Sgt
Daniel Spencer Reid
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 06/10/1896 |
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Place of birth: Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, Canada |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Sergeant |
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Service number: 222676 |
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Enlistment date: 23/10/1916 |
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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: 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: II Row: J Grave: 3 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Daniel Spencer Reid was born in October 1896 in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia. In October 1916, the twenty-year-old labourer 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 28 October 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 29 October, the soldiers prepared for the assault by sheltering in shell craters and narrow trenches.
On 30 October 1917, the Canadians resumed their attack on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion followed the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that had once consisted of a few houses along the tracks, but was now reduced to a wasteland of mud and craters. The Highlanders suffered heavy losses: the artillery that was meant to support them sank into the mud and was barely able to provide any covering fire. As soon as the men freed themselves from the mire, they came under intense fire. But the assault pushed forward unstoppably. In exchange for the foul, cratered ground near 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.
Daniel, who had been promoted to sergeant in July 1917, was killed on 30 October 1917 at the age of 21. 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 II, Row J, Grave 3.
On 28 October 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 29 October, the soldiers prepared for the assault by sheltering in shell craters and narrow trenches.
On 30 October 1917, the Canadians resumed their attack on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion followed the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that had once consisted of a few houses along the tracks, but was now reduced to a wasteland of mud and craters. The Highlanders suffered heavy losses: the artillery that was meant to support them sank into the mud and was barely able to provide any covering fire. As soon as the men freed themselves from the mire, they came under intense fire. But the assault pushed forward unstoppably. In exchange for the foul, cratered ground near 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.
Daniel, who had been promoted to sergeant in July 1917, was killed on 30 October 1917 at the age of 21. 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 II, Row J, Grave 3.
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: 114). 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 8157 - 16). 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/ 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/464395 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=25e68cc5-5d81-4c49-a455-0586204c5152 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/6073077 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/464395 |