Fordyce Joseph Wright was born October 3rd 1898 in Scipio, New York. He was the only child of the Reverend Harry M. Wright, and from what I could discovery online, Fordyce seems to have been a rather adventurous young man.

While searching newspaper articles from the period, I was shocked to discover that he had eloped to Canada in 1916, and enlisted in the Canadian Army using a false name at the age of 17. Fordyce was inducted into the 147th Battalion, and was preparing to be sent overseas to fight in the trenches with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Thankfully, he was recognized by a family friend while traveling to Canada, and his parents were able to secure his release shortly thereafter. The 147th Battalion would go on to see heavy fighting in France, particularly at the Battle of Passchendaele.

Upon his return home, Fordyce enlisted with the US Army on December 4th 1916. He was assigned to the Medical Corps, and served with a number of units prior to America's entry into WW1.

Sgt 1st Class Wright sailed overseas with the Medical Detachment of the 20th "Forestry" Engineers on February 27th 1918. His unit was primarily tasked with lumber and timber production during the war, but they did participate in other engineering missions. This photograph depicts Fordyce while serving in France.

Fordyce returned home aboard the SS Siboney on November 25th 1919, and was honorably discharged on June 4th 1920. His service number was 33829. (There appears to be an error on his New York service files, which confirms that he served with the 20th Engineers, but states that he did not go overseas.)

Fordyce later worker as a bacteriologist in a Pennsylvania hospital and was married twice. He does not appear to have had any children.

Fordyce died in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 71 on March 27th 1969.