Harold Wilfred Shaughnessy was born 3 November 1884, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick to Mary Margaret Shaughnessy and John Shaughnessy. He was a stenographer before enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Montreal on 4 August 1915.

He enlisted with the 73rd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), CEF, making him one of the original members of the battalion.

On 8 September 1915, Shaughnessy was promoted to Sergeant and after training, departed Halifax with the 73rd Battalion on 31 March 1916, arriving at Bramshott in England 10 April 1916 for additional training.

The 73rd Battalion arrived at Le Havre, France on 2 August 1916. Sergeant Shaughnessy took part in the closing battles of the Somme and the preparations for the attack on Vimy. The 73rd Battalion participated in the attack on Vimy Ridge attacking on the far left of the Canadian Corps front near Hill 145.

The 73rd Battalion was disbanded and Sergeant Shaughnessy transferred to the 13th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), 3rd Brigade, 1st Division CEF on 8 May 1917 where he was attached to Canadian Corps Headquarters for three months.

On 11 August 1917, Sergeant Shaughnessy returned to the 13th Battalion four days before the assault on Hill 70. The 13th Battalion fought in the assault on Hill 70 between 15 and 25 August 1917. The attack was in two stages with the capture of two objective lines. The 13th Battalion secured its part of the first objective, the “Blue Line” soon after the start of the attack. The second objective, the “Green Line” was secured later that same day. Sergeant Shaughnessy most likely lost his life in taking the Blue Line because his remains were discovered near the location of this objective.

Following the war, his name was engraved on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial commemorating Canadian soldiers who died during the First World War and have no known grave. He was also commemorated on a memorial in his hometown of St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

During an ordnance clearing process in June 2016, his remains were discovered near where the Blue Line had been.

Through historical, anthropological and archaeological analysis, with the assistance of the Canadian Forces Forensic Odontology Response Team, and the Canadian Museum of History, the Casualty Identification Review Board was able to confirm the identity of the remains as Sergeant Harold Wilfred Shaughnessy in December 2016.

Sergeant Shaughnessy was buried on August 24, 2017 in CWGC Loos British Cemetery , Loos-en-Gohelle, France. His grave is now marked with an engraved Commission headstone and will be cared for in perpetuity.