So, this now has my wondering how that happened. I also thought it was a bit of coincidence in that his father, Frederick died of an injury to his leg two years before. According to Frederick's death record, he died of an injury to the leg by accidentally falling through boards [D01462].
Frederick was working as a boat builder at the time so it is likely that the accident happened at work. The death record lists his date of death as 2 June 1916, but notes that the physician attended to him from 27 May 1916 to 2 June 1916, so it would seem that the accident happened on the 27th of May or earlier.
Initially I thought that two injuries could have been caused at the same time. The WW1 registration was dated 12 September 1918, and Frederick died in 1916, so it might all fit. That being said Fred was in Detroit when the accident happened and Percy was living in Chicago at the time.
But I did some digging in the Owen Sound newspapers and found an obituary for Frederick. The accident happened on May 21, 1916 when he scraped his leg on a piece of board from a boat that he was working on. Eventually, blood poisoning from the wound caused his death. There was no mention of Percy being involved at all [D05345]. So, it is likely just a coincidence.
Next steps:
- Check newspapers to see if I can find an obituary for Percy Douglas to see if it mentions the reason why he was missing a leg
Sources:
[D01462] Michigan Department of State - Division of Vital Statistics, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950, 5329; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950," Ancestry.ca (30 Sep 2018).
[D05313] "U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database and images, ancestry.ca (accessed 31 Jan 2019), Percy John Douglas.
[D05345] "Deaths," Owen Sound Sun, June 2 1916, p. 5, col. 4; digital images(accessed 3 Feb 2019).
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