Private Rocco Iafrate
- May 19
- 2 min read
Private Rocco Iafrate helped supply the Allied war effort through the vital and dangerous work of the Canadian Forestry Corps during the First World War.
The First World War
The Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Forestry Corps
Rocco Iafrate was born in Sant’Elia Fiumerapido, Italy, on 16 January 1890, the son of Franco. He was living in Crossfield, Alberta, working as a labourer, with his trade listed as farmer, when he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Forestry Company, Southern Alberta, in Calgary on 2 June 1917.
Pte. Iafrate set sail overseas aboard the S.S. Justicia, arriving in Liverpool, England on 15 July 1917, only one month after enlisting. He served in France with The Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC). The British government realized that Canadian men — particularly lumberjacks — were experienced in harvesting timber and assigned them this demanding and essential task.
The Canadian Forestry Corps was critical during the First World War, providing roughly 70% of the lumber used by Allied forces on the Western Front. By harvesting forests in Britain and France, they supplied essential wood for trench reinforcement, railway ties, barracks, and aircraft hangars, while freeing crucial shipping space for troops and ammunition instead of imported lumber.
Though largely considered a non-combatant unit, members often worked under enemy fire in France and, when needed, volunteered for combat duty. By 1917, they were regarded as essential to the success of major battles such as Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, providing the materials necessary for supply routes and communication lines.
Pte. Iafrate survived the war and returned to Canada aboard the S.S. Scandinavian, arriving on September 17, 1919. He was discharged the following day due to demobilization after the war’s end. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Top: A First World War Forestry Corps cap badge (224th Battalion). Image: Private collection.
Above: Men of the Canadian Forestry Corps loading timber onto lorries for distribution at Conches-en-Ouche, 31 May 1917. Image from the collections of the Imperial War Museums — Public Domain.
Sources
Canadian Great War Project
Library and Archives Canada, Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4681 - 8
Wikipedia Commons
Researched and compiled by Allan Ross and Indra Teekasingh