Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Biography – From the book, War Memorial of Huron County's Heroes and Heroines that was published in 1919 by the Wingham Advance. Submitted by Operation Picture Me

Album Cover – From the book, War Memorial of Huron County's Heroes and Heroines that was published in 1919 by the Wingham Advance. Submitted by Operation Picture Me

Photo of William Goll – The Wingham Advance erroneously reported my Great Uncle's death as being the result of injuries sustained at Vimy Ridge. However, casualty records show that Lance Corporal Goll died during the Battle of Amiens, significantly southwest AND more than a year AFTER the Battle of Vimy Ridge. I'm assuming the apparent embellishment was an attempt to associate a local hero with a notorious battle.

Death Certificate – The officer who typed this document at the time of Willie's death misspelled the name of the French town. It is Aubercourt, NOT Aubincourt. In fact, there is no such town as Aubincourt. But there is a town named Audincourt, which is HIGHLY unlikely for a number of reasons: This town, right on the Swiss border, is located southeast of the WWI battle theatre which was predominantly northern France along the French/Belgium border. And if you know a bit about WWI history, you'd know the belligerents would never carry the dead across great distances for burial. More often than not, soldiers were buried close to where they fell. Can you imagine the battalion carrying all their dead 400km from the Swiss border to the Somme in the northwest? Ha! Not a chance. And so, logically one can conclude, since Willie was buried in Demuin with his comrades, the battlefield must have been in the nearby town of Aubercourt, which is indeed located in the Somme. And when one considers the date of his death, August 8th, Willie died during the early hours of the Battle of Amiens.

Map – Small red box on map marks the place where my Great Uncle, Lance Cpl William Goll fell.

Grave Marker – Lance Cpl W. Goll, Plot # A25, British Cemetery, Demuin France

Attestation Papers – Attestation of William Goll

Attestation Papers – Attestation of William Goll

Entrance

Cemetery – Lance Cpl William Goll's final resting place, Plot A25, front row, 4th marker from the right.