He fought at Vimy Ridge, Lens, Hill 70 and Ypres, where his leadership skills in the field led to his promotion to the rank of corporal and a recommendation for a commission.
Missing the camaraderie of army life, Rogers decided to join the local Rotary Club where his father was a member.
Because a once fundamental rule of the Rotarians was to only have one member from each employment classification and as he worked as a salesman in the plumbing industry for his father, his application was rejected.
The founder of Kinsmen & Kinette Clubs of Canada was born and raised at 324 Dundas Street, directly across from the armouries.
Seeking the camaraderie he had experienced in the army during the First World War, "Hal" Rogers began the first Kinsmen Club in Hamilton in 1920.