During the period July 20-23, 1917 the 15^th Battalion was in the line near Loos and throughout that four day trench tour their positions were heavily bombarded by German 77mm artillery and especially ‘Whiz-bangs’ – minenwerfers.  The unit suffered a number of men wounded on the 22^nd and 23^rd but on the 20^th three men were killed in action. All three men had come to the 15^th Battalion as reinforcements following Vimy in April 1917 and they served in the Arleux, Mericourt and Loos trench tours between April and July.

204620 Private William Henry Allbright was a 22 year old lumber merchant  from Shellmouth, Manitoba when he attested into the 96^th Battalion in March 1916 at Saskatoon.  In the UK he was transferred to the 92^nd Battalion and from there to the 5^th Reserve Battalion at Bramshott in January 1917. He was sent as reinforcement to the 15^th Battalion in April 1917 and assigned to No. 4 Company.

During the bombardment on July 20^th, Privates Hanson and Allbright were killed by a ‘whiz bang’ in a trench called Scot’s Alley and Private Ficht was killed by artillery fire while on sentry duty in a front line trench. All three men are buried in Barlin Communal Cemetery Extension.

NOK: Son of William Henry and Mary Robertson Allbright, of Shellmouth, Manitoba.  W.H. Allbright (F) Shellmouth, MN