On December 23rd, 1916 Private James Aitken, reg. no. 769314, was standing outside of a cook house waiting for a meal. He had been assigned to the 18th Battalion but found himself assigned to the 4th Field Company, Canadian Engineers and then to the 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion. It was in the service of this organization that on December 23rd, 1916 Private James Aitken was standing inside of a cook house waiting for or partaking in breakfast.
Suddenly, and without warning, the partially demolished structure collapsed. Private Aitken was buried and was killed.
It was almost exactly a year from when Private Aitken enlisted in the C.E.F. On December 29th, 1915 he enlisted with the 124th Overseas Battalion in Toronto and after travelling overseas in April, 1916 he was attached to the 18th Battalion. His stay was short lived. He was attached to the 18th on October 11 to the 5th of November when he was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion.
It was in that service that he was killed accidentally at Aix-Nouelette, a small village directly west of Lens, France and he is buried in plot II.C.3 at the Bois-De-Nouelette Cemetery.
His family had their share of tragedy as this article in the Toronto Star attests:
FAMILY BROKEN BY DEATH
Pte. Aitken’s Sacrifice Brings More Grief to Flett Home.
Death has taken heavy toll of the Flett family in the past 12 months [as] the loved ones of three sisters have been taken from them by the Grim Reaper. It is just about a year ago that Mrs. James Meikle, daughter of Rev. Mr. Flett, 223 Oakmount road, lost three children by death, and in the same week, her sister, Mrs. Newall, lost one child. A few weeks about their brother, Pte. Fred. Flett, was killed in action; and now word comes that their widowed sister’s only son, Pte. James Aitken, has been accidentally killed.
Pte. James Aitken is a mechanical draughtsman buy trade. He enlisted last summer and went to France about 3 months ago with an ammunition column. He was only 18 years old, and an only child of Mrs. Jemima Aitken.
Source: Toronto Star – January 13, 1917 via CVWM.
A Court of Inquiry was held and found that no one was negligent towards the cause of the accident and that the cause was a combination of the concussion of enemy shell fire and the elements.
Court of Inquiry
THE COURT, having adjourned for the consideration of the evidence, reconvened at 4.00 p.m. December 27th 1916.
THE COURT, having examined the ruined building in question, and considered the evidence, FINDS:- That through no negligence on their part, No. 769314 Private Aitken, J. and No. 210330 Private Finlay J.R. were killed, and Nos. 766319 Private Anderson V.A., 769380 Private White J.W., 144375 Private Day S.E., 135288 Private Lester C. [G.], 769934 Private Bennett A.S., 412613 Private Mercer W.M., 56003 Private Holt F., were injured by the collapse of a building, caused as nearly as can be determined, by the concussion of enemy shell fire, or by the elements, or by a combination of these.
THE COURT, FURTHER FINDS that, while a careful examination of the building would probably have disclosed its unsafe condition, such condition was not readily apparent, and there is no evidence whatever of any negligence on the part of any person or persons. AS there may be other billets in the village in a more or less dangerous condition, THE COURT recommends that an examination of all buildings in the viallage (sic) in use as billets in order to ascertain their condition.
Signed:
Douglas Ellis President. Captain, C.E.
D.F. Dewar Member. Lieutenant, C.E.
A.E. Gregory Member. Lieutenant, C.E.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I concur with the finding and recommendations of the Court.
1-1-17 Major. R.C.E.
a/C.R.E., 2nd Canadian Division.
Testimony
First Witness: No. 766216, Sergeant H. Hemmings, 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion, being called, made the following statement:
“Saturday morning, December 23rd 1916, I was on the breakfast parade, in the building of the Brasserie, used by the 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion as a cook-house. There were nine other men in the cook-house when at about 7.10 a.m. without warning, the ceiling of the building fell in, starting apparently over the arch of the entrance. Most of the men sprang towards the inner wall opposite the entrance. I found myself buried to the arm pits in the debris, all of the rest of the men having been covered by debris. I called for help and was the first taken out, and at once sent a man for an ambulance, and another man to call Lieutenant Gregory, the officer in charge of the detachment.
We then commenced at once to remove the debris and to rescue the men buried. I this it was about half an hour after the fall when the last live man was taken out, and about fifteen minutes later when the last man, who was dead, was removed.
The following men were removed from the debris:
Killed
No. 769314 Pte. Aitken J. 18th Battalion
No. 210330 Pte. Finlay J.R. 20th Battalion
Wounded
No. 766319 Pte. Anderson V.A. 20th Battalion
No. 769380 Pte. White J.W. 18th Battalion
No. 144375 Pte. Day S.E. 21st Battalion
No. 135288 Pte. Lester C. [G.] 19th Battalion
No. 769934 Pte. Bennett A.S. 18th Battalion
No. 412613 Pte. Mercer W.M. 18th Battalion
No. 56003 Pte. Holt F. 19th Battalion
The building was of brick, and originally of two stories, and had been partly destroyed by shell fire. The roof was gone and the two gable walls were left standing. The gable walls were supported at three corners by the longitudinal walls to a height of about six feet above the second floor.
The ceiling or second floor, was of brick arches with steel beams built in; the beams were supported at the ends by the longitudinal walls.
The entrance to the building was an arched doorway about twelve feet wide. Previous to the accident there appeared to be no reason to believe that the building was unsafe.
As the cause of the accident, it appeared that the arch first gave way, allowing the ceiling or second floor to collapse. There were two shell bursts close to the billets the night before and there had been a good deal of rain for several days preceding the accident; on the morning of the accident there was a very high wind.
After the accident it was found that the north gable wall had fallen in, and I think it was likely that the fall of this wall was caused by the combined effects of the weather and the jarring of the wall by the two shells the night before. The falling of the wall on the second floor probably caused the failure of the arch.”
Signed: H. Hemmings No. 766216. Sergeant.
Second Witness: No. 769110, Corporal Yeaman R.L., 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion, being called made the following statement:
“On the morning of December 23rd, I was in my billet, and just about to go up for breakfast, when I heard a crash like a building falling, and immediately afterward a call for help. I ran out and saw that the cookhouse had fallen in.
I immediately called for help, and sent one man for the ambulance, and others for shovels. I then went to the wrecked building and assisted in the removal of the debris and the rescue of the buried men.
We first took out Sergeant Hemmings, who was buried only to about the waist, and then cleared an air space next to the wall, where the debris was partly supported by boards.
The following men were removed:
Killed
No. 769314 Pte. Aitken J. 18th Battalion
No. 210330 Pte. Finlay J.R. 20th Battalion
Wounded
No. 766319 Pte. Anderson V.A. 20th Battalion
No. 769380 Pte. White J.W. 18th Battalion
No. 144375 Pte. Day S.E. 21st Battalion
No. 135288 Pte. Lester C. [G.] 19th Battalion
No. 769934 Pte. Bennett A.S. 18th Battalion
No. 412613 Pte. Mercer W.M. 18th Battalion
No. 56003 Pte. Holt F. 19th Battalion
When all but the last man was removed and while the work of rescue proceeded, there had been a roll call, and all men accounted for except the last man.
As the cause of the collapse, I consider that the buildings may have been weakened by the shock of two shells which burst close to the building the night before, shaking the buildings. Moreover, there had been considerable rain during several days previous to the accident, and on the morning of the accident there was a very high and gusty wind.
The ambulance responded promptly and I think everything possible was done to get the buried men out with the least delay. All but the last man was near the entrance and was found pinned under two beams and was covered with debris to a depth of three or four feet.
It had never occurred to me that the building was unsafe”
Signed: R.L. Yeaman No. 769110, Corporal.
Third Witness: No. 767218 Private T. McDermott, 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion, being called made the following statement:
“On the night of December 22nd/23rd I was on duty as gas guard.
At about 10.00 p.m. I was sitting in the cookhouse, (the building which collapsed) when two shells burst in rapid succession close to the billets. The walls of the cookhouse shook violently, so that the cood and I ran outside, fearing the fall of the building. We could hear the fall of the fragments of the shell. When the building fell the following morning, I was asleep in my billet. Previous to the accident it had never occurred to me that the building was unsafe.”
Signed: T. McDermott No. 767218. Private.
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