Photo : Brian Chandler

Mimico War Memorial, Ontario

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Thomas William Burn was born on 2nd June 1887 and baptised just over two weeks later. His parents were Robert Burn, a clogger and shoe repairer from the village of Fourstones and Hannah (nee Smith) who was born in Longtown, Cumberland but now lived in Cockshaw Lane, Hexham. At the time of his birth his oldest sister Jane was aged 10, then there was Annie 8, John 6 and Mary 3, then George born in 1890, and Emma in 1894.

Mother Hannah died in 1898 leaving Robert to run the shoe repair shop, with the help of the younger boys, whilst with Jane working at the Vicarage in Woodham, Anne was left to run the home. The 1911 census shows that Robert along with Thomas, George and Emma were living with daughter Mary and her husband, a grocer, in Kingsgate, Hexham.

A month later Thomas arrived in Canada on board the SS Lake Champlain as a boot repairer, intending to stay in the Toronto area, where eight months later on 23rd December he married Eva Coates in York, Ontario. They settled in Mimico, Ontario and it was here that their son Kenneth was born in 1913.

January 1916 saw Thomas enlist with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Mimico, and this shoemaker became Private 778517 with the 127th (York Rangers) Battalion, which arrived in Liverpool at the end of August. Posted to camp at Witley, Surrey Thomas was transferred to the 1st Construction Battalion in October and travelled with them to France, where the battalion was redesignated as 1st Battalion Canadian Railway Troops. Based at Candas, north of Amiens, the Battalion specialized in building light railway lines close to the front for movement of troops and supplies.

Remaining in the Somme area until summer of 1917 the Battalion then moved into Flanders and commenced bridge building over the Bergues Canal. With the work finished by mid July they moved to camp at International Corner, west of Ypres and remained working in that area until March 1918 when they were ordered to “move to an eastern sphere of operations” in the Somme Valley.

August 1918 saw Thomas promoted to Corporal and two days after the Armistice to Sergeant. Granted leave to the UK in December he returned to duty on Christmas Day and three weeks later returned to England with the Battalion and a posting to CRT Ripon Depot.

On 26th January 1919 Sergeant Burns was admitted to Ripon Military Hospital with pneumonia and placed on the “dangerously ill” list, he died on 2nd February 1919. His death certificate read that he died from bronchial pneumonia, but deaths from Spanish Flu were very often diagnosed as pneumonia.

Acknowledgements: Ron Carson

Thomas William Burn is remembered at Hexham on H51.03, H51.06, H51.10, H51.16 and H51.51

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance, and on Mimico War Memorial, Ontario and Christ Church Roll of Honour, Mimico.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual Memorial
Mimico War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Sergeant Burn