Date of birth: 1886-01-30
Place of birth: Bridgewater Nova Scotia Canada
Next of kin: Casandre Wagner, mother, Mahone Bay
Marital status: single
Occupation (attested): machinist
Occupation (normalized): Metalworking Machine Setter-Operator, General
Address:
Mahone Bay, NS
Religion: Church of England
CVWM ID: No CVWM ID in our database, but try
this.
Service file: B9982-S023
Uploader's Notes: Sapper Benjamin Wagner, the son of Isaiah and Cassandra Wagner, was born in Bridgewater on 30 January 1886. When he was a young man he spent 4 years in reserve service with the 75th Lunenburg Regiment. When war was declared, in August 1914, Benjamin was a 28-year-old machinist living in Mahone Bay. On 10 January 1916, Benjamin traveled to Windsor and enlisted in the CEF, being assigned the service number of 733761. Benjamin was released from the military shortly after he enlisted due to a “heart” condition, but Benjamin seems to have been determined to do his bit and less than 2 months later, on 2 March 1916 he was re-enlisted with a new number, 734302, in Bridgewater. It seems his heart condition either improved in two months or that the examining doctor in Bridgewater did not notice or “overlooked” the heart condition during the medical examination. Benjamin was initially assigned to the 112 Battalion (Nova Scotia) for training. The 112 Batalion went overseas in July 1916 and was quatered in England throughout the war and used as a re-enforcement reserve battalion training troops and supplying soldiers as replacements to the front line battalions. Probably due to the fact that he was a machinist by trade, upon arriving in England Benjamin was re-assigned to 7th Battalion of the Canadian Railway Troops (7th Bn CRT ). In June 1917 the Canadian Corps were fighting in France; however, 7th Bn CRT found itself in Flanders supporting the British efforts in the Ypres Salient. During the period of 4-6 June, 7th Bn CRT was involved with the rapid construction of a rail line that was required to rapidly transport munitions forward to the British troops. This construction continued, day and night, under German shell fired. Benjamin was the only unit member to be wounded by artillery fire on 4 June. He was rushed to the Casualty Clearance Station at Lijssenthoek, just outside Poperinge Belgium; unfortunately, Benjamin succumbed to his wounds on 6 June. His remains are buried in Plot 12 row C grave 38 in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery – a cemetery that contains the remains of 11,169 Commonwealth war dead.
Uploader's Research notes: enrolled, initially , in Windsor NS on 10 Jan 16 (#733761) stating 4 yrs prior service in militia (75th Bn)...found to be unfit for service due to a heart condition.........it appears that he did latter qualify for service with the railway troops........I wonder if the Bridgewater doctor turned a blind eye to the previuos medical condition as a favour to Ben....or was there a demand for machinists for the new CRT ?
Benjamin died at the field hospital at Lijssenthoek. Most of the Cdn Corps, at the time of his death, were in France near the Souchez River . His unit was working in the Ypres Salient in support of British units at the time of his death. The unit war diary notes that during the period of 4-6 June the unit was busy running in a new railway line due to an urgent request to get ammunition forward to the line troops. The diary also notes that one man was wounded on 4 June (probably from artillery fire)- it is very likely that Benjamin was that man.
[Sapper Army Canadian Railway Troops 7th Battalion Canadian Railway Troops ]
