838067 Pte. Lauchlan John Dunbar was born on February 13th, 1888, in the small community of Priceville, in Grey County, Ontario. Lauchlan listed his occupation as a farmer when he attested to the 147th Battalion on November 27th, 1915. Upon enlistment he was assigned to "A" Company, under the command of Captain Corrie.
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 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 March 7th, 1917, Lauchlan was taken on strength with the 4th C.M.R. in a reinforcement draft in the build up to the Battle of Arras - a battle that included the storming of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps.
Lauchlan continued to serve with the unit through 1917 into 1918, when he transferred to the Canadian Machine Gun Corps on May 30th of that year.
After the armistice Private Lauchlan John Dunbar returned to the 4th C.M.R. for demobilization and was struck off strength on March 29th, 1919.
Biography credit: George Auer