B68879 Pte McLaughlin, Michael Joseph, enlisted on May 3, 1943 and was highly regarded by the enlisting officers. McLaughlin stated he was born in 1924 but was born in 1925 which made him 17 when he enlisted. Following training he was sent overseas, eventually joining the 48th Highlanders on 6 September 1944 while the battalion was at a camp at Cattolica, Italy preparing for the advance through the Rimini Line, the last major defence of the Gothic Line series. He was killed in action on the first day of the advance, 16 September 1944, across the Marano River and dominated by a German observation post named Kestrel on a knoll on the easterly end of the  San Martino spur. The OP gave the Germans clear oversight of the Canadians advancing on the low ground.

NOK: Son of Michael and Kathleen McLaughlin, of Caven Avenue, Lakeview, Ontario, Canada.