Citation(s);
Military service
Burial/memorial information
Husband of Elizabeth Gratton (nee Tapp) of Montreal, Quebec and father of six children with another child expected shortly. While Private Gratton was in Europe, the newborn infant died after birth and 2 of the 5 young children died as well. Mrs. Gratton died a short eight months after her husband was killed in France.
Son of William Henry and Thirza Gratton of Landkey, Devon, England. Private Gratton had seven brothers who also served in the Great War. Regretfully, three of them also died. They were L/Cpl Alfred Frank Gratton, Devonshire Regiment, deceased 6 October 1916; Pte William Lewis Gratton, Devonshire Regiment, deceased 13 March 1915 and Pte Sydney James Gratton, Australian Infantry, deceased 14 December 1916. The four brothers are also commemorated on a War Memorial in Landkey, Devon, England.
Military Medal for Bravery in the Field, dated 9-12-1916: D.O., Pt.2 No. 4 D/-15-1-17. Auth: Supp. London Gazette. British War Medal, Victory Medal
Digital gallery of Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
This is a photo of Thomas John Gratton's younger brother Walter Charles Gratton with his wife Mabel Grace and their two children Richard Walter and Violet May taken sometime around 1915 in England.
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Inscription on the War Memorial in Landkey, England.
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Photo of the War Memorial in Landkey, England. This memorial commemorates nine soldiers from this small community who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace and freedom during WW1, including the four Gratton brothers. This photo was taken September 1st, 2001 during a visit to England.
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
This photo of Thomas John Gratton is one of the only known photos of him. The original is in the possession of his great-granddaughter in Montreal. This picture is submitted in memory of him, his wife Eliza who also suffered greatly, and in memory of his 3 brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War One. Pte. Thomas John Gratton, and two of his brothers, lay in unmarked graves near Vimy Ridge. His name is on the Canadian Vimy Memorial in France and is inscribed on Page 246 of the First World War Book of Remembrance Book on Parliament Hill.<p>
The inscription on the back of the photo is as follows;<br>
Thomas John Gratton, Born at Barnstaple, England, Jan 18, 1880<br>
Married to Eliza Gratton. Killed in action during the first World War - August 21, 1917.
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Remembering brothers lost … Brothers In Arms Memorial, Zonnebeke, BE … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
From the Montreal Star c.1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
From the Montreal Star c. 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Image gallery
-
This is a photo of Thomas John Gratton's younger brother Walter Charles Gratton with his wife Mabel Grace and their two children Richard Walter and Violet May taken sometime around 1915 in England.
-
Inscription on the War Memorial in Landkey, England.
-
Photo of the War Memorial in Landkey, England. This memorial commemorates nine soldiers from this small community who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace and freedom during WW1, including the four Gratton brothers. This photo was taken September 1st, 2001 during a visit to England.
-
This photo of Thomas John Gratton is one of the only known photos of him. The original is in the possession of his great-granddaughter in Montreal. This picture is submitted in memory of him, his wife Eliza who also suffered greatly, and in memory of his 3 brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War One. Pte. Thomas John Gratton, and two of his brothers, lay in unmarked graves near Vimy Ridge. His name is on the Canadian Vimy Memorial in France and is inscribed on Page 246 of the First World War Book of Remembrance Book on Parliament Hill.<p> The inscription on the back of the photo is as follows;<br> Thomas John Gratton, Born at Barnstaple, England, Jan 18, 1880<br> Married to Eliza Gratton. Killed in action during the first World War - August 21, 1917.
-
-
Remembering brothers lost … Brothers In Arms Memorial, Zonnebeke, BE … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
-
From the Montreal Star c.1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
-
From the Montreal Star c. 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 246 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
Request this page
Download this page
VIMY MEMORIAL Pas de Calais, France
Canada's most impressive tribute overseas to those Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the First World War is the majestic and inspiring Vimy Memorial, which overlooks the Douai Plain from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about eight kilometres northeast of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The Memorial is signposted from this road to the left, just before you enter the village of Vimy from the south. The memorial itself is someway inside the memorial park, but again it is well signposted. At the base of the memorial, these words appear in French and in English:
Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial are the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead' in France.
A plaque at the entrance to the memorial states that the land for the battlefield park, 91.18 hectares in extent, was 'the free gift in perpetuity of the French nation to the people of Canada'. Construction of the massive work began in 1925, and 11 years later, on July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VIII.
The park surrounding the Vimy Memorial was created by horticultural experts. Canadian trees and shrubs were planted in great masses to resemble the woods and forests of Canada. Wooded parklands surround the grassy slopes of the approaches around the Vimy Memorial. Trenches and tunnels have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made.
On April 3, 2003, the Government of Canada designated April 9th of each year as a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
Did we miss something?
Contribute information to this commemorative page
Do you have photographs, information or a correction relating to this individual’s virtual memorial? Learn more about the CVWM and the information we collect.