PETTY, George Hanson

War
1st World War
Date of Birth
Date Attested
Attested at
Hensall, Ontario
Original Unit
161st Huron Battalion
Regimental Number
654666
Rank
Private
Date of Death
Age at Death
36 years 6 months
Cemetery
Vimy Memorial - Pas de Calais - France
Cenotaph
Hensall Cenotaph
Biographical Summary

DIVISIONAL UNIT:         4th Canadian Infantry Division
                                             10th Infantry Brigade
                                             44th Battalion - New Brunswick
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   654666
RESIDENCE:                    Hensall – Ontario 
DATE OF BIRTH:            April 5, 1882
                                             Hay Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           September 3, 1918               36 years     6 months
MEMORIAL:                    Vimy Memorial – Vimy –
                                             Pas de Calais - France
PARENTS:                         Mr. George and Hannah Petty – Hensall - Ontario
Occupation:                        Butcher                                 Religion:      Church of England
Enlistment:                         Hensall – March 23, 1916 – 161st Huron Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 33 years     11 months

  Private Petty on November 11, 1916, the day he arrived in England, was attached to Canadian Army Service Corps in Shorncliffe – Kent, and then absorbed into the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion at Witley Camp – Surrey on March 3, 1918. He then transferred to the 47th Battalion and went to France with them before transferring to the 44th Battalion already in the field.
Private Petty was killed in action while he was advancing with his Company on Dury. He was mortally wounded from the fragments of an exploding enemy shell and died immediately.
At 4:30 am the Battalion began to assemble and get into battle formations at 5:10 am the 44th Battalion had advanced several hundred yards not knowing the advance had been delayed. At 7:30 am all enemy activity ceased and it was thought to be ‘too quiet” and because of that a patrol was ordered out. At 8:00 am a platoon from each Company made their war forward to the high ground. Then at 8:20 the Commanding Officer Lt. Colonel Davies went forward to the patrol line – passed through it – reconnoitred the village of Recourt and the area of the Green Line and found the town empty. When Brigade learned of this the Brigade advanced as a whole to the Green Line. At 10:30 am as the Companies advanced in the area of Recourt, Recourt Wood and the ground between there and Dury. Now the enemy shell fire was coming in and increased in intensity which inflicted casualties on companies trying to consolidate. At 12:30 pm strong patrols pushed out to examine river crossings on the front and the bridge was found to be destroyed. At 5:30 pm a patrol worked their way out onto the causeway and obtained touch with an enemy post about 150 yards away.
At 6:30 pm the Battalion was notified of the necessary increase of the front on the right. 
During the night enemy shelling slackened but salvoes of 3 inch came at intervals onto the village and the Quarry area.
The casualties for the Battalion from September 2-4 were 42 killed, 220 wounded and 16 missing.
Private Petty also had a sister who was a Nursing Sister – Gertrude Petty Donaldson who served overseas, returned to Canada where she died from her illness.