Allan Daniel Dunoon
Biography
Pte. Allan Daniel Dunoon was born on November 8th, 1895 in Owen Sound, Ontario, to Daniel and Elizabeth Dunoon. He was raised in the area at 665 8th Street East. Prior to the war, he worked as a tinsmith in the Owen Sound area. Dunoon was a man of average height and build for the time, standing at a solid 5’8” and weighing 158 lbs. On December 6th, 1915, at the age of 20, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was deemed ‘fit’ for service. He was attached to the 8th Reserve Battalion after one year in Canada training at Camp Borden with the 147 Grey Battalion.
Dunoon arrived in England on November 20th 1916 and was stationed in Shoreham-by-the-Sea in Sussex for around a year until he was transferred to the 4th Regiment of the Canadian Mounted Rifles. On February 22nd 1917, Dunoon arrived in France and began work on the trenches surrounding Vimy Ridge. Dunoon was believed to be stationed close to to the front lines at Vimy Ridge when the battle had started. He was reported to be ‘Killed In Action’ on April 9th 1917, the very first day of the battle. Dunoon was one of only 43 members of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles to have made the supreme sacrifice during the opening 3 days of the assault on Vimy Ridge. Although Dunoon had perished on the first day of the battle his regiment continued on to succeed in their objectives and held onto a section of trench for 65 hours, many of the soldiers went this entire length without much sleep and supplies until they were relieved from their post. The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles continued on and were able to capture and occupy the enemy front lines in the first 2 hours of the initial assault.
Dunoon’s mother, Elizabeth, was posthumously awarded the Memorial Cross - an award given to the mothers of soldiers who have lost their lives during active duty. In his will, Dunoon left the entirety of his estate to his mother. Allan Daniel Dunoon is buried at La Chaudiere Military Cemetery, which is situated on the North-Western outskirts of Vimy, France.