McKINNON, John Ross

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        1st Canadian Infantry Division
                                             3rd Infantry Brigade
                                             14th Battalion  -  Royal Montreal
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   63637
AWARDS:                          Military Medal
DATE OF BIRTH:            March 12, 1892
                                             Brussels – Grey / Morris Townships – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           April 10, 1917                      25 years
CEMETERY:                     Barlin Communal Cemetery Extension – Barlin –
                                             Pas de Calais – France
                                             I     G     69
PARENT:                           Mrs. Isabella McKinnon – Brussels / Ethel - Ontario
Occupation:                        Tinsmith                               Religion:     Presbyterian
Enlistment:                         November 18, 1914 – Quebec into 23rd Reserve Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 22 years     8 months

Sergeant McKinnon died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen at No. 6 British Casualty Clearing Station - Bruay.
While in Camp in Canada, he was promoted to Corporal in mid November 1914 and then promoted to Sergeant in early February of 1915. His unit sailed from Canada for England on February 23, 1915. He transferred to the 14th Battalion based at Shorncliffe on May 2, 1915. Then he was attacked to the 1st Divisional Train in early August 1915. Then in January of 1916 he was assigned to the 1st Divisional Salvage Company. He then rejoined the 14th Battalion in the middle of October of 1916.
Until the Brigade went into reserve they were in between the old British front lines and included the east side of the Bethune-Arras Road. The Battalion was the right boundary 
It was a fair day on April 10, 1917 and the Battalion was to go into reserve in the late afternoon /early eveing. At 10 am an order was issued requesting the 14th Battalion to provide 50 men for a working party at 500 Crater. Then at 3:20 pm General Currie phoned and urgently asked for the assistance of 100 men to work on the road so the guns could be moved forward. By 6 pm the 14th was settled in the back areas. Later that evening the weather was cold, rainy and it was also snowing.
Therefore, the conclusion we have formed is that Sergeant McKinnon was a member of one of the two working parties and suffered his wounds at that time or he fell as the Battalion was going back to reserve.
Sergeant McKinnon was posthumously awarded the Military Medal on September 7, 1917.