Captain
Coy, William Filmer
Unit
Branch
Canadian Army Medical Corps
Service Component
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Service Number
birth
1862/12/16
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
death
1939/09/17
Vancouver, Britsh Columbia, Canada
grave
Gender
Male
William Filmer Coy was born in Kingston, Ontario, on 16 December 1862.
A physician and surgeon, Coy was made a captain in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 2 June 1916. He saw wide service with Canadian field hospitals in England and Boulogne, France. He returned to England in June 1918 and fell ill in September with a kidney inflammation and arteriosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls). He was admitted to hospital in Eastbourne, England, and sent to Canada in January 1918, receiving further treatment in Vancouver.
Coy was discharged from the military on 15 October 1919 as unfit for further service due to his heart problems and general condition (he was described as “very corpulent and overweight” by the medical board that examined his case). He would live another 18 years, in spite of his heart condition. He died in Shaughnessy Military Hospital, Vancouver on 17 September 1936, at the age of 73.
Canadian military authorities attributed the health problems that caused Coy’s death (myocarditis) to his military service. As a result, he was considered a war casualty.
William Filmer Coy’s remains were cremated.
