Sergeant Cyril Herbert Gilham
Cyril Gilham was born in Canterbury, Kent, England on August 17, 1889. He was the son of Arthur and Annie Gilham of Canterbury. He was married to Eva Gertrude Gilham and they had one daughter. Cyril was a farmer and they lived just outside of Paris. They attended St. Paul’s Methodist (now United) Church.
Cyril was 26 years of age when he enlisted in Dundas with the 20th Battalion. There are few details of his wartime experience. We know that in February 1916, the 20th Canadian Battalion was stationed on the Western Front in the Ypres Salient area of Belgium, as part of the 4th Canadian Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division.
The battalion spent the month holding the line and enduring the typical conditions of trench warfare. Their time was spent in a routine of holding the line, which involved nightly patrols in no man's land, continuously repairing wire and trenches, and enduring almost continuous enemy shelling. Soldiers battled the harsh winter conditions, including lice, trench foot, and disease, which were common issues during winter trench warfare. The 20th Battalion was a unit that remained in the field for the duration of the war, and other reserve battalions in England, such as the 198th and 37th Reserve Battalions, would later provide drafts of reinforcements to the 20th and other frontline units.
Cyril Gilham suffered a serious gunshot wound in the left arm on February 15. He was taken to No. 13 General Hospital in Boulogne, but on February 16, 1916 he died of the wound which had been seriously compromised by the effect of shell shock. The 20th Battalion would later go on to fight in major battles such as the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele. Sergeant Cyril Gilham is buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery in France.