1090107 Pte Moss, John Edward attested on 21 December 1916 with the 253rd Queen’s University Highland Battalion. He sailed from Halifax on the SS Olympic on 29 April 1917, was assigned to a reserve battalion in England then sent to the 15th Battalion, 48th Highlanders arriving at the battalion on 28 August 1917. He was sent to CCRC (hospital) from 26 Sept to 13 Nov 1917 then returned to the battalion arriving on the 19th. During this period in September the battalion was in reserve and in support in the Cite St. Pierre area. Back at the battalion he was wounded on 01 September 1918 in the battle to take the “Crow’s Nest” at the Drocourt-Queant Line, receiving a shrapnel wound to the left knee. He was invalided to hospital at Witley, England on 4 September then departed for Canada on 9 August. He was discharged from the army on 29 March 1919. A description of that battle from one of our histories stated:
“The Crow’s Nest, a high promontory shaped like Gibraltar, gave the enemy a dominant overview of the ground in front the Drocourt-Queant Line east of Arras. The 15th would take it alone. On 1 September, behind a rolling barrage, they rolled forward at 4:50 a.m. under the cover of darkness. The two-company front attack swarmed to success and follow-up platoons were in a flank defence by dawn. The stage was set for the brigade. On the 2nd, a rolling barrage greeted the zero hour of 5 a.m. Orders had been given without time to study the defences they faced. The 16th Battalion led, with the 15th 400 metres behind until the D-C Line fell. Then they leapfrogged, only to meet enfilading machine gun fire from the right. They advanced grimly, angry that the promised tanks were not there, not stopping to mop up. With the bit in their teeth, they outraced the brigades on both flanks by 1000 metres, silencing enemy machine guns on both flanks by themselves. The right flank closed up beside them by 2:30, the left at 6. The total two-day advance had been 6000 yards.
The toll for two days: 56 killed, 166 wounded, 31 missing.”
NOK: Samuel Moss , Father, 3rd Street West, Cornwall, ON