Lawrence Ashton ²⁶

   Cause of his death was Killed in Action - WW I.²⁹

  General Notes:

Lawrence served in the British Army, Royal Artillery, 106th Battery, for 302 days from April 6, 1906 until February 21st, 1907. He was discharged for being found medically unfit for further service (although his records do not give any information about his medical conditions).

After emigrating to Canada, he served in the Canadian Military during World War 1 -
75th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regt.), No. 138116.

According to attestation papers, Lawrence was 5'6" with dark complexion and had a tattoo of a heart on his left wrist

Lawrence received a court martial in 1918 which demoted him from corporal to private. (Offence: AA Section 40)

Lawrence was killed in action on 02 September 1918, likely at the Battle of Dury. In August 1918, Dury was behind the German defence system known as the Drocurt-Queant linel but on the 2nd September, this line was broken by the Canadian and XVII Corps, and Dury village and the hill just south of it (Mont Dury, or Dury Ridge) were captured. The Mill (Moulin Damiens) stood besdie the road from Dury to Villers-les-Cagnicourt, and was destroyed.






²⁸

  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence: 8 Pippin Street Blackburn, 1887 Oct 15. ²⁷

• Residence: 36 Witness St., 1891, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³⁰

• Residence: 71 Scotland Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, 1901 May 31, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ⁸

• Occupation: Cotton spinner, 1901 May 31, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ⁸

• Residence: 43 Lambeth St., 1907 Oct 5, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ²⁵

• Occupation: Labourer, 1907, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ²⁵

• Residence: 9 Riley Street, 1910 May 24, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³¹

• Occupation: market labourer, 1910 May 24, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³¹

• Residence: 131 Alker Street, 1911 Oct 31, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³²

• Occupation: labourer at a cotton mill, 1911 Oct 31, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³²

• Occupation: fruiterer's assistant, 1913 Aug 3, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³³

• Residence: 131 Alker Street U.D., 1913 Aug 3, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³³

• Occupation: Fruiterer, 1914 Jan 12, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³⁴

• Residence: 131 Alkter Street, U.B., 1914 Jan 12, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ³⁴

• Emigration: Emigrated to Canada, 1914.

• Occupation: Market Gardiner, 1915, Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada. ³⁵

• Hospital: Queen Mary Hospital, Lancashire, England.

• Letter: his family, 1918 Jun 10, France. 10.6.18
138116
Cpl.Ashton. L.
75th Batt. Canadians
B E F
France

Dear Father and Mother Brother and Sisters. I write to say I got you ever welcome letter to day and I am very glad to know you are all in the very best of healthbut I am very sorry to tell you my leg's ar on the bum yet
Mother you will see by the address that I am back in France again
Oh you say my Dad as got to be the boss over a lot of men now well I will tell you, tell him to save up for when I come back I will show him owe to spend it

2/
and you say our Ernest as got a car that will carry 7 people in it well just tell him when I have had a do with it it will be all up with the car for he will have to buy a new one
Mother I am very glad to know you got a letter off our Edwin for you know he as been out h??? ever since the war started and I think it is nearly time he got a rest, did you know Criss and Tom got killed you know owe I mean Molly Brother's
and their Jack got it bad also for he is alway's sick, now tell our Florrie and Lilly
I send them my best Love and I hope that I shall see them before long now I have not got anything elce to say this time
so good night and god bless you all
From
your son
Lof ?
x x x x x x x x x x x x x

• Cemetery: Drury Mill British Cemetery, 1918 Sep 5, Drury Mill British Cemetery, Drury, France. ²⁸ Grave Reference: II. B. 38.
Location: Dury is a village in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, 1 kilometre north of the straight main road from Arras to Cambrai (D939). Approximately 16 kilometres from Arras travelling towards Cambrai on the D939 is the Canadian Forces Memorial at Dury. 300 metres after the Memeorial the Cemetery is signposted to the left towards Dury village. 200 metres from the D939 the cemetery is signposted to the left. It is located in open fields, and is approached along an unsurfaced track about 500 metres long.

In August 1918, Dury was behind the German defence system known as the Drocurt-Queant linel but on the 2nd September, this line was broken by the Canadian and XVII Corps, and Dury village and the hill just south of it (Mont Dury, or Dury Ridge) were captured. The Mill (Moulin Damiens) stood besdie the road from Dury to Villers-les-Cagnicourt, and was destroyed. The cemetery was begun by Canadian units on the 5th September 1918, and closed sixteen days later. There are now over 300 1914-1918 war casualties commemorated in this site. The cemertery covers an area of 1,290 square metres and is enclosed by a brick wall.

Grave info:
http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/certificate.aspx?casualty=253705
Grave reference: II. B. 38.

Inscription:
138116 Private
L Ashton
75th BN Canadian Inf
2nd September 1918

• Military Service.

Lawrence married Mary Alice Place, daughter of Christopher Place and Mary Jane Taylor, on 1907 Oct 5 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.²⁵ (Mary Alice Place was born on 1888 Apr 5 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England,³⁶ died on 1931 Jun 24 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada ³⁷ and was buried on 1931 Jun 25 in Sanctuary Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ³⁷.) The cause of her death was Carcenoma of Cervix.²⁹

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Witness: John Place & Mary Elizabeth Cash, 1887 Oct 5, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. ²⁵ St. Thomas's Church, St. Thomas, Blackburn

  Marriage Notes:

St. Thomas's Church, Blackburn, Lancashire, England