Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Grave Marker – Grave of C.H. Abbott in Seaford Cemetery, East Sussex, United Kingdom. On a cold bright Winters afternoon, a single Canadian flag placed at this mans grave blows lightly in the breeze.

Attestation Papers

Grave Marker – Photo and additional information provided by The Commonwealth Roll Of Honour Project. Volunteer Henry Drury

Photo of Cephas Abbott – Cephas was born in Lakefield, Ontario. His father, Edward, was a fruit-grower and inventor and in the early years of the 20th Century moved his family to Mission City, British Columbia where two houses of the 'Ontario Style' were built as family homes. Cephas was a gifted musician and played several instruments. He studied at the University of Toronto and had an interest in liturgical music. In the early years of the war, Cephas worked as a plumber and tinsmith, which were then seen as reserved occupations for the war effort, however on March 27, 1918 he enlisted into the Canadian Engineers and soon afterwards made the long journey to England, eventually arriving at Seaford Camp. At this time, the camp (and indeed much of the world) was suffering from a huge outbreak of influenza. The draughty wooden huts must have been uncomfortable, and many soldiers died of fever, the peak being in October 1918 when more than 50 died at the camp in just one month. One of them was the American rancher Sam Burns. On arrival in Seaford, Cephas Abbott joined the camp band, and it is sad to note that one of his first duties would have been to attend military funerals at Seaford Cemetery on the Alfriston Road. He remained in Seaford after the war had formally ended, no doubt as he was a member of the regimental band but sadly, he succumbed to the flu himself and died on March 18, 1919. He was just 29 years old. His gravestone can be seen among the other Commonwealth War Graves at Seaford Cemetery. Relatives of Cephas Abbott still live in the family house in Mission City, built more than 100 years ago. They still cherish his clarinet and old hunting rifle and have supplied me with photographs of Cephas. He looks a smart, serious, and intelligent young man. Before they left Seaford, the Canadian soldiers purchased new pews for St Leonard's Church and the brass commemoration maple leaves can still be seen on the front two rows of seats at the church.