Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

The enlistment age for the Canadian Expeditionary Forces was 18-45, which meant that Arthur Hodgson would have been to old to join up, so he simply changed the year of his birth, from 23rd March 1862 to 23rd March 1872, making him 44 instead of 54.

His father William Hodgson owned a decorator’s shop at 44/45 Claypath in Durham City and William, wife Harriett and 10 children, who were all born there, lived above the shop. By the 1881 Census 14 men were employed as painters and decorators, some living in Hodgson’s Yard, and there were only 7 children left at home. This number was soon to be reduced as Arthur married Annie in 1882 and then they emigrated to Canada with their son William in 1886.

The 1901 Canadian census shows Arthur had found work as a painter and was living with Annie, William and daughter Violet, born in Vancouver in 1884 and young Edward born in 1899. A second daughter Madge was born later that year. Arthur might have been thinking of retiring, but instead on 7th June 1916 enlisted as Private 74174 in the 102nd Battalion, which sailed for England 2 weeks later, and then on to France arriving on 12th August, under the command of Lt.Col. J.W. Warden.

Prior to leaving Canada Arthur left his will with a Vancouver barrister and added a note in pencil on his military will saying “in the event of anything happening kindly correspond with E. Hodgson, 12 Gilesgate, Durham at once”. This could have been his brother Edwin, or sister Emily.

The 102nd Battalion fought as part of the 11th Infantry Brigade at the Somme and it was here that Arthur was killed in the field “somewhere in France or Belgium” on 20th October 1916, only 4 months after becoming a soldier.

Arthur Hodgson is remembered in Durham on D47.054

He is also remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Hodgson