Private
O'Neil, Clifford James
Unit
38th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Ottawa)
Branch
Infantry
Service Component
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Service Number
410163
birth
1897/07/11
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
death
1916/11/18
France
grave
Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France
Gender
Male
Clifford James O’Neil was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on 11 July 1897.
A teamster, O’Neil enlisted in the 38th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Ottawa) in his hometown on 24 February 1915. He was killed in France on 18 November 1916 when his unit attacked Desire Trench during the Battle of the Somme. His body was lost.
The attack in which O’Neil was killed was launched as the first snows of winter fell on the Somme Valley. By the time it began, at 6:10 a.m., it was bitterly cold and the snow had turned to sleet, making visibility practically zero. After the attack, offensive operations came to a halt on the Somme.
Clifford James O’Neil is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.
