WWI CEF Lindsay Honors Her Fallen Medal - 38th Batt.

WWI CEF Lindsay Honors Her Fallen Medal - 38th Batt. - Bronze, obverse illustrating the Town of Lindsay, Ontario's coat-or-arms surrounded by a wreath of maple leaves, with the inscription "LINDSAY HONORS HER FALLEN" above and "C.E.F." below, reverse inscribed "IN MEMORY OF" and engraved "PTE W.J. O'NEILL / 38th BN. / KILLED IN ACTION / MAY 4th 1917", 31.6 mm, on original purple satin ribbon, bronze hanger with pinback, extremely fine. Accompanied by a 57 mm x 84 mm sepia-toned Photograph with a gloss finish of O'Neill in uniform standing before a door marked "COMMAND PAYMASTER", in its original cardboard box of issue, jeweller marked "GEO. BEALL LINDSAY ONT." on the lid and a CD containing eleven pages with copies of his Index Cards, Attestation Paper, Service Records and Medical Records. Footnote: 189463 William James O'Neill was born on January 2, 1882 in LIndsay, Ontario. He signed his Attestation Paper on November 25, 1915, as a Private with the 91st Battalion "Elgin Battalion" at St. Thomas, Ontario, naming his next-o-kin as his wife, Nellie May O,Neill of Toronto, stating the he had two years' previous military service with the 45th Battalion, that he was married and that his trade as that of Egg Tester. The couple had three children. The Battalion was raised in Elgin County, Ontario with mobilization headquarters at St. Thomas under the authority of G.O. 151, December 22, 1915. The Battalion sailed on June 28, 1916 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard His Majesty's Transport, the S.S. Olympic, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel W.J. Green with a strength of 32 officers and 905 other ranks, disembarking at Liverpool, England on July 5th. Ten days later, he was transferred to the 36th Reserve Battalion at West Sandling on July 15th. After five weeks, O'Neill was again transferred, this time to the 38th Battalion in the French theatre on August 20th. He was taken on strength at the Canadian Base Depot at Le Havre, France the next day, left for his unit on the 27th and joined them on the 29th. He took a Stokes Gun Course at the 4th Division School on January 15, 1917 and was named Acting Corporal with pay on April 10, 1917. Sixteen days later, O'Neill was wounded in action at the Battle of Arras on April 26th. He was admitted to No. 23 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and reported as "Dangerously Wounded" on the 28th, with gun shot wounds to his arm, neck and jaw. He was transferred to No. 13 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne, France on May 2nd, his condition noted as "Dangerously Ill". A week after receiving his injuries at Arras, O'Neill died from his wounds at No. 13 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne on May 4th. His widow, Nellie May O'Neill (also referred to on his index card as Mary E. O'Neill), received his British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Cross, Memorial Plaque and Scroll, none of which are included here. Notices regarding his wounding and death appeared in the Toronto Star, the last dated May 9, 1917.