20th Battalion Canadian Infantry

[Hambo]

I have recently acquired a very good history of this battalion while combing a bookshop in the states. It has a full roll of those who served, is remarkably detailed in its description of the actions and contains a full list of those who served including dates of enlistment, promotion and wounds. The only wrinkle is that the roll is listed by service number not alaphabetically so if you happen to know the service number it could save me failing eyesight!

John

[Schrorj]

My grandfather was one of those men. I also have the book on the history of the battalion. The picture shows my grandfather seated together with his brother. My Grandfather was wounded at the battle of Courcelette, The Somme Offensive. R# 58166. Cheers!

[westkent78]

Hello Hambo,

I'm interested in 850609 Hyman Isaac Baker. Be interested to hear what, if anything, is mentioned about the time upto 3/11/17 when Hyman was killed. I have the war diary entry but would be interested to hear what the book has to say.

Thanks,

Matthew

[Hambo]

Hi Matthew

Firstly sorry it has taken so long to reply but internet problem and Xmas has taken its toll!

There is an extensive roll of service which list your man and may give some additional into

Baker appears to have enlisted in the 95th Battalion (as do a lot of the men)on the 2nd of May 1916 and joined the 20th Battalion in France on the 27th of September 1916 as part of a large draft of replacements.

There is no mention of the draft actually arriving but the battalion were active in the Courcelette area of the Somme front at the time.

To give much detail on the battalion movements would be transcribing half the book but by the end of October 1916 they were in the Maroc sector and the Calonne sector in November and were in and out of the line there until January 1917 when they started training for the Vimy action.

They take part in the Battle for the ridge then were at Hill 70 from June to October 1917

They arrive in late October 1917 at Ypres. They marched up the Zonnebeke Rd on the 30th of October then spend two days on working parties at an artillery battery.

On the night of the 1st/2nd of November they were detailed to relieve 4th Canadian Division to the south west of Passchendaele but behind the front line.

They began moving at 2.30am on the morning of the 2nd

"The traffic on the road and the duck board tracks, the wooden slats of which were slippery and difficult to walk upon, made progress slow. In many places, where heavy shelling had made great gaps in the board walks, the men had to plunge knee deep into the mud.

The country side was a morass of water filled shell holes. Dotted here and there were pill boxes--- a new form of defence employed by the Germans----structures of reinforced concrete used as machine gun emplacements and shelters."

S When they arrived at the position there was no accommodation so the men scraped funk holes in the mud to lay down.

During the night and on the morning of the 3rd shelling was heavy with A Company suffering some casualties. Holes were dug and covered with groundsheets and rations were collected in the morning. Gas helmets were worn. Working parties were sent to repair roads around "Seine" Dump about a mile and a half to the east.

Probably not much more than the war diary would have given you but hopefully a little more

All the best John