Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

In 1891 Oxfordshire born Thomas Frederick Hopgood was a Doctor working from his home in Stockton Road, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland where he lived with his wife Katherine (nee Merchant) and six children (Nora, Lillian, Beatrice, Thomas, Percy and Arthur born 2nd September 1888), head nurse, under nurse, housemaid and cook. Their last child Elsie was born in 1892, and the following year when Arthur was only five, his mother died. Mary Whittle who had been the family cook became housekeeper and she and the maid would have looked after the children. Dr.Hopgood died in 1909 and as the oldest son Thomas became head of the family and when the census was taken in 1911 Thomas, Arthur, Percy, Nora and Beatrice were still living in Stockton Road with Mary Whittle as housekeeper. It is known that at some time Arthur was a member of Ashbrooke Sports Club in Sunderland, and that he also completed some of his first year examinations at Newcastle University Medical School. But then at end of April 1911 he boarded the SS Mauretania sailing from Liverpool to New York and a new life as a labourer in Vancouver, and at some time he lived and worked in Manitoba.

October 1915 saw Arthur enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Vancouver and, standing just under six feet tall, he gave his eldest sister Nora in Sunderland as his next of kin and became Sapper 154484 of the 1st Pioneer Battalion. Just six weeks later the battalion, consisting of 20 officers and 1046 other ranks arrived in England on board the SS Metagama and were billeted at Dibgate Camp near Folkestone, Kent.

By 9th March 1916 they were in France as part of the 1st Canadian Division, 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade and within five days of arriving were at work reclaiming and draining front line trenches on the Messines Road. On 13th June the Battalion entrained at Ypres making for Poperinghe, but due to the heavy bombardment, crowded conditions in the trenches and the wet condition of the ground very little work was achieved, and it was here that Sapper 154484 was wounded in the forehead, but returned to duty the following day reclaiming trenches damaged by both the enemy and the weather.

Renamed as the 9th Battalion Canadian Railway Troops in May 1917, they exchanged repairing trenches for digging and laying track. After having been awarded his Good Conduct Badge in October 1917, it was at 8am on 3rd November when Arthur was on duty with a working party near Birr Crossroads, in front of Ypres, that he was severely wounded in the chest and left arm by splinters from an enemy shell that exploded in front of the party. His wounds were dressed by a stretcher bearer and he was taken to Menin Road dressing station and then to #8 Casualty Clearing Station where he died the following day.

Arthur Sydney Hopgood is remembered in Sunderland on S140.047 part 7, S140.041 and S140.141

He is also remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and Book of Remembrance, and on the roll of the Manitoba Historical Society.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Sapper Hopgood