Person

The oldest son of Tyneside coal miner Thomas Waddle and his first son Morrell, William Thompson Waddle was born in Byers Green on 1 February 1871 and had two sisters and two younger brothers. His mother died when he was eleven years old and living in Tudhoe. His father remarried in 1888, and the family moved to Hetton Downs. His second wife was Staffordshire-born Susan Ferguson and she had ten children, giving William many half siblings.

William himself wed in the spring of 1894, marrying Sarah Jane Blacklock, a miner’s daughter from Pelton. The 1901 census shows them living in Penshaw with their young son, and William was working below ground as a deputy overman at a local colliery. Two year later in 1903 William visited Canada to see the coal mines in Nova Scotia, but returned home for another eight years, finally emigrating to Canada in July 1911. He was joined two months later by Sarah and their two young sons in Stockton, Ontario.

By 1915 the family were living in Sault Ste. Marie when William enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Pembroke on 17 November, naming Sarah as his next of kin and his occupation as a carpenter. He became Sapper 501102, and not unusually for an ex-miner was posted to the No.1 Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers. The unit arrived in England in January 1916 and within three weeks found themselves in France and a posting to the Ypres Salient for instruction.

They moved onto The Bluff, south east of Ypres, in May 1916 where they worked on tunnels until January 1917 when they were relieved by the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company. The Canadians moved on to the mines at St. Eloi in preparation for the Battle of Messines, where they successfully fired their mines on 7 June 1917 creating 19 large craters.

A year later Sapper Waddle was classified as B2 and transferred to the Canadian Labour Pool. In December he was reclassified as B1 and transferred to England. A Medical Board found that although he had never been in hospital he had been laid up in camp two or three times for up to two weeks with rheumatic pains. He appeared to be older than his stated age, he had lied on his attestation paper, and aged 49 was boarded for return to Canada. Returning from Glasgow to Montreal William was discharged with “slight debility caused by service conditions” in Toronto on 23 May 1919.

William returned to his family in Sault Ste. Marie where their oldest son, Matthew, married the following year. Sarah, his wife, died in 1923, and William remained living in the same house; the 1935 Voters’ list recorded him as a teacher.

William Thompson Waddell died from heart failure on 18 October 1946 in Blummer Hospital where he had been a patient for two weeks. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Civil Parish: Heworth

Birth date: 01-Feb-1871

Death date: 18-Oct-1946

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: Byers Green (1871 census)
99 Church Street, Tudhoe (1881 census)
6 Railway Terrace, Hetton Downs (1891 census)
Tilery Farm, Penshaw (1901 census)
3 Roseberry Avenue, Heworth, Gateshead (1911 census)
88 Trelawne Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (enlistment papers)

Religion: Church of England

Employment: deputy overman in coal mine (1901 census)
Carpenter (enlistment papers)
Teacher (voters list 1935)

Family: Parents: Thomas Waddle, Morrell Waddle nee Turnbull; Susan Waddle nee Ferguson (stepmother)
Siblings: Hannah Waddle, Hodgson Waddle, Mary Ann Waddell, Isaac Waddle, Margaret (Meggie) Waddle
Half siblings: Martha Waddle, Matilda Waddle, Thomas Waddle, Harry Waddle, Esther Waddle, Susan Waddle, John Waddle, Gertrude Waddle, Harriet Waddle
Wife: Sarah Jane Waddle nee Blacklock
Children: Matthew Blacklock Waddle, Norman Waddle + 1 died in infancy

Military service:

Sapper 501102
No.1 Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers
Canadian Labour Pool

Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal

Gender: Male

Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham