Pte
Harry Stathion Bailey
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 26/04/1895 |
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Place of birth: Round Hill, Nova Scotia, Canada |
General information
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Profession: Railroader |
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Religion: Church of England |
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: 223010 |
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Enlistment date: 30/10/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 85th Bn. (Nova Scotia Highlanders) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 30/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Vienna Cottages - Stein Hof, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XLII Row: C Grave: 6 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Harry Stathion Bailey was born on April 26, 1895, in Round Hill, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was the son of Bertha Bailey. On October 30, 1915, the railway worker enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Halifax. He was eventually assigned to the 85th Battalion, better known as the Nova Scotia Highlanders, part of the 12th Canadian Brigade of the 4th Canadian Division.
On October 28, 1917, the 4th Canadian Division left the camp near Ypres. They moved to Seine Corner, near the front line, where they relieved the 44th Battalion at Keerselaere, between Tyne Cot and Passchendaele. October 29 was spent in shell craters and narrow trenches, preparing for the next day’s attack.
On October 30, 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) followed the Ypres–Roulers railway line toward Vienna Cottages — once a small cluster of homes nestled beside the tracks. The hamlet had been reduced to a chain of shell holes. The Nova Scotia Highlanders faced heavy resistance: the artillery meant to support their advance sank into the mud and could offer little aid. As soon as the Highlanders pulled themselves from the mire, they came under intense fire. But the storm surged forward, unstoppable. In exchange for the reeking craters around Vienna Cottages, half the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or went missing. Before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial near what had once been their starting position.
Harry, 22 years old, was killed on October 30, 1917, near the railway and Vienna Cottages. After the war, he was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XLII, Row C, Grave 6.
On October 28, 1917, the 4th Canadian Division left the camp near Ypres. They moved to Seine Corner, near the front line, where they relieved the 44th Battalion at Keerselaere, between Tyne Cot and Passchendaele. October 29 was spent in shell craters and narrow trenches, preparing for the next day’s attack.
On October 30, 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) followed the Ypres–Roulers railway line toward Vienna Cottages — once a small cluster of homes nestled beside the tracks. The hamlet had been reduced to a chain of shell holes. The Nova Scotia Highlanders faced heavy resistance: the artillery meant to support their advance sank into the mud and could offer little aid. As soon as the Highlanders pulled themselves from the mire, they came under intense fire. But the storm surged forward, unstoppable. In exchange for the reeking craters around Vienna Cottages, half the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or went missing. Before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial near what had once been their starting position.
Harry, 22 years old, was killed on October 30, 1917, near the railway and Vienna Cottages. After the war, he was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XLII, Row C, Grave 6.
Sources 6
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461792/harry-stathion-bailey/ Sources used |
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Hayes J., The Eighty-Fifth in France and Flanders, (Halifax, Royal Print & Litho Limited, 1922), 90-96. Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 152 - 153. 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 345 - 25) https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/index Sources used |
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War diaries: 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4944, Microfilm reel number: T-10751--T-10752, File number: 454) https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/index Sources used |
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War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, 1992-93/314; Volume Number: 149) https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/index 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/461792 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/461792 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=8b373dc5-9a12-47d4-b739-eaefd0182ff4 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5553888 |