Samuel Callis Chambers

T Eaton and Co Roll of Honour

Hartlepool Daily Mail 10/04/1918

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Samuel, born on 16 September 1877, was one of the thirteen children born to Hartlepool pork butcher George Chambers and his wife Mary Anne nee Callis, all born in Albert Street, Stranton, there were nine boys (John, Harry, George, Frederick William, Frank, Thomas, Victor, Wilfred) and four girls, Ellen, Florence May, Mary and Kathleen Valentine. In 1900 Samuel was with the Northumberland Yeomanry fighting in the Boer War in South Africa for which he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal. Leaving the army at the end of the war he returned to Hartlepool, but in 1904 he and his older brother Harry sailed for Canada on the SS Canada, making for a new life in Winnipeg, and they were followed later the same year by the rest of the family.

In May 1907 Samuel married Fanny Lamplough, who had only recently arrived In Canada, in St. Luke’s Church, Winnipeg. Although born in Bridlington Fanny had been living with her uncle in Hartlepool, so it could be assumed that they already knew each other, and a daughter Winifred, was born the following year, and a son also called Samuel, in 1909. Samuel meanwhile had been working as a butcher in one of Eaton’s stores in Winnipeg, the second largest retailer in Canada after the Hudson's Bay Company. They kept lists of all employees who enlisted, with married employees staying on the payroll at full salary, and also took the unusual step of requiring every enlisted employee to get a formal portrait in uniform.

19th January 1916 saw Samuel leave his home in Nassau Street, Winnipeg and enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in mentioning his experience in the Boer War and his time in the local militia, 100th Winnipeg Grenadiers. Becoming Private 216221 of the 100th Battalion, Samuel spent 8 months at Camp Hughes before sailing for England on board the SS Olympic on 28th September where he was appointed as acting Corporal at Witley Camp. January 1917 saw him transferred to the 11th Reserve Battalion based at Shorncliffe in Sussex and six months later he reverted to private and travelled to join the 78th Battalion in France, straight into the trenches around Ypres.

After two weeks leave in the UK in February 1918 Samuel returned to the Battalion in billets at Raimbert, and it was whilst the Battalion was on support duty that Private Chambers was shot in the head and died of his wounds in no.13 Canadian Field Ambulance Station on 30th March 1918, and was buried at Anzin St. Aubin British Cemetery 1½miles NW of Arras .

Samuel’s brother Wilfred had been killed in action the previous year whilst serving with the CEF, while his older brother Harry was a Rifleman in the New Zealand forces and younger brother Thomas in the Royal Engineers.

Samuel's service in the South African War is remembered in Our Local Warriors 1901 His death is recorded as TC Chambers in the Hartlepool Daily Mail 10/04/1918.

Samuel has no memorial in Hartlepool but is remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, in the Canadian Book of Remembrance and in Winnipeg on the Eaton’s Employee War Memorial.

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