Private
Elson, William
Unit
72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada)
Branch
Infantry
Service Component
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Service Number
145662
birth
1878/07/30
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
death
1917/08/15
France
grave
Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France
Gender
Male
William Elson was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on 30 July 1878.
A widower with a young son named Harry, Elson worked as a gardener before enlisting in the 77th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in Ottawa on 11 December 1915. After initial training in Canada, the battalion left for England on SS Missanabie, embarking in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 19 June 1916. The ship arrived in Liverpool on 28 June 1916, after which the battalion travelled to Camp Bramshott, a Canadian military facility, in Hampshire.
Five days after arriving in England, Elson was transferred to the 72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada), and he travelled to France with that unit on 12 August 1916. There, he was sent for training in the operation of trench mortars. After he completed his training, he was posted to the 12th Canadian Trench Mortar Battery.
Elson was killed in action in France on 15 August 1917, the first day of the Battle of Hill 70. His body was not recovered.
William Elson is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.
