Piper, George Brown

George Piper was born in Battle Creek, Nebraska on July 13, 1895 to parents John and Susan Piper. He had three brothers, William, John and Robert. The family left Nebraska and made their way to Aberdeen, North Dakota. Later they moved onto Canada and settled in Lethbridge, Alberta. John Piper Sr. worked as a brick hauler until he could secure homestead land in Foremost. In 1911, the Piper family moved to a sod home where they lived for two years until their permanent home was built. George and his brothers worked on the farm, doing a variety of jobs including herding cattle, sheep and horses. On April 26, 1916, George Piper enlisted with the 113th Battalion CEF Lethbridge Highlanders. He arrived in England on October 6, 1916 on the SS Tuscania. He was transferred to the 16th Battalion CEF on November 22, 1916 and embarked for France shortly thereafter. Pte Piper remained at the front lines with the 16th Battalion for five months and saw action at key battles including the Somme and Arras. On April 9, 1917 Pte Piper was one of 3,598 Canadian soldiers who fell at Vimy Ridge. Sadly, like many other young Canadians that day, his remains were never recovered or identified. He is remembered at the Vimy Ridge Memorial. George Piper was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. His mother, Susan received the Memorial Cross and death plaque in honour of her son