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George Lawrence Price

George Lawrence Price

He was born on 15 December 1892 in Falmouth, Kings County in Nova Scotia. As a young man, he settled in Moose Jaw and worked as a farm laborer. On October 15, 1917, drafted, he joined the 210th Infantry Battalion (Frontiersmen) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Moose Jaw, under the service number 256265. He completed his basic training with the 1st Saskatchewan Depot Battalion in Regina on December 4, 1917.

From Regina, he travels to St. John’s where he embarked on the H.M.S. «Soctian», on 21 January 1918 and arrives at Liverpool, on 6 February 1918, where he joins the 15th Canadian Reserve battalion at Bramshott. He is then enrolled in the 28th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Saskatchewan North West Regiment).

He crosses from Southampton - Boulogne. He arrives at Etaples on 2 May 1918 and rejoins his unit on 1 June 1918, where he will serve in company A. The 28th battalion is part of the 6th brigade of the 2nd Canadian division.

From 15 to 17 August, he is stationed at Damery and then fights at Villers-Bretonneux. On 26 August, his brigade assisted in the capture of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt.

On 28 August, it is the capture of a significant part of the German defence of the Fresnes-Rouvroy sector.

On 2 and 3 September, the Drocourt-Quéant line is reached.

He was gassed on 8 September 1918 in the North canal area and sent to the 1st Canadian Casualty Collection Station to be treated there and then sent to the 26th General Hospital in Etaple.

He returned to his unit on 26 September 1918. From 27 September to 1 October, he participated in the battle of the canal du Nord (Saint-les-Marquion - Moeuvres sector) with the capture of the villages of Marquion and Bourlon.

On 8 and 9 October Cambrai is taken. Then, it is the pursuit: Denain, battle of Valenciennes-with the capture of Mont Houy on 1 and 2 November.

From 5 to 7 November, the passage of the grande Honnelle (Quiévrain - Crespin in Belgium). On the evening of 10 November, the 28th battalion was ordered to move forward from Frameries, cross the ranks of the 29th battalion and continue towards Havré, in order to secure the bridges of the canal of the Centre.

On 11 November, the battalion starts at 4:00am, crosses Hyon Cross and heads for the wood of Havré, pushing back weak 36 German resistance and reaching their position along the canal opposite Ville-sur-Haine at 9 am. At that time the Battalion receives a message announcing that all hostilities will cease at 11am.

Price and a friend, Arthur Goodworthy, decide on their own initiative to go on a patrol with 5 men to search houses on the other side of the canal. They are beginning to examine those houses one by one and see German soldiers with machine guns along a wall overlooking the canal. Exchange of fire and retreat of the Germans.

At 10:57am, Price is fatally shot by a sniper as he left a house. He was pulled inside and tented to by a young Belgian girl, but he died at 10:58am, two minutes before the ceasefire!

One of the teachers of Ville-sur-Haine collected a fabric flower that he carried in one of his pockets. This velvet maple flower, stained with blood, was placed under glass with these words: «On this November 11, 1918, at the ultimate moment when peace was signed, you fell for us, the last victim of a sad conflict. Thank you, George Price! A drop of your blood was spilled on this simple flower that you hid on your chest».

He was initially buried in Havré’s old municipal cemetery, and then his body was transferred to . He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal posthumously.

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George Lawrence Price

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