In Memory of

GEORGE BUCHAN

Lance Sergeant
28879
16th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regt.)
who died on
Friday, 28th April 1916. Age 28.

Additional Information:

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George Buchan Yule was born at Weets, Kennethmont on 3rd June 1887. He was the illegitimate son of Mary Yule who advised on his birth certificate that she was a Domestic Servant domicile at Mains of Leask, Slains. In the 1891 Census George B Yule is a boarder aged three years in the home of the McDonald family at Weets Croft. It may be that his mother had a family link to this family.

He started at Old Town School on 12/5/1893 and moved to Kennethmont School on 16/3/1899. In both records his DOB is given as 3/6/1887 and his Parent / Guardian as John McDonald, Weets. He is recorded in both registers as George Buchan.

Service Notes

When war was declared George Buchan was already a member of the local Militia regiment based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. When the initial appeal for volunteers was made he joined, as an original member, the newly formed 16th Batt, Canadian Infantry on 23 September 1914 at Camp Valcartier (Québec). The 16th Batt was made up of Militia men from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba and Hamilton, Ontario. He then went to France as a member of The Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. Attestation papers.

Additional details from CEF Roll of Honour
GEORGE BUCHAN - died of wounds. Enlisted in Vancouver

The 16th Battalion had been cobbled together from units in four other highland regiments. They were companies drawn from Vancouver's Seaforth Highlanders, the Gordon Highlanders of Victoria, Winnipeg's Cameron Highlanders and Hamilton's Canadian Highlanders.

Circumstances of Death file: Died of wounds at No 10 C.C.S.

16th Battalion CEF ( Manitoba Regiment) were known as The Canadian Scottish.
They were in 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division.

28th April 1916 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. In Ypres area around Mount Sorrel.

Urquhart, Hugh M. -- The history of the 16th Battalion : (the Canadian Scottish) Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1919. -- Toronto : Macmillan, 1932. -- 853 p.

1st Canadian Division
Formed in August 1914. Originally formed from Provisional Battalions that were named after their Province of origin. The Provisional titles were dropped before the Division arrived in Great Britain.

3 October 1914 the first contingent of Canadian soldiers, 33,000 officers and men, the largest army that ever crossed the Atlantic at one time, set sail from the Bay of Gaspé.
14 October 1914 arrived at Plymouth Sound. Lieutenant-General Alderson assumed command of the Canadians. Equipment included nine automobiles, 275 bicycles and nine motorcycles.
15 October 1914 the unit arrived at Enford on Salisbury Plain.
9 February 1915 the1st Canadian Division departed England.
12 February 1915 arrived in St Nazaire, France .
Between 17 February and 2 March attached to a British division in front of Armentières for indoctrination in trench warfare.
 Served in France and Flanders until the Armistice.

3rd Canadian Brigade.
13th (Royal Highlanders) Bn Canadian Infantry. Aug 1914 - 11 Nov 1918.
14th (Royal Montreal Regt) Bn Canadian Infantry. Aug 1914 - 11 Nov 1918.
15th (48th Highlanders) Bn Canadian Infantry. Aug 1914 - 11 Nov 1918.
16th (Canadian Scottish) Bn Canadian Infantry. Aug 1914 - 11 Nov 1918.

 

Commemorative Information

Cemetery: LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Grave Reference/
Panel Number:		 VI. B. 23.

Location:

View Canadian Book of Remembrance entry

 

 Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery is located 11.5 kilometres west of Ieper town centre, on the Boescheepseweg, a road leading from the N308 connecting Ieper to Poperinge. From Ieper town centre the Poperingseweg (N308) is reached via Elverdingsestraat, then over two small roundabouts in the J. Capronstraat. The Poperingseweg is a continuation of the J. Capronstraat and begins after a prominent railway level crossing. On reaching Poperinge, the N308 joins the left hand turning onto the R33, Poperinge ring road. The R33 ring continues to the left hand junction with the N38 Frans- Vlaanderenweg. 800 metres along the N38 lies the left hand turning onto Lenestraat. The next immediate right hand turning leads onto Boescheepseweg. The cemetery itself is located 1.5 kilometres along Boescheepseweg on the right hand side of the road. From Calais, take the motorway A16 signposted Dunkerque/Lille. At Dunkerque take the motorway signposted Lille/Ypres, the A25. Leave the motorway at Junction 13, the village of Steenvoorde. Follow the D948/N38 signposted Ieper/Poperinge. After approximately 8-10 kilometres Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery will be signposted off to the right. Please Note: Ypres/ Ieper are the same place: Ypres (French spelling), Ieper (Flemish spelling) Commission signposts are green and white
Historical Information: The Hazebrouck-Poperinghe railway line and the Poperinghe-Ypres road formed the main communication between the bases and the Flemish battlefields, and Lijssenthoek, lying close behind the extreme range of enemy shell-fire, was a natural position for clearing hospitals. It was first used by the French 15th Hopital D'Evacuation. In June, 1915, it began to be used by British Casualty Clearing Stations; and between that month and the Armistice it became the second greatest British War Cemetery. From April to August, 1918, the Casualty Clearing Stations fell back before the German advance, and Field Ambulances (including a French Ambulance) took their places; and the French graves in Plots XXVI, XXVII, and XXXI recalled the French regiments that were sent to Flanders at that time. Twenty-four British graves in Plot XXXI were brought from isolated positions near Poperinghe after the Armistice. There are now nearly 10,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site.