In the first week of February 1918 the 15th Battalion was doing a front line trench tour near Loos not far from the ground they had assaulted and captured at Hill 70 the previous year in August. On February 7th while with a carrying party bringing heavy trench mortar rounds from support trench Natal to the front line, two men from No. 4 Company were killed in action when the group was hit by a salvo of 5.9” artillery rounds. Private Joseph Annesley was hit in the face and neck by shrapnel and Private William Donnachie had his left leg blown off. Both men were buried in Fosse No. 10 Communal Cemetery Extension.

Joseph Aaton Annesley was a 23 year old locomotive fireman originally from Portadown, Ireland and living in Saskatoon when he attested into the 96th Battalion in March 1916. He was transferred to the 92nd Battalion in the UK in October 1916 at East Sandling camp and from there to the 5th Reserve Battalion at West Sandling camp. He was TOS the 15th Battalion as a reinforcement on April 10, 1917 but attached to the 1st Entrenching Battalion before reporting to the Battalion and being assigned to No. 4 Company later that same month. He served in the battles of Hill 70 in August and Passchendaele in October-November as well as the trench tours at Arleux in April & June, at Vimy ridge & Mericourt in June, Loos in July, Laurent in September and Avion in October.

NOK: Son of John and Elizabeth Annesley, of The Rocks, Portadown, Co. Armagh, Ireland. Wife: Louise Annesley (W) Saskatoon, SK