William Stark

William Redver Stark was born 4 February 1885 in Toronto to William Mackenzie Stark (1843-1922) and Ethel Copps (1854-1921). Prior to the First World War, he studied art at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and at the Philadelphia School of Fine Arts. He subsequently served with the Canadian First Construction Battalion (later referred to as the First Battalion of Canadian Railway Troops) in Canada, England, France and Belgium from 1916-1918, where, in his spare time, he did numerous sketches of the areas where he was posted or the locations that he visited, when on leave. After the war, he worked as a freelance graphic artist for the “Toronto Star Weekly”. At the same time, he also worked as a freelance illustrator of educational and children’s books. Stark was married to Marjorie Crouch (died 1963) and the couple had one daughter, Anita, who died in her late teens. Mr. Stark died in Toronto on 26 November 1953.