27292 Pte Covill, Arthur was born in Lincoln, England on 26 November 1884. On 22 September 1914 he enlisted at Valcartier, Quebec for overseas service with the 15th Battalion, 48th Highlanders. Prior to enlisting he had served 8 years with the 48th Highlanders in Toronto and 1 year with the Canadian Engineers.
In England, in the district of West Down, South, he was appointed Corporal on 26 November 1914. The battalion went to France in early 1915, arriving at the front on 6 March. He reverted to Private on 12 March. This was often at the soldier’s request as some did not want the heavy responsibility for the lives of other soldiers. The battalion moved to Ypres on 15 April and were the battalion that suffered the first chlorine gas attack of the war on 24 April. He was reported missing on that day and declared dead on 7 September 1916, as he was not reported a prisoner. His body was not found and he is memorialized on the Menin Gate memorial at Ypres. His page there is at https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/923056
NOK: Foster son of Mrs. H. J. Mason, of 168, Coxwell Avenue, Toronto.
