James Laidlaw Gowanlock
643883
Born – Port Elgin ON, 1888, Age 29
Lived in Atherley, ON
Killed in Action on Aug 24, 1917 – in the Battle of Hill 70
Buried at Aix-Noulette Communal Cemetery, France
It was a tragedy. In so many ways. A battle ignored by historians for years and only received scant and sparse attention for almost a full century after its’ occurrence. Early historians first counted 3035 casualties in the 11 day operation. However, 60 years would pass until Tim Cook, in his 2009 book Shock Troops, updated the impact to between 9,198 and 11,000 casualties with an estimated 1052 succumbing to their injuries. This was the Battle for Hill 70. Apart from the over 1000 families who mourned lost loved ones during the encounter, one family in particular was hit the hardest. The family was the Orillia-based, Gowanlock family.
The Gowanlock family were farmers. They originally emigrated from the border district of Scotland and England in the early 1840 and settled on the shores of Lake Huron in Port Elgin. One of the sons, Andrew along with his wife Betsy (Elizabeth) raised a family of 4 sons and 1 daughter in the beautiful rural lakeside setting. However, shortly after Andrew died, the boys decided to move to Atherley, a small village situated close to Orillia. With the war enlistment drives ramping up in the summer of 1915, the eldest, Robert George Gowanlock signed up with the 34th Battalion. Shortly after on January 26, 1916, his younger brother James put his name to paper and joined the 157th Simcoe Foresters Battalion. The Gowanlock family also included William and younger brother Andrew along with sister Jessie. Being the eldest, married and father to three children, William elected to stay home in Canada, work the farm in support of his family.
The first brother to departed to the front was Robert. He arrived in England in November 1915. Meanwhile, James spent his Spring and Summer of 1916 training in Canada with the 157th. It was during this time, the 157th helped build Camp Borden. In the October of 1916, James and his fellow Simcoe Foresters climbed aboard the SS Cameronia and so too went overseas to fight for their country. A little more than a month later he was transferred to the 116th Battalion. Meanwhile, back home as the family patriarch, it was William’s responsibility to tend to the farm, support and feed his family while also helping to contribute to Canada’s war effort from home.
The tragedy behind the Gowanlock family started with events occurring in the early days of the Battle for Hill 70. Robert had been transferred a few times and ended up serving in the 2nd Battalion assigned to a tunneling detail. It was on the third day of the battle when Robert was killed. Details are not clear on the nature and specific circumstances of his death however the 2nd was called to help relieve the 13th, 15th and 16th Battalions in the northern section of the theatre. This section fought back a fierce German raid that included an array of both bombs and flamethrowers. 22 2nd Battalion men lost their lives in the encounter along with 104 wounded men. Robert was included in this casualty count. Notice of Robert’s death arrived in Canada shortly thereafter with William receiving the dreadful telegram. One can imaging that this loss had on the close-knit Scottish family…however the news for the family was going to quickly get worse.
The Canadians, lead by Major General Currie, had made significant progress on the attack on Hill 70. While the casualties incurred by his men were not insignificant, it should be noted that the initial advance of the hill was quite successful, with the CEF pushing back wave after wave of German counterattacks. The total number of casualties recorded by the German vary greatly with the upwards number of between 12-15,000 men. With each wave and each haymaker served by either side respectively, the collective losses began to pile up. This was the primary reason why on Aug 22nd, the 116th left their blissful rest at Auchel and joined their compatriots at Lens.
The 116th was ordered to relieve the 27th Battalion. On the 21st of August, the Winnipeg-based unit was manning a section called the Chicory Trench. It was here just on the edge of the western approach to Lens where an advance was planned against the German positions. However, before our men could make any progress, the ready and alert Germans showered our troops with shellfire leading to a men versus men, steel against steel, angry rage clashed with angry rage donnybrook in the urban approached to the city. At the end of the day 47 Winnipeggers lay dead or missing and an astounding 248 men wounded in action. Beaten and battle-weary, the 27th was more than happy to see the well-rested men of the 116th swiftly join the fray and give them relief on the 22nd.
It was two days later when amidst the urban hellscape and his 116th patrolling captured former German positions where James Laidlaw Gowanlock was killed. Only 8 days and 3500 yards separated the places where the two brothers fell. It is not certain if James learned of his brother’s death prior to joining his battalion mates in the trenches at Lens, however it is certain that another sorrowful blow would hit the Gowanlock family back home. In a little more than a week after hearing that Robert died, with a second knock at the door and the delivery of a second telegram, the Gowanlock family would come to learn that James was killed too.
The story behind the Gowanlock family represents the tragedy of the war that is often overlooked in our accounts of the past. Loss impacted the survivors in so many different ways. Some were able to, with the support of their friends, family and fellow citizens, come to accept their loss and rebuild their lives surrounded by the ones who remained. Others’ were not so lucky. In September of 1919, a little more than 2 years after learning that both of his brothers were killed in combat, William also died. The cause of his death is referenced as ‘carcinoma of the liver precipitated by exhaustion’. I am not a doctor and may not be entirely certain, however it does point to potential attempt by William to medicate and deal with his loss with alcohol. True or not, it still points to another loss caused by the war and yet another awful tragedy for the Gowanlock family.
Remember them. Lest we forget.