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William Emmanuel Bouchard
 
Above left is a photo taken in Maconald Park Kingston Ontario in
early 1915. On the right is a photo of the restored lion which is still in the same
park in 2010
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Jan 11, 1893
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Born at Aylmer Quebec
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Nov 6, 1914
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Attested into the 21st Battalion at
Kingston Ontario
Ø Number 59082 (temporary number 759)
Ø Next of kin given as Mrs A Bouchard (mother) of Aylmer Quebec
Ø Previous occupation given as “Printer”
Ø No previous military experience given
Ø Religion given as Roman Catholic
Ø Assigned to Machine Gun Section
o It is interesting to note that Bouchard’s signature on this
document was witnessed by Charles Wendt. Wendt
and Bouchard were to later serve on the same machine gun crew and both were killed in
action, albeit a year apart.
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May 6, 1915
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Embarked the RMS Metagama at Montreal for
England
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May 15, 1915
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Disembarked at Devonport England and proceeded
to West Sandling Camp, near Hythe, in Kent
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Jun 5, 1915
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Admitted to the Moore Barracks Convalescent
Hospital with a deformed and infected finger.
Ø This was caused 1 year prior to joining the CEF when he caught the
finger in a printing press
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Jun 9, 1915
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Transferred to the Military Hospital at
Shorncliffe where the finger was amputated at the second joint.
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Jun 22, 1915
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Discharged from hospital
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Aug 29, 1915
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Reported to be absent without leave
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Aug 30, 1915
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Returns to unit and forfeits 1 day pay for
being absent
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Sep 14, 1915
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Embarked at Folkstone for France
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Sep 15, 1915
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Disembarked at Boulogne France
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Dec 5, 1915
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Appointed Acting Lance Corporal without pay
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May 22, 1916
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Granted 9 days leave
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Jul 3, 1916
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Forfeits rank of A/L/Cpl for (1) Drunk (2) AWL
(absent without leave) (3) Improperly dressed
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Sep 15, 1916
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Reported missing after action
Ø Later reported Killed in Action
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Commemorated
on the Vimy Ridge Memorial
Vimy
Ridge France
(This indicates that his body was either never
found or was never identified)
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Jun 1, 1921
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British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-15
Star, Plaque and Scroll, sent to A. Bouchard Esq., (father) at Aylmer E. Quebec
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Aug 12, 1922
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Memorial Cross sent to Mrs. A. Bouchard
(mother) at Aylmer E. Quebec
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Even though I could not find William Bouchard
on either the 1901 or 1911 Census to confirm it, I suspect that he lied about his age in
order to sign up.
He gave his birth year as January 1893 and
that would have made him 21 years and 10 months of age when he attested in November 1914. A medical report in June of 1915 recorded his age
as 18 years.
HW McBride, in his book “A Rifleman
Went to War” described him in 1915 as being “just a kid, about seventeen”.
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During the
Remembrance Day ceremonies in 2008, Veteran's Affairs Canada conducted a vigil each night
for the week leading up to November 11. This vigil consisted of projecting the names
of every Canadian soldier who is listed with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on
various buildings and monuments across Canada, and in London England. The photo
below shows Pte MB Allen's name being projected on the outside wall of Canada House in
London England.
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