Elmer Edward Burdette was born in El Paso Texas on 20 September 1881. Elmer was the son of Eli H. and Ellen Burdette. He had a sister whose married name was Mrs. G.C. Kane.  At the time that Elmer enlisted his father was living in Keene, New Hampshire and his sister was living in Ashland Ohio. Although it is not clear where Elmer was living, the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission suggest that he could have been living in West Cannan, Ohio. From his enlistment records, it is clear that he was working as a train dispatcher.  He was 5 feet 7 and ½ inches tall, and he declared his religion to be Presbyterian.

Elmer enlisted in the Canadian Army at Vancouver on 17 September 1914. He shipped to England on 3 October 1914 where he was assigned to the 72nd Regiment (Seaforth Highlanders), which was part of the 16th Canadian (Manitoba) Battalion. He held the rank of Private, and he served as a Signaller. He left England for the front on 7 February 1915. In addition to the hazards of combat, Elmer also suffered through bouts of influenza and severe tonsillitis during his time in service.

While Elmer was stationed in England, he met and became engaged to a young woman named Lucy Newbury. On 5 July 1916, he executed a Last Will and Testament leaving everything he had to Lucy. Lucy was a minor at the time, and her father, John George Newbury, was still her legal guardian. In his Last Will, Elmer listed the Newbury family’s home as his own home address, 161 Carlton Vale West Kilburn London. 

Nine days after creating his Last Will, on 14 July 1916, Elmer died at the Remy Siding Casualty Clearing Station of gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen. He was 34 years old at the time of his death.

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The information above was extracted from  http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B1270-S028.  Link courtesy of Kurt Verhelle.