Blacklock, Joseph Neilson

Joseph Neilson Blacklock was born in Wellington, Ontario, on 28 March 1896 to Alec and Grace (née Neilson) Blacklock – the seventh of a family of eight. The family had emigrated to Canada between 1888 and 1890. In 1911 Alec Blacklock listed his occupation as a constable. When Joseph attested for the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) he was a student at University of Toronto studying Dentistry. He joined the 5th University company on 31 December 1915 in Toronto.

Blacklock shipped out to the United Kingdom, arriving on 19 October 1916 on the SS Messambie, and was taken on strength with the Canadian Army Dental Corps as an Acting Sergeant. The rank was made permanent the next month. He stayed in the United Kingdom, working with the Corps at Shorncliffe. In April 1917 Sergeant Blacklock transferred to the cadet wing of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for flight training at Denham, Bukinghamshire. As this was a British unit he was stricken from the CEF in London on 20 June 1916. He was wounded while flying over the Ypres area of Belgium by an anti-aircraft gun in March 1918, by which time the RFC had become the Royal Air Force (RAF). He suffered severe lacerations and dislocation to his left shoulder and was repatriated to Canada for ongoing medical care, arriving back via New York in SS Metagama on 8 June 1918. His rehabilitation took place at Hart House, which was constructed as a memorial to First World War servicemen on the grounds of the University of Toronto. He was discharged from the RAF in 1919.

He completed his dental studies and became a well-known dental surgeon, practicing by 1935 in Montreal. He died on 27 July 1967 and was buried in Cimetière Mount Royal, Montreal.