Serving in the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, John McGregor, of Peterborough, Ontario, was soldier in an elite force that saw both major battles and heavy casualties throughout the Great War. He enlisted September 11, 1915, and would fight for two years overseas in France before his death at Vimy Ridge, April 12, 1917.

During the final advance at Vimy, McGregor was shot and evacuated April 11 to a clearing station, where he would succumb to his injuries the next day.

Upon his death, Lieutenant M. MacLeod, his commanding officer, wrote to his family. “I always regarded him as one of my most promising NCO’s [non-commissioned officers] and although I had only known him for a short time he proved himself to be a most trustworthy and loyal soldier.”

John’s brother, George, also served overseas and would return home, although his family admits he was never the same after the war.

Do you have an ancestor who served in the Great War? Submit their story and it could be included on this Great War Album website.