My great grandfather was an American who went to Canada to enlist in the Canadian Army. He died just a few days before Armistice. My grandmother (his daughter) was 10 when he died. She never got over it. She couldn't watch war movies all her life. I want to know where in France he died, what battle was being fought, and any other information someone might have about what was going on for his regiment on the day he died. Thanks.
Thomas Fennelly Death Date: 7 Nov 1918 Rank: Private Unit: 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Service number: 225266 Cemetery: Quievrain Communal Cemetery Cemetery Location: 7 1/4 Miles North East of Valenciennes, Belgium Burial Place: Belgium
For those who do an internet search, you will find my family tree on ancestry.com. The Ross Fennelly Leach Gallagher tree is mine. I have already found much information about this man who was so mourned by my grandmother. It is just the information about the day he died that I lack. He enlisted with the Canadian armed forces though he was a native of Massachusetts. Apparently he wanted to join the fight but the US had not entered the war, so he went to Canada.
FOUND IT !!! Thank you guys! With the names of the possible battles, I was able to narrow it down to two battles, Battle of Selle or Pursuit to Mons. He was shot and "died later" on November 7. So far it is not known exactly when he was shot, but I am assuming it was during one of these two battles.
From Wikipedia: "After a brief pause another set-piece attack was launched on 17 October (battle of the Selle). The British were now back on familiar ground from 1914, fighting around Le Cateau (17-18 October). The Germans retreated to yet another river line, this time on the Sambre. Once again a set-piece attack was launched. A preliminary attack on 1-2 November saw the Canadians capture Valenciennes, and then on 4 November Haig’s armies launched an attack on a thirty mile front along the Sambre. This was the final British set-piece of the war. The fighting from 4-11 November was officially designated the Pursuit to Mons. One of the last actions of the war saw Canadian troops liberate Mons on the morning of 11 November."
I was able to find a letter he wrote, dated August 31st, 1918. I'm not an expert on battles but if it helps anyone who might be able to help there aren't that many battles after that. I don't know how long he would've lingered after being wounded but the battles leading up to November 7th with about a months worth of wiggle room are: Battle of Ypres (1918), Pursuit to the Selle, Battle of Coutrai, Battle of the Selle, Battle of Valenciennes, Battle of the Sambre, Passage of the Grande Honnelle. They're all in France and Flanders and involve Canadian troops. Hope that helps.
You might want to ask such questions on /r/genealogy. They'll point you in the right direction.
Here's what I could find from a quick search. From the Canada War Graves Register, via ancestry.com:
Died of Wounds.
In the field, France. During an advance on enemy positions he was wounded in the head by a bullet from the rifle of an enemy sniper, and died later.
Here's a letter he wrote to his daughter in 1918, also posted on ancestry.com. Apparently you have some relatives active on that website.
The certificate is alarmingly specific but lacks crucial details - where and when. "Died later" suggests he may not have been fatally wounded on 7 Nov, it's not clear which engagement he might have been in. The 3rd Canadian Division (that the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles was a part of) was active up until right before the armistice. This page describes generally some of the minor actions late in the war, and the 3rd Canadian is mentioned - including the Battle of Valenciennes, 1-2 Nov 1918, which was a bigger dust-up. The 3rd Canadian was part of a general advance, which makes sense because your granddad got shot out in no-man's land approaching German positions, and not hiding in a trench.
PM me if you want to try and get in touch with other people who are also interested in the life of your great grandpa.
It looks like my Great Grandfather was in the same regiment as yours.
http://www.reddit.com/r/wwi/comments/1n2n5h/my_great_grandfather_served_with_the_cef_in_ww1/
this is his pay book and some other documents that my Grandmother has, thought you might like to see them as your Great Grandfathers would have been very similar.
You might want to try in r/genealogy.
Archives Canada actually has some great resources for finding information on individual CEF members.
Attestation Papers are the forms first filled out when someone volunteered. They will have basic information like height, weight, place of birth, etc…
Once you’ve confirmed from the digital Attestation papers that you have the right regimental number you can order the full package of documents from Archives Canada for a small fee. They will include a casualty form that looks like this that includes all unit information and will tell you what unit the person was with during what range of dates.
From there, it is possible to read the battalion diaries which keep daily records of activity and will tell you exactly where your great-grandfather was an on what dates.
May I ask why he enlisted in the Canadian army and not with American forces?
I have found a little more information and copied PDFs for you. I'll PM you to provide an email address.
