Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | December 16, 1898 |
Place of Birth | Keewatin, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Mother: Mrs Annie Beaton - Keewatin, Ontario |
Trade / Calling | clerk |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 1250384 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 76th Battery |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Field Artillery |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Keewatin, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | May 21, 1917 |
Age at Enlistment | 18 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | June 5, 1966 |
Age at Death | 67 |
Buried At | Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Daniel Percival (Percy) Beaton was born on 15 December 1897 in Keewatin, Ontario. He was the son of Dougald Beaton and Mary Anne (Annie) Carmody who had married in 1883 in Rat Portage (now known as Kenora). Percy’s father died in 1900. Percy’s siblings included: Florence May (1885-1918) who married Cyril Leslie Galloway; Sarah V. (1887-1907) who died of Typhoid Fever; Harry Walter (1889-1901); Edith Pearl (1890-1972) who married Alexander Hector MacMillan; and Cyril Douglas (1892-1970 ) who married Mary Ethel Robinson and also served in WW1.
Daniel enlisted with the 76th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery on 21 May 1917 in Winnipeg Manitoba. He sailed from Halifax on April 9th, 1918 on the Metagama, arriving in Liverpool on April 19th. He trained in England until September 14th. He was taken on strength to the Canadian Artillery Pool on September 9th, 1918. On September 14th he was transferred to France and on the 4th of October posted to the 3rd Brigade of the CFA. During this time he would have participated in the Battle of Courtrai, the Selle and of Valenciennes, including the capture of Mons. By November 11th, the Armistice was signed, and he had survived.
Daniel did suffer one injury, while still enlisted but following the armistice. He fell off a horse onto his right elbow, which has been wrenched at an earlier time while pitching baseball. The fall made it worse, but no treatment was recommended.
Daniel returned to Canada from Southampton on the Aquitania, to Montreal. He was back in Keewatin by May 27th, 1919.
On 29 August 1929 Daniel married Lorine Frances White in Hamilton, Ontario. After a honeymoon motor trip to New York, the couple set up residence in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Daniel was employed as an accountant but eventually became president of Wilson-Gregory Lumber Supply Company. He and Lorine had a son, John Daniel and a daughter, Janice Lorine.
Daniel Percival Beaton died suddenly on 05 June 1966 in Winnipeg. He is buried in Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, Winnipeg. Lorine died on 21 September 1988.
The town of Keewatin held a demonstration in August of 1919 to honour those who had served during the war, with Percy’s name on the list published in the Kenora Miner and News. He is commemorated for his service on the Municipality of Keewatin For King and Country plaque.
by Penny Beal