838964 Pte. James Fenwick Heron was born in Osprey Township, near the village of Maxwell, Ontario, on August 4th, 1887. He was one of four children born to Charles and Mary. James was working as a farmer when he attested to the 147th Battalion, in Owen Sound, on March 14th 1916.
James would have been billeted locally until the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in May, to finalize the administration and organization of the unit, just prior to their departure for Camp Niagara later that month. As the conditions in this Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June.
The unit received their orders to proceed overseas in September and while en-route to Halifax, there was an outbreak of diphtheria and they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain, on November 14th 1916.
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. James was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on June 16th, 1917, and was immediately sent to work with the 3rd Entrenching Battalion.
Returning to the 4th C.M.R. in September James survived Passchendaele and continued to serve with them through the winter and into the battles of the final 100 days. Making it through the battles of Amiens, Arras, and Cambrai, James was mortally wounded during the "Pursuit to Mons".
On October 31, 1918, James received a penetrating chest wound from harassing machine gun fire from the far bank of the Canal de l'Escault. Evacuated to #4 Casualty Clearing Station he succumbed to his wounds the same day.
838964 James Fenwick Heron was laid to rest in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium.
Biography credit: George Auer, with thanks.