PASSMORE, William John

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        1st Canadian Infantry Division
                                             3rd Infantry Brigade
                                             15th Battalion  -  48th Highlanders of Canada
                                             Company 3
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   150543
RESIDENCE:                    Underhill - Manitoba
DATE OF BIRTH:            February 3, 1898
                                             Teeswater – Township of Culross – County of Bruce - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           September 26, 1916             18 years     7 months
MEMORIAL:                    Vimy Memorial – Vimy –
                                             Pas de Calais - France
FATHER:                           William James Passmore – Toronto - Ontario
Occupation:                        Farmer                                  Religion:     Presbyterian
Enlistment:                         December 1, 1915 – Elgin – Manitoba into the 79th Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 17 years     10 months

When he was 13-14 years of age he resided in Morris Township with his Great Grandparents.
Private Passmore departed Canada on the S.S. Lapland with the 79th Battalion and arrived in England on May 4, 1916. Once in England he transferred to the 17th Battalion and transferred again to the 15th Battalion. He enters France on July 17, 1916 and goes to Canadian Base Depot before joining the 1st Canadian Entrenching Battalion in the field on August 4, 1916. From there he joins the 15th Battalion in the field on September 13, 1916.
September 26th began clear and warm and the Battalion spent the morning preparing for the upcoming attack.
The Brigade artillery had been shelling the enemy rear positions but now switched to their front lines and support systems. Immediately the enemy sent up 2 red flares and shortly after the enemy artillery began to fall on the front line of the Battalion and the rear areas.  The advance moved forward at 12:35 pm. By 12:50 pm the Battalion had reached and taken their first objective. At 1:40 pm they had advanced over the ridge and were moving ahead to the second objective. As they advanced they met heavy enemy resistance in some areas and very little enemy resistance in other areas. By 4:50 pm the Battalion is holding a line from shell holes in the rear of Regina Trench and are digging in. The enemy is now shelling the rear areas but there are no shells falling on the Battalion front. The right and left companies have entered Regina Trench with the middle Company being held up by the Brigade barrage. Patrols were now being sent out and advance posts were being established. The enemy is seen to be digging in and their location is low ground about 500 yards north-east of the Battalion front. By 6:00 pm the Battalion is holding their positions with no indication an enemy counter-attack was coming. At 6:10 pm the Battalion reports they have suffered heavy casualties. By 6:40 pm every man was on the line and the Battalion indicated they needed to be reinforced. By 7:10 pm the Battalion is also in parts of Kenora Trench and by 7:20 pm are holding their final objective plus 200 yards of Regina. At 8 pm it is reported that the Battalion front was running from the eastern part of Hessian Trench to where it met Ace and Jack Trenches. They were also not holding all the high ground.
It was during this day of fighting where Private Passmore fell in battle.