Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
The son of Auckland gas fitter James Hooton and his wife Elizabeth Hannah (nee Jones) Louis was born on 29th November 1894 in Grangetown, Sunderland, his older siblings were James, George and Eliza and younger sister Martha Sydney born in 1899.
In 1910 the family, apart from the oldest son, emigrated to Canada. Father James left in April travelling to St. Catharines, Ontario where he found work at a paper mill. Next to arrive were Louis and his sister Eliza in September, followed by mother Elizabeth and the younger children in November. The family settled in St. Catharines where Louis found work as a steamfitter.
On 17th January 1916 twenty-one-year-old Louis enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, becoming Private 210392 with “D” Company, 98th Battalion, and six months later he arrived back in England on the SS Lapland, and was billeted at Otterpool, near Folkestone on the south coast. With the break-up of the 98th Private Hooton was posted to France with the 58th Battalion, joining them after two weeks with the 3rd Entrenching Battalion on 27th September while billeted at Vadencourt in the Somme Region.
Private Hooton was reported missing after action at Tara Hill on 6th October, but reported, for duty, unwounded, five days later. Eight months later at the end of May, whilst in reserve, Louis was promoted Corporal, and then two months later to Lance Sergeant. After attending a musketry course, on 7th November 1917 whilst based near Poperinghe he was promoted to Sergeant.
In August 1918 the Battalion moved onto the front line at Gentelles Wood, and it was on 8th August that Sergeant Louis Hooton as killed inaction, when advancing on enemy positions “he was hit in the back of the head and instantly killed by shrapnel from an enemy shell”.
Louis Hooton is remembered in Sunderland on S140.048 part 9, page 201
In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance, and on the Cenotaph in Memorial Park, St. Catharines, Ontario.
Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual Memorial
The CWGC entry for Sergeant Hooton
