Wordie, James

James Wordie was born on March 7, 1896 in Glasgow, Scotland to parents William and Margaret Wordie. He had two brothers, William and John, and a sister, Jessie. During the early 1900s, the Wordie family immigrated to Canada. James and his wife, Cecilia made their home in Calgary, Alberta. At time of enlistment, he was employed as an electrician. On April 21, 1916, James Wordie enlisted with the 113th Battalion CEF Lethbridge Highlanders. Pte Wordie arrived in England on October 6, 1916 aboard the SS Tuscania and was later taken on strength by the 17th Reserve Battalion. On March 16, 1917, Pte Wordie was transferred to the 85th Battalion CEF and embarked for France the next day. He served on the frontlines with the 85th Battalion for the remainder of the war, seeing action at Arras, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and Amiens. In October 1917, while at Passchendaele, Pte Wordie received gunshot wounds to the abdomen and was hospitalized until recovered. Following the wars end on November 11, 1918, Pte Wordie remained overseas in France and Britain for 8 months. During this time he received treatment for some persistent medical issues associated with a hernia. On July 2, 1919, he was struck off strength and returned to Canada. He was reunited with his parents and wife, Cecilia in Calgary. James would live out the remainder of his life in Calgary. He was employed for 50 years with Crystal Dairy, and an active member of the Rotary Club, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, the Zoological Society of Calgary, and the Calgary Curling Club. On February 12, 1976, James Wordie passed away at the age of 79. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered, as per his wishes. It is interesting to note that his name had been placed on the Lethbridge Cenotaph when it was unveiled in 1931. This error had been the subject of legend as it was said that he had been left for dead during the last days of the war and after spending months in a coma recovered and returned home. None of this is substantiated by his military record. For his war time service, James Wordie was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal