Arthur Elgie (1873-)
Darlington father and son in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
One of the five children of Darlington couple, Robert and Mary Ann Elgie, Arthur was born on 15 November 1873 and baptised in Holy Trinity church a week later. Father Robert died the year after Arthur’s birth and the children were brought up by their mother, who took in boarders in help pay the bills. Arthur married local girl Elizabeth Jane Ross in St. Hilda’s Church on 5 May 1894 and the 1901 census shows that he was working as a greengrocer and living in Coburg Street with Elizabeth and four children.
In July 1906 Arthur left for Canada with the intention of making for Winnipeg and work as a labourer, and he left Elizabeth with four more children. He returned on a visit in January 1909 having found work as a mechanic in Ontario and returned to Canada later in the year. As a result of this visit Elizabeth bore another child.
3 December 1915 saw Arthur enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Montreal, giving his wife in Darlington as his next of kin and his occupation as miner. Standing just over six feet tall, Arthur became Private 178035 in the 87th Battalion. After sailing to England in April 1916 on the Empress of Britain he was stationed at Bramshott, Hampshire, until in June he and another 279 men of the 87th were transferred to the 1st Battalion and they joined them in reserve at Dickebusch Huts on 21 June 1916. In the fighting around Pozieres in mid September Private 178035 was buried by a shell explosion and was unconscious for some time. Treated initially at No. 2 Australian General Hospital he was invalided to England with shell shock and spent time in hospital in Bristol, followed by time at the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Bearwood, Wokingham, Berkshire, where on Christmas Day 1916 he was punished for drunkenness.
Arthur did not recover and returned to Canada on 27 January 1917 for further treatment at Spadina Hospital in Toronto from where he was finally discharged from the CEF on 31 May 1917 as medically unfit, but with compensation.
There is no trace that Elizabeth ever travelled to Canada; the 1921 Canadian census shows Arthur living alone in Schumacher, Ontario and working as a labourer. It is not known when, or where, Arthur died, but his son John’s service records implies that Arthur may have returned to live in England at some point.
Civil Parish: Darlington
Birth date: 15-Nov-1873
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: 3 Skerne Row, Darlington (1881 census)
7 Coburg Street, Darlington (1901 census)
301 Logan Avenue, Toronto (enlistment papers)
52 Montrose Avenue, Toronto (son’s border crossing papers, 1919)
Schumacher, Ontario (1921 Canadian census)
Religion: Church of England
Employment: miner (enlistment papers)
labourer (1921 Canadian census)
Family: Parents: Robert Elgie, Mary Ann Elgie nee Nelson
Siblings: Robert W.Elgie, John T.Elgie, Mary Ann Elgie, Margaret D.Elgie
Wife: Elizabeth Jane Elgie nee Ross
Children: Mary H.Elgie, Lilian Elgie, John Elgie, Elizabeth Elgie, Arthur Elgie, Emily Elgie, Robert Elgie, Thomas Elgie, James Elgie
Military service:
178035
Private
87th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
1st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Gender: Male
Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham