Corporal Bernie Williams Branch

745931

Born 1887, Norfolk England

Lived in Oshawa ON

Died June 5th, 1917

With a knock at the door, George Branch would receive the news that his son had fallen in battle. The notification would reveal that his son had “died of wounds”, “gunshot wounds multiple”. Two months earlier as Mr. Branch would have read the daily mastheads, the newspapers would proudly relay that Canada had just earned one of its’ greatest military victories ever in the largest military venture it had ever executed. However, while being a monumental victory, it also resulted in 3500 telegrams needing to be sent home to the loved ones of those who died in the battle. A knock at the door was expected by all, and when it did not come George would have been comforted that his son made it through. That comfort, however, would not last long.

With the words, “gunshot wounds multiple” George would learn that his son had been involved in some encounter. While he was in the service of his king and country, it would provide meagre consolation to his great loss. A keen review of the battalion diary and the days leading up to his death would provide more context to the story.

The 116th moved into the Vimy corridor on June 1st to relive the 52nd Battalion. The orders for the Battalion were to provide working parties to help build defensive infrastructure and reinforce the Vimy sector. This included the construction of a new roadway to provide easy access to the area for resupply of good and war materials.

The section being worked on was called the Toronto area of the Vimy corridor. The battalion diary details that the work was predominantly completed at night between 9pm and 3 am. In the evening of June 2, 3 and 4th the battalion diary records that while they were working on the road construction that they were being harassed by enemy aeroplanes.

Night after night, Corporal Branch would lead his men out into the darkness. As they worked, out in the black they would hear it approach. First dull and faint…then as it slowly approached the sound would grow louder and louder, louder and closer and louder until the sound would grow more faint once again. It was during this interlude them the men would hit the deck and seek refuge. It was during this momentary minute of silent when the German Luftstreitkafte bombers would have released its’ payload onto the newly constructed road below. On the fourth night while working on the roadway, after the fourth night spent diving for cover in the darkness, Corporal Branch’s luck would finally run out. He was wounded by one of the bombs and would die the next morning.

Lest we forget.