Private William Fairbairn, 2nd (Eastern Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Infantry. He was killed in action, aged 25, on the 22nd April 1915 during the second Battle of Ypres. ( see under George Fairbairn, his brother) for fuller details). Before enlisting in Canada he had been employed as a warper in the mill town of Almonte, Ontario. 22nd April was the day the Germans first used gas on the Western Front. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. The artist’s impression depicts Canadians repulsing a German attack after the gas release.
Private William Fairbairn
- First World War
