24th Battalion CEF Victoria Rifles

Sometimes, while reviewing the personal files of soldiers who served with the 24th Battalion CEF, I come across forgotten stories. One such account involves 841790 Pte. J. Maher, 919303 Pte. R.J. Donovan, 919788 Pte. Pate, and 1054568 Pte. A. Broomer. On the morning of 3 December 1917, Pte. Maher was cleaning his rifle when it accidentally discharged, wounding Pte. Donovan.

The use of field notebook to collect statements at the time allows us, more than a century later, to revisit the incident and glimpse what daily life in the trenches was like. Negligent discharges, as seen then, remain a significant cause of injuries in modern warfare.

841790 Pte. Maher 24th Cdn Bn States –

About 7 am on 3 Dec, Pte Donovan had cleaned his rifle + I was on the fire step, he then said he would take my place while I got down + cleaned my rifle, we exchanged places, and I commenced to get my rifle ready for cleaning. I took out the magazine and then to pull back the bolt catch the bolt my hand slipped touching trigger causing rifle to discharge wounding Pte. Donovan. This occurred in front line trenches.

Other Witness were 919788 Pte. W. Pate and 1054568 Pte. A. Broomer 24th Battalion CEF.

Courcelette casualty:

A sad story of 66016 Pte James Ward, 24th Battalion CEF, was born in England and later emigrated to Canada. He enlisted in Montreal on 23 October 1914 and trained in Canada before sailing overseas in May 1915. After further training in England, he deployed to France with the Canadian Corps.

Ward was killed in action on 17 September 1916 during the Somme, near Courcelette, while the 24th Battalion held captured positions under heavy artillery fire and German counterattacks.

He was entitled to the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. His memorial plaque was sent to his next of kin on 23 January 1923, and the memorial scroll on 24 January 1921; however, the scroll was later separated from the medal group.

Major Ross was a hero of the Battle of Ypres in April 1916, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). As noted in his obituary:

The Late Major John Alexander Ross, DSO

An incident of His Excellency, the Governor-General’s visit to Lethbridge, Alberta, was the presentation to Mr. Walter Ross of that city of the DSO medal earned by his son, Major Ross, who has been missing since the battle of Courcelette, Set. 1916, and has been officially declared dead. The deceased soldier went to the front with the 24th Victoria Rifles of Montreal and was educated at the Royal Military College, Kingston. He was 23 years of age at the time of this supposed death.

Lieutenant Cecil Parker Smith was a member of the 24th Battalion, CEF, who was killed in action during the Battle of Courcelette on 16–17 September 1916. The fighting at Courcelette marked one of the bloodiest engagements in which the 24th Battalion participated.

13 K.I.A. on the 16 September 1916
114 K.I.A. on the 17 of September 1916
2 P.O.W. on the 17 of September 1916
5 D.O.W. 18 September 1916
1 D.O.W. 19 September 1916
2 D.O.W. 20 September 1916
3 D.O.W. 21 September 1916
3 D.O.W. 22 September 1916
1 D.O.W. 23 September 1916.

A total of 144 soldiers of the 24th Battalion, CEF, were killed during the Battle of Courcelette, with it being reasonable to estimate that at least three times that number were wounded during this intense engagement. The photograph illustrates that the 24th Battalion was composed not only of men originating from the 3rd Regiment, Victoria Rifles of Montreal (unit witch the 24th Battalion CEF was formed), but also of soldiers transferred from other units. In the case of Lieutenant Smith, he initially enlisted with the 55th Battalion, CEF, and was transferred to the 24th Battalion on 7 July 1916. Tragically, he was killed in action just two months later at Courcelette.

During my research on the 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles of Canada), CEF, one period that particularly interests me is the formation of the battalion and everything related to its preparation before sailing overseas.

The unit departed Montreal on 11 May 1915, but while comparing the individual service files of its members, I noticed something interesting. A number of soldiers were declared medically unfit or deserted just before departure. What is striking is the noticeable spike in such cases on 10 May 1915, the day before the battalion left Canada.

These names will likely never appear in history books. Nevertheless, they were original members of the battalion and part of its early story, even though they ultimately never left Montreal with the unit.

The photograph shows the battalion parading through the streets of Montreal on 9 May 1915, only two days before their departure overseas.

•65257 Pte. François Desinde Deserter
•65332 Pte. John Charles Fitch Medical Unfit
•65445 Pte. Alfred James Higgins Drunkenness
•65548 Pte. Louis Lantagne Deserter
•65769 Pte. William Welland Patterson Medical Unfit
•65819 Pte. Albert Romeril Medical Unfit
•66099 Pte. Arthur Henry Bergeron Medical Unfit
•66110 Pte. Henry Bergeron Medical Unfit
•66186 Pte. William Edward Boyer Deserter
•66191 Pte. Jospeh George Gunn Deserter

Today, a wonderful opportunity arose to acquire this beautiful patriotic oval-framed portrait of an unidentified soldier or officer who served with the 24th Battalion, CEF. I will make every effort to determine his identity.

I discovered this piece at the end of 2025 and was immediately captivated by it. It was drawn by 660519 Pte. Hervé Pierre of the 24th Battalion, CEF, who sketched his unit’s cap badge for a nurse he likely met while both were serving during the First World War. The small drawing, measuring approximately 6 cm by 6 cm, comes from the album of Nurse Gwen Griffith Jones. She served at Cheltenham Racecourse Hospital and at the Goldington Convalescent Home, VAD Auxiliary Hospital, Marle Hill, Cheltenham, and may have had a sister nursing alongside her.

Today, while researching the 24th Battalion, I came across the tragic story of Major Eric Ogilvie McMurtry of the 24th Battalion CEF and the RAF. He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1914 and, that July, joined the ranks of the 3rd Regiment, Victoria Rifles of Canada. He was promoted to Captain in January 1915 and to Major in March 1915, becoming one of the original officers commanding C Company of the 24th Battalion.

On 26 April 1916, he was wounded with what was then recorded as “shell shock,” the intensity of the bombardment that day also being noted in the war diary and in the case of 65092 Private Booth of the 24th Battalion. Afterward, McMurtry went to England and, once recovered, took command of a flying school on 30 December 1916. He was appointed Flying Officer on 7 April 1917 and was killed in action less than a month later, on 28 April 1917.

The poignant irony of his story is that his aircraft crashed just behind the lines held by the 24th Battalion CEF. This is what was reported on the Fetherstonhaugh book and 65092 Pte Booth war diary and Major McMurtry's pers file.

26 April 1916

From Major Eric Ogilvie McMurtry pers file “he was wounded SHELL SHOCK”

mentioned in the war diary of 65092 Pte. Booth

Scottish Wood
• Morning: Heavy bombs in Wood
• Continued all day & night
• Expect Germans advance but repulsed them
• Nerves start going bad

28 April 1917 (Beginning of the Battle of Arleux)

Meanwhile, in the Observation Line, officers and men had witnessed the constant passing to and from of British and enemy planes, and, on April 28th, had been startled by the crash of a British plane a few yards to the rear of trenches occupied by Major P. L. Hall and "D" Coy. On approaching the shattered plane, a party of men of the 24th found the two occupants dead and were shocked when one body proved to be that of Major Eric Ogilvie McMurtry, an original officer of the 24th Battalion, who, after months of service in France, had recovered from a wound received in April, 1916 (shell shock), and had transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Major McMurtry had completed training in England only ten days before his death, and the coincidence of his falling in the lines of the battalion with which he had sailed from Canada in 1915 attracted widespread attention. The Battalion, being on duty in the line at the time, could pay to his remains only the simple and affectionate tribute that circumstances would permit, but other troops assumed responsibility, when, with full military honours, he was buried at Bruay on April 29th.

From Major Eric Ogilvie McMurty pers file:

Major mcMurtry was piloting a B.E.29 machine on patrol duty on April 28th, 1917. His machine is reported to have been struck by one of our own shells. The pilot and observer (Lieut. Mason) are buried at Bruay. The machine fell near Thelus and was completely wrecked.

• Major Eric Ogilvie McMurtry K.I.A.
• 65317 Pte. John Evans K.I.A.

One of our follower on this page, Mr. Rob Woolsey shared with me a series of photos he took in Europe of the brave soldiers of the 24th Battalion, CEF, Victoria Rifles of Canada, and I was pleased to see this one. 1914–15 Star issued to 65848 Pte. Henry Rose, 24th Canadian Infantry, who was killed in action on 24 March 1917 and his grave which Rob had the chance to visit. At that time, the battalion was undergoing intensive preparation and training for what would become the most important battle in Canadian history: Vimy Ridge.

This is what was written in the unit history book by Fetherstonhaugh:

23 March 1917

At 11 o'clock on the night following the German effort against Watling Crater, the units of the 24th Battalion were relieved by the 26th Canadian Battalion, marched back to Bois des Alleux, and there remained for ten days, first in Divisional, and then in Brigade, Reserve. Heavy working parties were supplied frequently in this period and each of the companies marched to the Divisional baths. Pay parades, attendance at the Divisional Gas School, a Battalion church parade, routine training, and sports, filled the remaining days until, at 9 a.m. on March 23rd, the Battalion marched to Maisnil Bouche, there to train intensively for the forthcoming operation of the Canadian Corps against the famous and hitherto impregnable German stronghold—the Vimy Ridge.

WOW, I just found the name of this gentleman. 1078245 Pte. William Harold Oldfield 24 Can. Inf. who arrived with the Battalion on the 22 May 1917. A year later, on 27 May 1918, he was wounded by a shrapnel wound to the head. At one point he transferred to the 5th pioneers Battalion.

Unfortunately, I don't have the name of this soldier however, this formal studio portrait features a Canadian soldier of the 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles of Canada), CEF, taken during the First World War. He wears a service dress uniform with high collar and clearly visible collar dogs bearing the number “24,” identifying his battalion. Notably, his cap displays the eight-pointed star cap badge, the early war insignia of the Victoria Rifles of Canada, used by the 24th Battalion from 1914 until approximately mid-1916. This badge, distinct from the more common maple leaf pattern adopted later, suggests the photograph was taken early in the war, likely before or shortly after the unit’s deployment overseas. The overall composition and formal presentation point to this being a pre-deployment or early-service keepsake, reflecting pride in unit identity and early militia heritage.