Skip to main content

George H. Johnson papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSS 7624

Scope and Contents

Collection includes correspondence and other various papers that give information on George H. Johnson's experience on the Western Front as a part of the 1st Canadian Tunneling Company in World War I. The correspondence is scattered, a lot of it undated, and gaps between letters are evident. The other materials include newspaper clippings, booklets, and an empty scrapbook.

Dates

  • 1915-1957

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from George H. Johnson papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

George H. Johnson (1891-1917) was a farmer from Saskatchewan, Canada. He served in the Canadian Army in the First World War.

George Herman Johnson was born on June 27, 1891 to John A. Johnson and Mary Johnson in Willow Lake, South Dakota, and was raised in Halbrite, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was a farmer by trade and never married. At age 24, on August 17, 1915, he began service in the First World War in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force as an engineer in the 1st Tunneling Company. Tunneling was a variation of siege warfare used in trenches, and included tunneling under enemy lines, placing explosives, and blowing up enemy trenches. It emerged as a necessary offensive and defensive practice in World War I by the end of 1914. By March of 1916, Canadian tunneling companies, which included George H. Johnson, arrived on the Ypres front in Belgium. On October 27, 1917, George H. Johnson was killed by shell fire while working on a tunnel. He was buried in La Clytte Military Cemetery in Reninghelst, Belgium.

Extent

1 oversize box (0.75 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into three files: 1. George H. Johnson correspondence, 1915-1925. 2. George H. Johnson booklet and papers, circa 1917-1957. 3. George H. Johnson scrapbook, circa 1915-1918.

Custodial History

Donated by Linda Hughes, wife of George H. Johnson's great nephew, in 2010.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Linda Hughes; 2010.

Appraisal

19th century Western and Mormon Manuscripts.

George H. Johnson was Canadian and fought in the Canadian Army.

Processing Information

Processed; Audrey Spainhower, student manuscript processor, and John Murphy, curator; 2010.

Title
Register of the George H. Johnson papers
Status
Completed
Author
John Murphy, curator, and Audrey Spainhower, student manuscript processor
Date
2010 July 27
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States