Roy Hurd

Roy was the son of Thomas Hurd and Maggie Kee, born in Hillsburg February 7, 1888. The 1901 Canadian Census, reveals that by this time Thomas had moved to the Village of Acton, he had been widowed and left with four children …Roy age 14, Nellie age 11, Hazel age 8 and James age 6. By 1911 Roy was 23 years old and a labourer working 60 hours per week at the tannery (Beardmore’s), the family living on Frederick St. Acton.

Roy enlisted on June 19, 1915 in Guelph and it was from 23 Young St. , Acton that Roy marched forward in the early days of the war to do his duty. On his Attestation papers he reported that he had previously served in the 20th Battalion for 2 years, he was 27 years and 4 months old, he was 6’2” tall and his religion was Methodist.

Roy arrived in England on December 27, 1915 and was transferred to the 1st Draft-29th Battery C.F.A., with the rank of Gunner, later to be transferred to the 3rd Battalion. Roy had been in France for 1 month and 4 days when he was killed in action…his military file starkly recording his date of death as April 6, 1916. Certainly devastating news for his family waiting back home, to learn that Roy was now numbered among the Canadian heroes who had paid the supreme sacrifice. His assigned monthly pay had been $20.

Roy is buried in Reningheist New Military Cemetery, West Flanders, Belgium

Truly a Canadian Hero. His story lives on. Information taken from Canadiangreatwarproject.com, Ancestry.ca and Acton’s Early Days: Recollections of the “Old Man” as published in the Acton Free Press.

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