Austin, Reginald

Reginald Austin was born on 4 January 1892 in Toronto, Ontario. In 1915 he is listed as living with his aunt, Mrs. Rose Crawford, at 511 7th Avenue, Calgary, Alberta. He was single and working as an engineer at the time he attested to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) Engineering Training Depot in Calgary on 15 April 1915.

Austin left for the United Kingdom on 2 May 1915 and embarked for France on 28 July 1915 for active duty. He joined his unit, the No. 1 Field Company Canadian Engineers, on 10 July. The unit were supporting the 1st Canadian Division. In November 1917 he did receive some abrasions to his face which earned him a two week stay with No. 1 Canadian Field Ambulance, but it is not clear if this was a result of enemy action or an accident at work. On 1 May 1918, No. 1 Field Company was disbanded and absorbed as the 1st Battalion, Canadian Engineers. At that time Sapper Austin was assigned to A Company and May 1918 found him in the Pas de Calais area conducting drills and training with his Company. In July the Battalion was in the Arras area doing road work and, towards the end of the month, traveled by train to Gouy-en-Tarnois. On 8 August it was assigned road work and trench work in support of what is now known as the Hundred Days offensive. By 2 September, the Battalion, still in support of 1 Canadian Division, was right behind the infantry which had just broken the Drocourt line, beginning work on the forward roads. They were under heavy artillery fire and, by 4 September, suffered heavy casualties. On 27 September the division assaulted Canal du Nord and A Company found itself assaulting with the infantry and clearing out a machine gun post before they could commence the road and bridge work necessary to support the following units. The medal allocation to the Battalion at this time indicates that they were clearly in the thick of the action. Austin appears to have made it through unscathed and was returned to Bramshott, United Kingdom, in March 1919 to the Canadian Engineering Reinforcement Pool. In June 1919 he was repatriated to Canada aboard the Empress of Canada, and discharged on 12 July 1919 in Toronto.

On discharge he returned to live with his aunt, now at 315 11th Avenue West, Calgary, and returned to his occupation as an electrician, having his war medals forwarded to the Crane Cassidy Electric Company in east Calgary.