838601 Pte. Earl Cranney was born on November 9th, 1897, in Bognor, Ontario.
Growing up on and working on his Uncle's farm, Earl attested into the 147th Battalion in Owen Sound on January 15th, 1916 and was assigned to "C" Company.
Billeted locally over the winter, the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in the spring of 1916 and left for training at Camp Niagara. As the conditions in the Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June. In September the unit received their orders to proceed overseas, but due to an outbreak of diphtheria they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month.
The unit finally sailed for Great Britain on November 14th 1916 on the S.S. Olympic, the sister ship to the earlier ill-fated Titanic.
On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. On February 17th, 1917, Earl was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. in a draft of reinforcements in the build-up for the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Earl survived Vimy but was wounded on April 20th, in what appears to have been an incident known as "wastage". The battalion was in brigade reserve and was conducting salvaging parties and other work parties during the time Earl was reported wounded. The exact nature of the incident wasn't recorded in the War diaries but the wound appears to have been severe enough to take Earl out of the war.
Private Earl Cranney was struck off strength of the 4th C.M.R. on February 12th, 1918.
Biography credit: George Auer