Rank
Pte
Service No.
454257
Unit
45th Regiment, 39th Battalion, 59th Battalion, 21st Battalion
Citations
Good Conduct Badge
Died
15 August, 1917
Age 29
Age 29
Commemorated
Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
Remembrance:
First World War Book of Remembrance - Page 352
Additional Info
John Winchester was born 1 June 1887 in Morayshire, Scotland. His father was listed on his attestation form also as John Winchester, but his mothers name is not known. John married Margaret Ann and together they had 3 children. The family resided at 70 Durham Street, Lindsay ON.
After enlisting on 28 May 1915 with the 59th Battalion, John was subsequently attached to the 21st Battalion in France. He also served with the 45th Regiment in Lindsay, and was employed by the Grand Trunk Railroad as an engineer. Any additional information on his family has not been found, but the notice of his death in the Lindsay Post mentioned that his mother, father, and sister were mourning his death in Scotland, with a brother fighting for the BEF in France, and a sister and brother living in Lindsay at the time.
On the first day of the Battle of Hill 70, on 15 August 1917, John was listed as killed in action. His War Graves Register has been lost, so no further details of his death are available.
John Winchester’s name is on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which honours all Canadians who served during the First World War and bears the names of those who died in France with no known grave. He was 30 years old.
Attestation and other Documents (pdf, 48 pages - 23MB)
