Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthJanuary 24, 1896
Place of BirthTranent, East Lothian
CountryScotland
Marital StatusSingle
Next of KinMrs W.J. Hutton, Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
Trade / CallingWiper
ReligionPresbyterian
Service Details
Regimental Number439083
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion31st Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Date of EnlistmentJanuary 22, 1915
Age at Enlistment19
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathSeptember 17, 1961
Age at Death65
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario
Plot7BE-9-1

Hutton, Thomas

Thomas Hutton was born on 24 January 1896 in Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland.  His parents were William James Hutton and Williamina Staig.  Siblings included Lydia (b. 1881), William (b. 1884), Jessie (b. 1886), David (b. 1888), Annie (b. 1890), Minnie (b. 1892), and Mary (b. 1894).

In April 1908 Thomas’ father, William, and his brother, David, immigrated to Canada and made their way to Kenora, Ontario.  Thomas, his mother and his sister, Mary, followed in October 1908 joining William who had secured employment as a carpenter with the CPR in Kenora. Thomas also entered services with the CPR on 24 September 1913 as a wiper. He became a member of the 98th militia.

On 26 January 1915 Thomas enlisted with the third contingent being raised for overseas service in WW1. He travelled to Port Arthur, Ontario and went into camp with the 52nd Battalion.  On 04 September 1915 he was with the 2nd Reinforcing Draft of the 52nd Battalion that sailed from Montreal aboard the S.S. Missanabie.  Thomas was in England until March of 1916 when he was transferred to the 31st Battalion in France.  During the Battle of St. Eloi, on 19 April 1916, he was wounded. From his service record: Thomas ‘was going up to front line as supports when was struck on right thigh by piece of shrapnel, knocked down, crawled to dugout, remained there 7 hours until removed to Flammingbridge’. Thomas was hospitalized in France and then transferred to hospitals in England where his treatments and recovery lasted until his discharge to duty on 25 August 1916.  After another hospitalization in May of 1917 for mumps, Thomas was attached to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Depot in Hastings. He held the rank of acting Lance Corporal for a short time in Bramshott.  His service record notes he was employed as a P.T. and B.F. instructor for some time in 1918.  On 12 February 1919 Thomas reported to the Ripon Regimental group until 15 March 1919 when he was transferred to the 21st Reserve Battalion awaiting his return to Canada.  He sailed home on the Aquitania and received his official discharge due to demobilization of 23 June 1919.

When Thomas returned to his job on the CPR he was promoted to fireman in October 1919 and engineer in 1944.  The 1958 voters list shows Thomas and his wife living in Kenora and Thomas is working as a conductor for the railroad. He retired on 01 February 1961 and passed away later that year on 17 September. Thomas is buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora.  When his wife Ila died in 1985 she was buried next to him.  Thomas’ obituary states that he was survived by his wife, a brother, David in Scotland and three sisters: Mrs. J. Lane of Ottawa, Mrs. E. McMillan of Guelph and Mrs. M. Ireland of Scotland.

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