Third Battle of Ypres

[Ripper]

My Grandfather fought, and was wounded in this battle.   However, it is hard to get information on which regiment he was in.   He was born and  enlisted in Berlin, Ontario.   Does   anyone have links or information on how i can get this information.   This is very important to me as i feel that this part of History will soon be forgotten by future generations.

Thanks.

 

[Danjanou]

Ok try this site, it's a collection of some 800,000 attestation papers of persons who enrolled in the Army during the First World War. Enter his name and hopefully you'll get a starting point.

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020106_e.html

Once you have his unit then a research of their war diaries/regimental history etc should help.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Ok try this site, it's a collection of some 800,000 attestation papers of persons who enrolled in the Army during the First World War. Enter his name and hopefully you'll get a starting point.

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020106_e.html

Once you have his unit then a research of their war diaries/regimental history etc should help.

Good advice, but also bear in mind that after 1915, soldiers usually attested into a reinforcement battalion, and later transferred to an active CEF battalion. There were 260 in all, but only about  70 that actually saw combat.  So depending on when he joined up, his papers may indicate only the reinforcement battalion he joined but not give an idea as to his combat unit - frustrtating to be sure, however, the papers will give his regimental number, which may be a help in obtaining the complete service file from Ottawa.

Check the main page at www.canadiansoldiers.com for more info on researching veterans.

 

[Danjanou]

Good point Michael.

I found my Maternal Grandfathers papers there. He enlisted in Nova Scotia and the unit is not he same as the one on his headstone. I'm still trying to figure out how some kid from an east coast  fishing village ended up in a Western Canadian unit.  ???

 

[Ripper]

Thanks for that information.....I did however go to that site and printed my grandfather's attestation papers...i have his regimental number, but  using that information to get more info seems hard.

  From accounts i received from relatives, my grandfather was wounded early in the battle, and was sent back to England to recover.

Thanks again for your rapid response, and if you find any other links that may be of help, let me know.

Cheers

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Good point Michael.

I found my Maternal Grandfathers papers there. He enlisted in Nova Scotia and the unit is not he same as the one on his headstone. I'm still trying to figure out how some kid from an east coast   fishing village ended up in a Western Canadian unit.   ???

He simply had good taste, Danjanou, what can I say? 

 

[CARROW]

Hi Ripper

There is a good resource book that was published in 1999 entitled "A Call to Arms the organization and administration of Canada's Military in World War One" by David W. Love. It is a great overview of the recruiting process, Unit formation and reinforcement system used to ensure that a constant flow of new recruits was feed into the frontline units.  The book details which Unit a soldier was recruited into based upon the Serial Number he was assigned.  If you want provide me with his Serial  Number and I can tell you the Unit he was recruited into in Canada and then the Unit he more than likely ended up in overseas.  That is a starting point

Regards


CArrow

 

[Veterans son]

What was the date of the Third Battle of Ypres please?

 

[Ripper]

The date of the battle was from July 31 to November 8, 1917.   It was also known as the Battle of Passchendaele.
  My American relatives seemed to know more about this battle than I did.   Before that conversation, I didn't know anything about that battle.   There are many sites that give more details about that battle.

Also, My Grandfather's registration number is   751466, I hope this will help in finding his unit when he faught in this battle.

Also, sorry for the late response.

Cheers  
Mark

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Hi Ripper

There is a good resource book that was published in 1999 entitled "A Call to Arms the organization and administration of Canada's Military in World War One" by David W. Love. It is a great overview of the recruiting process, Unit formation and reinforcement system used to ensure that a constant flow of new recruits was feed into the frontline units.  The book details which Unit a soldier was recruited into based upon the Serial Number he was assigned.  If you want provide me with his Serial  Number and I can tell you the Unit he was recruited into in Canada and then the Unit he more than likely ended up in overseas.  That is a starting point

Regards


CArrow

There is also a book for sale on ebay regulary that lists all the serial numbers, called SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE CEF.  A good little resource, coupled with the attestation papers, will help out.

Bear in mind that after 1914-15, soldiers routinely joined reinforcement battalions and then transferred to active battalions in the field, so the attestation papers won't really show which unit he actually fought with.

A list of regional affiliations of these units is at my site at http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/cef/cefregions.htm

 

[Ripper]

Thanks for that information Michael, that is a great help.  I will keep you posted on the progress of my investigation. 

Cheers

 

[Veterans son]

The date of the battle was from July 31 to November 8, 1917.   It was also known as the Battle of Passchendaele.
  My American relatives seemed to know more about this battle than I did.   Before that conversation, I didn't know anything about that battle.   There are many sites that give more details about that battle.

Also, My Grandfather's registration number is   751466, I hope this will help in finding his unit when he faught in this battle.

Also, sorry for the late response.

Cheers  
Mark

Thank you for your reply!