Pte
Thomas Lawrence Tracy
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 18/09/1897 |
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Place of birth: Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada |
General information
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Last known residence: Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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Profession: Student |
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Religion: Methodist |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 911023 |
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Enlistment date: 02/05/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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Units: — Yukon Motor Machine Gun Bty. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 28/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Abraham Heights, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: Panel 32. |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Thomas Tracy was born on 18 September 1897 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, the son of Allen and Mary Tracy. In 1903, Thomas' father owned a shop and boarding house in Theodore, about 25 miles west of Yorkton. Besides the mention of Alan Tracy's shop and boarding house in 1903, there is also a reference to the lumber, flour and feed shop on Main St. In addition, A. D. Tracy was involved in a number of other business ventures in Theodore. In 1906, for example, a barber shop had opened in Alan Tracy's shop." In 1907, he built a tool store. When the Union Bank branch opened in Theodore in 1908, it was also first located in Tracy's shop. A harness shop and a feed store were two other businesses associated with Alan Tracy. Sometime around 1904, Alan Tracy was appointed Justice of the Peace for Theodore. Alan Tracy was among Theodore's first elected officials and was elected village overseer in January 1909, but died the same year. In the spring of 1910, his wife Mary erected the first headstone in Theodore's cemetery in his memory. Mary continued to live in Theodore until the autumn of 1926 when she went to live with her son George in Melfort, Saskatchewan.
Thomas, meanwhile, grew up and attended school in the village of Theodore. He obtained a teaching certificate and was a school teacher when he enlisted in Saskatoon on 2 May 1916. He was attached to the 196th Battalion (Western Universities), which began recruiting at universities in Western Canada in the winter of 1915-1916. He embarked in Halifax on 1 November 1916 and arrived in Liverpool, England, 10 days later. On 2 January 1917, the unit was absorbed into the 19th Reserve Battalion. The members were divided between different units. Thomas found his way to the Yukon Motor Machine Gun Battery. On 19 March 1917, Thomas signed his will and left all his personal property to his mother. In October 1917, his unit was deployed to Passchendaele.
The Battle of Passchendaele had been going on since 31 July, but it would take until the autumn of 1917 before any real progress was made. The battles of Menin Road and Polygon Wood (20-26 September), followed by the Battle of Broodseinde (4 October) and the Battle of Poelcapelle (9 October) took a heavy toll on British and ANZAC forces. And time was in the defenders' favour. Winter was approaching. The weather was deteriorating. In October 1917, the four Canadian divisions moved into Flanders. Their task was to storm and secure the heights of the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Yukon Motor Machine Gun Bty. a unit of armoured vehicles armed with machine guns, conducted anti-aircraft operations near Lens in northern France in early October 1917. On 20 October, the armoured battery moved to Belgium along with the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Battalion. On the 25th, the Yukon Motor Machine Gun Bty. moved to the front line. They were deployed at Boethoek Farm on Abraham Heights, a small ridge west of Passchendaele. On 26 October 1917, during the Canadian opening attack on Passchendaele, Thomas' unit opened fire on the German positions in support of the infantry. For the next few days, the battery's machine guns kept quiet and the men tried to get some sleep, afraid not to betray their positions to the prying eyes of German artillery or German aircraft in the sky. At night, the battery came alive and fired on the German positions. On the night of 27-28 October, the battery fired more than 10,000 rounds. The Germans responded by shelling Abraham Heights with gas grenades. Three men were caught by the gas. After locating the position of the armoured vehicles, German artillery shelled the location again during the next day. Thomas Tracy, 20, was killed by shellfire in the afternoon. Thereupon, the battery was relieved the next day.
Thomas was buried at the foot of Abraham's Hight (28.D.15.b.5.6.), near the location where the guns were positioned (28.D.15.b.4.8). Thomas has no known grave today and is commemorated on the Menin Gate. Theodore was plunged into mourning when news of Thomas' death reached his home village. Mary Tracy was awarded the Memorial (Silver) Cross, a Canadian award given to women who lost a child or husband during the war.
Thomas, meanwhile, grew up and attended school in the village of Theodore. He obtained a teaching certificate and was a school teacher when he enlisted in Saskatoon on 2 May 1916. He was attached to the 196th Battalion (Western Universities), which began recruiting at universities in Western Canada in the winter of 1915-1916. He embarked in Halifax on 1 November 1916 and arrived in Liverpool, England, 10 days later. On 2 January 1917, the unit was absorbed into the 19th Reserve Battalion. The members were divided between different units. Thomas found his way to the Yukon Motor Machine Gun Battery. On 19 March 1917, Thomas signed his will and left all his personal property to his mother. In October 1917, his unit was deployed to Passchendaele.
The Battle of Passchendaele had been going on since 31 July, but it would take until the autumn of 1917 before any real progress was made. The battles of Menin Road and Polygon Wood (20-26 September), followed by the Battle of Broodseinde (4 October) and the Battle of Poelcapelle (9 October) took a heavy toll on British and ANZAC forces. And time was in the defenders' favour. Winter was approaching. The weather was deteriorating. In October 1917, the four Canadian divisions moved into Flanders. Their task was to storm and secure the heights of the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Yukon Motor Machine Gun Bty. a unit of armoured vehicles armed with machine guns, conducted anti-aircraft operations near Lens in northern France in early October 1917. On 20 October, the armoured battery moved to Belgium along with the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Battalion. On the 25th, the Yukon Motor Machine Gun Bty. moved to the front line. They were deployed at Boethoek Farm on Abraham Heights, a small ridge west of Passchendaele. On 26 October 1917, during the Canadian opening attack on Passchendaele, Thomas' unit opened fire on the German positions in support of the infantry. For the next few days, the battery's machine guns kept quiet and the men tried to get some sleep, afraid not to betray their positions to the prying eyes of German artillery or German aircraft in the sky. At night, the battery came alive and fired on the German positions. On the night of 27-28 October, the battery fired more than 10,000 rounds. The Germans responded by shelling Abraham Heights with gas grenades. Three men were caught by the gas. After locating the position of the armoured vehicles, German artillery shelled the location again during the next day. Thomas Tracy, 20, was killed by shellfire in the afternoon. Thereupon, the battery was relieved the next day.
Thomas was buried at the foot of Abraham's Hight (28.D.15.b.5.6.), near the location where the guns were positioned (28.D.15.b.4.8). Thomas has no known grave today and is commemorated on the Menin Gate. Theodore was plunged into mourning when news of Thomas' death reached his home village. Mary Tracy was awarded the Memorial (Silver) Cross, a Canadian award given to women who lost a child or husband during the war.
Sources 4
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Neil Gregory, personal communication, 29 July 2023. Sources used |
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 9758 - 61). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War diaries: Yukon Motor Machine Gun Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4988, Microfilm reel number: T-10821--T-10822, File number: 632). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG150, 1992-1993/314, Box 39-244; Box: 129). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1596667 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=81835d18-7965-46b6-a6c9-383e010b3182 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1596667 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5925413 |