218218 Pte. Harold George Carter Canadian Expeditionary Force 73rd Btn. (d.20th Apr 1917) Pte. Harold Carter served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force 73rd Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 20April 1917 aged 21 and is buried in Villers Station Cemetery, Villers-au-Bois, France. Born on 26 March 1894 in Toronto, Ontario, Harold George Carter enlisted in the 59th Battalion in March 1915. In January 1916, he was charged with going AWOL
The Battalion was disbanded upon reaching England at the end of 1916, and its troops were used to re-man other units who had taken high casualty rates during the war. Carter was transferred to the 73rd Battalion, part of the 4th Canadian Division. He was again found AWOL, during the September Battle of Flers-Courcelette, and was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to 10 years' imprisonment. After serving six months, his sentence was suspended, and he was re-attached to his unit on 16th March 1917.
Within three weeks, Carter once again went AWOL, this time just before the Battle of Vimy Ridge, eluding military police for five days before being re-captured. He was court-martialled and found guilty of desertion. Sentenced to death.
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