DAVIS, George John
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
8th Infantry Brigade
2nd Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles
4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - Toronto
Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO: 727323
RESIDENCE: Brussels – Ontario
DATE OF BIRTH: June 13, 1893
Ipswich – Suffolk - England
DATE OF DEATH: October 26, 1917 24 years 3 months
MEMORIAL: Menin Gate Memorial – Ypres –
West Vlaanderen – Belgium
Panel 30 / 32
GUARDIAN: Mr. W. H. McCutcheon - Brussels
Occupation: Miller Religion: Church of England
Enlistment: Listowel – Ontario – January 15, 1916 into 110th Battalion
Enlistment Age: 22 years 7 months
Private Davis left the shores of Canada on October 31, 1916 and reached England on November 11, 1916.
He immediately transferred to the 8th Reserve Battalion at the end of the year and then on January 19, 1917 he transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He went overseas into France shortly after this and joined his unit already in the field on February 20, 1917.
Private Davis was promoted a number of times until he reached the rank of Sergeant on September 19, 1917.
The infantry of the 3rd Division left their positions on the morning of October 26th and began their advance following the Gravenstafel-Passchendaele road toward the Bellevue Spur. The eventual objective was Passchendaele. They advanced and overran the forward enemy positions. As the day progressed the enemy turned his artillery onto the Battalions and it was brutal and deadly. Still the Canadans advanced until the enemy artillery, his machine guns and the battlefield conditions halted the advance. The Canadians tried to keep their gained ground, but they could not and were forced to retire. They then dug themselves in and tried to find whatever cover was available. The Division was not able to avhieve its objectives even after advancing 1,000 yards. They had to deal with the enemy fire, the water and the waist deep mud.
The Division casualties were 2,900 with 600 men being killed.
Zero was 5:40 am and at this time the artillery barrage came down on the enemy from 180 - 18 pounders,
60 - 4.5 Howitzers and 125 Heavies. As the barrage began it began to rain heavily. The enemy also replied with their own artillery barrage onto the Battalion front and support trenches and they also used heavy machine-gun fire.
The leading waves of “C & D” Companies suffered heavily as they advanced but after heavy fighting secured the front line of “pill boxes”.
As on the day went on the Battalion penetrated Woodland Copse but were forced to withdraw because of heavy enemy fire.
The enemy was desperate to prevent the Battalion from consolidating their positions on the high ground and brought down a heavy artillery barrage until 11 am.
“B” was not able to advance without being reinforced.
The majority of the officers and NCOs of “C” Company were either killed or wounded at this point.
By 10 am they had advanced futher than their flanking Battalions
At 2 pm two companies moved into position on the right of the Battalion front and about this time the the whole of the 3rd Canadian Division front plus the flanks were established.
At 8 pm three companies of the Battalion were relieved by the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles.
During this day of fighting 67 men died, 202 men were wounded and 21 men were missing.
Was Sergeant Davis a casualty of his own opening artillery barrage? Was he a casualty of the enemy artillery barrage onto the front? Or did he fall in the advance on the “pill boxes. We do not know but we know he was killed in action during this day of fighting.
