JEWITT, William Albert
DIVISIONAL UNIT: 1st Canadian Infantry Division
1st Infantry Brigade
1 st Battalion - Western Ontario
Canadian Infantry Corps
AWARDS: Military Medal awarded July 3, 1919
RESIDENCE: Lucknow – Ontario
DATE OF BIRTH: November 4, 1897
Lucknow – Kinloss Township – Bruce County - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH: October 19, 1918 20 years 11 months
CEMETERY: Duisans British Cemetery – Etrun –
Pas de Calais – France
VIII B 5
BROTHER: Mr. Harry Jewitt – Lucknow - Ontario
Occupation: Farmer Religion: Presbyterian Personal: Height 5' 7" and weight was 145 pounds. He had a fair complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair.
Private Jewitt boarded the S.S. Metagami in Halifax and set sail for Liverpool and arrived on October 28, 1916. On February 28, 1918, he transferred to the 1st Battalion and then went overseas into France. He joined his unit in the field on March 4, 1918.
The orders for the day were to pass through the 2nd Infantry Battalion who were holding the Brigade front at 09:00 hours and then continue with the advance. “B” and “D” were right and left advancing Companies with “C” in support and “A” in reserve. They then established a line for the night.
The weather was dry except for very heavy morning ground fog.
During the advance, the terrain was level and low lying with numerous ditches and marshes being encountered which made it difficult to advance. As they advanced the enemy used his artillery over open sites and it was during this push when Private Jewitt received his wounds. The enemy was positioned in echelon depth and he used his machine guns to cover his retirement
Private Jewitt received fatal head wounds from exploding enemy artillery shells. He was gravely wounded and tended to immediately before being moved to No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station at Agnez-les-Duisans and a short time after arriving her was when Private Jewitt died. The 1st Battalion at this time was pushing the enemy back from the east bank of the Canal de la Sensee and they were moving quickly through the communities of Brebieres, Ferin, Dechy, Lewarde, Loffre, Pecquencourt, Rievlay and Marchiennes. We feel that Private Jewitt fell in battle in the area of Loffre / Pecquencourt / Rievlay.
Private Jewitt was posthumously awarded his Military Medal in July of 1919. There is no citation and it is unknown when and where he earned the Military Medal.