Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

7 June - 11 July 1917. The plan at Messines was to blow up 19 mines in what was the largest man made explosion before Hiroshima, and utterly destroy the German front line along the Messines Ridge. The effect was to "liquify" the ground and create a mini earthquake, which coupled with the largest artillery preparation thus far of over 3 million shells would stun the defenders into submission. The plan largely worked and was initially very successful although the Germans did re-group and opportunities to develop the attack were lost. Casualties in this victory were 25,000.

Detail :

History of the 102nd Canadian Infantry Battalion- Gould, McLeod Transferred from 67th Btn 2/5/1917. Killed at '2nd Triangle' Three important tasks were set the Battalion on this tour; one was to capture and mop up the series of trenches known as The Triangle; the second to capture a strong-point consisting of a concrete machine-gun emplacement set in the railway embankment and formidably protected; the third to capture, consolidate and hold a line east of the Generating Station, establishing thereby a new front lint55 All these tasks were eventually accomplished, but not without bitter and fierce fighting. On June 5th, D Coy., under Major H. B. Scharschmidt, under cover of a rifle grenade and machine-gun barrage, managed to occupy the Generating Station and advance in the direction of the Brewery and the suburb of Leaurette, but this success was offset by the failure of two attempts to capture the strong point referred to; the Battalion also sustained a serious loss in the gassing of Major Scharschmidt, who was so severely affected as to be permanently invalided out of France. A third attempt to capture the strong-point on the 7th failed of its purpose. On the following day two important operations were carried out. No. 6 Platoon of B under Lieut. G. Lowrie, was detailed to attack The Triangle and to hand same over to the 5th Leicesters on our left. The attack took place at 8.30 p.m., and at the first assault Lieut. Lowrie was killed, his place being taken by Lieut. J. G. Knight; under a hail of machine-gun bullets and high-explosive shells the men cut through the wire and bombed their way to the enemy positions; the resistance encountered was very stubborn, but The Triangle was eventually captured, together with 15 unwounded prisoners, and handed over to the Leicesters, and No. 6 Platoon returned to its starting-point.

Visiting the Fallen Arras: North by Peter Hughes. " Lieutenant George LOWRIE, 102nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry, was killed in action on 8 June 1917 during local operations aimed at securing an area known as The Triangle. It was the site of a strongpoint that included a concrete machine-gun post set in the embankment of a railway and the whole position was well protected by strong wire. This defensive system had been attacked the previous day, but had resisted all attempts to capture it. Although it was captured by LOWRIE and his men on 8 June and handed over to the 5th Leicestershire Regiment, The Triangle was lost the following morning during the early hours when the enemy launched a counter-attack. These operations were carried out at a time when German attention was firmly focused on the Battle of Messines, which began on 7 June well north of this location on the Belgian side of the border. Although timed to catch the enemy off guard, the Germans defending The Triangle proved to be very capable and very determined fighters. (Plot IX.C.19)"

In the book Fortune Favours the Brave it recounts the story and further details: "B Coy's attack began at 8.30 p.m. and immediately resulted in a German artillery response heard and felt all along the Canadian front. Lowrie was killed by a rifle bullet just three minutes into the assault. Lieutenant John Knight moved forward, took command of the platoon..."

See also: Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley