian Reserve Batalion in April 1917. This unit was absorbed into the 4th Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Depot (CMGD). He was wounded in the back on September 2, 1918, just 40 days before the end of the war. He was evacuated to England to recover from his wounds and was on leave in Ireland when the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. He returned to Canada, landing in Halifax on December 31, 1918. He was discharged from the military on January 24, 1919.

Nicknames are used throughout the letters:

Gug - Hugh Gordon Munro

Pork or Porky - Arthur Melville Munro

Bill - Ethel Munro (sister of Arthur Melville and Hugh Gordon)

Pug - Margaret Munro (sister of Arthur Melville and Hugh Gordon)

Scout or Nemo - George Brock Chisholm - a classmate and a friend of the Munro brothers. Brock Chisholm survived the First World War and during the Second World War served as the Director General, Medical Services, the highest ranking medical office in the Canadian Army. In 1948 he became the first Director General of the World Health Organization.

This collection was made possible by the generous gift of the letters by Mrs. Lynne Munro, Melville's daughter-in-law.
We also acknowledge the efforts of volunteers at the Oakville Historical Society, especially Sherry Snider, Megan Headrick and Ella Boswell who made the transcriptions.

If you make use of this information or these images, please let us know and acknowledge the Oakville Historical Society.

https://oakvillehistory.org/Exhibits/munro-letters