Gerard Balfour Meynell Jr. was born on November 13, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Gerald Balfour and Margaret Meynell. He was married to Maralyn Burtt. He was an American citizen who pursued his education at Acadia University in Nova Scotia before entering military service. He enlisted in the service on November 1, 1950. He served in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, as a Lieutenant during the Korean War.

On May 2, 1953, Lt. Meynell was leading a patrol near Hill 187 when Chinese forces launched an attack, killing him and roughly half of his men. The remaining members of the patrol were able to withdraw to defensive positions on Hill 187. He is now buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Busan, Dong-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, South Korea.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.veterans.gc.ca, en.wikipedia.org