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Saturday, November 23, 2013

30 Days of Remembrance- Day 24 - Theodore George Young

In memory of
Private
Theodore George Young
who died on November 23, 1918 

Military Service:

Service Number: 3214692
Force: Army
Unit: Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment)
Division: 21st Reserve Bn.

Additional Information:

Date and Place of Birth: March 12, 1884
Cemetery: BODELWYDDAN (ST. MARGARET) CHURCHYARD; Flintshire, United Kingdom
Grave Reference: 468.
Commemorated on Page 527 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.

Unlike most of the soldiers I've researched, Theodore George Young was drafted to the Canadian forces, and signed up in Edmonton AB in June1918. At 34 he was considerably older as well. 



Theodore George Young was born in York (Toronto) on March 12 1884, to Samuel Young and Catherine Louisa Einboden. I was able to find him on the 1891 and 1901 Canadian census still in Toronto with his parents and 8 siblings but by 1911 he was no longer living at home and there are no Theo's and  far too many George Young's to be certain which, if any are him.

Theodore Young passed his army physical in July of 1918 and was presumably sent overseas shortly after. Without access to more of his military records it's impossible to know if he ever saw combat. Thirteen days after the armistice on 11 November,  Theodore Young died of influenza and cardiac arrest and was buried in a parish churchyard in Wales, UK.

Theodore George Young died November 23, 1818


3 comments:

  1. You are surely doing a great job CallieK with the soldiers. It's so special to see how those young men gave their lives for their country. Since starting to research my maternal side of my family, I know how much work all this is. And it is not evident to find some of the facts that we need. It is hours and hours of research...

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  2. Thanks for the story of Theodore George Young. I came to this page by accident, searching for something completely different, then recognized some names on this page. A happy accident! My great uncle William Herbert Stowe (aka Stow) from Hamilton died on Oct 20, 1918 of influenza, at the same camp, Kinmel Park, only weeks after having arrived in Britain, and is buried in the same graveyard, at St Margaret's in Bodelwyddan North Wales, #430, right around the corner from Theodore. He was called up in Feb but didn't go over until Sept, being stationed at the Niagara Camp (where the flu was raging), so it is possible that Theodore didn't go over until Sept either. He was at Kinmel Park, so I doubt if he saw battle, but as you say, you can't know for sure without the military record. My great uncle Herb never even left the camp. It's so great that we are remembering them now! I plan to visit his grave his year, the first time visited by family in (almost) 100 years! FYI, the military records will all be available online for free at the end of this year.

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    Replies
    1. Hi roadstar, I'm happy you found your way here even by accident! It's sad to see how many young men died in the great war and deaths by influenza are no less moving. As part of this small memorial project I wanted to reflect as wide of a cross section of people as possible so I'm glad you found some common ground.

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