Buchanan, J. Reginald

Reginald “described himself as a Travelling Secretary. He was on the eve of ordination into the ministry of the Anglican church. He sported a hockey stick scar below his right eye. He was promoted Sergeant in the field and seems to have been headed for a commission. On the 13th of July 1916, he was attached to a New Zealand division as a cadet and was struck by enfilading machine gun fire.

“ While attached to General Headquarters Cadet School, at Blendecqes, he was one of a party of four sent on a visit of inspection, to the trenches at Steenwerck the night of July 12th/13th 1916, when standing outside the dugout which was used as Headquarters by the 1st Battalion Otago Regiment, he was killed, 23 May 1916, presumably by fire from an enfilading machine gun.”

His headstone is in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery Armentiere France. He was survived by his wife Beryl (nee Chalmers) and a baby daughter.”

[Strathroy Museum website.]

He was born on January 23, 1894, the son of James Buchanan and Jane Elizabeth Fitzgerald of Kerwood. He was married to Beryl Buchanan, Strathroy. He attested (signed up) at Strathroy on October 26, 1914.

He sailed from Halifax on the S.S. Grampian on April 18, 1915, and disembarked at Boulogne, France, with the 18th Battalion, on April 29, 1915.

Memorial Plaque at Strathroy Cenotaph

Memorial Banner to be hung on a utility pole along Metcalfe Street, Strathroy

On May 15, 1915, he was promoted to Sergeant, in the field, to replace Sgt. J.R. Child (#54009) who was invalided to England. On April 30, 1916, he was granted 8 days leave to England.

On June 21, 1916, he was sent to Cadet course, in an unstated location. On July 13, 1916, he was killed in action when struck by enfilading machine gun fire while attached to the New Zealand Division (2nd Army G.H.Q. – General Head Quarters). 

“While attached to General Headquarters Cadet School, at Blendecques, France, he was one of a party of four sent on a visit of inspection, to the trenches at Steenwerck the night of July 12th/13th 1916, when standing outside the dugout which was used as Headquarters by the 1st Battalion Otago Regiment, he was killed 23 May 1916, presumably by fire from an enfilading machine gun.”

His name was on casualty list 21/7/1916 A272. His widow and baby daughter Helen was living at 301 Cobourg Street, Stratford when she was notified of her husband’s death and that Reginald had been awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal (B.W.M.) and the Victory Medal (V.M.).

301 Cobourg Street, Stratford

The 1914-1915 Star was awarded to all who saw service in any theatre of war against the central powers between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915. The British War Medal was awarded to all ranks of Canadian overseas military forces who came from Canada between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918, or who had served in a theatre of war. The Victory Medal was awarded to all ranks of the fighting forces, to civilians under contract, and others employed with military hospitals who actually served on the establishment of a unit in a theatre of war between 05 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 (inclusive).

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His headstone is in Cité Bonjean Military cemetery Armentieres, France. It reads, “All’s well.” There is a family memorial stone in the Strathroy Cemetery.

Military Documents