LEST WE FORGET 65 BAYNE, Thomas Arthur WWI Thomas was born on November 15, 1988, to Rev. Ernest Samuel and Isabel (Munro) Bayne, in Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia. Thomas was the second oldest of four children with one older brother and two sisters. He came west and was working as a grain elevator agent at Cupar, Saskatchewan when he enlisted on March 11, 1916 with the 195th Battalion. His older brother, Robert, enlisted in the same unit one week later. The two brothers left for England aboard the SS Empress of Britain on October 31, 1916. Thomas was sent to France with the 32nd Battalion on December 1, 1916 and on April 9, 1917, during the attack of Vimy, he was hit by shrapnel to the head. He was hospitalized with a head wound and convalesced for some time. He suffered from pain in his head with persistent headaches and was short of breath when he exerted himself. His file states that noise from “rifle range practice nearly drives him crazy.” He was discharged at Halifax on May 27, 1918 as medically unfit to serve. His brother was killed in battle on July 29, 1918. While Thomas was overseas, both his parents had passed away. Thomas had $15 from each monthly wage go to his sister Gladys (of Toronto). After the war, he returned to Cupar and in 1924, he married a teacher, Norma Stirling, from Emmerson, Manitoba. She died of diabetes in 1925 and is buried in Virden. Thomas remarried Francis Eliza Brown of Broadview, Saskatchewan in 1927. The couple had two sons, Robert and Walter Thomas. They came to Arcola, Saskatchewan in 1948 and operated a store. Thomas died on June 19, 1954 and he is buried in the Arcola Cemetery. His wife and sons carried on with the store until Mrs. Bayne was killed in a car/train accident in 1966. BEATTIE, John “Jack” WWI John Beattie was born in Perth, Scotland on October 21, 1894. His parents were James and Mary Beattie. John had three sisters: Mary, Jane and Annie. When he enlisted, at the age of 23, with the 128th Overseas Battalion in Moose Jaw on December 27, 1915, he was living in Elbow, Saskatchewan. His occupation was farming. His battalion embarked from Halifax on September 15, 1916, arriving in Liverpool on the 24th. John’s overseas service included England and France. On November 11, 1917, he was wounded in the left leg but made a good recovery and returned to the battlefield. On October 30, 1917, he was wounded in an accident, but bravely remained on duty. He was awarded a Good Conduct Badge and Military Medal on April 20, 1918. John Beattie returned to Canada on March 15, 1919, and received his discharge. He and his wife Grace (19001987) lived in Vancouver. The 1957 Voters List identified his job as fisherman. John Beattie passed away on June 11, 1982, and is buried in Elnora Cemetery, Red Deer.
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