SHAW, John Henry
Removed from Wingham as not on stone, placed in none
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 1st Canadian Infantry Division
3rd Infantry Brigade
13th Battalion - Royal Highlander Regiment
Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO: 152673
DATE OF BIRTH: March 9, 1878
Wingham – Township of Turnberry – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH: September 26, 1916 38 years
MEMORIAL: Vimy Memorial – Vimy –
Pas de Calais - France
SISTER: Miss Neomia Hanson – Toronto – Ontario.
Occupation: Farmer /
Proprietor of National Hotel Religion: Church of England
Enlistment: September 16, 1915 – Gouris – Manitoba into the 79th Battalion
Enlistment Age: 37 years 6 months
Private Shaw departed from Canada on the S.S. Lapland and arrived in England on May 4, 1916. He was Taken on Strength with the 13th Battalion based at West Sandling – Surrey and from there went overseas into France in the middle of July.
The 1st Divison began their assault on the enemy trenches known as Zollern Graben and Hessian. They were in a valley to the west of Courcelette and were attached to the Thiepval Ridge where the Germans were well entrenched. They overran and toom Zollern Graben and proceed forward onto Hessian. They reached it and fighting went on all that day and into the next before Hessian was also in Canadian hands. It is thought that the 13th Battalion was in support of the advancing infantry.
For most of the day the weather was good but toward late afternoon it became dull and it rained all the night of the 26th & 27th.
The advance onto the enemy began at 12:55 pm by the 14th & 15th Battalions who went “over the top” and carried on until their first objectives had been taken. However, the enemy barrage that fell upon the advancing infantry and onto the 13th Battalion caused heavy casualties.
About 8 pm an enemy shell landed on the Headquarters dugout resulting in the deaths of a number of officers and other ranks including runners and scouts. The affects and concussion of the shell exploding and the gasoline near the dugout exploding was the cause of many of the deaths.
Casualties were 19 men killed and 74 men wounded plus 8 men missing.
Private Shaw lost his life in action while performing his duties with his unit near Courcelette. It is thought that the enemy artillery fire claimed his life or he lost his life during the explosion at the Headquarters in the evening.