Jul 11, 1887

Born at Picton Ontario

Dec 15, 1914

Attested into the 21^st Battalion at Kingston Ontario 

Ø      Number 59721 (temporary number 1166)

Ø      Next of kin given as Bertha McGrayne (wife) of Bloomfield Ontario

Ø      Previous occupation given as Cooper

Ø      Previous military experience given as the Mounted Infantry at Picton

Ø      Religion given as Wesleyan

Ø      Assigned to “B” Company

o       The was later reorganized into “A” Company

May 6, 1915

Embarked the RMS Metagama at Montreal Quebec

May 15, 1915

Disembarked at Devonport England and proceeded to the West Sandling Camp, near Hythe Kent

Sep 2, 1915

Transferred to the Depot Company

Sep 14, 1915

The 21^st Battalion embarked the St Seiriol at Folkestone but Pte McGrayne remained in England

Sep 15, 1915

The Battalion disembarked at Boulogne France and proceeded to St Omer

Oct 27, 1915

Pte McGrayne arrived in France as a reinforcement and reassigned to “A” Company

Jan 7, 1916

Attached to the 250^th Tunneling Company for temporary duty

May 25, 1916          Killed in Action

He was initially buried in the Maple Copse Cemetery, but when the cemeteries were being consolidated at the end of the war, his body could not be located, most likely because of artillery barrages that disturbed the graves.  As a result, he is commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres Belgium

I would like to thank Pte McGrayne's granddaughter, Colleen McGrayne Hocking for contributing the photos of her grandfather and permitting us to publish them.