Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthJanuary 11, 1877
Place of BirthRattray, Perthshire
CountryScotland
Marital StatusSingle
Next of Kinsister, Mrs. William (Kate) Phillips of Blairgowrie, Scotland
Trade / CallingLabourer
ReligionPresbyterian
Service Details
Regimental Number198661
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion94th Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Address at EnlistmentKenora, Ontario
Date of EnlistmentJanuary 3, 1916
Age at Enlistment38
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathMay 20, 1950
Age at Death72

Pyott, Robert

Robert Pyott was born on 11 January 1877 in Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland. His parents Robert Pyott, a flax mill foreman, and Christina Rae had married in 1870 in Rattray. Robert had three older siblings, Ann, William, and Catherine (Kate), and a one younger sibling, Christina. His mother died in 1885 and later that year his father married Betsy Knowles. At the time of the 1891 census the family was living in Liff and Benvie, Dundee in Angus where Robert was working in a local mill, likely the same one his father was the overseer. Two more children had joined the family, Lizzie and Davina.

By 1911 Robert had immigrated to Canada and was living in Kenora, Ontario where he was working as a labourer at a saw mill.  Just before his 39th birthday, on 03 January 1916 he joined the 94th battalion in Kenora.  His date and place of birth was given as 09 January 1878 in Perthshire and his sister Kate Phillips back in Scotland as next of kin.  At that time he was still single.   His unit left for training in Port Arthur until they embarked for overseas from Halifax on 28 June 1916 aboard the S.S. Olympic.   Once in England Robert was transferred to the 17th Reserve battalion. He proceeded to France in November 1916 with the 16th Battalion. At Vimy Ridge on 27 January 1917, Robert was struck by a machine gun bullet on the front part of his upper right arm.  He was taken to 18th General Hospital and then invalided to England where he was in hospital at Epsom until September.  On 29 September 1917 Robert was returned to Canada aboard the hospital ship Llandovery Castle.  He went to a convalescent home in Winnipeg for further treatment.  On 16 September 1918 Robert received his official discharge due to being medically unfit for further service. He had lost the function of his right arm.

Robert stayed in Winnipeg and in 1919 he passed his exams for qualifying as an inspector of nuisances with the Sanitation department.  He  married Ruth Matilda (née Coltman) Anderson in Winnipeg on 09 October 1930. In 1935 the voters list showed he was working as a customs officer. By 1945 he was retired and he and his wife were living in an apartment on Albert Street.

In 1948 Robert moved to Saanich, Vancouver Island where he died on  20 May 1950.   His Veteran Death Card listed his wife, Ruth M. Pyott of Winnipeg, Manitoba as his next of kin although she signed the death registration in British Columbia. Robert was cremated at Royal Oak Burial Park and Crematorium in Saanich, ashes dispersed elsewhere.

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