Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Rutherford, Thomas J. |
Othernames |
Brigadier-General T. J. Rutherford "Uncle Tom" Thomas John Rutherford |
Born |
Jan. 16, 1893 |
Birthplace |
Leith, Sydenham Township, Grey County |
Places of residence |
Lot 35, Concession A, Leith area, Sydenham Township, Grey County Owen Sound, Grey County Camp Borden Overseas to England and France and Belgium (First World War) Owen Sound, Grey County Overseas to England, the Netherlands (Second World War) Ottawa |
Titles & honors |
CBE [Commander of the Order of the British Empire], appointed in 1945 ED [Canadian Efficiency Decoration and Bar] Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (for 20 years service--war years counted double, in the militia between Feb. 4, 1902 and Sept. 23, 1931) Portrait of him, and his medals, on longterm exhibit at Branch 6 Royal Canadian Legion Black and white photographic portrait of him at the Grey & Simcoe Tommy Holmes VC Memorial Armoury building |
Father |
Malcolm Rutherford |
Mother |
Annie Rutherford (nee Mitchell) |
Nationality |
Canadian |
Education |
-Attended a public school near his Leith home (S.S.# 13 Sydenham) -Northern Business College at Owen Sound, Ontario (3 months) |
Notes |
Thomas John Rutherford was born at "Bayside Farm" (Lot 35, Concession A) near Leith, Sydenham Township, Grey County, on Jan. 16, 1893. He was the only son of Malcolm and Annie Rutherford, and he had three sisters. His father, Malcolm, was very involved with the "Auld Kirk" Leith Presbyterian Church (now called the Historic Leith Church). When he was a young man, Thomas J. Rutherford attended there as well and was a Sunday School teacher. There is an early 20th-century image in one of Melba Croft's books, showing a Sunday School class, that includes Don McKay, Ross McKay, George Scott, Wilson Buzza, and George McKeen, with their Sunday School teacher, Thomas J. Rutherford. One of Tom's neighbours was Tom Thomson, who later became famous as an artist. [How many years of experience did he have with the 31st before the First World War--check and see if it mentions it on his attestation paper]. He described how he became involved in the 31st Grey Regiment prior to the First World War, in the book, AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE GREY & SIMCOE FORESTERS. Rutherford was an officer of the 147th Grey (Overseas) Battalion. Lieutenant Rutherford was transferred to the 4th C.M.R.[this information will be at the back of the hard-cover book about the history of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles that the archives received) unit on ......., 19... He was invalided to England in May of 1917 and returned to France in July, 1917. He lost a lot of his friends at Passchendaele, Belgium (i.e. Jaffray Eaton). He specialized in scouting and patrol work, and also was a trench raider. He was gassed in 1918 (a 1937 article mentioned he was severely gassed at Arras). He spent some time convalescing in England, and he also had an opportunity to visit relatives on a leave in Scotland. Sadly, his mother passed away while he was overseas. In 1919, after he returned to Canada, Thomas married a neighbour, Helen Sibbald, at Leith. The couple had four children: Jaffray Rutherford, Anne Rutherford, Robert (Bob) Rutherford and Bruce Rutherford. In 1919, at a returned veterans' banquet at Owen Sound, his rank was that of Captain. In the 1920s, his rank was that of Major. Circa 1923, he was the Local Registrar of the Supreme Court and also was County Court Clerk (Grey County). As he could not do the heavy farmwork due to his weakened health from the war, he farmed with the assistance of Mr. Hoffman, and then Mr. Clifford Dinsmore, and raised shorthorn dairy cattle. The Rutherfords also had a high-producing dairy operation in the 1930s, and shipped some of the offspring of their herd to other areas of Canada, and some to the States. One of their dams, Bayside Annie, a three-year-old, held the record for the highest production in 1934. Another dam, Bayside Rose Belle, had the highest four-year-old record in the 305-day class in 1936. The milk was supplied to customers in Owen Sound. It was in 1939 that Mr. Wilbur Smith, Mr. R. J. Walter, Mr. V. C. Porteous, Mr. Tom Rutherford, and Mr. Sidney Murray bought a pre-existing dairy at 314 8th St. East. The new owners called it the "Scenic City Dairy". In 1949, the Smith family bought the other shareholders out. Tom Rutherford was interested in local military history and wrote a chapter about it that was included in E. Marsh's book, A HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF GREY, 1931 (pp. 360-374). At that time, his rank was that of Colonel. In the 1930s, a lot of militias in Canada had ceased to do training, but Rutherford and other local fellows continued to train, which greatly impressed F. F. Worthington (Frank), who would later encourage Rutherford and helped turn the Grey & Simcoes from an infantry unit to an armoured unit (see the UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE GREY & SIMCOE FORESTERS). They received their first tank on June 24, 1942. The unit did intensive tank training at the Meaford Armoured Fighting Vehicles Range (Meaford Tank Range) after the civilians left the expropriated properties there. In September, 194_, Lt. Colonel Rutherford had the unit undertake a three-day tactical movement, using mechanical transportation, that covered an area of Simcoe, Grey and Bruce for a distance of 366 miles. The 850 troops and 53 trucks travelled successfully on the movement. This training exercise was nicknamed "Uncle Tom's Circus". The Grey and Simcoe Foresters were changed from infantry to an armoured unit during their training at Camp Borden in the Second World War. 1942 was their transition year. They became the 26th Army Tank Regiment, and sailed from Halifax on June 6, 1943. Brigadier Rutherford made an address to the Grey & Simcoe Foresters on July 31, 1943, in England, to let them know that they would not be fighting together as a unit, but would be used as reinforcements in various armoured units. On Aug. 14, 1943, the regiment dispersed. Brigadier Rutherford served in England and also was in the Netherlands (see images in AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE GREY & SIMCOES). His son Robert (Bob) served in Italy. His son Bruce was also in the military (and later served in the Korean War). The eldest son, Jaff, was at the Agricultural College at Guelph and taking care of the family farm during the war. Anne Rutherford was away training as an Air Woman with the R.C.A.F. in 1942. When she graduated from a training course in October, 1942, an article noted that her father was currently serving somewhere in England, and that her mother was residing in Owen Sound. Anne was a graduate in a class of forty women taking an administrative course in the R.C.A.F. Women's Division. 1963.061.005 Photograph of Rutherford's friend, Jaffray Eaton, in uniform (WW#1) 1970.090.001 Canadian Greys' (Grey Rooms) banner later kept by Brigadier Rutherford, dates from the First World War 1970.090.002 1941 photograph of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters was owned by Brig. Rutherford 1970.090.003 same as the next photograph 1970.090.004 Photograph of the officers of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters was owned by Brig. Rutherford 1970.090.005 1916 image of the men at the Niagara Camp, was owned by Brig. Rutherford 1992.064.002 Photograph of 7 men at a Grey Regiment militia camp includes Colonel T. J. Rutherford (far left) with pipe and drum band members. Circa 1920? 1999.016.016 Photograph of The Grey Regiment officers at Niagara includes T. J. Rutherford (c. 1931) 2019.063.001 Collage of Private S. I. Edmonstone includes an image of the No. 1 Platoon of the 147th Grey Overseas Battalion, with Lieutenant T. J. Rutherford posed at the left. PF19 Photograph of full-length row of uniformed officers of the 147th Battalion (1916) In 1948, Tom Rutherford was appointed Director of the Veterans Land Act administration. He travelled to various parts of Canada, and to Ottawa. A 1958 VLA booklet that he researched and compiled (soft-cover) re agriculture is at the Grey County Archives. 2015--There is a painting of T. J. Rutherford, and his medals, exhibited at Branch No. 6 of the Canadian Legion. There are also a couple photographs / memorabilia items re him at the Grey & Simcoes Owen Sound Armouries building. |
Occupation |
Militia Military Officer (147th Grey Overseas Battalion and 4th C.M.R.) Great War Veteran / Soldier Commander of The Grey Regiment (1925-1929) Commander of the Northern Ontario Brigade (1930s) Commander of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters (June 7, 1940 to April, 1941, Lieutenant-Colonel) Brigadier Second World War Veteran Commander of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters 1940-19__ (26th Army Tank Regiment) Sheriff of Grey County Registrar of Supreme Court County Court Clerk Farmer (Cattleman / Dairy Herd) Scenic City Dairy (Owen Sound) Director of Veterans Land Act administration (VLA) Honourary Colonel of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters Regiment (1961-1972) |
Publications |
-Croft, Melba, A PORT OF SOME IMPORTANCE, p. 125 (has an image of Thomas J. Rutherford when he was a Sunday School teacher at Leith) -Croft, Melba, RENEWAL OF A CANADIAN PORT, p. 126 (has an image of the Sea Island Merrymaker's band, posed along with Col. T. J. Rutherford, Alderman C. W. McQuay, and H. Roberts, organizers of a fundraiser). -Cummin, Sawyer, "Col. Thos. J. Rutherford, Prominent Military Man Holds Important Office", November 4?, 1931 edition of The Owen Sound Daily Sun-Times (Owen Sound, Ontario) -Campbell, Christine MacGillivray, "Something About How Rutherford Shorthorns Became Milk Producers", OWEN SOUND DAILY SUN-TIMES, Aug. 28, 1937 -Jackson, Jonathon, "Tom Rutherford's Service Didn't End With the Wars", THE SUN-TIMES (Owen Sound), Sat. Nov. 10, 2007, A5. -Marsh, E., A HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF GREY, 1931, has a chapter at the back written by T. J. Rutherford re the military history of the area -Rutherford, T. J. et al, AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE GREY & SIMCOE FORESTERS -Rutherford, Jaffray, SIX GENERATIONS: THE RUTHERFORDS AT BAYSIDE FARM, 2009 (has images) -Telford, Murray M., SCARLET TO GREEN: THE COLOURS, UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE GREY AND SIMCOE FORESTERS, 1987, p. 22 -"Anne Rutherford Fourth in Class", THE DAILY SUN TIMES (Owen Sound), October 13, 1942 Granastein?, ____, NEED TO ADD THE TITLE YET It is about the History of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps and it has an image of Brigadier Rutherford in it. |
Relationships |
-147th Battalion Association -Canadian Legion -Royal Canadian Military Institute -YMCA -North Star Masonic Lodge -United Church -Friend: Frank Worthington (important re Royal Canadian Armoured Corps) -Friend: Kenneth R. McKay (neighbour and another First World War veteran, attended his wedding) -Great-grandson: Jason Adair is an officer of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and served in Afghanistan. -Grandfather: Thomas Rutherford (d. 1879) -Grandmother: Catherine Rutherford (nee MacGregor) |
Role |
Military/Soldie |
Spouse |
Helen Sibbald, (married on May 24, 1919) |
Children |
Jaffray Rutherford (b. 1920-d.2013) Anne Rutherford (A. W. Rutherford) Colonel Bob Rutherford (Retired Justice of the Supreme Court) Bruce Rutherford (d. 2013) |
