Arthur Lionel Benson

Arthur Benson's parents married in Toronto in 1910. His father Thomas Victor Benson was born in Blackpool in 1887 and arrived in Toronto in 1906. He had started out as a railway fireman, working on steam locomotives, but eventually became a salesman. Arthur's mother Mabel Smith had followed a similar path as an English immigrant to Toronto. The couple married in 1910 and later that year had a daughter named Mary, known as Olive. They lived downtown, at 335 Parliament Street. In 1913, another daughter, Mabel, was born.

In 1916, the Great War was raging in Europe. Although he had a family, Thomas enlisted in the Canadian army on February 3, 1916. Barely a week later, five year old Olive died of meningitis. After training and arriving in England, Thomas landed in France in October 1916. His left hand took a shrapnel wound in 1917 and he recovered in England. He was redeployed to France and in September 1918 was wounded again by shrapnel in the left knee. He was discharged in Canada in February 1919.

During the war, the two Mabels moved to the east end, living on Leslie Street, Bain Avenue, Kingston Road and finally at 15 Bertmount Avenue near Queen and Jones. Another daughter was born in 1920, named Florence but nicknamed Fawn. On January 7, 1922 Arthur and his fraternal twin James (“Jim”) were born. By the next year, the family was living at 110 King Edward Avenue and in 1925 they moved up the street to 136 King Edward. Thomas set up his own cartage company. Arthur and Jim started school at Danforth Park in 1927, graduating in 1936. Arthur went to high school at East York for two years. In 1940 he attended a night school course at Danforth Tech's machine shop.

Mabel, Florence (Fawn), Jim and Arthur, circa 1930. From The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Arthur was active with sports - swimming, playing goal for hockey, as a baseball pitcher and a guard in basketball. He liked horse riding and woodworking. In early spring 1941 he got a job as a machine operator at John Inglis and Company in what is now Liberty Village. Inglis at the time was manufacturing Bren machine guns for the forces. After the war the company became famous building washing machines. Arthur was earning $40.50 a week.

On September 4, 1942, both Arthur and Jim enlisted in the army, hoping to stay together. Jim wanted to train as a motor mechanic but the quota was full for the ordnance corps except for trained tradesmen. Arthur (and presumably Jim) was assigned to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) and was given the rank of driver. The unit was a transport corps for the army. On the 19th as a private Arthur was sent to training camp in Huntingdon, Quebec. In November he was transferred to Camp Borden near Barrie and took some driver's courses.

Jim and Arthur in their uniforms. From The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Arthur remained stationed at Camp Borden until March 10, when he sailed for Britain, landing on March 17, in a group of reinforcements for the RCASC. In June he was assigned to the 1st Canadian Medical Regiment as a driver. Arthur was given a promotion to Lance Corporal and attached to the 5th Canadian Medical Regiment. He embarked for Italy at the end of October. If Arthur and Jim had remained together until this point, this is where they separated. Jim remained with a Canadian medical regiment and ultimately served in northern Europe after D-Day.

The Italian campaign had started in early September, after the liberation of Sicily. The Italians signed an armistice several days later and the Germans were essentially fighting without support from the Italian army. The Germans made every Allied advance difficult. They used the mountain terrain and fast moving rivers to their advantage. The terrain was so terrible that supplies had to be brought in by donkey. Roads were peppered with land mines. The Canadian army pushed up the east coast and in the spring of 1944, they were diverted to assist in the fight for Rome.

Arthur in Italy. From The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

In May 1944 Arthur was made a corporal, and continued with a medical unit, probably as an ambulance driver along with fulfilling other transport duties. By the beginning of June, the Canadians were withdrawn for a well deserved rest. In September they were back on the east coast, moving slowly north towards Rimini, about 200 kilometres south of Venice. On September 5, Arthur was riding a motorcycle about 50 kilometres south of Rimini as he was detailed to meet and lead vehicles to a new area. On the way, he had an accident, very seriously fracturing his right leg and thigh. He was discovered by some Polish soldiers who took him on a truck to hospital. He died from his injuries two days later.

Arthur is buried in the Ancona Military Cemetery. Arthur's parents lived at 136 King Edward Avenue until the early 1960s. Jim safely returned from the war and passed away in Kitchener, Ontario in 2008.