838081 Pte. Ennis Daniel Girling was born in Bruce County, Ontario, on July 4th, 1888, one of four boys born to William and Jennie Girling. Moving to Shallow Lake, Grey County, he was working as a butcher when hostilities broke out.
Joining one of the two infantry companies being raised for overseas service by the 31st Regiment, Ennis was assigned to the 147th (Grey) Battalion when it was authorized. The twenty-five year old attested to the 147th Battalion, in Owen Sound, on November 29th, 1915, and was assigned to "A" Company under the command of Captain Corrie.
Billeted in Owen Sound over the winter, Ennis married Isabella Wood on March 16th, 1916. The honeymoon didn't last for long as the unit left for Camp Niagara in late May. As the conditions in the Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June. In September the unit received their orders to proceed overseas, but due to an outbreak of diphtheria they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain, on November 14th, 1916.
On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. Ennis was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on April 21st, 1917, during the closing days of the Battle of Arras 1917.
Ennis was wounded by shrapnel to his ride side on October 27th, 1917. Medically evacuated to England, Ennis didn't return to the unit until August 21st, 1918.
838082 Private Ennis Daniel Girling was struck off strength of the C.E.F. on March 20th, 1919. Retaining three pieces of shrapnel within his chest cavity as souvenirs of the war, Ennis latterly passed away on December 5th, 1947, at seventy-four years of age. He lies at rest in Shallow Lake's Boyd Cemetery, Ontario.
Credit and many thanks go George Auer for the above biography.