Profile image
Citation(s);
Military service
Service number:
63381
Age:
37
Rank:
Private
Force:
Army
Unit/Regiment:
Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment)
Division:
29th Battalion
Birth:
January 18, 1880
Barnstable, Devon, England
Enlistment:
October 27, 1914
Montreal, Québec
Death:
August 21, 1917
France
Burial/memorial information
Additional 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.
Additional citations
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
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Family photo
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
Inscription on the War Memorial in Landkey, England. -
War Memorial
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. -
Photo of 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. -
Birth certificate
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Memorial
Remembering brothers lost … Brothers In Arms Memorial, Zonnebeke, BE … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022 -
Newspaper clipping
From the Montreal Star c.1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me -
Newspaper clipping
From the Montreal Star c. 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
Digital gallery of
Private Thomas John Gratton
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 246 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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