Germany, Imperial. A Piece of Canvas from a German Aeroplane, Attributed to Private Mark St. Clair Johnston, PPCLI, KIA

Light beige canvas with a lacquered finish on the obverse, giving the canvas strength and moisture-resistance, the underside inscribed in pencil with a sketch of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry insignia above the inscription "This is a piece of canvas from a German aeroplane brought down by our airmen, M.S. Johnston", measuring 90 mm (w) x 123 mm (h), curled, extremely fine.

Footnote: Mark St. Clair Johnston was born on May 29, 1894 in Toronto, Ontario, the son of William Ballantyne Johnston. He was a resident of Winona, Ontario when he signed his Attestation Paper as a Private (784913) with the 129th Infantry Battalion "Wentworth Battalion", on February 11, 1916 in Stoney Creek, Ontario, at the age of 21, naming his next-of-kin as his father, William Johnston, stating that he had no previous military service, that he was not married, that his religion was Presbyterian and that his trade was that of Bank Clerk. The Battalion was raised in the County of Wentworth, Ontario with mobilization headquarters at Dundas, Ontario under the authority of G.O. 151, December 22, 1915. The Battalion sailed August 21, 1916 from Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Olympic, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel W.E.S. Knowles with a strength of 32 officers and 807 other ranks, arriving in Liverpool, England on August 30th. Seven weeks after arriving in England, he was transferred to the 124th Infantry Battalion "Governor General's Body Guard" on October 18, 1916. Private Johnston was transferred to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for overseas service on December 5, 1916, landing in France on the 6th. He left for the PPCLI in the field on December 29th, joining them in the field on January 1, 1917. Seven months after arriving with the PPCLI, he was admitted to No. 9 Canadian Field Ambulance on August 6, 1917 with a sprained right ankle. He was transferred to No. 10 Canadian Field Ambulance on the 10th, and after five days, he was admitted to No. 56 General Hospital at Etaples on August 15th. By August 24th, he was admitted to No. 6 Convalescent Depot at Etaples, where he would be treated for the ankle injury for the next week, before being transferred to No. 11 Convalescent Depot at Buchy on the 31st. After two weeks recuperation at Buchy, Private Johnston was discharged to Base Details at Etaples on October 15th and taken on strength at the 3rd Base Depot on the 17th. One month later, he left to re-join the PPCLI in the field on November 4, 1917. 784913 Private Mark St. Clair Johnston, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment) was Killed in Action on November 17, 1917, less than two weeks after re-joining his unit. He is buried in Passchendaele New British Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium, Grave Reference: VI. C. 10. and is commemorated on page 264 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. His father, William Ballantyne Johnston, received his son's Memorial Plaque and Scroll, along with his BritishWar Medal and Victory Medal. No Memorial Cross was issued. In his Will, dated August 10, 1916, he stated that "I bequeath all my personal estate to (father) William Ballantyne Johnston of Winona" and also appointed him as the Executor of the Will. Private Johnston was a friend of 784921 Sapper Harold Lake, Canadian Engineers, who was also from Winona and enlisted with the 129th Infantry Battalion on the same day, February 11, 1916, in Stoney Creek. They went overseas together and were both transferred to the 124th Infantry Battalion on October 18, 1916. However, the two would be separated on December 5, 1916 upon Private Johnston's transfer to the PPCLI. Johnston did later take it upon himself to forward this piece of German aeroplane canvas to Sapper Lake, as it was found tucked inside Lake's Active Service Canadian Pay Book.