Private James Floyd Varey was born in Churchville to George and Sarah Varey on December 23rd, 1896. He was one of ten children. His brother, Garnet Joseph Varey also served in WW1 and has his name honoured on the Churchville Memorial plaque too. At the time of enlistment, James Floyd was living in Glen Williams and working apparently as a labourer, although on one of his medical forms he answered “Coating Mills employee” in the space for trade or occupation.  He enlisted on Valentines Day, 1916 at the age of 19 years old; he was 5 ft. 5, had grey eyes and brown hair (source: Library & Archives Canada). Floyd wrote on his original registration forms that he was single, but at some point very shortly after that he was married to 17 year old Pearl Elizabeth Norton of Glen Williams. Tragically, Pearl died in childbirth that June giving birth to Varey’s daughter, Pearl Lillian Varey, and in an incredibly sad turn of events, Pearl LIllian only lived to be just over one month old before she also passed away (source: Find a Grave website). At that time, Floyd changed his status to windower and requested that his next of kin be changed from his own mother in Churchville to his “mother-in-law Mrs. Lillian Norton of Glen Williams, Ont.” 

              Varey was in the 21st Battalion Canadian Infantry and was stationed in France for the duration of his service. He spent two days in hospital in July 1916 for tonsillitis, and was given a Good Conduct Chevron Badge on March 6th, 1918. On October 16th, 1918 he was admitted to hospital with gun shot wounds to the left elbow; he remained in hospital until December 9th when his records state his elbow had fully healed with no lasting disability. On February 19th, 1919 Private Varey was sent home to Glen Williams. In July 1924 Floyd married Lillian Alcott of Georgetown (Source: Georgetown Herald, June 17th, 1925). He continued working at Provincial Paper Ltd., and he and Lillian had a son named Bud who, like his father pre-war, played hockey as a winger.  Floyd left the mill for a time to work for the Toronto Suburban Railway, but later returned to work for the mill until his retirement in 1962. Sadly, one month after his retirement, Floyd collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack after returning home from checking his trapping lines. He was 65 years old and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Georgetown (Source: Georgetown Herald Feb. 8th, 1962). Below is a picture of Private F. Varey (source: Book - From Brock to Currie, by Perkins-Bull).