Pte. Nelson McLaughlin

193rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders)

Nova Scotia

Circa 1916

This studio portrait postcard photo was taken before the 193rd Battalion went overseas. Nelson McLaughlin wears the standard Canadian Army uniform, including the 1913 Canadian pattern seven button service dress jacket, and an Oliver pattern leather waist belt. Only his balmoral with distinctive full feathers and cap badge, indicate his service in one of the battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. Nelson’s collar badges appear to be General List badges. He has not yet been issued the 193^rd Battalion collar badges.

The photo backdrop shows Halifax, NS, including the Town Clock on Citadel Hill, and the approaches to Halifax Harbour.

Short Biography

Nelson McLaughlin was born in Bass River, Colchester County, NS, on October 3, 1896, the son of Wellington and Melinda McLaughlin of Bass River. Nelson enlisted in the 193^rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) in Truro, on March 6, 1916. He was 19 years old at the time. He was assigned the rank of private and given service number 901073.  Nelson’s attestation paper states his trade as teamster which is defined as a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. He had no previous militia service.

Nelson trained with the 193^rd Battalion for a couple of months until the battalion relocated to Aldershot, NS, later in the spring. There they joined the other three battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade, and training intensified. In October, 1916, Nelson sailed with his battalion, and the rest of the brigade, to England, on the RMS Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic. They established themselves at Witley Camp, an army training camp in southern England.

Shortly after arriving in England, the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade was dissolved and two of its battalions, including the 193^rd Battalion, were disbanded. The intention was to use its cadre of men as reinforcements for units already at the front. As a result, on December 29, 1916, Nelson was transferred to the 185^th Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders), one of the remaining battalions of the former Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. Almost a year later, on November 28, 1917, Nelson was transferred to the Nova Scotia Regiment Depot Battalion located in Bramshot, England. While in England, Nelson spent time in hospitals and was treated for various ailments including pneumonia. 

On December 16, 1917, Nelson proceeded across the English Channel with a Canadian Labour Pool to be posted to the 2^nd Canadian Infantry Works Battalion which was involved in railway construction. He joined his new unit in France on Christmas Eve, 1917. After seven months with this unit he was taken on strength by the 85^th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders). He joined the 85^th Battalion in the field on August 15, 1918.

On August 29, 1918, the 85^th Battalion moved into trenches near Amiens, France. Orders were received that the battalion was to be involved in an attack on heavily defended enemy trenches of the Drocourt-Queant line, a part of the Hindenburg line of defence. The attack became known as the Scarpe Operation due to the proximity to the Scarpe River. The 85^th Battalion attacked on September 2^nd and under intense machine gun and artillery fire, and hand to hand combat, all objectives were eventually taken. It was during this attack on September 2, 1918, that Nelson was wounded in the abdomen by enemy fire. He succumbed to his wounds later the same day. He was 21 years old and had only been with the 85^th Battalion for a couple of weeks.

Nelson was laid to rest in Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France.

Photographer:  Cox Brothers, Halifax, NS
Ref. Number:  16-1 (5-5.4)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo postcard
Source:  Walter Millen Collection, Great Village, NS