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SKILTON, G NB. Please see item for George Skelton. it is believed that this is a duplication. |
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SULLIVAN, Ernest
Private 455635
Royal Canadian Regiment
Killed In Action 1 October 1916
Ernest Sullivan was born on 1 May 1896 according to his attestation papers, presumably in the boroughs of Kensington or Chelsea. There is no corresponding birth entry for him under this name. By 1901 he is resident in Beechholme aged four and he has no apparent siblings, his admission date recorded as the 4th of January 1900 from the workhouse. Poor Law records state that his mother was in the workhouse at the time of his admission, Ernest's father having deserted the family. The family's previous address was noted as being 32, Inverdale Road. .
Ernest sailed from Liverpool to Quebec on the Corsican with a party of children from the Liverpool Sheltering Homes, the Louisa Birt Agency. The ship left Liverpool on 20 May 1909 and landed on 28 May. The destination was Knowlton in Quebec. Ernest was aged thirteen at this time.
On the 1911 Canadian census Ernest is aged fifteen and employed as a domestic. He is living in North Renfrew, Ontario with a man named Alex Stuart and his family. Alex Stuart was a farmer. He would have been indentured to this man for an agreed number of years. This particular placement seems to have worked well for Alfred . Ernest’s attestation paper gives an enlistment date of 27 September 1915. His occupation is given as farmer. His next of kin is listed as none. Ernest is aged nineteen and is described as being 5 feet 7 inches in height, of dark complexion with brown eyes and black hair. He had no distinguishing features or marks.
The Royal Canadian Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Canadian army. The regiment consisted of four battalions, three in the regular force and one in the primary reserve (militia). The regiment joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a unit of the 3rd Infantry Division and would serve in France and Flanders from November 1915. At the commencement of the war, the Royal Canadians had been sent to garrison the island of Bermuda thus permitting a British regiment to be sent to the front. After 13 months in Bermuda the regiment returned to Halifax and thereafter sailed for England.
The regimental war diary states that they embarked from Folkestone Pier at 5.25 exactly on 1 November 1915 and arrived at Boulogne the same evening and marched to Ostrohove Large Rest Camp under canvas. The regiment entrained at Pont de Briques, Boulogne at 10 am and detrained at Bailleul at 3 pm.
On 11 November 1915 the regiment was in Aldershot Huts near Ploegsteert, and various staggered platoons went into the trenches for training with other battalions. The Royal Canadian regiment served on the Ypres Salient until August 1916.They then moved south as part of the Canadian contribution to the Somme Offensive. After the bloody disaster of 1 July the Canadians moved into the protracted battle for the Somme from September to November 1916 during which they sustained more than 24,000 casualties for a gain of some 2.5 kilometres.
An extract from the war diary follows :-
30/9/16 Albert. “ Fine and cool. Working parties of 400 other ranks sent out for work on roads. Two parties of two went up to the line to look over forward area. 100 other ranks had a bath today.” 1/10/16 Albert “ Fine and warm mostly, one or two showers. Time was put back one hour at 1 am (winter time) regiment had church service in cinema tent at BRICKFIELDS 11 am. At about 2pm Bosch put about a dozen High Explosives into “C” Company billets, apparently searching for 12 inch Howitzers on railway. We had 4 killed and 11 wounded”
Ernest’s grave marker. GRAVE REF :- ALBERT COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION I.P.39
Ernest’s Obituary.
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Research by Rachel and Jim Stapleton A special thanks to Dr. John Dickenson, retired Reader in Geography, University of Liverpool for the invaluable help provided. SOURCES:- Ancestry, Find My Past, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, War diary available online. Canadian Library and Archives, Canadian Virtual War Memorial, The Royal Canadian Regimental Museum Last updated: 23 Feb 2017 |
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