In memory of
Lance Corporal
WILLIAM GRAHAM
KNOWLES
who died on April
9,
1917
Military Service:
Service Number:
219949
Age:
21
Force:
Army
Unit:
Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment)
Division:
102nd Bn.
Additional Information:
Date of Birth:
August
1,
1895
Hopetown, Ontario, Canada
Date of Enlistment:
October
22,
1915
Barriefield, Ontario, Canada
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Knowles. The family later moved to Merrickville. He was a Tinsmith. He had seven months previous service with the Home Guard (56th Regiment) at Iroquois, Ontario. Prior to shipping out, he was met by his brother Hugh Lloyd, who came to wish him well. He instead joined William and went overseas. On arrival they were transferred to the 102nd Battalion, serving together until their deaths, sadly on the same day, at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Information courtesy of Merrickville Memorial Project, May 2002.
Cemetery:
GIVENCHY ROAD CANADIAN CEMETERY
Pas de Calais,
France
[CLICK HERE FOR CEMETERY PLAN]
Grave Reference:
A. 18.
Location:
The Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery at Neuville-St Vaast is a small cemetery situated in the compound of the Vimy Memorial Park which contains the Vimy Memorial. The village of Neuville-St Vaast is in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, approximately 8 kilometres north of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The cemetery is approximately 260 metres past Canadian Cemetery No.2 following the one-way system to rejoin the avenue leading back to the main road. The cemetery contains the graves of soldiers all of whom fell on the 9th April, 1917, or on one of the four following days. The cemetery covers an area of 849 square metres and is enclosed by a rubble wall. The numerous groups of graves made about this time by the Canadian Corps Burial Officer were, as a rule, not named but serially lettered and numbered. This cemetery was originally called CD 1.
