Wallas, William Allen

William Wallas was born on September 29, 1888 in London, England to parents Thomas and Mary Wallas. He grew up in England with siblings Alexander, Arnold, Christina, Dorothy, Graham and Trevin. By the time William reached adulthood, his mother had passed away and his father moved to Sydney, Australia. Some of the Wallas children remained in England, while others, including William immigrated to Canada. William found his way to Bassano, Alberta where he tried his hand at ranching. On April 15, 1916, William Wallas enlisted with the 61st Battery 15th Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. He was promoted to Sergeant while still in Canada. Sergeant Wallas arrived in England on September 22, 1916 aboard the SS Cameronia and remained in England until embarking for France on August 21, 1917. He served in France and Belgium with the 15th Brigade CFA for a little over a year, seeing action at Ypres, Passchendaele and Amiens. In late August 1918, during the bloodiest days of the battle of Amiens, Sergeant Wallas received gunshot wounds to the thigh, hand and stomach. On September 2, 1918, he succumbed to his wounds and was laid to rest at Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery. William Wallas was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal, which were sent to his sister Dorothy. His brother, Alexander received a death plaque and scroll in memory of William