Ross Dickinson Briscoe was born on June 20th, 1891 in Dunville, Ontario to Reuben Alfred Briscoe and Florence Alexander Root. Ross’ father worked as a dry goods merchant who owned R.A. Briscoe Limited, which allowed him to provide a comfortable life for the family. Reuben and Florence had a daughter named Marjorie in 1900, before Ross’ mother’s untimely death from pneumonia. His father later remarried and had another daughter. Ross was an educated young man who worked as a blank clerk as well as was a member of the Galt Cadet Corps.
When war broke out in August 1914, Ross was one of the first from the Waterloo Region to volunteer to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight for the 9th Reserve Infantry Battalion. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, likely as a result of his military experience with the Cadet Corps, his middle class standing, and his education. After completing the first stage of training at Valcartier Camp in Quebec, the soldiers were sent overseas to participate in more training prior to being put into active duty in the trenches. Then on January 6th, 1915 Ross was accidentally shot on a rifle range during training on the Salisbury Plain in England. Lieutenant Ross Dickinson Briscoe was the first from the Waterloo region to die during the First World War, and he is buried at Bulford Church Cemetery in England.
Service number: N/A
Jeff Outhit, “Galt soldier died but never faced the enemy,” The Record, last modified September 26, 2014, http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4883966-galt-soldier-died-but-never-faced-the-enemy/
“Canadian Virtual War Memorial: Ross Dickinson Briscoe,” Veterans Affairs Canada, accessed Feb 17, 2015, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/405217?Ross%20Dickinson%20Briscoe