Private John George Pattison was awarded the medal for his actions on 10 April 1917 during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Ancre Heights was the scene of Canada's first involvement in the Battle of the Somme,[6] which had begun on July 1 and which ultimately resulted in 25,000 Canadian casualties.

Positioned in the second wave, they were killed by hidden German machine-gun posts that had been bypassed by the initial assault.

[7] From the Somme, the battalion was moved northward to Artois in November 1916, where they spent their winter and Christmas preparing for the offensive against Vimy Ridge.

[citation needed] The 50th Battalion and the rest of the 4th Canadian Division were assigned to attack Hill 145.

Finally, the Bavarians, low on food and having suffered many casualties, surrendered the Pimple and retreated from Vimy.

[citation needed] After Vimy the 50th Battalion, with the rest of the Canadian Corps, started preparations for the Battle of Hill 70.

[citation needed] Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig then ordered them into the heavy fighting at Liévin and Hill 65 in June and July 1917.

After the battle at Passchendaele, the Canadians finally got a break and they had Christmas dinner at Château de la Haie.

During the initial stages of the German spring offensive that was launched in early 1918, the 50th Battalion, along with the other Canadian units, was out of the line conducting training and, as a result, missed the heaviest part of the fighting.

The Germans, wasted after having to sacrifice a large number of their troops during the offensive, could not withstand the strong Allied push that followed and which ultimately brought about an end to the war.