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Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada
Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada
CWM 19920166-1501
CWM 19920166-1501

Private

Kinchin, Harold Goldsmith

Unit

24th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Victoria Rifles of Canada)

Branch

Infantry

Service Component

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Service Number

171146

birth

1897/02/13

Montréal, Quebec, Canada

death

1916/07/17

France

grave

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France

Gender

Male

Harold Goldsmith Kinchin was born in Montréal, Quebec, on 13 February 1897. He was the second of Harris and Maude Kinchin’s three children.

A machinist, Kinchin enlisted in the 83rd Canadian Infantry Battalion in Toronto, Ontario, on 10 August 1915. After initial training in Canada, he was shipped to England on SS Corsican on 25 September 1915 as part of the battalion’s Reinforcement Draft. He arrived in Plymouth on 5 October 1915.

On 29 February 1916, Kinchin was transferred to the 24th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Victoria Rifles of Canada) for service in France. He joined the battalion in the field on 15 March 1916. Kinchin was hospitalized on 28 June 1916 after being wounded accidently in both arms two days before. The circumstances of the accident were not recorded; however, the lack on an inquiry suggests that there was no suspicion that it was a self-inflicted wound. Kinchin returned to duty on 8 July 1916.

On 17 September 1916, Kinchin was reported wounded during the Battle of Courcelette. In November 1916, the report was changed to wounded and missing. Six months later, on 3 May 1917, military authorities declared that, for all official purposes, Kinchin was presumed to have died on or after 17 September 1916.

Harold Kinchin 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