Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Born on 11th March 1886 in Witton Park, and christened on the Methodist circuit in Bishop Auckland the following month, Arnold was the son of Ferdinand Spoor, the village grocer in Witton Park, and his wife Martha, who went on to have another five children, Charles, Ferdinand, Robert, Dora and Mary. By 1901 Arnold was living with his father’s widowed sister Dorothy and helping her run the family ironmonger’s shop in Church Street where he was an apprentice.

After Dorothy’s death in 1904 Arnold decided to continue with his education, having attended King James’ School in Bishop Auckland, and train to be a teacher. In April 1909 he arrived in Canada, travelling as a teacher and making for Edmonton, Alberta.

He became a member of the active militia and in 1912 in Calgary passed his certificate of instruction to be a cadet instructor, followed two years later by a certificate in musketry instruction. In July 1915 he was passed as fit at his medical examination for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the following month travelled to Montreal to enlist. Naming his father now living in Bishop Auckland as his next of kin, and his religion as Christian Science, he became Private 476038 attached to the 3rd University Corps who were sent as reinforcements for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and arrived in England on 4th September and billets on Salisbury Plain.

December 1915 saw Private 476038 join the PPCLI in Fletre, France as part of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, which in January 1916 moved into divisional reserve in Dranoutre, Belgium. From there they moved to Poperinghe, near Ypres and then on to Sanctuary Wood. It was here on 4thJune 1916, after two days of heavy enemy bombardment that Private Spoor was reported wounded and then presumed to have been killed in action.

Arnold’s cousin Benjamin, who also fought in the war, was elected Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland in 1918.

Thomas Arnold Spoor is remembered in Bishop Auckland on B140.01, B140.03,B140.12 and B140.27

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Spoor