Page 7 - November 2023 News On 7

HAZZARD'S HISTORY NOTES

by Grant Ketcheson
“THE SCARS WERE NOT ALL ON THE BATTLEFIELD”

We all know the dreadful statistics from the First World War. The numbers of Canadians killed or wounded are
almost beyond our comprehension. Every community in our country was affected, including the little community
of Hazzard's Corners.
While we know the names of those who did not return and continue to honour their memory, particularly on
Remembrance Day, many who returned bore deep emotional wounds that perhaps never truly healed.
As a child I always looked forward to a visit from my mother's aunt and uncle, Alma and Charlie Keene. Neither
was married and they lived together, first on a farm and then later in Madoc. Aunt Alma, a tall, stern lady, was a
long-time pianist at Hazzard's Corners Church. Pipe-smoking Uncle Charlie had a droll sense of humour and was
my favourite uncle. (For a half-century, I thought of him every fall as I carried his old deer rifle through the bush.)
As an adult, I learned that Aunt Alma had been engaged to Harold Harris. Both the Harris and Keene families
farmed in the Hazzard's community. I like to think that in a more perfect world, they would have married, made
their home in our community, and along with their children attended Hazzard's Church. Alas, this was not to be.
On May 9th, 1917, Sgt. Harold Harris was killed in action, his body never recovered. While he has no grave, his
name is preserved on the Vimy Memorial in France. Aunt Alma never dated again. My mother used to say that
Uncle Charlie, a snappy dresser, usually had a girlfriend but, as she put it, “I think the reason that he never
married was that, as the youngest son, he felt it was his duty to care for Aunt Alma.”

Alma Victoria Keene was by no means
the only lady whose life plans were
turned upside down by war. Like Aunt
Alma, most bore their invisible wounds
with silent dignity.

So, on November 11, as well as
remembering those who fell in battle,
perhaps we might shed a tear for those
whose scars did not occur on the
battlefield.

LEST WE FORGET