Pte. Harold M Grimmer

Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery

Averdoingt

Pas de Calais

France

Born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in June 1892, Harold was a clerk by trade when he signed up in May 1915.

Attesting into the 6th CMR on May 28th, 1915, noting as having had previous military experience with the 28th Dragoons, Harold found himself at Valcatier Camp, northern Quebec, in early June, and on the S.S. Herschel bound for England on July 18th.

Landing at Devonport, England, on July 26th, the 6th CMR trained at Shorncliffe, Kent, on England's southeast coast, until shipping to France on October 24th, 1915.

The 6th CMR ceased to exist on January 1st, 1916, when it was absorbed into the 4th and 5th CMR under the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Harold and 174 fellow 6th CMR men found themselves with the 4th CMR, then in Corps Reserve near Bailleul, in the French / Belgian border area near Ypres.

At the time of Harold's loss, 4th CMR had, on August 24th, 1918, just returned to the front line, at Feuchy, 5km to the west of Arras, when in the early morning 'B' company was subject to gas and shrapnel rounds that were to cause 116 casualties. Harold was badly affected by gas and although attended to and evacuated to No.7 Casualty Clearing Station, he subsequently died 3 days later, on the 27th.

Harold is one of 20 men of the 4th CMR known to lie at rest in Ligny-St.Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, France.

---

Thanks go to Yvo Henniker-Heaton for the headstone image. The biography excerpt is courtesy of 4cmr.com