On the Vimy Memorial, France is the name of 467112 Private John Thomas Patton, serving with the 5th Battalion Canadian Infantry who died 27/09/1916.
The son of Thomas and Helen Patton, of 41, South Eldon Street, South Shields, England.
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Boot repairer Thomas Patton had married Helen Jane Niddrie in autumn 1890 in South Shields and on 20th July 1892 their first child, John Thomas, was born. By 1901 Helen had left Thomas and had started a new life with Charles Henry William Smith, having four children with him and still living in South Shields. Young John Thomas was living with his grandfather and father, both boot repairers by trade and both listed as widowers on the 1901 census return, and ten years later there was just John Thomas, now an assistant boot repairer and his father at the same address.
John Thomas arrived in Canada in 1912 aged 19 and applied for a homestead grant of 160 acres in Edmonton, Alberta in March 1916 just before shipping out to England. The grant was approved and it became part of his estate in 1922.
Becoming Private 467112 in “B” Company when he enlisted with the 63rd Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force in Edmonton on 30th July 1915, 23 year old John Thomas gave his father in South Shields as his next of kin and his occupation as that of teamster. On 23rd April 1916 the Battalion left Nova Scotia on board the SS Metagama, arriving in Liverpool on 5th May when the men travelled onwards to camp at Bramshott, Hampshire.
29th June 1916 saw Private Patton posted to the 5th (Western Cavalry) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division (despite the name this was an infantry battalion, sometimes called the “Dismounted Horse”) and he joined them in Abeele, France on 13th July. Wounded in his left shoulder at the Chalk Pits on 10th September after treatment at the 2nd Field Ambulance he rejoined his battalion at Warloy. Moving on to Courcelette, on 27th September 1916 he was reported missing in action during the attacks on the Zollern and Hessian Trenches in the battle for Thiepval Ridge and in May 1917 was reported as presumed to have been killed in that action.
He was a half brother to Charles Henry William Smith
Information: Pamela Siegel (nee Stobbs)
He has no known local memorial.
In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial.
