Private James Baker Findlay
James Findlay was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England on April 4, 1891, the son of Mr. and Mrs. F.B. Findlay, who lived in Toronto. At some point he immigrated to Paris and worked as a machinist in Penmans No. 1 Mill, where he was on the honour roll. He attended St. James Anglican Church. He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows.
James enlisted in 1915 with the 84th Battalion, but on arrival in England, he was drafted into the 76th Battalion. He was wounded in November, 1916 and later returned to the firing line when he was put into the 13th Battalion, where he was serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps.
On the night of May 19, 1918, German aircraft bombed the massive Allied hospital complex at Étaples, France, targeting No. 1 Canadian General Hospital and causing heavy casualties, including killing three Canadian Nursing Sisters - Katherine Maud Mary MacDonald, Margaret Lowe, and Gladys Maude Wake - making them the first Canadian nurses killed by enemy action in WWI. At No. 1 Canadian General Hospital alone, there were 139 casualties, with 66 killed (including the nurses) and several wounded. Other hospitals, like the 7th Canadian General Hospital, also suffered damage and casualties, with estimates for the entire area reaching around 1,000 total casualties.
James Findlay was one of the victims of that enemy air raid. James was 24 years of age. He is buried in the Étaples Military Cemetery.