Karl Henry Dusome Pt. 2: Service and Sacrifice

On November 25, 1915, just weeks after his eighteenth birthday, Karl Henry Dusome volunteered for service in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, enlisting in his hometown of Penetanguishene. On his enlistment papers, he proudly listed his occupation as “Tailor,” a reflection of the trade he learned from his Métis father, John Peter Dusome, a respected tailor and business owner in Penetanguishene.

Less than a year later, in October 1916, Karl Henry departed for England with the 157th Battalion. Upon their arrival, the battalion was divided to reinforce other Canadian corps, and Henry Karl was transferred to the 116th Battalion.

During a medical examination that December at Bramshott Camp in Hampshire, the young Métis soldier – standing five feet, six and a half inches tall – was described as “immature,” though his overall condition was noted as “of good development.” Despite his youth, Karl Henry would soon face the harsh realities of war.

On April 9, 1917, Karl Henry and the 116th Battalion took part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The 116th Battalion in France later recalled the moment the offensive began: “From our position we could see only the flash of the guns as it was scarcely daylight, when, like a mighty earthquake, the artillery burst forth, sounding the keynote of the advance to our waiting comrades in the trenches”.

Karl Henry was one of many lives lost on April 9, 1917, which remains the bloodiest day in Canadian military history—his service record simply stating that he was killed in the “field”. The four-day battle resulted in 3,598 Canadian lives lost and 7,000 wounded. 

Karl Henry Dusome’s legacy endures as a Métis soldier who gave his life for Canada.

See Our Sources

• Karl Henry Dusome, Canadian Great War Project

• Dusome-Clermont VMFL

• Penetangusihene Herald J. Dusome Tailoring October 16, 1884

• Karl Henry Dusome Attestation Record (1)

• Karl Henry Dusome Attestation Record (2)

• The 116th Battalion in France By The Adjutant

• History of Vimy Ridge, The Vimy Foundation

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