649216 Pte. Malcolm Campbell was born in Hanover, Grey County on June 13th, 1882 to Malcolm and Mary Campbell.
Having struck out on his own, Malcolm was single and working as a bartender in Hearst, Ontario, a rough and tumble lumber town located in Northern Ontario, when he decided to enlist. The thirty-three year old attested into the 159th (1st Algonquins) Battalion C.E.F., on May 4th, 1916 and sailed with his unit to England aboard the S.S. Empress that November.
On January 1st, 1917, the 159th Battalion ceased to exist when it was absorbed into the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose mandate was to supply reinforcements to the 58th and 116th battalions as well as the 4th C.M.R. Malcolm was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on April 9th, the first day of the Battle of Arras; the battle where the Canadian Corps stormed Vimy Ridge. Due to the demands this battle put on the transportation system, his journey from England to the front lines took over a week. Reporting for duty on April 17th, Malcolm was with the unit for the remainder of the greater Battle of Arras. He then served through the summer and into the fall, before taking part in his first major operation, the 3rd Battle of Ypres. A battle better known to history for where it ended: Passchendaele.
The battle commenced at 05:40 on October 26th, 1917 with the 4th C.M.R. anchoring the Canadian Corps left flank. Advancing across the muddy fields under intense enemy fire Malcolm received a bullet wound to his left shoulder. Making his way back to the casualty clearing station he spotted Roger Lamont, a fellow platoon member, who he had witnessed being shot minutes before he had received his own wound. Stopping, Malcolm took it upon himself to cover Roger with his rubber sheet, to keep the rain off him and handed him some chicklets before saying goodbye. Roger would succumb to his wounds the following day, while Malcolm would survive his.
Post-war, Malcolm would respond to Mrs. Lamont's request and wrote to her, giving her his first-hand account of the circumstances of her son's death.
As for Malcolm, he had received his "Blighty", as his wound would keep him out of the line for the duration of the war. He required surgery to remove the bullet logged in his shoulder and he would spend over a year in various hospitals in England. Eventually, he was invalided home to Canada for further medical treatment before being discharged.
649216 Private Malcolm Campbell was struck off strength of the 4th C.M.R. and the Canadian Expeditionary Force on January 29th, 1919. Malcolm passed away on May 4th, 1926, from acute alcoholism and he was laid to rest two days later in Toronto's Prospect Cemetery.
It is unknown if his death was related to his service as no Veteran Death Card was filled out. But given the circumstances there is no doubt the trauma he experienced at Passchendaele played a role in his demise.
Biography credit: George Auer