1066018 Pte. Elgin Alexander Barclay was born on September 1st, 1892, in Derby Township on the outskirts of Owen Sound, Ontario. There he worked on the family farm until war was declared.


When the 248th Battalion C.E.F. was authorized Elgin volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force, attesting to the new battalion on December 11th, 1916. Sailing with the unit in May 1917, the 248th BN was reassigned to a Reserve Battalion once it had arrived in England.


Elgin was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. in the field on November 9th, 1917, in what was probably a reinforcement draft to take the place of the casualties inflected on the unit at Passchendaele.


He saw service with the 4th C.M.R. during the German spring offensive of 1918, and fought with them during the final 100 days. He was struck off strength of the 4th C.M.R. on March 20th, 1919.


Private Elgin Barclay's service is remembered on Derby Township's memorial scroll located in the village of Kilsyth and his name is also found on Knox United Church's memorial, now located in Georgian Shores United Church, Owen Sound.






Biography details credit: George Auer