Sunday July 10th, 2016 The Battle of Mount Sorrel

The Battle of Mount Sorrel began at 8.30 am on June 2, 1916 when the Germans unleashed a hail of gunfire which continued until 1pm. The Germans overran the Canadian trenches on a front of about 1000 metres and captured the heights of Mount Sorrel, Hill 61, Hill 62, as well as the eastern portion of Observation Ridge by early afternoon.

The Lakehead’s 52nd Battalion took part in the counter attack to the north of Hill 62 against Sanctuary Wood, and met up with Canadian units still holding the original front lines near the ruined village of Hooge.

Private W.C. Millar of the 52nd recounted the inspiring leadership of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Hay, who raced back and forth encouraging the men forward, even with the shells blasting holes through the ranks.

The 52nd was shot to pieces before it even made it to the front; only  ‘D’ Company reached the jumping off position. The battalion took crippling losses of several hundred men before Hay too was killed by the incessant fire.

Archibald Hay was born in Quebec City in 1874 and became an insurance agent. He enlisted at Port Arthur in April 1915 and was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel in the 52nd Battalion in October 1915. He died on June 3, 1916 at age 42 and is remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and at St Paul’s United Church, Port Arthur.  

Major Alexander Young was also killed on June 3, 1916. He was born in Scotland in 1859 and became a career soldier with 24 years’ service with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Toronto and Quebec.  He served in the South African Campaign and received Long Service and Good Conduct medals. He was given a commission in May 1915 as a Lieutenant to become the Adjutant of the 52nd where his years of experience would benefit the battalion. He was promoted to Major in July to command A Company. He is remembered at the Menin Gate.

The two sides dug in trading small arms fire with the steady fall of rain, high explosives, shrapnel and gas adding to the misery. Little was achieved other than the slow creep of casualties. The Lakehead lost 20 men between June 2-5, but much worse was to follow.

On June 6, the Germans blew up four mines; the 28th Battalion lost two whole companies, including over 20 men from Port Arthur and Fort William. They are all remembered on the Menin Gate.

Perhaps the saddest loss was that of John H Woodside of the Algoma Hotel, Port Arthur, who had two sons in the 28th Battalion. John Morris Woodside was a machinist and his brother Allen Ray was a street railway motorman. They both enlisted on October 23, 1914 and became Privates in the 28th Battalion. They died together on June 6, 1916 aged 23 and 25 respectively. They are also remembered at Trinity United Church, Thunder Bay.

The battle claimed another officer’s life on June 22, 1916. Lieutenant Stanley Pringle was born in 1892 at Belleville, Ontario. He was a clerk and lived at 315 Dawson Street, Port Arthur. He was wounded by shrapnel in both feet on June 8, 1916. These had to be amputated and he died at age 24. He is remembered at the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery.

Two weeks of fighting at Mount Sorrel had resulted in almost no change in the ground held by both sides. But the battle had cost the Canadians more than 8,700 casualties and the 52nd  Battalion suffered heavily. Three officers were killed (Hay, Young, Pringle) and seven were wounded. Among the other ranks 46 were killed and 168 were wounded. The death notices and obituaries of these fallen soldiers appeared in the local newspapers over the following days and weeks. These can be found on the WWI Thunder Bay Centennial Project website at www.tbpl.ca/worldwarone along with their attestation papers and burial records.

John Pateman