BUCHANAN, Orville Andrew

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        1st Canadian Infantry Division
                                             3rd Infantry Brigade
                                             14th Battalion - Royal Montreal
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   823666
RESIDENCE:                    London – Ontario.
DATE OF BIRTH:            February 25, 1898
                                             Hensall – Tuckersmith Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           April 28, 1918                      20 years     2 months
CEMETERYY:                  Roclincourt Military Cemetery – Roclincourt –
                                             Pas de Calais – France
                                             VI     C     19
PARENTS:                         Mr. Andrew & Eliza Buchanan – Hensall - Ontario
Occupation:                        Steam Fitter                          Religion:     Methodist
Enlistment:                         London – March 25, 1917 into the 170th Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 18 years     1 month

Private Buchanan arriving in Liverpool on November 11th. On December 1st he was taken on strength by the 14th Battalion and joined them in the field later in the month. He was given a leave of 14 days and he returned to his unit on March 16, 1918.
Upon the barrage opening “F” Group rushed the enemy and found the trench heavily wired but once over/through the wire, took the trench and then took their final objective.
“A & B” Groups followed the barrage closely waiting for it to lift. “A” Group entered the enemy trench and once the officers were eliminated, the dugouts were destroyed with the debris then blocking the trench. The enemy then tried a futile counter-attack but this failed. “B” Group also met enemy opposition in the trench, eliminated them and destroyed the German dugout which in fact turned out to be a watertank. “C” Group were to be support but assisted with the capture of the enemy trenches. “D” Group met opposition from both trench blocks and used their rifle grenades to eliminate the enemy machine-guns at those points.
“E” Group had the hardest task of all groups when they met enemy opposition from Hussar Trench. Here the enemy either had to fight or surrender. This group had to go back for extra bombs three times. There was much wire near and around the trench and the block. The enemy at both trench blocks resisted but shortly all enemy opposition was eliminated.
The raid began at 01:00 hours on April 28th and it was all over by 02:00 hours and it was during this one hour of fighting where Private Buchanan lost his life.