Private Edward Hutchings
Edward “Teddy” Hutchings was born on December 26, 1874 in London, England, the son of William and Sarah Hutchings. While in England, he married Emily Torr. They had two daughters together. The family immigrated to Paris in 1910, and Edward was employed in Penmans No. 1 mill. The family attended St. James Anglican Church in Paris.
Emily Hutchings died in 1913, and her death changed the family situation dramatically. The daughters returned to England to stay with family and Edward enlisted at 42 years of age with the 125th Battalion. It is not clear in which order these events occurred. Edward He was a member of the 10th Platoon that embarked aboard the S.S Scandinavia on February 12, 1916. The 9th and 10th Platoons were the first contingent of soldiers from Paris, nearly 100 men, to go overseas. Once in England, he was drafted into the 124th Battalion who went across to France in April, 1917. The Canadian 124th Battalion was serving in France as the 124th Pioneer Battalion, attached to the 4th Canadian Division. They performed crucial engineering/labour tasks like building railways and roads, rather than direct infantry combat. However, their duties often exposed them to danger through the proximity of their work to active combat zones and the ongoing nature of trench warfare operations around that time.
On July 29, 1917, Edward suffered a shrapnel wound in his abdomen. He was taken to No. 7 Casualty Clearing where he died. He is buried at Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery on the road to Arras.