Date of birth: 12/09/1896

Place of birth: Worcester, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom

Profession: Farmer

Country: Canada

Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 412107

Enlistment date: 24/02/1915

Enlistment place: Belleville, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

Units:  —  Canadian Infantry, 24th Bn. (Victoria Rifles)  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 06/11/1917

Place of death: Hillside Farm, Keerselaarhoek, Belgium

Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.)

Age: 21

Wilfred John Finney is part of C Company, 24th Battalion C.E.F., 5th Canadian Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division. On 6 November 1917 his battalion attacks in what is called the Second Battle of Passchendaele, a sub battle in the Battle of Passchendaele. The 24th battalion wasn’t near the front until the 3rd of November. It was on this day that they move via Ypres to barracks near Potijze. They only encountered one enemy artillery barrage which cost them one casualty (killed or wounded). On the 4th the battalion moves to the front line but they leave ‘C’ company behind, in which was Private Finney. During the night of the 5/6 November 1917 his company moved up to Brigade Reserve near, what is called, Hillside Farm where the battalion headquarter was. This position was heavily shelled and suffered severe losses. For over ten hours the Germans intensely bombarded the area. C Company was practically wiped out, their trenches being absolutely demolished. Only 1 officer and 30 other ranks made it out unharmed and were moved up into the support trenches. It is presumed that Private Finney was mortally wounded during this shellfire and was taken back to the regimental aid station at Tyne Cot, where he either succumbed to his wounds after or whilst receiving medical attention or that he already died before he arrived. He was then buried at the Battlefield cemetery (where his grave is still located).
Wilfred John Finney was registered as an orphan at the Royal Albert Orphanage, Henwick, Worcester in the England Census of 1911. On 11 April 1914 he takes a ship from Liverpool to Halifax to try his luck in Canada.

Circumstances of Death http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.01-e.php?q2=28&q3=2288&sqn=262&tt=955&PHPSESSID=pf868q7td101us1usidkvu8pl1 Sources used

McCarthy C., Passchendaele the Day-by-Day account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pp.160-161. Sources used

Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC) RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 3096 - 42). https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/search.aspx Sources used

War diaries: 24th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4932, Microfilm reel number: T-10733--T-10734, File number: 415). https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462742

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=6e81bcc4-ffce-49ee-a1a2-ac10e8391654

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5867385

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/462742