Background

William Alexander Neilson was born January 28, 1886 in Fredericton, New Brunswick to Alexander Todd Neilson and Annie Susan Shanks. Documents obtained through the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick reveal that Alexander came to Canada from Scotland in 1882, and shortly thereafter he met his soon to be wife, Annie. Although she was from Waterville, Maine, her parents had roots in Ireland and Scotland. As a result, while we may have little first-hand information regarding how they met, that Alexander and Annie both had ties to Scotland likely had some influence on the relationship that blossomed between them. From all accounts, the Neilson's were a larger than normal family at the time and were hard working. Although the family frequented between Saint John and Fredericton, near Victoria Mills, during and after the war, at the time of their marriage March 7, 1884, they owned a farm close to Burton. Given that their first child, James, was born April 6, 1884, it is likely that Annie was pregnant during their wedding, something that was not at all uncommon. Together, Annie and Alexander had 11 children before the First World War began in 1914, named James, Alexander, Donald, Lily, Maude, Arthur, Blanche, Janet, Hazel, Gordon, and Angus. Born the second child in the family, William Alexander grew up learning the skills of farming and hard work, and later moved to western Canada where he continued working in that capacity prior to the war. Newspapers reveal that William, or Alexander, as he was often referred to in records, enlisted in Calgary, Alberta with the 175th Battalion July 16, 1916. Although having no previous military experience, his attestation illustrates many of the qualities the CEF was looking for. William had extensive experience in labour and farming, was single, by all accounts healthy, and although he was slightly older than most recruits, at thirty years of age he was taller than most as well. Standing five feet ten inches tall, William was described as having blue eyes, brown hair, and a fair complexion. Over the next three months, William remained at Sarcee Camp in Calgary for training with the 175th until making his way to Valcartier and then to Halifax where his unit made final preparations before going overseas. It is unclear whether he had the opportunity to see his family one last time.

Wartime Experience

Private William Alexander Neilson sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Saxonia October 3, 1916, arriving to Liverpool, England seven days later on October 10. After spending the fall of 1916 in England training at Seaford Camp, the 175th was eventually consolidated into the 31st Reserve Battalion and left for Le Havre, France January 19, 1917. From a strategic standpoint, William was arriving at an important time for the Canadian Corps as the Vimy sector became flooded with Canadian units and battalions in preparation for the Vimy Ridge assault in April. In the months leading up to the assault, German lines were constantly harassed by Canadians coordinating raids and shelling in an effort to obtain critical information on German strategy. By early March, the official war diary of the 31st shows that William was in and around Mont St. Eloi before moving forward to the Neuville St. Vaast area with his unit. The diary reveals that snow and rain increasingly had made conditions difficult for everyone in the region; however, despite cold weather, the 31st continued preparations and attacks on German front lines. News of British and French success at Baupaume and Peronne had reached Canadian units by this time, and by March 24, the 31st Battalion was instructed to move forward to the Thelus sector and Zivy Cave to be out of range of German shells harassing nearby villages. According to records, on March 29, 1917, William was taking part in attacks with his unit northeast of Ecurie when a German shell landed close to his position. William's circumstances of death report suggests that while taking part in forward attacks on German lines with the 31st, he was hit by shrapnel and died instantly. News of his death did not reach New Brunswick until a month later with reports in Saint John papers stating that he had been killed April 9 and the Daily Gleaner revealing his name on casualty lists. Having only been overseas for five months, William had just celebrated his 31st birthday.

Lest We Forget

Private William Alexander Neilson is buried with honour at Ecoivres Military Cemetery, near Mont St. Eloi, France. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there are approximately 1, 715 identified casualties.