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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Dolby

In memory of:

Private William Dolby

August 15, 1917

Military Service


Service Number:

400867

Force:

Army

Unit:

Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment)

Division:

15th Bn.

Additional Information


Born:

June 2, 1889

Commemorated on Page 229 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:

VIMY MEMORIAL
Pas de Calais, France

Grave Reference:

N/A

Location:

Canada's most impressive tribute overseas to those Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the First World War is the majestic and inspiring Vimy Memorial, which overlooks the Douai Plain from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about eight kilometres northeast of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The Memorial is signposted from this road to the left, just before you enter the village of Vimy from the south. The memorial itself is someway inside the memorial park, but again it is well signposted. At the base of the memorial, these words appear in French and in English:

TO THE VALOUR OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN IN THE GREAT WAR AND IN MEMORY OF THEIR SIXTY THOUSAND DEAD THIS MONUMENT IS RAISED BY THE PEOPLE OF CANADA


Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial are the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead' in France. A plaque at the entrance to the memorial states that the land for the battlefield park, 91.18 hectares in extent, was 'the free gift in perpetuity of the French nation to the people of Canada'. Construction of the massive work began in 1925, and 11 years later, on July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VIII. The park surrounding the Vimy Memorial was created by horticultural experts. Canadian trees and shrubs were planted in great masses to resemble the woods and forests of Canada. Wooded parklands surround the grassy slopes of the approaches around the Vimy Memorial. Trenches and tunnels have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made. On April 3, 2003, the Government of Canada designated April 9th of each year as a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Memorial– His name as it is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial. Over 11,000 fallen Canadians having no known place of burial in France, are honoured on this Memorial. May they never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)
  • Photo of WILLIAM DOLBY– Pte Dolby is shown in the December 1918 edition of the Christmas Echo as L Cpl Dolby -- And in the Morning
  • Newspaper clipping– From the London Free Press August 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the London Free Press August 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of William Dolby– Enlisted on April 2nd, 1915 with the 33rd Battalion. Transferred to the 48th Highlanders and was killed in action at Hill 70.
  • Badge– Cap Badge 15th Bn CEF submitted by Captain (retired) Victor Goldman on behalf of 15th Bn Memorial Project
  • Shoulder patch– Shoulder Patch 15th Bn CEF submitted by Captain (retired) Victor Goldman on behalf of 15th Bn Memorial Project
  • Badge– Cap Badge  33rd Bn.  Private Dolby was a member of the 33rd Bn before being sent to the 15th Bn as a reinforcement.  Submitted by Captain (retired) Victor Goldman, 15th Bn Memorial Project.  DILEAS GU BRATH
  • Record of Service– Record of Service Card (front side).  Courtesy 48th Highlanders of Canada Regimental Museum.  Submitted by 15th Bn Memorial Project Team.  DILEAS GU BRATH
  • Record of Service– Record of Service Card (reverse side).  Courtesy 48th Highlanders of Canada Regimental Museum.  Submitted by 15th Bn Memorial Project Team.  DILEAS GU BRATH
  • Memorial– "The Hill 70 memorial, erected by the 15th Battalion Memorial Project and the town of Benifontaine, was unveiled and dedicated on 22 September 2012. The memorial commemorates the actions of the 15th Battalion CEF, which was on the extreme left flank of the Canadian assault on Hill 70, on 15 August 1917 and the memory of those members of the Battalion who fell during the engagement. The memorial sits on what was then known as Bois Hugo, which the Battalion assaulted, captured and held against repeated German counterattacks."

Photo submitted by the 15th Battalion Memorial Project Team.

Dileas Gu Brath

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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