Lt John Mackay Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry PPCLI

[Adam MacDonald]

Hello, I am attempting to interpret and understand my relative's Canadian service records, and quite specifically know when he was in and out of the line to further understand what battles he would of been in.

He was wounded several times which subsequently resulted in him spending extended periods recovering however it is unclear to me exactly how long this would be.

I know he was definitely at the battles of Frezenberg 1915, Paschendale, Canal du Nord 1918. His regiment had been involved in many large actions of the war such as the Battle of Mont Sorrel, Battle of the Somme/Flers Corcelette/Ancre Heights, Vimy Ridge, etc.

Any help understanding these would be extremely appreciated as I am attempting to put together a book regarding the family's contribution and history during the war. Many thanks!

P.S. I could not attach the file so please follow the link to his service records. 

Service Record: http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=pffww&id=156947&lang=eng

[tullybrone]

Hi,

You have one side of the picture with his service record but you now need to check his unit war diary to see the unit movements “in and out of the line” when he was with them.

You can access the War Diar(ies) via the Canadian archives using this link -

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx

As an officer he may even be mentioned by name.

Good Luck.

Steve

Edited 6 February by tullybrone

[Adam MacDonald]

Hi Steve

Yes I have scanned through the Battalion War Diaries, and he is indeed mentioned by name and number on a few occasions. Only when he is an Officer however. He is mentioned during the Battle of Paschendale when he is wounded, and again during the battle of Canal Du Nord when he is unfortunately killed. This doesn't really help me much. I know the movements of the battalion, their battle honours, when they were in said battles etc. However as aforementioned I struggle to exactly interpret when John Mackay is with the battalion or is recovering/on leave/on training courses. Thank you for your comment.

Cheers 

Adam

[sanctuarywood]

Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding the question, but I think the information you're looking for is in the service file, just scattered across various pages. On page 23, for example, it mentions that he "Joined Unit in the Field" on 14 July 1917. From experience, I've found creating a timeline from the dates in a service file to be helpful in visualising when and where he was with the battalion (which you can then, as Steve mentioned, match up with the war diaries). 

More broadly, you may also be interested in the published letters of Agar Adamson, the first Canadian to command the PPCLI. His letters provide some additional insight into the service of the PPCLI across the Western Front.