Pte
John Patterson
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 04/05/1896 |
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Place of birth: Westville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada |
General information
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Last known residence: Westville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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Profession: Miner |
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Religion: Methodist |
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: 901249 |
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Enlistment date: 08/03/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Westville, Pictou County, 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: Tyne Cottage, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: I Row: C Grave: 6 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
John Patterson was born in May 1896 in Westville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. He worked as a miner in the nearby coal mines. In March 1916, John enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was assigned to the 85th Battalion, better known as the Nova Scotia Highlanders, part of the 12th Canadian Brigade within the 4th Canadian Division.
On October 28, 1917, the 4th Canadian Division moved from their camp near Ypres to the front line, where they relieved the 44th Battalion at Keerselaarhoek, between Decline Copse along the railway and the Passchendaele road. The next day, on October 29, the soldiers prepared for the attack by sheltering in shell holes and narrow trenches.
On October 30, 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion advanced along the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that before the war had consisted of a few houses along the tracks, now reduced to a landscape of mud and craters. The Highlanders faced heavy resistance: the artillery meant to support them sank into the mud and was barely able to provide cover. As soon as the men broke free from the muck, they came under intense fire. Yet the advance pressed on relentlessly. In exchange for the foul pits at Vienna Cottages, half of the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or reported missing. Before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial near their starting position.
John, aged 21, was killed on October 30, 1917. He was buried just north of the large bunker at Tyne Cot Cemetery, which at the time served as a dressing station. Today, he rests in Plot I, Row C, Grave 6.
On October 28, 1917, the 4th Canadian Division moved from their camp near Ypres to the front line, where they relieved the 44th Battalion at Keerselaarhoek, between Decline Copse along the railway and the Passchendaele road. The next day, on October 29, the soldiers prepared for the attack by sheltering in shell holes and narrow trenches.
On October 30, 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion advanced along the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that before the war had consisted of a few houses along the tracks, now reduced to a landscape of mud and craters. The Highlanders faced heavy resistance: the artillery meant to support them sank into the mud and was barely able to provide cover. As soon as the men broke free from the muck, they came under intense fire. Yet the advance pressed on relentlessly. In exchange for the foul pits at Vienna Cottages, half of the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or reported missing. Before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial near their starting position.
John, aged 21, was killed on October 30, 1917. He was buried just north of the large bunker at Tyne Cot Cemetery, which at the time served as a dressing station. Today, he rests in Plot I, Row C, Grave 6.
Sources 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Registers, First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG150, 1992-1993/314, Box 39-244; Box: 109). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ 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 (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 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 7644 - 20). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ 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://library-archives.canada.ca/ https://library-archives.canada.ca/ 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/464240 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=8fc9806f-7a06-4cd8-9806-e1c22284b476 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/6045801 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/464240 |