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CWM 19920166-1472
CWM 19920166-1472

Private

Wesley, Thomas

Unit

16th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Canadian Scottish)

Branch

Infantry

Service Component

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Service Number

721376

birth

1894/02/10

St. Peters, Manitoba, Canada

death

1917/08/16

Vimy, France

grave

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France

Gender

Male

Thomas Wesley was born in St. Peters, Manitoba, on 10 February 1894.

A labourer, Wesley enlisted in the 108th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Selkirk) in Selkirk, Manitoba, on 31 December 1915. After initial training in Canada, he sailed for England with his unit on 24 July 1916, aboard SS Olympic. The battalion disembarked in Liverpool on 31 July 1916. Upon arrival in England, it provided reinforcements to Canadian units already in the field. As a result, Wesley was transferred to the 16th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Canadian Scottish).

On 15 August 1917, during the Battle of Hill 70, the 16th Battalion successfully attacked and captured a number of German positions near Lens, France. It faced only sporadic, half-hearted resistance from the German troops that had survived the massive pre-assault barrage launched by the Canadian artillery. As a result, the battalion suffered few casualties.

That was not the case on 16 August 1917, when the battalion came under heavy shell fire for the most of the day as it attempted to consolidate its new position. The battalion suffered a number of casualties. Wesley was killed in action that day, and his body was lost.

Thomas Wesley is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on Vimy Ridge, in France.

The Canadian War Museum’s Collection includes the following artifacts for this recipient