Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Herbert Pounder was the youngest of the eleven children of marine boilermaker William Bulmer and his wife Isabella nee Harrison, he was born on 3rd February 1894 and baptised in St. James’ Church, Hartlepool on 8th April; Isabella died shortly after. All the family were brought up in Pilot Street, Stranton, West Hartlepool, and after the death of their father in 1901 Herbert’s elder brother John became head of the house living with Florence, Edward and Herbert and sister Emma who acted as housekeeper.
On 24th September 1903 9 year old Herbert and his 11 year old brother Alfred sailed for Canada on the SS Tunisian as part of a group of 29 children being sent to start a new life at Gibb House, Sherbrooke, Quebec by the Church of England Waifs and Strays. Within seven years the two boys had established a farm of their own in Sedgewick, Alberta with the help of a Homestead Grant, and they were joined in 1912 by their brother John and his family.
Herbert enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Prevost, Alberta on 18th January 1916, a few months after his brother John, leaving Alfred to run the farm until he enlisted later in the year. Giving his married sister Elizabeth, also living in Sedgewick, as his next of kin Herbert became Private 624504 of the 151st Battalion which was based at Camp Sarcee near Calgary. The battalion left Halifax for Liverpool on 3rd October sailing on the SS California and were based at Shorncliffe Camp in Kent. On arrival Herbert was transferred firstly to the 11th Reserve Battalion and then at the start of December to the 78th Battalion, and he found himself in Le Havre just before Christmas and joining his new unit on 21st January 1917 at Villers au Bois.
From February onwards the Battalion was in the trenches at Vimy Ridge and it was here that Herbert was wounded, dying from his wounds in #6 Casualty Clearing Station on 13th April 1917, five days after the death of his older brother John in the same battle. Private 624504 Herbert Pounder Bulmer is buried in Barlin Communal Cemetery Extension.
Private Bulmer’s two medals, British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to his sister Florence in Regina Saskatchewan in 1922 and his plaque to his brother Henry in Hartlepool.
Herbert Pounder Bulmer is remembered at Hatlepool in H115.30 page 6 and at West Hartlepool on W111.54 and W111.86 page 5
He is also remembered in Canada on the Virtual War Memorial and Book of Remembrance, and on a war memorial in Sedgewick, Alberta.
Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Bulmer
