DAVIDSON, Nelson
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
9th Infantry Brigade
43rd Battalion - Cameron Highlanders of Canada
Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO: 216874
RESIDENCE: Cartwright – Manitoba
DATE OF BIRTH: June 25, 1893
Walton – Townships of Morris / Turnberry – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH: September 7, 1918 25 years 2 months
CEMETERY: Dury Crucifix Cemetery – Dury –
Pas de Calais – France
I A 61
MOTHER: Mrs. Bessie Ann Davidson – Walton - Ontario
Occupation: Farmer Religion: Presbyterian
Enlistment: Winnipeg – Manitoba – March 17, 1916 into 100th Winnipeg Grenadiers
Enlistment Age: 22 years 11 months
Sometime in late October 1916 he transferred to the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles. He then went overseas into France and was Taken on Stregth by the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles on Secember 1, 1916 and he left for his unit on December 20, 1916. He joined this unit on December 23, 1916.
On April 21, 1917 Private Davidson was slightly wounded in the arm and admitted into No. 2 Australian General Hospital which was based at Wimereux. Then he was moved to 1st West Hospital in Liverpool, England and then to a Canadian Convalescent Hospital based in Epson in England. He was released on July 4, 1917.
Following this he was Taken on Strength by the 15th Reserve Battalion which was then absorbed by the 19th Reserve Battalion. Then in August he was Taken on Strength by the 43rd Battalion.
The Battalion was in the Drocourt area and at 1 pm there were very heavy thunderstorms that flooded the area and nearly all of the dugouts. Did he lose his life here? At the same time there was Lewis Gun Training and Rifle Grenade Training followed by rifle inspection and Special Box Respirator (SBR) Inspection. At 4:30 pm reconnoitering parties from all the Companies went out to look over the 116th Battalion with plan to relieve them the following day. This is the information from the Battalion war diaries. The Battalion was either in the support area or the reserve area of the front.
The Brigade diaries state the weather was sunny and cool with some rain with the winds south-west at 25 mph and that the Brigae was in the Palleul area. The diaries also state that the 43rd had one casualty.
From our research of both the Battalion and Brigade diaries and from the Commonwealth War Graves information and from looking at the file of Private Davidson we are confident that the one casualty mentioned was Private Davidson.