Corporal Patrick Joseph Sugrue
Patrick was born in Paris on September 8, 1895 and worked as a knitter when he enlisted. He was the son of Annie Sugrue. He was Roman Catholic, single and 20 years old when he enlisted with the 125th Battalion in Paris.
Patrick was a member of the 9th 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. There is some confusion about his service immediately after arriving in England. However, he was clearly serving with the Canadian Railway Troops in France in 1918.
The 4th Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops (CRT), formed in January 1917, was a crucial World War I unit composed of experienced railway workers, organized in England, and deployed to France in February 1917 to build and maintain vital railway infrastructure on the Western Front, supporting logistics and troop movement until the war's end. The military planners recruited skilled railway workers from across Canada, ensuring technical expertise. They were essential for building, maintaining, and operating railway lines to transport troops, ammunition, and supplies, keeping the war effort moving.
Canadian Railway Troops (CRT) were frequently under enemy fire. Because their primary mission was to push rail lines as close to the front as possible to support major offensives, they operated in highly dangerous zones. Unlike infantry who had the protection of trenches, railway troops often worked above ground in the open to build or repair tracks. This made them prime targets for artillery shelling and aerial bombing. And they were constantly in such danger because there were often roughly 100 breaks per day due to enemy shell fire. During the massive German Spring Offensive in March 1918, CRT units were forced to abandon railway work and were instead used as emergency combat troops to build rear defense trench systems under fire.
Corporal Patrick Sugrue seems to have survived the war without injury. He demobilized in April, 1919. He earned the War Service Badge Class A for his service.