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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Thomas William Sutton

In memory of:

Ordinary Seaman Thomas William Sutton

December 29, 1917

Military Service

Service Number:

VR/3527

Age:

28

Force:

Navy

Unit:

Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve

Division:

H.M. Trawler "Sapper Herbert Bennett."

Additional Information

Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Sutton.

Commemorated on Page 335 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada

Grave Reference:

Panel 3.

Location:

The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives. This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs. The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea. The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:

1914-1939
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.

On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Memorial– The panel on the Halifax Memorial at Point Pleasant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada whereon Thomas William Sutton's name is inscribed. Image taken in November 2017 by Tom Tulloch.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – The panel on the Halifax Memorial at Point Pleasant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada whereon Thomas William Sutton's name is inscribed. Image taken in November 2017 by Tom Tulloch.
  • Photo– HM Trawler Sapper (Admiralty No. 1162) was built in 1915 by Smith’s Dock in Middlesbrough on the River Tees in Northeast England. The vessel was 276 tons and 130 feet long, and armed with a single 12-pounder gun. She was purchased by the Royal Navy while building, and outfitted for minesweeping during World War I. On 29 December 1917 Sapper was lost with all 19 crew, including Ordinary Seaman Thomas William Sutton, RCNVR, in the English Channel approximately 8 miles from the East Beach at Selsey, West Sussex, near the Owers Light Vessel. It is likely that Sapper struck a mine laid by the German minelaying submarine UC 71.

    Details

    Photo
    Photo – HM Trawler Sapper (Admiralty No. 1162) was built in 1915 by Smith’s Dock in Middlesbrough on the River Tees in Northeast England. The vessel was 276 tons and 130 feet long, and armed with a single 12-pounder gun. She was purchased by the Royal Navy while building, and outfitted for minesweeping during World War I. On 29 December 1917 Sapper was lost with all 19 crew, including Ordinary Seaman Thomas William Sutton, RCNVR, in the English Channel approximately 8 miles from the East Beach at Selsey, West Sussex, near the Owers Light Vessel. It is likely that Sapper struck a mine laid by the German minelaying submarine UC 71.

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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