Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website

Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website





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220570

Pte. William McCann

British Army 2nd Btn. B Company. Royal Dublin Fusiliers

from:Chance Inn, Perthshire, Scotland

(d.17th Oct 1914)

William McCann was my grandfather. He was killed in St. Joseph's Café in Houplines, France. He entered the café and found 6 German soldiers he killed all 6 but was fatally wounded and died aprox 1 hour after the Germans.

The lady who owned the café buried the Germans on one side of the garden and my grandfather on the other side. After the war British. His remains were moved to a convent at Armitiers and interred there until 1960 when his remains were moved to the Strand Military Cemetery in Ploegsteert, Belgium.

He lived at Chance Inn by Glencarse, Perthshire, Scotland. He was born in Balbriggan, Dublin in 1881 and went to Scotland to find work. He met my grandmother and they were married on November 4th 1910. A son, William, was born in 1911 and died in 1912. My father, David McCann, was born in 1912 and died in 1968. My Aunt Jean was born in 1915.

He is documented as being the hero of Houplines. There is a ceremony of somesort happening on the 17th of October but I can't get the Mayor of Houplines to give me any information about it. I have tried three times but to no avail. We have all the documents containing the information.



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