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Aug 31, 1875
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Born in Sydney Township, Ontario to John and
Nancy (nee Dirkins) Vilneff
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Jan 29, 1916
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Attested into the 155th Battalion CEF
in Tweed, Ontario
Ø Number 636522
Ø Next of kin given as William
Vleneff, brother, Sulphide, Ontario
Ø Present address given as
Tweed, Ontario
Ø Previous occupation given as
Labourer
Ø No previous military
experience given
Ø Religion given as Methodist
Name on attestation reads Henery Vleneff
In the service file his name is also spelled as
Henry Villneave and Henry Vleneff. The
Menin Gate has his name listed as H. Vilneff.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists his name as Henry
Vilneff, while the Canadian Virtual War Memorial lists his name as Henry
Vleneff. The 1911 Canadian Census
shows Henry Vilneff, born in 1875 living alone in Tweed, Ontario. The War Memorial in Tweed, Ontario lists a
Private Harry Villeneuve. I could find
no soldier by that name that died during the war from the Tweed, Ontario area
and I assume this listing is for Henry Vilneff.
The Will in his file shows that he signed his
name with an X with the note “His Mark”.
It would seem that he could not read or write and that may account for
the various spellings of his name.
The battalion trained in the Kingston, Ontario
area
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Oct 17, 1916
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Embarked the SS Northland in Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Oct 28, 1916
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Disembarked in Liverpool, England and the
battalion proceeded to Bramshott
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Oct 30, 1916
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Forfeited 3 days pay for an unrecorded offence
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Dec 5, 1916
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Transferred to the 21st Battalion
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Dec 6, 1916
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Arrived at the CBD (Canadian Base Depot) in the
Rouelles Camp, Havre, France as part of a draft of 147 reinforcements from
England and TOS (Taken On Strength) the 21st Battalion
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Dec 29, 1916
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After leaving the base depot, Private Vilneff
joined the 2nd Entrenching Battalion in Hersin, France
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Feb 26, 1917
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After leaving the entrenching battalion, Private
Vilneff joined the 21st Battalion in the Support Trenches west of
Thelus, France
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Jun 1, 1917
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Attached to the Canadian Corps Agricultural
Supervisor for temporary duty
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Nov 3, 1917
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The 21st Battalion moved into the
Passchendaele front line near Crest Farm and immediately came under an enemy
attack. The battalion suffered severe
casualties overnight and into the early morning of the 4th. Private Vilneff was among the men killed in
action that night. He was initially
buried in a field on the outskirts of Passchendaele, Belgium, just east of
Crest Farm, the current location of the Canadian Passchendaele Memorial.
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That field as it appears today
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When the war ended, his identifiable remains
could not be located, and his name is recorded on the walls of the Menin Gate
in Ypres for those killed during the war in Belgium with no known grave.
Following the war, the British War Medal and
Victory Medal, Plaque (Dead Man’s Penny) and Scroll were sent to his brother,
William Villneave, Tweed, Ontario.
There was no Memorial Cross issued
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Henry Vilneff is
honoured on the Tweed, Ontario War Memorial under
the name of Harry Villeneuve
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