Private William Aitken remembered at Menin Gate Memorial

Private William Aitken, a carpenter from Major, Saskatchewan, was among the many Canadians who gave their lives during the Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War.

Born July 5, 1886, in Slains, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Aitken immigrated to Canada and was living in Major when he enlisted at Winnipeg, Man., in April 1917. He served with the Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment), 8th Battalion.

In November 1917, his battalion was engaged in heavy fighting around Ypres, Belgium, as Canadian forces fought to capture and secure the village of Passchendaele. The village fell on Nov. 6, but the battle continued as Canadian troops pressed the enemy lines.

Aitken was declared missing and presumed killed in action on Nov. 10, 1917. He was 31.

Private Aitken is commemorated at the Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial in Belgium. He was the son of Mrs. Duncan Peters of Slains, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.