Private Martin
Private Ernest Martin, reg. no. 53483 enlisted at Woodstock, Ontario on October 29, 1914. Unlike Forrester, he had prior military experience with the 20th Regiment and was married. Unlike Forrester, his military record during his training in Canada is clean, with no notations against him. His military service, once overseas, was not impaired by any military charges.
Private Martin served dutifully being wounded. The first wound was a gunshot wound (GSW)[i] to the right knee suffered early in the Battalion’s service on November 27, 1915. He recovered from that wound and was returned to the 18th Battalion after recuperating in England on June 26, 1916 while the Battalion was stationed in the Dickenbusch sector of Flanders.
He survived until he went missing in action and was declared as killed in action on October 3, 1916 at the Somme. The date of his death is inexact. The War Diary reports on October 4, 1916 that “24 o.r.s. reported “Killed in Action.” 78 o.r. reported wounded. 11 o.r.s. reported missing.” Martin is, most probably, one of the 11 men missing. As to the date he went missing no accounting can be made. It is possible he was lost in the latter part of September or early in October (the Battalion was “in the line” on October 2, 1916) but the diaries do not report casualties consistently making the entry on the 4th much like a summation of the men killed, wounded, and missing up to that date.
[i] Note that GSW indicates a wound made by a penetrating body, such as a bullet, shell fragment, or shrapnel. Most GSW wounds were shrapnel.
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