Private William Andrew "Will" Jordain, Newtown, Guysborough County—A Postscript

 Almost a decade ago, the story of Private William Andrew “Will” Jordain, Newtown, Guysborough County, was posted on this blog. Will was killed on October 30, 1917, during the battle of Passchendaele, Belgium, while serving with the 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company. At that time, the exact circumstances of Will’s death were not known. A family descendant recently came across an old newspaper clipping that provides additional details on what transpired that day.

Pte. William Andrew Jordain

After Will’s tragic death, William Marsden Hughes, a native of Quincy, Massachusetts, wrote a letter to his mother, Mrs. Peter [Carrie Archibald] Jordain.  William enlisted with the 151st Battalion—Will’s initial unit—at Edmonton, Alberta, on December 15, 1915. His overseas service corresponded with Will’s time in uniform. When the 151st Battalion was dissolved after arriving in the United Kingdom, William was also assigned to the 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company.

There is no date on the letter and  no indication as to where it was published. Below is a complete transcript of William’s letter to Carrie:

Mrs. Peter Jordain:

Dear Friend—I suppose by now you have received the sad news of the death of your gallant son, Pte. W. A. Jordain, both official and from his Sergeant Gates.

Before I go any further I shall tell you who I am and how it is I am writing you. My name is Pte. Wm. M. Hughes, No 62098, B Section, 15th Canadian Machine Gun Company, BEF [British Expeditionary Force], France. Your son and I both enlisted in the same battalion, both about the same time. We went into the Machine Gun Section, 151 Battalion, at Sarcee Camp, Alberta. From then right up to the time of his death, we were pals together. He was considerably older than I. He was more like an older brother or a father than a friend. He always helps in things I did not know and by his experience and his help, he saved me many a hard knock.

A year ago this New Years [December 31, 1916 - January 1, 1917], we sat up and watched the old year out and the new in. It was on that night he gave me your address and asked for my mother’s, both agreeing that if anything happened to either of us the one who was left would write and explain. We both prayed that the time would never come. We left England together and were sent both to the same company and to the same section, but different gun crews. He was on No. 1 and I was on No 2. So when we were in the line we were side by side.

Every one in the section had a good word for him. He was our spokesman whenever there was [sic] any complaints about food, billets, etc. It was he who made his crew of four to six men most comfortable in the line and looked after them and saw that they got their share of all the little comforts he could get for his men. It was he who had a young lad in his crew, who was not very strong and when the other men went in with only a tripod for the gun he carried his tripod and strapped to each leg of his tripod he had a full belt box. This meant that he had between 30 and 40 pounds more to carry. He did this so that the young lad who was with him would not have so much to carry.

16th Canadian Machine Gun Company positions, Passchendaele, Oct/Nov 1917

It was on the afternoon of October 29 if I remember correctly, we were waiting to be relieved when the enemy opened up to shell us. A shell hit his position and exploded. He and the officer and his crew of three men never knew what hit them. They went to their Creator without any pain at all. Dear mother, I know that your heart is broken and that it is hard to bear. It will not be long at the most when you will be called Home, and know up yonder he is waiting for you. You have this to be thankful for; he had no pain like many of the fellows have before they go out and that his resting place is marked, not like many that have nothing to show where they lay.

We buried him up on the shell torn ridge along with his officer and crew. At the head of his grave there is a cross bearing his name, number, unit, and the date he died doing his duty like a soldier, trusting God and loved by all his friends, and every one was his friend.

Your sorrow is mine. He was all a fellow would ask for and more in the way of advice that fathers would give. He was through the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Sergeant Gates was sent out [from Passchenadaele] gassed. I will close now, as a friend.

Wm. M. Hughes

The mud-soaked battlefield where Will Jordain was buried endured another 12 months of artillery shelling, obliterating the final resting places of many Passenchendaele fatalities, Will’s grave among them. His name is engraved on the panels of the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium, erected after the war to commemorate the deaths of 54,587 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ypres Salient, and who have no known graves.

Special thanks to Jennifer MacKay, Truro, NS, great-great-niece of William Andrew Jordain, for sharing this news item.