Pte
Harvey Lorne Minion
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 31/12/1894 |
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Place of birth: Derby, Grey County, Ontario, Canada |
General information
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Profession: Teacher |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 1003517 |
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Enlistment date: 03/06/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 54th Bn. (Kootenay) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 14/11/1917 |
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Place of death: South of Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 30o |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Harvey Lorne Minion served in the Canadian Infantry 54th Battalion (Kootenay), part of the 11th Canadian Brigade, of the 4th Canadian Division.
The 54th Kootenay Battalion relieved the Canadian Infantry 19th Battalion (Central Ontario) in the front line, South of Passchendaele, on the 12th of November 1917. The Battalion’s Headquarters were established at Hamburg. The relief was completed by 10 p.m. without suffering any casualties.
The German artillery became very active on the following day. The frontline Companies of the 54th Kootenay Battalion were shelled between 1.30 and 2.30 a.m. The Germans put down high-explosive- and gas shells on the Canadian line. German aircrafts directed their artillery during the day. The Germans were edgy and expected an attack, possibly because new Canadian Battalions had come into the line. Hence the Germans put down a heavy barrage left of the 54th Battalion. The barrage reached the Battalion at 4.40 p.m. An allied retaliation quickly followed, and the allied artillery put down a barrage of their own. The artillery duel lasted till 6 p.m., while the rest of the day remained fairly quiet.
The German artillery resumed their activities between 5 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. on November the 14th. Furthermore it shelled the 54th Battalion’s frontline at intervals during the remainder of the day. Snipers of the Battalion fired at the German positions in front of them, but without any notable success. At about 6.am. during the night, a party of Germans were seen entering a water tank near the Battalion’s line.
The Canadian Infantry 54th Battalion (Kootenay) suffered about 44 casualties on November the 14th. Eight men were killed and 36 men were wounded. Private Harvey Lorne Minion was one of the eight men who were killed in action, in the lines South of Passchendaele, on the 14th of November 1917. His body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.
The 54th Kootenay Battalion relieved the Canadian Infantry 19th Battalion (Central Ontario) in the front line, South of Passchendaele, on the 12th of November 1917. The Battalion’s Headquarters were established at Hamburg. The relief was completed by 10 p.m. without suffering any casualties.
The German artillery became very active on the following day. The frontline Companies of the 54th Kootenay Battalion were shelled between 1.30 and 2.30 a.m. The Germans put down high-explosive- and gas shells on the Canadian line. German aircrafts directed their artillery during the day. The Germans were edgy and expected an attack, possibly because new Canadian Battalions had come into the line. Hence the Germans put down a heavy barrage left of the 54th Battalion. The barrage reached the Battalion at 4.40 p.m. An allied retaliation quickly followed, and the allied artillery put down a barrage of their own. The artillery duel lasted till 6 p.m., while the rest of the day remained fairly quiet.
The German artillery resumed their activities between 5 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. on November the 14th. Furthermore it shelled the 54th Battalion’s frontline at intervals during the remainder of the day. Snipers of the Battalion fired at the German positions in front of them, but without any notable success. At about 6.am. during the night, a party of Germans were seen entering a water tank near the Battalion’s line.
The Canadian Infantry 54th Battalion (Kootenay) suffered about 44 casualties on November the 14th. Eight men were killed and 36 men were wounded. Private Harvey Lorne Minion was one of the eight men who were killed in action, in the lines South of Passchendaele, on the 14th of November 1917. His body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.
Sources 3
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Circumstances of death http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.01-e.php?q2=28&q3=2323&sqn=738&tt=777&PHPSESSID=pf868q7td101us1usidkvu8pl1 Sources used |
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC) RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 6237 - 12). https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/search.aspx Sources used |
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War diaries: 5rth Canadian Infantry Battalion (Kootenay), (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4942, Microfilm reel number: T-10748--T-10749, File number: 445, File part: 1). https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1594659 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=27ae77a9-9c49-443b-907c-21523462bf74 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5661111 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1594659 |