Private John Groggin
John Groggin was born in Nelson, Lancashire, England on December 4, 1890. He immigrated to Paris in 1912 and worked as a weaver, probably with Penmans. He was married and they had one child. They attended St. James Anglican Church. John was a member of the St. James Men’s Society.
John was a member of the 25th Brant Dragoons, and he enlisted at 23 years of age in August, 1914 with the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR), who in May 1916, were active on the Western Front as infantry, part of the 8th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, which was preparing for major actions like the Somme offensive. The 2nd CMR and other mounted units were converting from cavalry to infantry and Canadian artillery was reorganizing, all while facing heavy fighting and adapting to trench warfare, including issues with the Ross rifle. The Ross rifle was considered bad for combat because it was not robust enough for trench warfare, jamming frequently in the mud and cold, and often failed after rapid fire. Canadian military later abandoned the Ross rifle in favor of the more durable Lee-Enfield.
On May 27, 1916, while this restructuring was going on under heavy fire, Private John Groggin suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a fractured right arm. He was taken to No. 13 General Hospital in Boulogne where he died of his injuries. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. John’s wife and daughter returned to England.