HAMILTON, Morgan Horace Cayley

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        1st Canadian Infantry Division
                                             3rd Infantry Brigade
                                             13th Battalion  -  Royal Highlanders of Canada
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   426753
RESIDENCE:                    Regina – Saskatchewan 
DATE OF BIRTH:            September 29, 1895
                                             Regina - Saskatchewan
DATE OF DEATH:           September 6, 1916               20 years     11 months
CEMETERY:                    Albert Communal Cemetery Extension – Albert –
                                             Somme – France
                                             I     N     36
PARENT:                           Mrs. Florence Caroline Horton Hill (Hamilton) – Goderich – Ontario
Occupation:                        Clerk                                    Religion:     Church of England
Enlistment:                         Regina – Saskatchewan – April 12, 1915 
Enlistment Age:                 19 years     6 months

Private Hamilton departed Canada on October 21, 1915 and arrived in Liverpool on October 30, 1915. On June 1, 1916 he transfers to the 13th Battalion in the field, goes overseas in France and joins his unit on June 19, 1916.
Private Hamilton was wounded in action on September 4th, transferred to No. 2 Canadian Field Ambulance where he would later die.
During the night of September 3rd/4th and into the morning the Battalion was very heavily shelled on the front and support trenches and also the enemy mounted a heavy counter attack which the Battalion was able to fight off. The Battalion was able to connect 55 positions with 59 positions allowing them to make a fair trench.
September 4th was a wet and rainy day with No. 1 Company being without any rations and No. 2 Company being low on rations.
By midday the casualties were heavy with 15 men killed and 63 being wounded. However, by the end of the day the casualties were extreme, with 150 men either killed or wounded.
The Battalion sent word for assistance from the Brigade artillery and asked for the “heavies” to be used.
No. 1 Company bombed down an enemy trench and were able to place blocks, but all the while they are being heavily shelled. They blew the enemy trenches in and moved over to the right flank. All their runners were either wounded or killed. They then moved to the quarry and the nearby trenches but were always under heavy fire. No. 2 Company drove off a patrol that came from Mouquet Farm and then moved to Toms Cut. No. 3 Company placed two platoons between points 77 & 55 and had them dig in. No. 4 Company occupied the quarry at point 55 and patrolled out to point 59. They then had the area from points 55 to 91 and covered this whole area except for 50 yards.
By the end of the day some of the men were isolated in their positions on the front and could not be reached.
It was during this brutal day of heavy enemy shelling where Private Hamilton received his fatal wounds. He died two days later on September 6th.