Benjamin Hayes Carey was one of four brothers who served in the First World War and he’s the only one who didn’t return to Canada. He was killed in action on October 26, 1917, the opening day of the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. Carey was the son of George and Elizabeth Carey of Shawville, Quebec. He enlisted in 1915 and served as a corporal with the 10th Canadian Machine Gun Company.

His brothers William, George and Linden survived the war. William was sent overseas with the 28th Battalion and served in the trenches before he became a sergeant sniper. He was wounded twice, once from being gassed. He received the Military Medal and later added a bar for his work at Courcelette, where the Canadians defeated Prussian guards; he even kept the helmet of a 42nd Prussian guard and a cap formerly belonging to a Prussian soldier as souvenirs.

Do you have an ancestor who served in the Great War? Submit their story and it could be included on this Great War Album website.