George Haddon White

Private George Haddon White, enlisted at Winnipeg and served with the 43rd Canadian Infantry Battalion, he was killed in action on 5th June 1916. and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.

An article published in the Notts Free Press dated 18th August 1916 :- “THE LATE PRIVATE. G. H. WHITE. “CANADIANS' HEROIC STAND. “After a considerable period of waiting, Councillor and Mrs. J. G. White, of the Red House, Sutton, have received the following letters stating how their only son, Private G. H. White, of the Canadian Cameron Highlanders, met with his death at the front:– “I received your letter on Sunday with reference to George, and it gives me great pleasure if I can tell you anything which will be a comfort to you. On the morning of June 3rd, the Germans made an attack on the trenches held by various battalions in our (the 43rd) Division. The portion of the line held by the C.M.R. Brigade was broken ,and they were driven back into Sanctuary Wood and from there into Maple Copse, where the advance of the enemy was arrested, and he took up a position in Sanctuary Wood and along a trench communicating the two woods. The 43rd were several miles back in rest camp, having, we understood finished with the Ypres district, for we had done three months there, which was considered sufficient time for any troops to be stationed at that particular spot, but the word came through that our Division was in trouble and we were hurried into our equipment and taken into supports at Belgium Chateau, where we rested the night and were hurried on again about 2.30 a.m. across the open country into the Lillebeck dugouts, where we rested again for a few hours. “George, along with a few others, spent this rest carrying wounded C.M.R.'s. After the rest we were taken out of the dugouts and hurried up the line with the intention of relieving the Princess Pats, who had managed to hold their own in the attack, but it was found impossible to get up as far, so we were ordered to dig ourselves in, in a very battered trench running parallel to the enemy's trench between the woods. About five o'clock in the evening (the 4th) the Germans started a furious bombardment of our trench with both light and heavy artillery and a mixture of trench mortar shells as well. (The newspaper report said 82 shells per minute fell in each portion of trench.) We were given the order to open up with rapid rifle fire across at opposite trench to prevent the enemy coming over, which he started to do but retired again. “George was next on my left, and I caught a glimpse of him standing up above parapet, the coolest one I believe of the whole lot of us, and he was laughing. The next time I looked his way he was lying on the bottom of the trench with a wound in the right side of the neck, which looked as though the jugular had been cut. He was bandaged up and placed in a little culvert for safety to await the stretcher bearers coming up, our own bearers having by this time all been hit. He was in no pain, but fainted through loss of blood, and I imagine he must have slept his passage out. Any further information I am able to give you, shall be pleased to forward, so please write if there is anything else. – Yours, etc., Fred J. Fitter. “P.S. – All George's effects were left behind at the Lillebeck dugouts, as we threw off our packs there when we made the last stage of our trip in. They would most likely be rifled by other troops who were stationed there.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918