Remembering those who fought in the Great War.

Archibald Munn

Labourer Born Greenock Nov 4 1874 Enlisted June 15 1915 at Montreal

Killed at Zillebeke. 

“At 8.17 A.M. word was received to advance. Under Major Powell the whole Battalion swept forward. They were met with a concentrated machine gun and rifle fire from the enemy’s trenches and an almost incredible weight of artillery was brought to bear upon them. Steadily they went forward, the lines reforming automatically as the growing number of casualties robbed the first lines of their effectives. For almost three hundred yards they continued towards the German trenches, one Officer, Lieut. Major with a small following actually reaching the German Line, other parties advancing right up to his wire. Major Powell finding his strength reduced to one third and losing heavily at every step then stopped the advance and ordered the Battalion to dig in where it stood. Under continuous heavy fire of all descriptions the Battalion established a line here, dug in and held it all day until relieved early the following morning.

“Major Powell kept charge of the firing line, although wounded, until it appeared to be established, when he handed over to Lieut. R.A. Pelletier, who although blown up twice and once rendered unconscious for a short time kept the command, and handed over only to the relieving Battalion. No communication with Headquarters was possible for over three hours. Through the day the firing line was never stronger than about 80 of all ranks with small detached parties on the flanks, the whole representing what remained of the Battalion.

“Of the Officers of Companies and Details taking part in the advance every one was either killed, wounded, blown up or buried by shells. Major Powell, Capt. C.B. Price, Lieut. Lugar, Lieut. Worrall, Lieut. Evans, Lieut. Torrance, Lieut. O’Brien, Lieut. Rexford, Lieut. MacKenzie, Lieut. Owen, Lieut. Walker and Lieut. Marion were all wounded. Capt. E.A. Whitehead, Lieut. A.F. Major and Lieut. M.M. Grondin were killed. Capt. Frost was twice blown up by shells but remained on duty. Lieut. Pelletier had a similar experience and also remained so did Lieut. Nesbitt who was partially buried. Lieut. Beaton had a shell splinter in his shoulder but did not leave his post nor did Lieut. McKenna wounded in the hand. Major G. McCombe, Capt. F.W. Utton and Lieut. C.G. Power came through unscathed.

“Altogether the Battalion lost in this advance 379 all ranks.

“It had achieved what would have been a fine feat for the best troops in the World. The men had come up to unknown ground on an unknown task through miles of country under intermittent shellfire without any loss of morale. They had advanced through two of the most severe barrages of artillery fire possible to imagine. They has established a line through a bad gap in our defences under the same conditions; prevented any further advance of the enemy to the key of the salient; had reclaimed a large portion of ground written off as lost and had established a line from which a successful attack on the lost positions could be and was eventually launched.
 
“The Batallion was relieved early in the morning of June 4th and marched to Dominion Lines. On the following afternoon they were ordered to Patricia Lines. Lieut. Beaton and Lieut. Nesbitt responded to a call from Col. Clark for volunteers to go back and bury the dead. They took fifty other ranks with them, and did much valuable work in burial of the dead and reclaiming the wounded who had been overlooked, on that night June 4/5th. This party suffered three killed.”
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Archibald Munn