George Bannerman, unlike many veterans, didn’t hesitate to share his war experience with his children. In conversations with his son, Gordon, George spoke of the rats and lice that plagued the men in the trenches, and the dangers that were faced on a daily basis. As a stretcher-bearer, he certainly witnessed much human suffering. But it was the animals’ pain that haunted him for years after the war.

“He used to say with thousands of wounded (men), you tried your best to deal with it. But the animals like horses and mules were running, screaming in pain, while stepping on their entrails as they ran. They had nowhere to go, but to an agonizing death.”

Born in Scotland in 1885, Bannerman emigrated to Canada in 1905, and farmed in Manitoba and Saskatchewan before moving to Alberta. He initially tried to enlist in 1914, but was refused for medical reasons. He was finally accepted for service in 1916. Trained as a medic, he served as a stretcher-bearer in France. In August 1917, he earned the Military Medal for his actions during the Battle of Hill 70 in France.

In the fall of 1917 he married Margaret Jean Milne, and then returned to service. He saw action at Vimy Ridge and was also part of the army of occupation in Germany following the Armistice. He died in 1977 at the age of 92.

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