Private Allan George Masterton
177875 1st Battalion
Canadian Infantry
(Western Ontario Regiment)
died 24th July 1916
aged 20
Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, VIII. A. 140.
St. Lambert Soldiers Memorial, Quebec, Canada
Son of George Masterton and Sarah McDonald
Quebec, Canada
Genealogy
Allan George Masterton was born in Quebec, Canada in 1896, the second of two children born to George Harry Masterton, clerk, born in Glasgow, Scotland and Sarah Charlotte McDonald, born in California. George and Sarah had married in Ontario, Canada in 1891. George second married Jessie Gertrude Rombough in 1900. In 1911 the family, including George (15) was in 52 Stanley Avenue, St Lambert, Chambly & Vercheres, Quebec. When Allan enlisted on 29 November 1915 he was employed on the railroad.
Further details of Allan, his parents, sister and step-brother Harry, and the extended family of Mastertons that originally flourished near Cramond, Midlothian, Scotland can be found at the following link.
His War
Allan volunteered on 29 November 1915 in Montreal, Canada and his attestation papers are over-stamped "Canadian Grenadier Guards Overseas Battalion". He was 19 years and 7 months old, 5 feet 7½ inches tall, fair haired with grey eyes. At the time of his death eight months later he was serving in the 1st Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Western Ontario Regiment), which formed part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade in the 1st Canadian Division.
Allan's battalion began the month of July 1916 in Kemora Camp in the Ypres Salient and received orders to relieve the 10th Battalion in the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade on the night of 5/6 July (left sector, trenches 53 to 58 inclusive). They marched off at 5pm and the relief was complete by 1.20am. Two casualties were sustained. On 7 July, the battalion's heavy guns bombarded Mount Sorrel in support of the planned operation of the 4th Canadian Battalion. At 11.45pm on the night of 8 July, the guns opened an intense bombardment of Mount Sorrel, which within 90 seconds prompted a severe retaliation, but spread over a wide front with several casualties in the battalion trenches. The 4th Canadians attacked at midnight but failed to get through the wire.
On the following evening, 9 July, the enemy guns ranged on the battalion positions, and rained down an intense bombardment for three hours, including the support lines and Battalion HQ. The trenches were severely damaged and the battalion suffered about 100 men killed or wounded. This seems the most likely event in which Allan was wounded, and subsequently taken to hospital in Boulogne for treatment.
On 24 July 1916, Allan died in Boulogne of the wounds he had sustained. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery.
His local community also remembers him, and his name is on the St. Lambert Soldiers Memorial, unveiled by General Sir Arthur Currie on 9th July 1922.
The order of service from the unveiling of the memorial, Allan's name is recorded in column 2, five down.
Other Sources
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial
- Canadian Expeditionary Force Records
- Allan George Masterton WW1 Attestation page 1
- Allan George Masterton WW1 Attestation page 2
- War Diary - 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry 1-7 July 1916
- War Diary - 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry 8-11 July 1916
- War Diary - 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry 11-16 July 1916
- War Diary - 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry 16-24 July 1916
- Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War: Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919
- Allan George Masterton in IWM Lives of the First World War
- Medals: Victory, British War.