Blackall, Herbert George

Herbert George Blackall was born on 13 May 1893 to Ephram and Mary Blackall at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. By 1901 the family had six children, Herbert being the fourth. By 1911 he is living in North York, Ontario, working on a farm listed as a “boy”.

Blackall joined the 37th Canadian Infantry Battalion at the Niagara military camp on 26 May 1915, by this time listing his occupation as “tanner”. He shipped out for the United Kingdom on SS Hesperanian on 17 August 1915 and, after a period of training, arrived in France on 16 July 1915 to join his field unit, the 15th Canadian Infantry Battalion. This unit, part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, 1st Division, had been at Ypres and, after Blackall joined, it was involved in the defensive action at Mount Sorrel in June 1916. It was also involved in the operations around the Regina Trench area of the Somme in October of that year. Blackall had injured himself and the wound had become infected, and was still being treated by the time of the Somme operation. The next major operation for the unit was at Vimy Ridge in which Blackall did participate. On 30 September 1917 the unit was in the Hallicourt area, just south of Ypres, behind the lines, when Blackall suffered another injury to his knee. He was well enough to participate in the third phase of the Passchendaele operation in November 1917. The 15th Battalion diary noted that on the 6th November, all of its men were being used as stretcher parties clearing the wounded of the 1st Infantry Brigade from the field. The operation was conducted under heavy artillery fire with the result that five men were killed and 31 wounded, including Private Blackall. He was evacuated to the No. 3 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station where he died the next day from a shell laceration to the chest. Private Blackall was recommended for the Military Medal, which was published in the London Gazette on 19 November 1917 and awarded on 3 March 1918.

Blackall is buried in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium, (grave XXII G 10) and is commemorated in the First World War Book of Remembrance, page 202.