Pte
Edwin Beaton
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 08/04/1890 |
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Place of birth: Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada |
General information
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Profession: Coal miner |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
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: 436627 |
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Enlistment date: 27/01/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 49th Bn. (Edmonton) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 25/03/1916 |
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Place of death: Sanctuary Wood, Zillebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 25 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: Panel 24 - 28 - 30. |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Edwin Beaton was born in 1890 at Amherst, Nova Scotia to Christopher and Catherine Beaton. Edwin, a coalminer, enlisted on the 27th of January 1915 at Edmonton, Alberta. In the second half of September 1915 he sailed to Europe and arrived in England on the 20th of September.
In October 1915 he was assigned to the 49th Canadian Infantry Battalion and embarked to France. In March the 49th Battalion was stationed at Ypres Salient, nearby Hill 62. Around the 20th of March they were assigned to dig trenches and hold the lines there. According to the War Diary of the battalion, German shelling started on the 25th of March in the afternoon, 2.30 P.M. and went on till 5 P.M. Three men were killed; Edwin Beaton and Jasper Smith, who were buried together, and J.H. Thompson, who is remembered on the special memorial at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery. 24 other soldiers were wounded, 6 of them were shell shocked. After the bombardment the 49th Battalion was relieved by the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Edwin and Jasper were buried in a cemetery on Observation Road in Sanctuary Wood, where a cross was erected. Today they have no known grave and are remembered on the Menin Gate.
In October 1915 he was assigned to the 49th Canadian Infantry Battalion and embarked to France. In March the 49th Battalion was stationed at Ypres Salient, nearby Hill 62. Around the 20th of March they were assigned to dig trenches and hold the lines there. According to the War Diary of the battalion, German shelling started on the 25th of March in the afternoon, 2.30 P.M. and went on till 5 P.M. Three men were killed; Edwin Beaton and Jasper Smith, who were buried together, and J.H. Thompson, who is remembered on the special memorial at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery. 24 other soldiers were wounded, 6 of them were shell shocked. After the bombardment the 49th Battalion was relieved by the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Edwin and Jasper were buried in a cemetery on Observation Road in Sanctuary Wood, where a cross was erected. Today they have no known grave and are remembered on the Menin Gate.
Sources 4
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Darryl MacKenzie, Curator Cumberland County Museum and Archives, personal communication, 24 January 2023. Sources used |
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150; Volume: Box 543 – 3). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War diaries: 49th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4940, Microfilm reel number: T-10747, File number: 440). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, 1992-93/314; Volume Number: 151). 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/922055 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=fa53f311-4bff-4f2b-8021-5aaf2a555669 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/922055 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5565193 |