Transcription: Russell MacGillivary’s Biography of William Forsyth

Private William FORSYTH

Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment)

13th Battalion

Service Number: 415113

Date of Death: 7 September 1916

Age at Death: 38

Family: Son of the late David and Margaret Forsyth; brother of David Forsyth, Longdyke

William Forsyth was a miner in Carronhall Colliery, Carronshore, when he emigrated to Canada at the age of 23.

Records of folk from Bothkennar often include emigration to Canada and the Americas that crossing the Atlantic to the Eastern Seaboard of Canada to seek work in the new world was quite usual in the area: the 40 Men of Bothkennar list contains a number of men who had sailed to the Eastern seaboard of America, including William. William was different in that the pattern of emigration and immigration suggest that the movement was both ways: William is unusual in that he is one of the oldest on the Bothkennar list. He is also unusual be cause he became resident in Canada: it appears that travel between Scotland and Canada was more usual than we might suppose but William is the one of the earliest to travel, and the only man identified on the list that lived in Canada rather than spent time in Canada.

William enlisted in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 26th March 1915.

William enlisted in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 26th March 1915. Initially he was placed with the 40th Battalion Canadian Infantry which seems to have been a holding and/or training battalion. He arrived in England on 25th October 1915 and was “taken on strength” on 3rd November at Shorncliffe Camp, a training camp in Kent, (about as close he could be to the front as was possible. On completion of his training (23 June 1916) he was transferred to his final posting to the 13th (Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion in July 1916 before being taken on strength “in the field”: William arrived at the front line on 6th July 1916.

The dates are significant: 1st of July 1916 saw the start of the Somme offensive, the great push that would end the war (by Christmas…) and William and his battalion was involved in the second wave, and going into action almost immediately: William’s 13th Infantry battalion went into action a week after the commencement of the Somme battle and was fighting continuously on the front line for the next two months.  

William was wounded during the Somme Battle when his battalion was ordered to support the 13th Australian Infantry Brigade in attacking Mouquet Farm, a German stronghold just north of Pozieres: the Australians had already made five attempts to capture this stronghold.

Private William FORSYTH

13th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment)

Service Number: 415113

Date of Death: 7 September 1916

Age at Death: 38

Family: Son of the late David and Margaret Forsyth; brother of David Forsyth, Longdyke

Private Forsyth arrived at the Western Front early in 1916. He was wounded during the Battle of the Somme when his battalion was ordered to support the 13th Australian Infantry Brigade in attacking Mouquet Farm, a German stronghold just north of Pozieres, on 3 September.

(The Australians had already made five attempts to capture this stronghold.)

The Canadian battalion advanced and dug in. Its war diary records that during Sunday night (September 3rd), the men were heavily shelled, but showed great courage and endurance.

The war diary states that on 4th September the heavy shelling continued the whole of the day on the Front and Support Lines. Heavy shelling continued again on both sides during the whole of the day. The war diary states that “Our artillery… fired about two shells to every German one.)” During the action on 5th September the Battalion also suffered a heavy counterattack and it on this day and in this action that Private Forsyth was wounded.

On the following day the 13th battalion, co-operating with the 13th Australian Infantry Brigade, was ordered by General Glasstorch of the Australian Brigade to send forward two companies to Pozieres to support the Australians who were attacking Mouquet Farm. This was the introduction of the battalion into the area which the Germans had christened "the Blood Baths of the Somme."

A total of 82 men from the battalion were wounded that day. Sadly, two days after he was wounded, William died as a result of the wounds he received during the battle. He died at the 2nd Canadian Field Ambulance based at Albert.

By the time the battalion was relieved on the 7th September the battalion’s casualties numbered well over 250.