YUILL, Joesph A.

DIVISIONAL UNIT:         4t h Canadian Infantry Division
                                             10th Infantry Brigade
                                             47th Battalion – British Columbia
         10th Trench Mortar Battery
        Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   127615
RESIDENCE:                    Goderich
DATE OF BIRTH:            November 7, 1892
                                             Goderich – Goderich Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           October 29, 1917                 25 years
CEMETERY:                     Nine Elms British Cemetery – Poperinge
                                             West Vlaanderen – Belgium
                                             VIII     A     6
PARENTS:                         Mr. James and Mary Yuill – Goderich - Ontario
Occupation:                        Farmer                                  Religion:     Presbyterian
Enlistment:                         November 22, 1915 – Goderich - Ontario
Enlistment Age:                 22 years

Private Yuill departed Canada for England on the S.S. Olumpic and arrived in Liverpool on April 11, 1916. He then transferred from the 71st Battery to the 10th Trench Mortar Battery on May 28, 1916. He then goes on strength with the 47th Battalionin July 1916 and goes overseas into France in mid August 1916.Private Yuill arrives in France on August 11, 1916.
Private Yuill was wounded in battle on October 27, 1917and was moved to No. 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station - Brandhoek where he succumbed to his wounds two days later. He had received penetrating shrapnel wounds in his chest.
Each infantry Brigade had one battery numbering 8 guns which meant that each Battalion would have had two guns. These guns were manned by the infantry. The guns used were the 3 inch Stokes Mortar. This gun had a high rate of fire with a range of 700 yards. They were used mainly to supress enemy machine gun nests or posts and to eliminate the threat of the enemy snipers.
At 8pm on the evening of October 26th the 47th Battalion had been ordered to retake the ground they had lost but by 7 am of October 27th they had been unable to do so.
The enemy had shelled the lines and the Battalion very heavily all during the day.
Four Trench Mortars had been assigned to this advance
The objective was to advance then attack and capture Decline Copse.
At 10 pm on the night of October 27th the 47th Battalion along with the 44th Battalion advanced, attacked the enemy and took back the ground previously lost.
It was during this day of battle when Private Yuill lost his life in action.
The Canadian Corps used the Stokes 3” light mortar and this equipment used a 3”  10 pound bomb with a modified hand grenade fuse. The effective range was 700 yards. It was able to fire 20-22 rounds per minute. A Battery was made up of 8 guns. This was a mobile artillery piece and as such the infantry moved it from position to position. It had no ammunition column attached to it and it was the responsibility of the infantry to make sure the ammunition reached the front lines. When it was dired the trajectory was very high ad when the bomb fell it was near vertical and it proved a capable weapon against the enemy trench systems.