111211 CQMS. Harold Mackie Grimmer was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in June 1892. A clerk by trade when he signed, up in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on May 28th, 1915.

Attesting into the 6th CMR on May 28th, 1915, and noting as having had previous military experience with the 28th Dragoons, Harold found himself at Valcatier Camp, northern Quebec, in early June. He sailed for England on the S.S. Herschel on July 18th, and landed at Devonport, England, on July 26th.

The 6th CMR trained at Shorncliffe, Kent, on England's southeast coast, until shipping to France on October 24th, 1915.

Due to divisional restructuring, the 6th CMR ceased to exist on January 1st, 1916, when it was absorbed into the 4th and 5th CMR under the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Harold and 174 fellow 6th CMR men found themselves with the 4th CMR, then in Corps Reserve near Bailleul, on the French / Belgian border area near Ypres.

At the time of Harold's loss, 4th CMR had, on August 24th, 1918, just returned to the front line, at Feuchy, 5km to the west of Arras, when in the early morning 'B' company was subject to gas and shrapnel rounds that were to cause 116 casualties. Harold was badly affected by gas and although attended to and evacuated to No.7 Casualty Clearing Station, he subsequently died three days later, on the 27th.

Harold is one of 20 men of the 4th CMR known to lie at rest in Ligny-St.Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, France.

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The biography excerpt and image of Harold is courtesy of 4cmr.com

Thanks go to Yvo Henniker-Heaton for the headstone image.