Pte
Kenneth Duncan Barnett
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 03/12/1894 |
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Place of birth: Niagara Falls, Ontario, 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: Private |
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Service number: 406471 |
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Enlistment date: 16/04/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 1st Bn. (Ontario Regiment) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 25/07/1916 |
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Place of death: The Bluff, Zillebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 10 J |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Kenneth was born in 1894 at Niagara Falls, Ontario, to Jane and Thomas Barnett. He had four siblings, one brother, who died as an infant and three sisters. When the War broke out, Kenneth worked as a labourer. He enlisted in April 1915 at Hamilton, Ontario and was taken on by the 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry (Ontario Regiment). Before setting off to Europe, he married Margaret Burgess, a 21-year-old Irish immigrant, on 13 May 1915 at Wentworth, Ontario. Much time to enjoy married live they had not, a few days later Kenneth sailed for England. They would never meet again.
In the days following the Battle of Mt Sorrel, the 1st Battalion rotated in and out of the front line. Kenneth was killed while seconded to a work crew. He was with a group repairing barbed wire when the Germans detonated a large mine at 'The Bluff', just below the front line, at dusk on 25 July 1916. The explosion formed a crater 150 metres long and 50 metres wide.
Kenneth and his comrades were never seen again. It is assumed that he was killed instantly. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
In the days following the Battle of Mt Sorrel, the 1st Battalion rotated in and out of the front line. Kenneth was killed while seconded to a work crew. He was with a group repairing barbed wire when the Germans detonated a large mine at 'The Bluff', just below the front line, at dusk on 25 July 1916. The explosion formed a crater 150 metres long and 50 metres wide.
Kenneth and his comrades were never seen again. It is assumed that he was killed instantly. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Sources 5
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC) RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 453 - 19). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928 (Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Reel: 356). http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ Sources used |
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War diaries: 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4912, Microfilm reel number: T-10704, File number: 350). 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: 150). 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: 43). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/921998 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=cc4b18b1-f7a6-4802-9261-f1b7d02007d3 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/921998 |