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De Wolf, J.H. Our Heroes in The Great World War. Ottawa: The Patriotic Publishing Co., 1919.
De Wolf, J.H. Our Heroes in The Great World War. Ottawa: The Patriotic Publishing Co., 1919.
CWM 19920166-1652
CWM 19920166-1652

Private

Elson, William

Unit

72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada)

Branch

Infantry

Service Component

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Service Number

145662

birth

1878/07/30

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

death

1917/08/15

France

grave

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France

Gender

Male

William Elson was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on 30 July 1878.

A widower with a young son named Harry, Elson worked as a gardener before enlisting in the 77th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in Ottawa on 11 December 1915. After initial training in Canada, the battalion left for England on SS Missanabie, embarking in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 19 June 1916. The ship arrived in Liverpool on 28 June 1916, after which the battalion travelled to Camp Bramshott, a Canadian military facility, in Hampshire.

Five days after arriving in England, Elson was transferred to the 72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada), and he travelled to France with that unit on 12 August 1916. There, he was sent for training in the operation of trench mortars. After he completed his training, he was posted to the 12th Canadian Trench Mortar Battery.

Elson was killed in action in France on 15 August 1917, the first day of the Battle of Hill 70. His body was not recovered.

William Elson is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.

The Canadian War Museum’s Collection includes the following artifacts for this recipient