Source: During news clipping research for Pte. Thomas Parker, Jr. was mentioned in a letter in the Evening Examiner written by Rorabeck.
Family Search: When Private Henry Edward Rorabeck was born on 15 May 1897, in Norwood, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, his father, Thomas E. Rorabeck, was 34 and his mother, Abigail Cross, was 32. He married Margaret Ann Blodgett on 6 August 1920, in Peterborough, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He lived in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in 1911 and Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada in 1922. He registered for military service in 1916. In 1916, at the age of 19, his occupation is listed as printer in Norwood, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He died on 12 November 1970, at the age of 73, and was buried in Union Cemetery, Oshawa, Durham, Ontario, Canada.
Private Henry Edward Rorabeck, reg. no. 195903.
This man enlisted with the 93rd Battalion CEF at Peterborough, Ontario on 8 April 1916. He was a single printer by trade and practiced the Baptist faith.
He arrived with his battalion in England aboard the SS Empress on 25 July 1916. He was transferred to the 18th Battalion on 15 September 1916, and arrived “in the field” 3 October 1916.
He served with the 18th Battalion until he was sent for medical treatment on 17 April 1917, where he was admitted at the Canadian General Hospital at Étaples, France. He was then sent to England for further treatment, arriving at the Bagthorpe Military Hospital on 17 May 1917.
He was released from the hospital on 2 June 1917 and transferred to the 4th Canadian Reserve Battalion at Bramshott.
Private Rorabeck left for Canada on 12 December 1918.
He was discharged due to demobilization at Kingston, Ontario, on 24 January 1919.
In a letter recently received, Pte. H. E. Rorabeck, a Norwood member of the 93rd Battalion says:
Speaking of the battle of Vimy Ridge, we certainly made old “Fritz” beat it. I just came out of the line last night (April 14th). Some of my chums have been killed, but Hendren[i], King[ii], Scriver[iii] and Jack Parker[iv] are all right. Poor Tommy Parker[v] died of wounds in the trenches. He had his leg and arm blown off by a shell, dying in about twenty minutes. Cecil Watson[vi] was taking a course and was not in the drive. He came back to us last night. Dave Stark[vii] is in the cooking department of the 21st and is well. Fred Kempt[viii] is fine. I saw him when we were coming out. I was just going to bed last night when I heard my name called by someone. It was Albert Wellman[ix]. He is fine and was over the wall, and came through without a scratch, well. This war is certainly awful; just to see your chums fall on both sides of you while it is your luck to walk on. I am a bomber and had to carry 16 bombs, rifle, rations and ammunition. It was some load to carry. Our officer was the only one that went over in our company to remain with it. The Major was killed and two other officers wounded. I was out to a bombing post one night and it happened the next night that four others were called to go, and the four of them were blown to pieces.
Writing ten days later from hospital in England he says: “I wrote you after coming out of the scrap. The same day I reported to the Doctor with sore feet and a rash on my shoulders, so the Doctor sent me to the field hospital. After staying there a few nights I was sent by ambulance to a clearing station and from there to the base and later to England to a hospital at Bagthorpe, Nottingham. My feet ache just like a toothache all the time and are swollen up. They also burn. It seems to stop at my ankles. Except for this I am O.K. and came through the battle without a mark.
Peterborough Evening Examiner. 13 June 1917. Page 13.
[i] Private John Karn Hendren, reg. no. 195756.
[ii] Private Wilbert Ernest King, reg. no. 195798. Military Medal.
[iii] Private Russell Scriver, reg. no. 195437.
[iv] Private John Edward Parker, reg. no. 195573.
[v] Private Thomas Parker, reg. no. 195745.
[vi] Private Cecil Sheffield Watson, reg. no. 195755.
[vii] Private David Francis Stark, reg. no. 195667. 21st Battalion.
[viii] Private Kenneth Fred Kempt, reg. no. 195571. 21st Battalion.
[ix] Private Albert Edward Wellman, reg. no. 636099. 3rd Canadian Entrenching Battalion.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 