Pte. Archie McLellan

246th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) CEF

Camp Aldershot, NS

Circa 1916-1917

Pte. McLellan poses for a studio portrait photo. He wears a balmoral with a 246^th Battalion cap badge and full feathers. 246^th Battalion collar badges and numbered shoulder straps are visible in the photo.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  0-4 (19-1.3)
Image Information:  Scan of of original photo
Source:  Robert MacLellan Collection

_________________________________________

Short Biography and Record of Service

Pte. Archibald "Archie" Andrew McLellan
Service Number 877992
Died of Wounds November 11, 1918
Royal Canadian Regiment

Archibald Andrew McLellan, or Archie as he was better known, was born and raised in the small rural community of Egypt, Inverness County, Cape Breton, on September 25, 1886. Archie made his living farming. He married Mary Flora and they had one child, a daughter Catherine.

On April 6, 1916, Archie enlisted in the 185^th Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders). At the time the battalion was recruiting and training in the abandoned coal mining town of Broughton, near Sydney, NS. Archie became a piper in the 185^th Battalion’s pipe band. The following month the battalion relocated to the large pre war army training camp in Aldershot, NS, where they were united with three other Nova Scotia highland battalions to form the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. On September 9, 1916, while at Camp Aldershot, Archie was transferred to the 246^th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), a newly formed reserve battalion created to recruit men for the battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. He was a piper in the 246^th Battalion’s pipe band as well. Archie went overseas to England with the 246^th Battalion on the S.S. Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic, in June, 1917. Shortly after arriving in England he was transferred back to the 185^th Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders). He trained with the 185^th Battalion at Witley, a training camp in England, until the unit received news that they were to be disbanded to create reinforcements for Canadian units already at the front. As a result, on February 23, 1918, Archie was transferred to the 17^th Reserve Battalion before proceeding overseas to France on March 25, 1918 for service with the Royal Canadian Regiment. He joined them in the field a month later. On November 11, 1918, the last day of the war, Archie received a gunshot wound to his left side. He was evacuated to the No. 4 Canadian Casualty Station where he died from his wounds the same day. Archie was posthumously awarded a Military Medal for bravery for his previous actions with the unit.

Archie McLellan was laid to rest in Valenciennes (St. Roch) Communal Cemetery in France. He was 32 years old.