1066244 Pte Richard Henry Whitney was born in Perth County, Ontario, on 1st December, 1874 to John and Rebecca. In 1898 he married Catharine Lannan and the couple were living in Markdale, Grey County, with their four children, when Richard, a local grain buyer enlisted.

Forty-two year old Richard attested to the 2nd Greys, the 248th Battalion C.E.F. in Toronto on 13th March, 1917. Billeted locally he sailed with the unit in May of 1917. Upon arrival in England, the 248th Battalion was absorbed into the 8th Reserve Battalion. This unit's mandate was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R.

Richard was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on 9th November, 1917, in a reinforcement draft after the blood-letting the unit had received during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. A battle more commonly known by where it ended: Passchendaele.

Serving with the 4th C.M.R. through the harsh winter of 1917/18 and into the battles of the final 100 days, and surviving the battles of Amiens and Arras, Richard's age finally caught up with him. Suffering from varicose veins, Richard was transferred to a labour battalion at the end of September. A job no less dangerous but easier on the legs compared to the rigors of being an infantryman in a more fluid battlefield.

1066244 Private Richard Henry Whitney, was struck off strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Toronto, on 25th March, 1919. Returning to Grey County, Richard passed away on 22nd November, 1946. His military service during the Great War is remembered locally on the Markdale War Memorial.

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Credit and thanks go to George Auer for the above biography.