Private John Jarvie was the son of Mr. and Mrs.
James Jarvie of Milton, Ontario. He joined the 20th Halton
Rifles militia regiment on October 13, 1915 and then was
transferred to the 76th Infantry Battalion on November 19, 1915.
On arrival in France on June 28, 1916 he he joined the Canadian
Base Depot and on July 12, 1916 he was taken on strength with
the 21st Battalion (2nd Division, 4th Infantry Brigade). He was
reported missing from action "on or since" September
15, 1916, so there may be no exact date of death.
The 21st Battalion was involved in the heavy fighting near
Courcelette, France during the Battle of the Somme. He was with
other soldiers from Milton, such as Dockray,
Eden and Graham.
The summer and fall of 1916 were the "Battles of the
Somme" as reported in Nicholson
Chapter VI. The action from September 15th to 20th was
at Courcelette, moving towards the Sugar Factory (see
Map 6) or better yet Google
Earth. This was the premier battle with Allied Tanks.
The Germans were shocked!
The war diaries are explicit for the Courcelette battle,
please see the details here: 1,
2,
3,
4
(all officers casualties), and 5.
From these battles "Sunken Road" became a name not to
be forgotten in the Great War.
Private Jarvie is one of the many men of the 21st Battalion
that has been studied by the 21st Battalion Research Group. You
will find that information here:
Private
Jarvie, 21st Battalion
and as well an image of the inscription from the Vimy
Monument, courtesy of Al Lloyd:
