Introduction

Frederick Hardy was born in 1898 in Strathroy, a town just west of London, Ontario. He moved to Brandon, Manitoba with his family as a child.

He was working as a farmhand when he enlisted and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in July 1915.

He served with the 8th Battalion during the First World War.

July 1916

In July 1916, Frederick’s unit was pulled back from the frontlines to recover after heavy fighting in Belgium.

That same evening, a group of superior officers who were billeted nearby discovered Frederick and a fellow soldier together in a field. They were both arrested.

Court martial

The following day Frederick was tried by a court martial, charged with committing “an act of gross indecency with another male person.”

Several of the witnesses testified, with senior leadership sharing graphic details of what they saw. This cruel and unjust practice was all too common for 2SLGBTQI+ soldiers at the time.

Sent to prison

Frederick was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months of hard labour in prison.

He spent more than eight back-breaking months in custody before his sentence was cut short. He was needed on the battlefield as the Canadian Corps had suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.

Return to the war

Frederick took part in the Battle of Hill 70 and was killed in action on 15 August 1917.

As his body was never recovered, his name is one of the 11,285 names engraved on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. A tribute to all Canadians lost in the war and whose final resting place was then unknown.

His sister Helen named her first-born son in his honour.

Related information

Private Frederick Lea Hardy – Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Victoria News - Punishment of First World War soldiers for sexual orientation detailed in new study

The Untold Queer History of WWI