PORTER, Arthur William

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        3rd Canadian Infantry Division
                                             9th Infantry Brigade
                                             58th Battalion  -  Central Ontario
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   427588
RESIDENCE:                    Saskatchewan
DATE OF BIRTH:            March 27, 1892
                                             Reading – Bedfordshire - England
DATE OF DEATH:           October 8, 1916                   24 years     6 months
CEMETERY:                     Adanac Military Cemetery - Miramount
                                             Somme – France
                                             I     G     39
SISTER:                              Mrs. Maude Porter – Hensall - Ontario
MOTHER:                          Mrs. E. Copperthwaite – Reading – England
Occupation:                        Farmer                                  Religion:     Church of England
Enlistment:                         June 22, 1915 – Regina - Saskatchewan
Enlistment Age:                 23 years     3 months

Private Porter sailed from Canada on the SS Lapland on October 21, 1915 and arrived in England on November 2, 1915. He then moves to Bramshott – Hapshire until June 6, 1916 when he transfers to the 58th Battalion. He goes overseas and joins his unit in the field.
Private Porter lost his life in action while performing his duties with his unit. The location of the action was during an attack north east of Courcelette.
The objective on this day for the Battalion was the Regina Trench. With each Company was a section of Battalion bombers along with two Lewis guns.
As they advanced the companies on both the left and right suffered heavily as they crossed “no man’s land” from heavy enemy machine-gun fire. All Companies encountered very heavy wire 30 feet to 60 feet out from Regina Trench and this was four feet high. The Brigade artillery onto the enemy had not damaged this wire. As they approached the enemy poured withering machine-gun and rifle fire onto the Battalion and as they attempted to cut the wire. “A” on the right made a hole and advanced throught the wire. They were subject to about 20 minutes of enemy bombing and machine-gun fire. “C” Company in the centre made successive attempts to get through the wire but they were cut down by the enemy fire. 
The Battalion on the right had failed to take their objective in Regina Trench and the enemy saw that the “A” Company was now in a position of having no support and the enemy attacked them on both flanks. Both Lewis guns were out of action and a fierce fight ensued. “A” Company had expended their bombs and the enemy re-captured the trench. There was very little left of “A” Company. The remainder of the Battalion moved back from shell hole to shell hole and made it back to the jumping off point.
It was a bloody and bitter fight, and the infantry did their duty and this is when Private Porter was killed in action.