McKittrick, David

David McKittrick was born in Dundonald, Ireland, on 15 June 1886. He immigrated to Canada in 1906.

A labourer, McKittrick enlisted in the 51st Canadian Infantry Battalion (Edmonton), Canadian Expeditionary Force, in Edmonton, Alberta, on 19 November 1915. He was later transferred to the 44th Canadian Infantry Battalion. McKittrick was killed on 19 November 1916 while the 44th battalion garrisoned forward positions around the recently captured Regina Trench. His body was lost. The six days the battalion held those positions (15–21 November) took a heavy toll on the unit. The blasted, snow-covered landscape around the trench was thick with mud — waist deep at some points. Moreover, the men were subjected to regular German machine gun and artillery attacks. These conditions effectively cut off the battalion, meaning that only limited rations — if any at all — reached it from the rear. The rations that did make it forward were contaminated with mud, dirty water, and gasoline. The impact of this experience on the men of the 44th Battalion cannot be underestimated. When the battalion was finally relieved, many men felt sick as a result of the lack of rations (especially water), being subjected to freezing temperatures in a sodden landscape, and, indeed, sheer exhaustion.

David McKittrick is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.