Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Memorial – This plaque is dedicated to the memory of Sergeant William James Kerr, born in Scotland and immigrating to Canada where he joined the 38th Battalion in December 1914, serving with the Battalion during its period of garrison duty in Bermuda from August 1915 to May 1916. The 38th Battalion left for England in June and continued on to Belgium where, by mid-August, they occupied trenches east of Ypres. In September 1916, the joined the Canadian Corps in the Somme operations and went on to Vimy in November, where they took part in the April 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Battalion continued operating in the Lens area until October. Sgt Kerr was killed in September 1917, and is buried in Villers Station Cemetery, southwest of Lens. This plaque was originally located at the Loyal Orange #222 Billings Bridge; at the time, the village of Billings Bridge was a small community near the present day Billings Bridge in Ottawa. With the closure of the Lodge, the plaque eventually came into the hands of Gloucester Township Historical Society.