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No 2 Construction Fallen 14 January 1918
By Sapper Gary Silliker
John Mansfield, was born on 1 January 1879 in Dartmouth, NS. John was living in Bridgetown, NS when he travelled to Truro to enlist in No.2 Constr Bn on 30 December 1916.His regimental number was 931368 .
Upon enlisting he declared his sister, Bessie Brown of Dartmouth, as his legal next of kin and his religion as Baptist.
Private Mansfield served with No.2 Construction Coy, Canadian Overseas Railway Construction Corps, attached to No. 5 Group Canadian Forestry Corps. John became very ill in early January 1918, but he was not diagnosed properly by the attending doctors who apparently thought that he was “faking” his symptoms.
He died on 14 January 1918 and Honourary Captain William Andrew White, the chaplain of No.2 Construction Company, would note in his diary ”now they know Mansfield wasn’t faking.”
The doctors declared that Mansfield died of ‘syncope’ (aka ‘sudden cardiac arrest’), a rare condition that was normally not fatal nor was it well understood by the medical profession at the time.
Private John Mansfield is buried in the Supt Churchyard, Jura, France.
Lest we Forget
**Notes in Rev White’s diary Jan 13th -Jan 16th mention John Mansfield, his illness, death and burial.
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