27602 Private John Sinclair was a 22 year old labourer originally from Glasgow, Scotland when and his brother Horace attested into the 15th Battalion at Valcartier in September 1914. The brothers were both assigned to No. 2 Company and were together in St Julien during 2nd Ypres in April 1915. Horace was captured when the St Julien garrison was overrun but John managed to escape and rejoin the survivors of the 15th after the battle. He served at Festubert in May and like Private Russell he too was with the battalion during its fall 1915 and winter-spring 1916 tour in the Ploegsteert area.
In April 1916 the Battalion was in the front line at International Trench in the portion of the line between two infamous locations, Hill 60 and ‘the Bluff’. On April 26th the Germans blew several craters in front of the trenches held by the 2nd Battalion on the left of the 15th closer to railway cutting in front of Hill 60. There was fighting for the craters all day and into the night with heavy German artillery and mortar fire on the Canadian line during which the 15th battalion suffered a number of casualties.
During the day of April 26th, Private Sinclair was killed in action suffering a gunshot wound to the head. He is buried in Woods Cemetery.
NOK: Son of John and Catherine Sinclair, of 9, Bowman St., Toronto, Ontario.
