Private 681264 Thomas Heath
Identification of Thomas Heath as Tipton-born, and the photograph of Thomas, are courtesy of Graeme Clarke.
Killed in Action on Wednesday, 31st October 1917, age 25.
Buried in Grave V. C. 16. at Dochy Farm New British Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
116th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Ontario County Regt.).
Husband of Mrs Clara Heath, of 146 Harvie Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Toronto, Canada, Resident: Toronto, Canada.
First landed France & Flanders, 10th August 1917.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at Canadian National Archives survived and transcribed.
Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial, but commemorated on Norton Canes Boys’ School War Memorial, Trinity Methodist Church War Memorial, Norton Canes and St. James the Great Church Memorial Window, Norton Canes.
Commemorated here because he was born in Tipton.
Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/161011/
Genealogical Data
Thomas was born 25th September 1892 at 22 Park Lane Passage, Tipton.
1901 Census
Hednesford Road, Norton, Brownhills, Staffs.
Thomas Heath (35, Railway Platelayer, born Sedgley), his wife Eliza (33, born Tipton), and their 4 children: Mary A. (10, born Tipton), Thomas (8, born Tipton), Florence (4, born Walsall), and Phoebe (4, born Walsall).
The Heath family emigrated to Canada in aorund 1907, they cannot be trace on the 1911 Canadian Census, but in 1916 were living at 214 Nairn Avenue, Toronto.
Thomas Heath and Clara Galloway (born Oldham) married on 22nd September 1916 in Totonto. He was described as being a soldier.
Personal Data
Thomas Heath was born in Tipton on 25th September 1892, at 22 Park Lane Passage. By the time he was 4 years old his family had moved to Brownhills, and then around 1907 moved to Canada, settling in Toronto.
Thomas enlisted with the 170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion, Canadian Infantry, on 22nd February 1916 in Toronto. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs Eliza Heath, of 214 Nairn Avenue, Toronto.
He was 23 years and 4 months of age, 5 feet 5½ inches tall, weighed 122 pounds and had a 35½ inch chest measurement. He had a dark complexion, grey eyes and brown hair and described himself as Church of England. He was employed as a Labourer at Harris Abattoir, Toronto. He had scars over his right buttock, on his left wrist and right forefinger.
During training he was in hospital from 25th May to 2nd June 1916 being treated for an axillary (armpit) abscess.
On 20th September 1916, at York, Ontario, he married to Clara Galloway. He subsequently made a will leaving all his estate to his wife, living at 51 Nairn Avenue, Toronto.
Thomas sailed from Halifax on 25th October 1916 on the S.S. Mauretania, arriving at Liverpool on 31st October, precisely one year before he was killed in action.
His training in England was interrupted by the recurrence of the abscess in the armpit. Glands were surgically removed from his armpit during a 39-day stay in hospital (Bramshott, Hampshire) and then 42 days in the Canadian Convalescent Hospital in Epsom. Near the end of his recovery, Thomas had to go into quarantine for 28 days (cause not documented). This was a period of almost 4 months away from his unit and their training.
Thomas transferred to 116th Battalion on 31st December 1916 but his training was further interrupted by a recurrence of his armpit problem. This resulted in further stays in Bramshott hospital and the Canadian Convalescent Hospital in Epsom from 11th April to 27th June 1917.
Finally Thomas was drafted to France on 10th August 1917. Of his 9 months in England, 6 months had been away from his unit in hospital and convalescence, leaving just 3 months of training.
After his death, his widow Clara received a Gratuity of 180 Canadian Dollars, and a Pension of 15 Canadian Dollars per month.
Action resulting in his death
Thomas landed in France on 10th August 1917 as a reinforcement to the 116th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (116th/Canadians). They moved to the front line near Cité St Elizabeth, just north-west of Lens, on 22nd/23rd August. Here they had 21 Other Ranks killed by the end of August, mostly from German artillery bombardments.
Following this, the 116th/Canadians moved near to Vimy to train for a planned Canadian Corps attack at Lens. The Canadian participation was abandoned as fresh troops were required at Passchendaele, and in mid-October the Canadian Corps entrained for the Ypres sector to play their part in the final throes of 3rd Battle of Ypres.
On 22nd October 116th/Canadians moved to “X Camp” at Wieltje, about 3 miles north-east of Ypres, where they provided working parties for the next few days. On the morning of 26th October, the Canadian 9th Brigade attacked the Bellevue Spur (one of the 2 main ridges approaching Passchendaele), 116th/Canadians were in support to the attack and were not called to attack.
By the morning of the 27th October, after one of the fiercest and most bloody onslaughts in its history, the Canadians had succeeded in destroying the entire German garrison and capturing the Bellevue Spur. On that evening, 116th/Canadians took over the front line from the remnants of the Brigade, remaining there until relieved during the early hours of the 29th October. The three days saw 16 men of the 116th/Canadians killed, mostly by shell-fire as no attacks were made.
On their relief, 116th/Canadians moved back less than 2 miles to the Wieltje area, and the next 3 days saw them providing more working parties.
On 31st October, 116th/Canadians moved forward to the Gravenstafel area, near today’s Tyne Cot Cemetery, under orders to take over the front line on the next day; H.Q. was at Pommern Castle. The 116th/Canadians War Diary for 1st November reports that the move to the front line was cancelled, and says “Casualties on October 31st not put in War Diary for October were 7 killed, 3 wounded.”
Amongst the 7 men killed was Thomas Heath. Thomas, along with comrade Pte John Wesley May, was initially buried 60 yards north-west of Pommern Castle, 3 miles north-east of Ypres. Heath and May were exhumed on 24th October 1919 and reinterred in Dochy Farm New British Cemetery.
Newspaper Cuttings
Walsall Observer and South Staffordshire Chronicle, 16th February 1918
ROLL OF HONOUR
NCOs AND MEN KILLED OR DIED OF WOUNDS
Private Thomas Heath, whose wife lives at Harvie, Canada, was killed in action in October 1917. He enlisted in February 1916, and left for England in October. He worked for the Harris Abattoir before enlisting. He was born in England twenty-five years ago, and had been a resident of Canada ten years. One brother-in-law, Alfred Galloway, is in training in England. Heath was an old boy of Norton Canes School, and had a promising career in Canada. Like most old boys he visited his old school during his last leave. He was a very steady, good fellow and a favourite with all who knew him.