ADAIR, William Gordon
NAME: ADAIR William Gordon
RANK: Private
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 5th Canadian Infantry Division
14th Infantry Brigade
161st Battalion - Huron County – Ontario
4th Canadian Reserve Battalion
Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO. 654308
RESIDENCE: Wingham – Ontario
DATE OF BIRTH: February 28, 1897
Wingham -Township of Turnberry – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH: November 22, 1917 20 years 9 months
CEMETERY: Bramshott (St. Mary) Churchyard – Bramshott
Hamspshire – England
L D 15
PARENTS: Mr. & Mrs William J. Adair – Wingham, Ontario
SISTER: Mrs. Ethel Prast – Hanover - Ontario
Occupation: Bank Clerk with Religion: Presbyterian
The Bank of Hamilton in Fordwich
Enlistment: Wingham, Ontario - January 22, 1916 - 161st Huron Battalion
Enlistment Age: 18 years 11 months
William was employed with the Bank of Hamilton at the Wingham Branch located at 221 Josephine Street at the time of his enlistment.
Private Adair and his unit departed from Canada on November 1st and arrived in England on November 11, 1916. On January 11, 1917, he was in Crowborough – East Sussex and Taken on Strength by the Canadian Machine Gun Depot and Struck off Strength of the 161st Battalion. On January 24, 1917, he was Taken off Strength from the Canadian Machine Gun Depot at Witley Camp – Surrey and transferred back to the 161st Battalion.
Private Adair died at No. 12 Canadian General Hospital located at Bramshott – Hampshire.
Private Adair died from a gunshot wound received at 1:00 pm while he was taking special training preparing for active duty. He was operated on and at 3:20 pm he began to hemorrhage and died within a few minutes.
The Board of Inquiry stated that in their opinion Private Adair suffered a breakdown and took his own life.
The camp where this accident took place was Witley Camp which was set up on Witley Common – Surrey.