Edward James Fourney - 844409
- Sean Maas-Stevens
- Oct 17, 2025
- 1 min read
James Edward Fourney was born in Sombra Township, Ontario on 24 April 1896 to James Fourney. He left his farm and enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 5 January 1916 at Brigden, Ontario. He joined the 149th Lambtons Battalion as a Private.
Private Fourney fell ill in June, and again in September, but recovered both times. In October 1916, he was found guilty of being Away Without Leave (AWL) and forfeited 2 days’ pay as a result. Three months later, in January 1917, he was once again found AWL, and forfeited 3 days’ pay. On 17 January 1917, Private Fourney was reported AWL once more, and was subsequently marked a deserter.
In March 1918, Private Fourney’s file was transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion, West Ontario Regiment (WOR). It could be that he was found or reported back to the CEF at this time, but it is unclear from his file. In August of 1918 a medical board in London, Ontario determined that he was unfit for further service. This was due to a diagnosis of Pleurisy, a condition where the tissue around the lungs becomes inflamed. The board stated that Private Fourney had developed this condition prior to enlistment, and that he would likely develop Pulmonary Tuberculosis later.
James Edward Fourney was discharged from the CEF on 19 August 1918 at the recommendation of the medical board.
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