"The Canadians have again covered themselves with everlasting glory by taking what others were unable to take.  We are considered to be the best corps on the Western front and to my mind there is no doubt about it."

     Pearkes went to the West Coast, visiting his mother and sister before joining the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles in Victoria.  The image to the left links to "Rough Riding" Corporal G.R. Pearkes training a mount for the Second Canadian Mounted Rifles at Willows, Victoria, B.C.  In June 1915, the 2nd C.M.R. was shipped overseas, and Pearkes returned to England for the first time in nine years.  After training in Shorncliffe, the regiment sailed for France in September 1915.


     Pearkes distinguished himself in active service.  He won the Military Cross in 1916.  He was wounded five times, took part in the Battle of the Somme, and received the Victoria Cross for heroic action at Passchendaele in 1917.  In a ceremony presided over by King George VI, George Pearkes was the first called upon to be decorated.  At the end of the war, Pearkes was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.


     Pearkes' letters home describe the perils and conditions of trench warfare.  He writes his mother and sister about his wounds, promotions, military awards, and concerns about the homestead.  In George Pearkes' letters, he humbly tells of his promotions and honours received.  By the end of the war, he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

     In a letter sent from Nivelles Belgium to his mother in December of 1917, Pearkes expressed his wish to pursue a military career:  "As for what I'll do after the war is over, well if there's half a chance I'll remain in the army, it's the one life that really appeals."  He returned to Canada and was stationed in Calgary, appointed to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.  Pearkes was transferred to Winnipeg in 1923 as General Staff Officer (GR.1).