HUTCHISON, James Johnston

DIVISIONAL UNIT:         3rd Canadian Infantry Division
                                             7th Infantry Brigade
                                             The Royal Canadian Regiment
                                             “B” Company
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps.
SERVICE NO:                   477446
DATE OF BIRTH:            December 11, 1883
                                             Milford County – Armaugh - Ireland
DATE OF DEATH:           August 24, 1916                  32 years     8 months
CEMETERY:                     Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery – Poperinge –
                                             West Vlaanderen – Belgium
                                             IX     C     20
SISTERS:                           Misses Anne and Ena Hutchison – Milford – County Armaugh - Ireland 
Occupation:                        Janitor / Cement Worker      Religion:     Church of England
Enlistment:                         Halifax – Nova Scotia – August 23, 1915
Enlistment Age:                 31 years     8 months

James emmigrated from Ireland and came to Canada in 1904 at the age of 21 years and once in Huron County lived in Seaforth with William and Martha Johnston.
Private Hutchison left to go into France and arrived at Boulogne on November 2, 1915.
Private Hutchison received multiple and dangerous shrapnel wounds on August 18, 1916 and was taken to No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station and died there on August 24th at 4:50 pm.
At 02:45 hours a party of 4 men placed an ammonal tube under the enemy wire under the cover of an artillery batrrage. At 03:00 hours a hole was blown in the enemy wire and a 16 man raiding party attempted to rush the enemy trough the blown gap in the wire. The encountered enemy machine gun fire and enemy bombs and every member was killed or wounded. The enemy was expecting such a move and were waiting. About 20 Mills Bombs were successfully thrown into the enemy ranks. Runners went back and asked for assistance from the 41st Battery CFA, the Stokes guns and the 2” trench mortars and they fired on the enemy positions allowing the dead and wounded to be removed under heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire.
A block was successfully placed in the trench and a Lewis gun was positioned here to prevent the enemy from advancing.
A Battalion patrol while out spotted 2 enemy patrols on the Battalion side of the wire. One patrol was bombed and retired while the other patrol was engaged.
It was during this time that the raiding party was out when Private Hutchison received his wounds.