George Ernest Grigsby
Private
3rd Battalion
The Immigrant
The distinctive sounds of steam whistles and the clattering of wheels rolling down tracks consistently were heard in the railroad town of Bridgeburg, Ontario. Several lines called this rapidly expanding town north of Fort Erie home due to its proximity to the international bridge, which connected the Niagara Peninsula with Buffalo, New York (1). Such a concentration of locomotives and railcars meant work was plentiful and attracted those from near and far including a young Englishman with a fair complexion by the name of George Grigsby from Cranbrook, Kent. He settled in Bridgeburg, working as a locomotive fireman following his immigration to Canada in 1912. His humble job and new home provided a good life, though it came at the cost of likely forever leaving behind his 12 siblings who remained across the Atlantic.
Yet within a few years the Old Country once again came into his life with the call to arms upon the outbreak of war. As an Englishman, the call was especially strong, but he resisted the initial urge to join up immediately, having no prior military experience as was preferred at that time. Yet the 1915 call could not be ignored and he traveled further inland to Welland, enlisting on August 17th, 1915, with the 44th Lincoln and Welland Regiment, which was recruiting on behalf of the 86th Battalion. The 5’9” Englishman was folded in among the ranks of D Company within the 86th further up the Niagara River at Camp Niagara, drilling in the same area where many had done so during the War of 1812. Just like that war they practiced close order drill with rifles in their somewhat hot and itchy uniforms. They were the first ever “machine gun battalion” in the Commonwealth, yet this was in name only as they had exactly zero of these weapons upon their formation (2).
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After some initial training at Camp Niagara, they were moved to the heavily industrialized city of Hamilton where they continued training at the Old armories, eventually with actual machine guns. After only a few months drilling with these sleek firearms, they were shipped off to England in May off 1916 (2). For a second time in his life, the now 25-year-old George, crossed the vast Atlantic, bound for even greater uncertainty than during his first voyage.
Shorncliffe
In a bit of good fortune for George, the 86th was posted to Camp Shorncliffe in Kent, England just an hour from his hometown. It was here he continued his training close to his family, with the exception of several of his brothers who were already overseas in the service. Hours were spent honing his skills with the machine gun, training to operate as a team to keep it constantly fed. The machine guns used varied, though the latest and greatest portable Lewis gun proved a favorite weapon. In late July, he was almost ready to be deployed when he received news which shook him to his core, his brother Herbert, had been killed in France with the 1st Bn Queens Royal West Kent Regiment. A few months later in Early October, George himself was bound for France, being split from his beloved unit as a reinforcement for the 3rd Battalion CEF, the memory of his brothers death still fresh in his mind.
On October 5th, George was pulled from the replacement depot with around 98 other men for a fresh draft of soldiers to the 3rd Battalion in the frontline (3). The formation had many weathered faces and had been through the thick of it, being in great need of the new replacements. George was posted to a machine gun section, helping to man one of the Battalions Lewis Guns, which were essential to the unit in combat. There was hardly time for him to settle in among his new comrades as fresh mobilization orders arrived setting them on the march by the 7th. The men packed up their kit and hauled extra equipment and sandbags through Death Valley into the war-scarred landscape close to Courcelette, settling into their jumping off points at 7:00PM (3). Before them lay the now infamous Regina Trench, a defensive line that a previous Canadian assault had failed to capture and the very one they were to assault the following morning.
Regina Trench
For long hours they awaited their fate, George’s blue-eyes peering eerily at their objectives as they tensed for the order to go (3). It was finally given, and the Ontario men surged forward, quickly capturing the first objectives and later the second from the enemy, the Canadians were now in control of Regina Trench (3). Victory seemed certain following the initial engagement as a still quiet set in for two hours along the trench line (3). Then came a fierce bombardment of German artillery, which focused on their positions (3). Shells incinerated men and buried others in a hail of lead. Waves of German soldiers followed, exchanging bombs with the Canadians as they fought to retake the critical trench. While this all occurred, the men in the machine gun sections kept their guns firing, though they were often targeted and suffered casualties (3). Eventually the beleaguered men withdrew to the first objective and then once again to no mans land (3). From these shell holes the survivors of the 3rd Battalion rallied and made a courageous but futile attack with bayonets (3). The remaining men of the machine gun sections were unable to provide suppressing fire as all their Lewis guns had been destroyed with the exception of one that they had no ammunition for (3). Despite this, some portions of the trench were recovered, but were impossible to hold and thus a final withdrawal was conducted to their initial positions, digging in with the mere 85 out of 481 who remained after the assault (3).
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George was one of those lucky enough to have survived the inferno that day, though his right leg was hit by a bullet, which made it excruciatingly painful for him to walk. Despite this, he refused to be evacuated, remaining among the lads in the 3rd Battalion until they returned to their billets two days later. From here he was shipped back to England, the gravity of his wound setting in to its fullest effect. He would lose 2” from his right leg, which had been shattered by the bullet. Yet he survived and returned home in December of 1917, being honorable discharged. Though his range of motion in his right leg was forever changed, he still returned to his work as a locomotive fireman and pursued his passion for collecting old Ontario books & newspapers (4). George would also become a prominent member in the local legion and was well known for showing off the pieces of shrapnel he still had years later from his wound (4).
Sources:
(1) Luyckx, Alex. "A Faded Glory - Bridgeburg B-1 - Grand Trunk Railway (1873-1975)" Alex Luyckx Blog. http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/index.php/2022/04/13/a-faded-glory-bridgeburg-b-1-grand-trunk-railway-1873-1975/
(2) “86th Machine Gun Battalion: A Brief History." https://web.archive.org/web/20091026160750/http://geocities.com/hambattcef/86.html
(3) “3rd Bn War Diaries 1916.” The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive, 22 Mar. 2017, https://qormuseum.org/history/timeline-1900-1924/the-first-world-war/perpetuated-battalions/3rd-toronto-battalion-canadian-expeditionary-force/3rd-battalion-war-diaries-1916-january-to-june/
(4) Interesting Old Books Possessed By Well Known Fort Erie War Veteran, Niagara Falls Even Review, April 23rd, 1942
(1) Luyckx, Alex. "A Faded Glory - Bridgeburg B-1 - Grand Trunk Railway (1873-1975)" Alex Luyckx Blog. http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/index.php/2022/04/13/a-faded-glory-bridgeburg-b-1-grand-trunk-railway-1873-1975/
(2) “86th Machine Gun Battalion: A Brief History." https://web.archive.org/web/20091026160750/http://geocities.com/hambattcef/86.html
(3) “3rd Bn War Diaries 1916.” The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive, 22 Mar. 2017, https://qormuseum.org/history/timeline-1900-1924/the-first-world-war/perpetuated-battalions/3rd-toronto-battalion-canadian-expeditionary-force/3rd-battalion-war-diaries-1916-january-to-june/
(4) Interesting Old Books Possessed By Well Known Fort Erie War Veteran, Niagara Falls Even Review, April 23rd, 1942