Lt. Joseph Bowman Lynn Yule was born in Harriston, Wellington County, Ontario, on 2nd January 2nd, 1887, to Alexander and Janet Yule, the couple's only son.
By 1901 Joseph's mother had passed away and the family had moved to Owen Sound. Here he was a serving member of the 31st Grey Regiment of Militia and was making his living as a musician, playing the organ, when he decided to enlist in the C.E.F.
Twenty-nine year old Joseph was single when he attested to the 2nd Field Ambulance, in Toronto, as a private, #527731, on March 13th, 1916. In September he transferred to the University of Toronto's Canadian Officers Training Company, accepting his commission with the 2nd Greys, the 248th Battalion C.E.F., on 19th January 19th, 1917.
Billeted locally Joseph sailed with the unit in June 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. He 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 its final objective: Passchendaele.
Joseph served with the unit during the harsh winter of 1917/18 and into the battles of the final 100 days. Surviving the Battle of Amiens, he moved north with the unit towards Arras. Here in the early hours of 24th August, while the 4th C.M.R. was conducting a relief-in-place, they came under intense shelling. The bombardment was a mixed barrage of high explosive and gas shells causing over 120 casualties. Suffering the effects of being gassed, Joseph was medically evacuated but when recovered he was returned to the front lines to participate in the Pursuit to Mons.
Lieutenant Joseph Bowman Lynn Yule was struck off strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Toronto, on 31st July, 1919. Returning to Wellington County he eventually became the supervisor of music for the local schools. Joseph married Elsie Pickering in 1920 and the couple would go on to have two children. One of the witnesses at the couple's wedding was Walter Pfeffer, a former 248th Battalion officer who had also served with Joseph in the 4th C.M.R.
The war had taken its toll on Joseph, whose drowning death on 17th April, 1930, was declared a suicide due to mental derangement, attributed to his service.
Thanks and credit to George Auer for the above biography.