Private #189996
“George Edward Wallace was a clerk from Muncey Ontario. He was the son of William and Frances Wallace of Strathroy, Ontario. He attested in the 91st Btn at St Thomas on the 22nd February 1916. The 91st was redistributed and he served with the 2nd Btn. Canadian Infantry, in the field. He received a gunshot wound to his right leg and abdomen and died of his wounds, age 22, at the No 1 Casualty Clearing Station on the 26th of April 1917. He was buried in the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension.”, Aubigny-en-Artois, France – Plot II.G.27.
Several of George Wallace’s military records may be seen below. Scroll to the bottom to see cemetery location in France, Canadian War Graves certificates and a photo of the family’s memorial marker in the Strathroy Cemetery.
The “War Diaries” below (copies of the original) are an excellent source of information about what the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion was doing during April 1917. These records are a brief summary of who did what, when, where and why.
You will remember that George Wallace died on April 26th of wounds to his leg and abdomen. The War Diary entry for April 25th states, “Continued artillery activity“. The entry for April 26th states, “Situation normal. Nothing of importance happened during the day. The Battalion was relieved at night by the 10th Canadian Battalion and proceeded back to ELBE SHELTERS.“
We might hypothesize that George Wallace was shot on the 25th when under artillery fire, and died the next day of his wounds, when “Nothing of importance happened…” This gives a chilling impression of how continuous warfare makes people emotionally numb to human suffering.
His name is engraved on the family’s grave marker in the Strathroy Cemetery. It is located at C.15.7, section C, row 15, 7th marker in the row.
The Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension is located at Pas de Calais, France. The cemetery contains 2,853 military graves. George Wallace is buried in II.G.27, section II, row G, 27th grave in the row.
