ROADHOUSE, James Earl

DIVISIONAL UNIT:         4th Canadian Infantry Division
                                             12th Infantry Brigade
                                             38th Battalion  -  Ottawa
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   727649
RESIDENCE:                    Kirkton
DATE OF BIRTH:            November 17, 1893
                                             Kirkton – Usborne Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           August 10, 1918                   24 years     9 months
MEMORIAL:                    Vimy Memorial – Vimy
                                             Pas de Calais - France
MOTHER:                          Mrs. D. E. Roadhouse – Kirkton - Toronto - Ontario
Occupation:                        Farmer                                  Religion:      Methodist
Enlistment:                         March 2, 1916 - Kirkton
Enlistment Age:                 22 years      4 months

Private Roadhouse and his unit boarded the SS Caronia in Halifax on October 31, 1916 and arrived in Liverpool on November 11, 1916.  On December 31, 1916 he transferred to the 8th Reserve Battalion based at Shoreham. He then transfers to the 38th Battalion and he proceeds overseas to Canadian Base Depot and joins his unit in the field on July 3, 1917.
Private Roadhouse lost his life while he was performing his duties during an attack through Rosieres towards Hallu. He received head and heart wounds. He was immediately given first aid by a stretcher bearer but he died almost immediately.
On August 10th the Battalion numbers were…..42 officers and 991 men of all other ranks.
During the evening of the August 9th the two advance Companies were brought back from the outskirts of Caix. At midnight of August 9/10 word was received the Battalion would move to the high ground between Caix and the railway north of the village at 5 am. Following this they moved to the western part of Rosieres. The Battalion was in support of the upcoming advance. Zero hour was 10:15 am and the leading Battalions shoved off and 800 yards later the support began their advance. The advance passed through Rosieres and Santarra without incident. However, as they emerged from Santarra the Battalion came under heavy enemy machine-gun fire and light artillery fire. The Australians on the left were in difficulty and the result was the Battalion left flank was open entirely to a position the enemy occupied and they had large numbers of machine-guns. The 85th changed their direction of advance to deal with this issue.
The decision was made then for the Battalion to push ahead to the objectives of the 85th Battalion and then if possible to push on to the objectives of the Battalion. The Battalion could not take their own objective due to the heavy enemy enfilade fire from the left and there was great difficulty after the Battalion passed through Maharicourt – Lihons Road and coming upon old wire and a network of trenches which slowed progress but made the use of formations difficult. At the end of the afternoon the Battalion front lay behind the Chilly-Lihons Road and the Battalion was subjected to enemy artillery and machine-gun fire from the Battalion front and left flank. 
The two Battalions on the right had achieved their objectives and at this time the Battalion reorganized and push the advance until we could make contact with the Battalion on the right. Then there would be a continuous line from Hallu to the railroad. This proved to be difficult but duting the night of August 10/11 it was successful.
This was what the 38th Battalion had to deal with on this day and Private Roadhouse lost his life in the late morning as the Battalion pushed through Rosieres and Santarra and then encountered heavy machine-gun fire.