Canadian man..26/10/1915

[markinbelfast]

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=444630

BLACKLAY

Initials: F P

Nationality: Canadian

Rank: Private

Regiment: Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment)

Unit Text: 16th Bn.

Age: 23

Date of Death: 26/10/1915

Service No: A/21065

Additional information: Son of James and Jane G. Blacklay, of 13, Marlborough St., Londonderry, Ireland.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. B. 14.

Cemetery: LA PLUS DOUVE FARM CEMETERY

Not really keyed up on Canadians so can anyone add anything about this man...cant seem to find what they were doing at his time of death?

He isnt on the Canadian nominal rolls.

many thanks

Mark

[jhill]

Try Blackley, Francis P. here .

His number was changed from A/21065 to 421065, under which he is indexed. The records administration was pretty dodgy at the beginning of the war.

[chris.wight]

Mark, the CWGC spelling of his last name is a clerical error, his listing on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial is correct, link. I'll email CWGC Canada re correcting this, the attestation papers plus the entry in the Book of Remembrance, link, will be proof enough.

According to Ted Wigney's "The C.E.F. Roll of Honour", he was killed in action and is listed in the De Ruvigny Roll of Honour as well as the Canadian Bank of Commerce book, "Letters from the Front".

[marc leroux]

The 16th didn't keep great records, but the diary entry for Oct 26, 1915 can be seen here.

No mention of casualities, but they were in the trenches on that day.

marc

[Canadawwi]

Sorry for the delay.

He appears in both volumes of Canadian Bank of Commerce, Letters from the Front, 1920. (Today this bank is known as the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. There is a WWI memorial in their main building in downtown Toronto).

1701 bank staff members enlisted, 258 died.

Here's his entry from Volume II, page 39 (they used the wrong spelling).:

BLACKLAY, Francis Pettigrew - Private.

Born 5th May, 1893, at Londonderry, Ireland. Father, James Blacklay, Managing-Director, William Thompson & Company Limited. Educated at First Derry School and Foyle College, Londonderry. Entered the service of the Bank, 1st November, 1911. Enlisted, April, 1915, from Delisle branch, in 43rd Battalion, Cameron Highlanders of Canada, with the rank of Private. Killed by machine-gun fire, 26th October, 1915.

Volume I gives a list of bank branches - Pte. Blackley enlisted from the Delisle, Saskatchewan branch.

His picture appears in Volume I, pg. lxviii.