Major John Sutherland
Born 1888 - 30 yrs at Hanover, ON
Originally with 61st Battalion – Royal Winnipeg Rifles
Served with the 52nd and 116th Battalions
Killed in the Battle of Drocourt-Queant at Boiry-Notre-Dame
Buried at Monchy British Cemetery
He could see the battalion’s objective, far off in the distance, silhouetted by the morning sun, the tip of the steeple acting as it were a flag waiting to be taken. The steeple belonged to the church of St. Vaast and was situated in the village of Boiry-Notre-Dame. Huddled amongst his men, his job was to lead the 600 up the long incline, across the open fields then locate, kill or capture the defenders. Their task was not expected to be an easy one…but it was situated directly in the centre of the hinge of the Hindenburg Line. For the Allies to win, the village had to be taken and it was his job to take it. The time was just after 5:00 AM on the morning of August 27th in the year 1918.
The man selected to lead the 116th on that day was the second-in-command of the battalion, Major John Sutherland. Sutherland was a 30 yr old officer. He was born in the hamlet of Hanover, a tiny collection of farms and homes situated just north of London, Ontario. His family moved out west when he was young and settled in rural Alberta. After finishing his elementary-level education, he embarked on a career in law in Winnipeg and was studying when the winds of war swept its’ way across the country in 1915 and 1916. Taking advantage of his prior military experience through service with a Winnipeg-based militia regiment, Sutherland enlisted with the 61st Royal Winnipeg Rifles Battalion. Once he was transported to France, Sutherland took a role as an instructor at Ferfay before being transferred to the 52nd New Ontario Battalion. Sutherland found himself rising through the ranks within the 3rd Canadian Division and in February 1918 was sent to the 116th. John Sutherland had risen to the rank of Major, a senior staff position serving as second in command to Lieut. Col. George Randolph Pearkes.
Seeing Major Sutherland at the front lines, assembling, settling and preparing his troops would not have been a surprise to the men. He was seen as a brave, valued leader since the time he joined the unit. Three weeks’ prior he took a direct role in helping the battalion secure it’s assigned objective in the Battle of Amiens on August 8th. It was during this operation where he would later be awarded to the Distinguished Service Order. As B, C and D companies of the 116th were employed in attacking Hamon Wood, Sutherland coolly coordinated the men from the three companies and as they approached the wood. He coordinated the men who were attacking the wood from both the right and left flanks along with those engaged in a direct approach after they took Bade Trench. As the sounds of the guns drew to a close and the long line of surrendering Germans began to snake their way to areas behind the Canadian line, Sutherland proudly surveyed the 12 cannons captured by his men. However, in this new battle Sutherland would act as Officer in Command of the Battalion. After far too many episodes in the previous four years, the British Army had come to learn an important reality of modern warfare...it was bloody dangerous! With many, many officers getting themselves killed or grievously wounded, to ensure continuity between commands junior officers were given the chance to gain some experience by leading men in combat situations. Sutherland, as second-in-command to Lieut. Colonel George Pearkes, was given the opportunity to ‘step up’ and lead the men in taking Boiry-Notre-Dame.
The plan for the attack, as designed, was for the battle to begin with an artillery barrage. 15 minutes later, the men of the 58th Royal Grenadiers would attack the Bois du Sart, a small forest situated on the northern side of the battlefield. Meanwhile, on the southern side, the 52nd New Ontario Battalion would attack the Bois du Vert. Each wood was occupied by entrenched German machine gun posts and protected the road that led down the centre into the town of Boiry. Once secured and their defenders eliminated, Sutherland’s job was to lead his men up the centre and take out the German units that protected the central approach to the village.
That…however…was just the plan. As the adage, so eloquently positioned by valiant warrior king and brawler Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth”. The early stages of the operation proceeded as expected, albeit the German defenders did not fold as swiftly as the 58th and 52nd had hoped. Upon receiving his signal, Sutherland began by leading C and A Companies up the sunken road towards the village. It was as they came within sight of the village, where the buildings began to rise up from the earth when all hell broke loose. The defiant German machine guns began to wretch their misery across the breadth of the front. The approaching Canadians were cut down in droves. Meanwhile, Sutherland from the rear of the companies, watched in disbelief as his first command was decimated before his eyes.
John saw the wave of chaos and confusion wash over his men. Bunch by bunch, groups of men on his left and right began to fall. With each step forward, the boys wading into the wall of lead would drop to the ground. One would imagine the rush of fear and dread that consumed the stand-in commander. However, instead of being frozen, unaware of what to do, the officer reacted instantly. He jumped to his feet and scurried back and forth between the groups of survivors attempting to reconsolidate and reorganize them and hopefully reconstitute the attack. It was during this valiant effort where Sutherland rushed directly into the flood of machine gun fire and was instantly killed.
Acting Commanding Officer, Major John Sutherland was the second commander from the 116th Ontario County Battalion to die. The first was the founder of the battalion, Lieut. Colonel Samuel Simpson Sharpe. Both men were valued, valiant warriors whose loss greatly impacted the men. Visitors to Monchy British Cemetery who happen to pay their respects at the grave-marker for the up-start officer should know that they were in the presence of a truly extraordinary man. John Sutherland was a truly brave man, soldier and leader of men…a man worthy of our remembrance.