May 8, 2026. The first week of May is a time of reflection for Pieter, as it’s a bittersweet week in which The Netherlands remembers those who died during WWII and celebrates liberation from Nazi occupation during WWII. During last year’s 2025 European War Memorial Tour he placed flags at 383 graves of Canadian soldiers that he’d researched over the years. This posting is the story of the search for a photo of one of those soldiers.

Occasionally, Pieter helps the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands to find photos of soldiers for which research had already been done, but no photo could be found. He’s found that it’s almost as much work as it is do a complete research project on a soldier, as there is a reason photos aren’t readily available – they can be very difficult to find!

Since he’s always had a wonderful response when looking for soldiers from Newfoundland, when he saw a soldier from that province on a photo wish list, he thought it would be a slam dunk. Pieter had no idea of the twists and turns encountered when he began to look for a photo of John Frederick BARTLETT.

Born January 27, 1898 in Moreton’s Harbour, the son of Alfred and Jessie Lavinian (nee Taylor) Bartlett, John was serving with the South Alberta Regiment (29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment). As he was 47 years old, his normal duties included serving in the officers mess and being the batman (driver) for one of the officers.

He lost his life on February 27, 1945, aged 47, when fragments from a German mortar bomb hit the ambulance in which he was travelling. According to a casualty report, he had been “…riding in the half-track ambulance between stretchers. Mortar landed in field near road. Fragment entered back of canvas cover, passed clean through Bartlett’s head and out through the top of cover.  Killed outright…”  (You can read Jim Little’s story about John here: https://www.facestograves.nl/LifeStories/BARTLETT%20John%20Frederick-JLE-bio-EN.pdf)

….A great-nephew was contacted in Newfoundland…

Pieter was very quickly in contact with Gerald Bartlett, John’s great-nephew, grandson of John’s brother William Chesley Bartlett.  But his hope of receiving a photo was dashed when Gerald explained that the family no longer had a photo.  “…My dad, Morgan John Bartlett, did have a photo of Uncle John but in 1983 a first cousin from Mississauga, Ontario borrowed the photo but never received the photo back, although we tried for years to get it returned…”

Gerald’s father couldn’t get the photo back, the cousin died, and her daughter refused to have contact with the family.  Pieter then tried contacting her and her family, with zero response.

Gerald went on to say that he did have “….Uncle John’s entire squadron photo. The 29th South Alberta Recc Regiment, taken in February 1943 in England….”  No one was named in the photo, however.  Perhaps the next step was a Regimental Association or Regimental History?

….We struck out with the Regimental history book and museum…

Donald E. Graves, author of ‘South Albertas – A Canadian Regiment At War’, about the South Alberta Regiment, mentioned Bartlett in the book. He was a 47 year old batman who had volunteered to accompany ambulance driver Eric Nichols.

An excerpt in the book explained that “…Nichols lost one of his helpers on 27 February when fragments from a German mortar bomb which landed near his halftrack killed Trooper John Bartlett, who was riding with him. This was a particularly tragic loss because Bartlett, a farm labourer from Edmonton, was, at 47 years of age, too old for combat and had only been retained in the Regiment because he served as a batman to the officers and a waiter in their mess. John Bartlett had nothing else to do that day so he volunteered to go out in the ambulance….”

There was a group photo on the inside cover – similar to the one that Gerald Bartlett had – and each man was numbered, suggesting that somewhere is a list identifying these men. We wrote the author and asked if there was an identification listing for the photo.

He said no, that he’d tried to get one himself, and suggested contacting the South Alberta Light Horse Museum in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  We did. The curator was aware of the photo, but had no identification key. He said he would investigate further, but we never heard from him again.

….Did the ambulance driver have a photo?…

We then looked at the ambulance driver, wondering if perhaps he might have photos that could include John.  We asked Judie Klassen, who has helped with really tough cases in the past, if she could find any information.   Judie learned that “…the soldier who was with Bartlett when he died was Eric Nichols.  He died in 2018….”  She also found “….Rob McCue, who knew him since he was a boy, is a retired sergeant with the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment….”

It was a long shot, but Pieter contacted Rob McCue. He didn’t have a photo, but wrote that “…the driver of that Halftrack Ambulance was a Trooper by the name of Eric Nichols. He was my father’s best friend. Eric was still feeling guilt for the loss of the batman years after it happened…. My father’s friend Eric was accosted by the Officer who Tpr Bartlett worked as the Batman for.  Before Eric was even able to wash the blood off of his hands the officer was screaming at him for taking Bartlett with him. Eric told me that he had asked for volunteers to help him clear casualties from a tank and Bartlett volunteered to assist him, even though his age should have prevented him from front line service…. I talked with Eric about this incident many times, and it was still a raw wound even 75 years later….”

….Did the medic whose place John took have a photo?…

Although he was well-known in the Regiment, he wasn’t a medic, so never should have been in that ambulance.  One of the medics, Glenn Burgess, was ill which was why John had volunteered to take his place.  (See https://calgaryherald.remembering.ca/obituary/glenn-burgess-1066026252)

Jim Little’s story noted that “…Trooper Glenn Burgess of C Squadron, 4 Troop, was Left Out of Battle (LOB) that day. It was a regular practice of the SAR to keep one Troop from each of its three fighting Squadrons LOB in the event of disaster, preserving a cadre of experienced personnel to rebuild with. Those who were LOB were assigned other duties, and Glenn was tasked with assisting the Regiment’s ambulance service in recovering their casualties from the field. However, Trooper Burgess had a bad case of strep throat so was excused from that duty, and John Bartlett went in his place…”  (SAR refers to South Alberta Regiment)

Maybe Glenn Burgess had a photo? During our ongoing search, Judie came across an interview with poetess Vivian Hansen.  “…Vivian Hansen was close to Glenn Burgess and wrote about him, calling him ‘the old man’. She talks about looking through pictures/papers he had in an interview….” (See https://freefallmagazine.ca/interview-with-vivian-hansen/)

Although Vivian didn’t have a photo that included John Bartlett, she replied to our inquiry.  “…  Sadly, I have no photo of Bartlett.  In fact, since Glenn told me the story, I only just linked the mystery man who replaced him as John Bartlett….He never knew the name of the man who replaced him that fateful day….”

Vivian let us know that she had written “…a book of poetry entitled ‘A Tincture of Sunlight’, which chronicles some of Glenn’s stories during the war. Glenn’s great-grandmother was a Cree woman from the Swampy Cree nation in northern Ontario.  He was fourth generation Cree, not eligible for treaty status. ….”

…What if we went backwards in time?…

With no luck in finding a photo during John’s military years, maybe we needed to look further back in time?  Before enlisting in the South Alberta Regiment in 1940, John had worked as a farm labourer on the farm of W.B. Herder (William and Iva) in Ankerton, Alberta in the 1930s.

Judie’s research into the Herder family led us to Deborah Laidler, granddaughter of Will Herder.  “…I am very excited to correspond with you, as I am the family historian…” she wrote in 2024.

Deborah did her best to find a photo and information, even going through a local history book. “….I have spoken to half a dozen local farm families. No one has knowledge of this soldier but that is not unexpected. My 95 year old Aunt Connie does not remember him, specifically. The family never had a hired man who stayed with them or worked full time for 12 years, as his attestation papers indicate.  But, he may have worked May- September…”

Unfortunately, while Deborah, her family, and a neighbor, Angeline Brausen, had a number of unidentified photos of men, none could be identified as John Bartlett.  “…My aunt thinks that the Brausens owned the threshing machine that my grandfather used in the 1930s.….”

….Success when John was identified in Gerald’s Squadron photo!…

The trail had run cold. However, Gerald Bartlett and his family were able to identify John in the 29th South Alberta Reconnaissance Regiment photo he’d first told Pieter about, which had been taken in February 1943 in England.  “…I went through the regiment photo and enlarged each man to see if there were any similarities.  When I came to the photo I sent you it made me stop.  I could see so many similarities to myself and my brothers and Uncle Elijah. The resemblance to us is quite remarkable….”

The photo search had come full circle and a heroic soldier was now identified!

….John is buried in Groesbeek…

John was initially buried in a temporary burial ground in Kirsel near Uedem, Germany, before being reburied on February 25, 1945 in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands.   During our 2025 European War Memorial Tour, Pieter placed flags of Canada and Newfoundland by his grave.

…. ‘You have honoured my great-uncle greatly’…

After John was identified by his great-nephew Gerald Bartlett, successfully completing the photo search, Gerald shared his reflections with Pieter.  “… I am so very impressed with the story of my great-uncle John. As a child, I always heard stories of his military time and how he died, but this story finally brings to life his life and heroism as a man who volunteered as he felt was his duty. Wow! I love this story and will share this with my children, my brothers, and sisters. When I saw his picture, I actually saw my grandfather. I have no doubt that this is John Frederick Bartlett… Many thanks to you, your wife, and Jim Little. You have honoured my great-uncle greatly….”

….Many to thank for this search …

The long but ultimately successful search for a photo of John Frederick Bartlett was like an unfolding detective story, with a number of people helping to find clues and leads.

Thank you to Gerald Bartlett for identifying his great-uncle in the squadron photo. Thank you to Judie Klassen for going above and beyond to find reference materials, and to Shawn Rainville for newspaper searches.

Thank you also to Vivian Hansen and Rob McCue for enriching our inquiries by providing input on the two medics whose lives were impacted by John’s death: Glenn Burgess and Eric Nichols. Thank you as well to Deborah Laidler for looking into John’s time as a farm worker on the Will Herder farm.

The flags placed at John’s grave during our 2025 visit were donated.  Our thanks go to:

• Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
• Gerald Bartlett in memory of Trooper John Frederick BARTLETT, who donated the Newfoundland flag.

Pieter’s research efforts to find photos and families of soldiers continue. Do you have a story to tell? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

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4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

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