Walter Reginald Johnston
Walter Reginald Johnston, known as Reggie to his friends and family, was born 20 November 1890 in Lindsay ON. He was the oldest child of his parents, Robert John and Ella (Taylor) Johnston, who had 3 children before Ella died of pneumonia in 1902. His father relocated to 1797 Dundas Street W in Toronto, where he was listed as a merchant.
Reggie listed his occupation as farmer on his attestation papers, but in addition to that he was a gifted surveyor, travelling throughout the Northwest, doing engineering work in the Rockies and Northern British Columbia and Alberta. Having acquired a homestead in Saskatchewan, he travelled to Winnipeg to enlist with the 53rd Battalion on 6 December 1915, and was transferred to the 60th Battalion upon arrival in England. He also served for 2 years with the 45th Victoria Regiment prior to moving out west.
After arriving in France, Reggie was in action for just 10 weeks before he was killed, but made an incredible impact in that short time. Not one to miss out on the fight, Reggie turned down the opportunity at receiving a commission before leaving Calgary, because he was anxious to get to the front and would have needed to stay and qualify. Instead, he said he would win one on the field before he died. Weeks later, a special correspondent for The Star who was placed with troops at the front, mentioned in despatches that “a red-headed corporal mounted a parapet with a machine gun and repeatedly drove the enemy back with a withering hail of lead, continuing to hold the redoubt long after his officer was killed and until reinforcements came up, holding the enemy in check.” He was buried by a shell explosion after the trench he was holding was blown to pieces, but he managed to dig himself out with only a few bruises. After this action, it was noticed that there was a hole in his gas helmet from shrapnel. Reggie was referred to as Red by his comrades thanks to his red hair, and was confirmed to be the soldier in this despatch. He received a promotion as acting Lieutenant because of his bravery a short time before he was killed, fulfilling his prediction that he would win a commission on the field of battle.
On the night of 16 September 1916, his battalion was ordered to advance to capture certain German trenches. His battalion had suffered significant casualties and since there were very few officers left, the decision was made to pull Reggie from the ranks and put him in command of No 8 Platoon. This would have normally been a Lieutenants role. The battalion began the advance and captured the target trenches, still holding them into the next day when the Germans began a massive bombardment. From the information available, it was said that Reggie “was buried in debris from the explosion of an enemy shell that struck part of the trench where he was located. The informant states that he was dug out without delay but was dead, and that his head had been badly injured.” On the official record, Reggie died on 18 September 1916 and his body was not recovered.
Walter Reginald Johnston’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 26 years old.
