Corporal Carl De Geer
868273
Born: July 6, 1898
Killed in Action Sept 29, 1918 at Ste. Olle in the Battle of Canal du Nord at Cambrai
Buried at Ste Olle British Cemetery - Raillencourt
At the tender age of 16 or 17, Carl De Geer was learning his preferred trade within the local newspaper, The Uxbridge Journal when the first death notices would arrive. Horrific accounts of the Battle of St. Julien, later known as one of the Battles of the Second Battle of Ypres would be arriving. This was the battle where the Germans used poison gas as an offensive weapon for the first time. These stories would need to be edited, set and printed. Newspapers were the primary medium to inform the local population of all events, foreign and local. One can surmise that young Carl, the strapping 6 ft 1 apprentice, would read every word, devour every account of a death or injury to any local chap who went to France in the first wave. Being the conduit to inform the masses on eventualities from the Great War, Carl would always be the first to know.
It was under these circumstances, that when he was about one month away from reaching the age of 18 that Carl signed his name to his Attestation for and joined Lt. Col Sam Sharpe’s battalion. It should be noted that he was still rather young, Carl was assigned to the sister battalion to the 116th, the 182nd Battalion. Carl was transported along with the battalion to England in the March of 1917 where he was transferred to the 3rd Reserve Battalion then to the 208th Irish Canadians.
Two days before they were deployed to France, Carl was transferred to the 116th. Meanwhile, he was rapidly moving up the ranks within the battalion hierarchy. As a 20 yr old man, he was appointed Lance Corporal then full Corporal, both with the 208th and later with the 116th. These are great achievements for a young man, full of energy, courage and promise. His role would require him to lead a squad of 12 men on engagements in the field, such as Hill 70, Passchendaele and especially with the kick off of the 100 Day Push at Amiens on Aug 8, 1918. He would also need to manage his men once they were given a respite from the front and moved back to Reserve for rest, supply of construction roles.
Like many of the men who fell with the 116th, the battles of the 100 Day campaign would turn out to be a deadly series of encounters for Canada. Carl was wounded on Aug 15th, 1918 with a minor general contusion. That unfortunate scrape put him out of commission for two weeks. However, he quickly returned to the battalion and resumed his leadership role only to fall in the deadliest day for the 116th, Sept 29, 1918. He was killed in the advance on Cambrai at St. Olle in the Battle of the Canal du Nord.
Lest we forget.