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Daniel Alexander Gillis
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 15/01/1895 |
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Place of birth: Clermont, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
General information
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Last known residence: 232 Avenue I N, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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Profession: Clerk |
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: 910916 |
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Enlistment date: 21/03/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Machine Gun Corps, 4th Coy. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Levi Cottages, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XVI Row: B Grave: 12 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of wounding | ||
| #5 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Daniel Alexander Gillis, a former clerk, was born January 15, 1895 in Clermont, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Daniel was the youngest son of Murdoch and Mary McDonald and had five siblings. Before the war, Daniel lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Here he enlisted on March 21. Daniel Alexander served as a private in the 4th Company, Canadian Machine Gun Corps, part of the 4th Canadian Brigade, of the 2nd Canadian Division.
The 2nd Canadian Division participated in the assault on Passchendaele on November 6, 1917. The machine guns of the 4th Company, Canadian Machine Gun Corps supported this attack. By the end of the day, the ruins of the village had been captured. On November 8, four guns of the 6th Company, located north of Passchendaele, were relieved by men of the 4th Company. The other guns would support another attack on Nov. 9, 1917.
Daniel Alexander Gillis, age 22, died of his wounds on Nov. 9, 1917. His record of the circumstances of his death states that he was wounded while digging a trench near Passchendaele. Although the exact time and place of this event are not known, it can be assumed that it occurred between the attack on Nov. 6 and Nov. 9, while the Canadians were consolidating the new front line. Private Gillis was taken to a dressing station, but later succumbed to his wounds. He was initially buried in Levi Cottage Cemetery, north of Zonnebeke. After the war, this cemetery was removed, and all remains were exhumed and interred at Tyne Cot Cemetery. Private Gillis' grave is located in Plot XVI, Row B, Grave 12.
Daniel Alexander Gillis' medals and belongings were sent to his chosen next of kin, namely his sister Mary Cooney (née Gillis). Among these items were also his identification tags. In January 2023, Geoff Cooney (great nephew of Private Gillis) loaned these identification tags to the Passchendaele Museum. This object is currently on display in the Tyne Cot visitor centre.
The 2nd Canadian Division participated in the assault on Passchendaele on November 6, 1917. The machine guns of the 4th Company, Canadian Machine Gun Corps supported this attack. By the end of the day, the ruins of the village had been captured. On November 8, four guns of the 6th Company, located north of Passchendaele, were relieved by men of the 4th Company. The other guns would support another attack on Nov. 9, 1917.
Daniel Alexander Gillis, age 22, died of his wounds on Nov. 9, 1917. His record of the circumstances of his death states that he was wounded while digging a trench near Passchendaele. Although the exact time and place of this event are not known, it can be assumed that it occurred between the attack on Nov. 6 and Nov. 9, while the Canadians were consolidating the new front line. Private Gillis was taken to a dressing station, but later succumbed to his wounds. He was initially buried in Levi Cottage Cemetery, north of Zonnebeke. After the war, this cemetery was removed, and all remains were exhumed and interred at Tyne Cot Cemetery. Private Gillis' grave is located in Plot XVI, Row B, Grave 12.
Daniel Alexander Gillis' medals and belongings were sent to his chosen next of kin, namely his sister Mary Cooney (née Gillis). Among these items were also his identification tags. In January 2023, Geoff Cooney (great nephew of Private Gillis) loaned these identification tags to the Passchendaele Museum. This object is currently on display in the Tyne Cot visitor centre.
Sources 5
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C.S. Grafton, 'The Canadian Emma Gees : a history of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps' (London : The Canadian Machine Gun Corps Association, 1938), 90-97. Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele : The Day-by-Day account (London: Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 160-161. 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 8268 - 26). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ 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: 233). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registry: Commonwealth War Graves (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC): RG150, 1992-1993/314, Box 39-244; Box: 115). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=db9cb3cc-695a-471b-9c67-b6a4164bffac |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462883 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/462883 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5889698 |