LOVE, John Reginald
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 1st Canadian Infantry Divison
3rd Infantry Brigade
15th Battalion - 48th Highlanders of Canada
Company 2
Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO: 1045086
RESIDENCE: Detroit Michigan – U.S.A.
DATE OF BIRTH: May 20, 1897
Goderich – Goderich Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH: November 11, 1917 20 years 5 months
CEMETERY: Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery – Ypres –
West Vlaanderen – Belgium
XXVII A 10
PARENT: Mrs. Emily Love – Detroit – Michigan – U.S.A.
SISTER: Mrs. George Tweedie – Detroit – Michigan – U.S.A.
Occupation: Painter Religion: Baptist
Enlistment: July 31, 1916 - Windsor
Enlistment Age: 19 years 2 months
Private Love left Canada on the S.S. Olympis and arrived in Liverpool on May 7, 1917. At the same time, he had transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion based at west Sandling – Kent. He then transferred to the 15th Battalion and went to France in August 1917 and joined his unit in the field on September 1st, 1917.
During the day Company 2 occupied an old German dugout and Private Love was with this Company and while they were in the dugout they were gassed.
Private Love was gassed when an enemy shell exploded nearby on November 8th while he was acting as a stretcher bearer at Passchendaele. He was taken to No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station where he would later lose his battle to live three days later.
During the early morning hours it was very quiet on the front lines and trenches, but it was very different in the support areas. The enemy heavily shelled those areas during the night and the day in the areas of Belihue and Gravenstafel.
Then at 4 pm the enemy brought down a severe and heavy artillery bombardment and the right flank took the brunt of this fire.
Brigade diaries: Beginning at 4 am on November 8th was when the enemy began to heavily shell Bellvue and Grafenstafel and this went on all night and day. The 15th Battalion was headquartered at Otto Farm and were in reserve at Gravenstafel.