862073 Pte. William Smith Brown

Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery

Averdoingt

Pas de Calais

France

Born in Toronto in February 1891, William was a plumber by trade when he attested into the 180th (Sportsmen) Battalion in Toronto on January 31st, 1916.

With 5 years previous military experience with the Royal Engineers, William was one of 11 men of the 180th Battalion to be transferred to the 4th CMR in the first quarter of 1918.

At the time of William's loss the 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 'D' company was subject to gas and shrapnel rounds that were to cause 116 casualties. William was injured by shrapnel in the stomach and left leg. Although attended to and evacuated to No.33 Casualty Clearing Station, William subsequently died five days later on the 29th.

Pte. William Smith Brown is one of 20 men of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles known to lie at rest in Ligny-St.Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, France.

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Thanks go to Yvo Henniker-Heaton for the headstone image. The biography excerpt is courtesy of David Kavanagh.