Printable View
Roger,
Here are 50 pages on MCRAE top link some good some not so good as they were scanned in, also four from the CWGC database to.
http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?...&id=B7197-S006
Dropbox - Pte. A. McRae - Simplify your life
Colin,
Certainly agree there. We, in the UK seem to make hard work of everything if the word "computer" is mentioned, there is so much bloody bureaucracy, even when it it comes to logging correctly the men that sacrificed their lives for the country!
Fascinating read Gil, even if some of it is a little hard to decipher. Interesting that he was born in London, so had presumably emigrated to Canada before the war, survived a gun shot wound to the hand in October 1916 (I bet that raised some questions), went on a Lewis gun course, then returned to be killed at Passchendaele....
Roger,
Yes absolutely. He certainly was a brave man. I am supposing of course that his wound was slight and he was returned to the lines, and it wasn't bad enough to be a "Blighty One"??
Yes. I was also wondering if he got any close questioning about how it occurred. By the middle of the war SIW's were becoming increasingly common, so gun shot wounds to the hand or foot/lower leg might predispose to a grilling.
Roger,
Knowing where he was, it was probably a blast injury.
It would appear he was sent from the front line tp the 2nd (Southern)Military Hospital in Maudlin street, Bristol on the 10/10/1916 with a severe injury to his right hand.
He was discharged on the 7/11/1916 from Bristol to recuperation unit at Military Hospital Bearwood, in Wokingham where he arrived on the 25/10/1916 and was immediately discharged as fit to return to the line.
It would appear he was docked 3 days pay for going AWOL overnight the 3/4th of February 1917 until the 5/3/1917, wonder where he went for nearly a month?? Was this the Lewis gun course??
He was then sent to France on the 19th of March 1917, and was killed on the 28th October 1917.
RIP
It's hard to make out a lot of the details, but on one of the file index cards it says 'GSW R hand'. I also saw a comment elsewhere which referred to the removal of metal from the hand. I suppose that could be a bullet or bullet fragment, or a just as easily a piece of steel shell shard.
Interestingly, I found this image of the LEWIS GUN Specialist course for units of the Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion at Camblain L'Abbe which is near Ypres on the monring of the 13th October 1917. One has to assume MCRAE is on there, but which one? Nothing like a bit of detective work when it comes to the British & Commonwealth Armies!!
Also the CMR recruitment poster
On page 24 of the 50 on record if you expand the image as the words are poor, it says clearly there in pencil Returned from Course 13/10/17
All medical reference on page 44 in Military speak ie G.S.W means: gun shot wound and earlier on page 22 an entry Missile Fragment
Wrong McRae gents.
No.118087 Alex McRae, it's a good thing he left his number on that wall because his attestation incorrectly shows him as "McRea".
Canadian WWI records are here:
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discov...es/search.aspx
Not only attestation papers but the entire file on each man.
No @%$^*# user fees either!
His file is here: http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?...&id=B7197-S007
DoB either 25 Mar 1895 or 96, forms don't agree. He was born in Ontario, and enlisted as a 19 year old steam fitter by trade, at Pincher Creek, Alberta on 5th Feb, 1915, and served in France from 23rd Dec. 1915 until invalided to the UK with pleurisy on 23 of July 1918. He was finally discharged at Calgary, Alberta on Feb 2nd 1919, intending to reside at Coalhurst, Alberta.
After that the trail runs cold, although an Alex McRae died in Stewart, BC in 1933 at about the right age. If he was working in the mines there his pleurisy might have returned, but that is just conjecture. Many soldiers, especially those who had flu, pleurisy etc. or were gassed moved down to the warmer and drier parts of the USA after the war. Alexander may have done so as well.
Angus McRae of Calgary, Alberta is given as his next of kin, either his father or brother: the forms don't agree. He was sending about half his pay to a Miss Maggie. M. McRae of 9 Knock Point, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Perhaps a sister or aunt?
War Service Badge Class A No.68023, but no record of medals being sent, nor of his date of death, which suggests he pretty much disappeared.
I thought I saw a notice from a Lethbridge, Alberta newspaper of about 1920 asking anyone who knew his whereabouts to contact the Legion(?) there. Can't find that again now though.
Attachment 96261
The way the "Mounted Rifles....Ypres 1915...." is done compared to the earlier part of the text suggests he either got tired of the task or had to finish in a hurry before moving on.
Well done Sherlock! Thanks for that. Yes, if he'd had pleurisy it may well have left his lungs 'weakened' & him more prone to respiratory complaints.
Guys,
Meant to say a film coming out on the 14th October called "They shall not grow old" is being released.
Peter Jackson the Director is using ALL the WW1 footage that the IWM hold and colourizing it and sharpening everything, its truly amazing and will certainly be an amazing film on the 100th year.
Here's a preview:
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD - Trailer (2018) - Peter Jackson World War I Documentary - YouTube