Source: Elgin County Genealogical Association.
Brother to John William Such, 53743.
Earned Military Medal London Gazette 31430 dated July 3, 1919.
Arthur Such Informatio from Elgin County Geoneological Society
Arthur Such was born on September 27, 1890 at Barton-on-Stather, Lincolnshire, the son of Arthur Cyril Such (1862-1898) & Alice Thompson, who were married in Lincolnshire in 1889. Arthur died in Lincolnshire in 1898, and Alice was remarried to Arthur Waddingham in 1900. Alice & Arthur Waddingham are found on the 1901 census in England living in South Ferriby, Lincolnshire, but son Arthur Such does not appear with them. There is however, an Arthur Such, described as a “relative” living with Fred & Louie Fowler on the 1901 census in Sculcoates, Yorkshire. Arthur is 10, and was born in Hull, Yorkshire.
Arthur emigrated to Canada at the age of 14, leaving Liverpool on the ship Tunisian, and arriving in Montreal on November 12, 1904. The passenger list states he was born in Lincolnshire and his destination was Aylmer. He is found on the 1911 census in Malahide, a labourer living with Maynard & Emma Carter. He was a nephew of Harry & Florence (Thompson) Hewbank of Richmond.
Arthur enlisted for service on November 2, 1914 in St. Thomas. His address is not given, but he states he was born at Barton-Stather, Lincolnshire. He names his next of kin as his mother, Alice Waddingham, of 1 Greek Street, Hawthorne Ave., Hull, England. He was a dairyman, and had served in the 30th Battery, C.F.A.
A letter from Arthur to his aunt & uncle, Mr & Mrs Harry Hewbank, was printed in the Aylmer Express, November 18, 1915:
AYLMER AND MALAHIDE BOYS IN BELGIUM STILL ARE WELL
Mr and Mrs Harry Hewbank, of Richmond, have received the following interesting letter from their nephew, Arthur Such, who enlisted here with the First Canadian Expeditionary Forces, now in France and Belgium. He tells some interesting tales of their everyday experience.
Belgium, 5th Oct. 1915
Dear Aunt and Uncle:
Well we are all quite well and enjoying ourselves as best we can over here. We are out of the trenches at present for a rest. We do six days in and six days out. It is rather nasty here now, lots of rain and mud. Fritz across the line makes it quite interesting for us at times. He doesn’t seem to care just where he slings his shells. Last Sunday evening we had just prepared a nice little supper in an old hog pen at a farm, when along came a few souvenirs from “Fritz”. Well if you ever saw any one doing a run at five yard dashes, it was us. We started for the dugouts, just a little way off. Just as we’d get started to run another would be on its way, and we’d lay flat until it had struck and exploded. We were a little afraid it would knock our tea kettle over, as it passed directly over our little hog pen, and hit a hotel across the road. Several dropped around us but did no damage to amount to anything. Our tea was all right when we got back to it, but some of the boys had theirs knocked over. They were in a barn about 50 yards away and a shell came through the roof and exploded.
I had a fine box of cakes and cigarettes from home on my birthday. Also over here they fired a salute of 21 guns and sent up some very nice fire works at night. Of course I do not suppose it was all on my account though.
You would no doubt hear the news of the great move made the other night all along the line. We are credited with having been in that.
Well I think I will have to ring off for this time, hoping everybody is well and happy. Remember me to all and try and let us hear from you some times.
Your affectionate nephew, Arthur
18th Battalion, C. Co., No. 52742, 2nd Canadian Div., 4th Infantry Brig., B.E.F., Army P.O., London, England.
Arthur returned from overseas on January 19, 1917, arriving in St. John’s, New Brunswick. He was awarded the Bravery Medal for saving a soldier’s life in combat. He had to remove his gas mask in order to free the soldier from barbed wire. He was exposed to mustard gas and suffered from the effects the rest of his life.
Arthur returned to Aylmer and was working as a butter maker there when he was married on April 7, 1920 at Oliver in East Nissouri Township to Eva May Darling (1898-1975), of Oliver, the daughter of Alexander Darling & Rachel McLeod. On the marriage record, Arthur states he was born in Yorkshire. Arthur & Eva later moved to Kerwood.
Arthur died on August 21, 1964 and is buried with his wife in Strathroy Cemetery. The inscription on his monument reads: “Arthur Such, M.M. Corporal, 18 Battn. C.E.F. 21 Aug 1964 age 73″.
His obituary appeared in the Strathroy Age Dispatch, August 27, 1964:
ARTHUR SUCH
Arthur Such, 73, died Friday following a lengthy illness in Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital. Born in England, he had lived in Canada for 59 years, and spent 32 years in Kerwood. He was an inspector for the Department of Agriculture and was Past Master of Ionic Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 328, Napier.
Surviving are: his wife, the former Eva Darling, of Kerwood; daughter, Mrs. Reginald (Eileen) Freer, of Kerwood; three grandchildren and five great grandchildren; brother, Percy, of Windsor; Norman, British Columbia; Clarence and Cyril, both in England, and a sister Doris, in England.
A Masonic service was held at Denning Brothers Funeral Home on Sunday evening. Rev. C. S. Ripley of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Kerwood, conducted funeral services at the funeral home on Monday. Interment was in Strathroy Cemetery. Pall bearers were: Donald Pollock, Clifford Johnson, Fred Woods, William Burdon, Fred Richardson, and Gordon McIntyre.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 