The months of July throughout the war years seem to have been relatively quiet for the 15th Battalion. There were no significant engagements and keeping in mind that even ‘routine’ frontline trench tours could result in what was termed “trench wastage” (casualties), the battalion suffered relatively few fatal casualties. July 1915 was spent mainly in frontline trench tours in the Ploegsteert area of the Ypres salient. July 1916 was mainly spent out-of-the-line in billets at Scottish Lines and Connaught Lines near Poperinghe. July 1917 was split between frontline trench tours near Loos and out-of-the-line billets in Neuville-St-Vaast, Fraser camp and Mazingarbe. The first half of July 1918 the battalion was out-of-the-line near St. Aubin and the remainder of the month in the front line in the Telegraph Hill sector near Neuville Vitasse.
In early July 1917 the battalion was out of the line but had supplied forward working parties which suffered 7 men wounded and two men killed: Private AE Robertson on the 6th and Private G. Jordan on the 7th both of whom are buried in La Targette British Cemetery.
678666 Private Arthur Edward Robertson was an 18 year old munitions worker when he and his brother Robert both attested into the 169th Battalion on January 27, 1916 in Toronto. In the UK the brothers were transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion in January 1917 and from there to No. 2 Company, 15th Battalion in February. They both served during the front line trench tours at Calonne and Neuville St Vaast in March, Vimy in April, Arleux in May and Mericourt in June.
NOK: Mrs M. Robertson (M) 472 Dundas St., Toronto, ON
