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Within three weeks of the armistice that ended the Great War
the last member of the Masonic Fraternity in the Windsor District to make the supreme
sacrifice during declared hostilities was Brother Joseph Gore Shepley. Joseph Gore Shepley was born on July 29th 1889 at Malden, in the County of Essex, the only son of Lawrence and Emma Shepley. He attended school at Essex Centre and after graduation went on to attend the University of Toronto. Several years later Joseph graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Structural Engineering. With degree in hand Joseph practiced his profession for several years in Northern Ontario, designing mining shafts and tunnels. Joseph Gore Shepley was initiated into Freemasonry on December 4th 1917, |
as a member of Thistle Lodge No. 34, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Amherstburg.
On March 26th 1918 he was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.Within day's of becoming a Master Mason, Brother Shepley enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces and was assigned to the Canadian Engineers Regiment. During the spring of 1918 Joseph received his military training at St. John's, Quebec and was commissioned a Lieutenant.
During the Great War, the battlefields were a labyrinth of trenches, tunnels and shafts. Lieutenant Brother Shepley was trained to design and maintain these extensive fortifications.
After receiving basic training and awaiting orders for overseas duty, Lieutenant Shepley married Wilhemina Hill of Toronto on June 19th 1918. Two weeks after their wedding Lieutenant Shepley along with his regiment were transferred overseas.
With his arrival Europe Lieutenant Brother Shepley was assigned to the Canadian Engineers Training Centre at Seaford, Sussex England. On October 22nd Lieutenant Shepley contracted a cold and was admitted to the Eastbourne Hospital. Joseph's cold quickly developed into pneumonia and on October 26th 1918 Lieutenant Brother Joseph Gore Shepley passed on to eternity.
The Amherstburg Echo Newspaper upon hearing of Josephs death described him as:
" a fine type of young manhood, clever, strong, virile and straightforward. His death just as he was entering upon what was bound to be an outstanding military career is particularly distressing. "
Lieutenant Brother Shepley was buried with military honours at the Seaford Cemetery, Sussex, England.
