1817info2b: Martha Crompton - Updated 06 June 2026

1901 Census Sun/Mon 31st March/1st April 1901 Source: FHL Film TNA Ref RG13 Piece: 4462; Folio: 77; Page: 11; Sched: 85 Dwelling: Beck Side Place: Beverley, Yorks ER, England Name Rel Mar Age Occupation Status Birthplace James Robert Lowther Head S 21 Coal & Brick & Tile Merchant Employer Yorks, Beverley

Beverley Independent, Saturday 16 August 1902, page 5
At the Guild Hall yesterday, before the Mayor and Colonel Cussons, a man who gave his name as James Myers (24), and said he belonged to Scotland, was charged with stealing a pie from the house of Mr. J. Lowther, Beckside.- Mr. Wm. Oldfield, an employee of Mr. Lowther, who lives in the coal yard, said that about 6-15 yesterday morning he saw prisoner come out of Mr. Lowther's back door. He called to him, but he ran but he ran away, dropping a fruit pie in his flight. Prisoner was detained and brought into custody by PC Knowles. —Mr. J. Lowther, who said he did not wish to press the charge, stated that the door was not locked from the inside, but was closed with a sneck. – Mr Mills observed that to lift a latch of any kind was burglary. – Witness went on to say that there were several articles of food in the dairy – PC Knowles said that when arrested prisoner became violent – Accused admitted the offence and had nothing to say in mitigation. – Supt Knight state that prisoner might have been charged with burglary, but fortunately for him the lesser charge of larceny had been preferred. The bench observed that men of this kind going about were a great danger to householders. He would have to go to prison for six weeks with hard labour.

Beverley Independent, Saturday 16 August 1902, page 5

At the Guild Hall yesterday, before the Mayor and Colonel Cussons, a man who gave his name as James Myers (24), and said he belonged to Scotland, was charged with stealing a pie from the house of Mr. J. Lowther, Beckside.- Mr. Wm. Oldfield, an employee of Mr. Lowther, who lives in the coal yard, said that about 6-15 yesterday morning he saw prisoner come out of Mr. Lowther's back door. He called to him, but he ran but he ran away, dropping a fruit pie in his flight. Prisoner was detained and brought into custody by PC Knowles. —Mr. J. Lowther, who said he did not wish to press the charge, stated that the door was not locked from the inside, but was closed with a sneck. – Mr Mills observed that to lift a latch of any kind was burglary. – Witness went on to say that there were several articles of food in the dairy – PC Knowles said that when arrested prisoner became violent – Accused admitted the offence and had nothing to say in mitigation. – Supt Knight state that prisoner might have been charged with burglary, but fortunately for him the lesser charge of larceny had been preferred. The bench observed that men of this kind going about were a great danger to householders. He would have to go to prison for six weeks with hard labour.

1901 Census Sun/Mon 31st March/1st April 1901 Source: FHL Film TNA Ref RG13 Piece: 4462; Folio: 80; Page: 17; Sched: 122 Dwelling: Beckside Place: Beverley, Yorks ER, England Name Rel Mar Age Occupation Status Birthplace Margaret Stuart Head S 48 Living on own means Scotland Isabella Stuart Sis S 46 Living on own means Scotland Archibald Stuart Bro S 40 Coal Merchant Employee Scotland

1 June 1921 Address: Veterans of France Club, 912 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC Build type: Stone, brick, wood, brick veneered, plaster+lime, plaster+cement: Brick Type: Family, household, institution: Institution Number of rooms: Tenure: Owned/rented: Rented; If rented cost per month: $150 Name Rel. Sex Status Mar Age Place of Year of Year of birth immigration naturalisation Lowther James RC Serv M Roomer S 40 England 1903 No Nationality Racial Speak Religion Education Can origin En Fr Read Write Canada English Y Y C of E Y Y Occupation Unemployed Type Status Earning Unemployed Weeks unemployed Weeks sick Hunter/logger Worker $600 No 0 0

A short history of the Canadian Railway Troops

Introduction

This document explains how the Canadian Corps' tramway (light railway) companies were a crucial but often overlooked logistical force in the First World War. Although historians tend to focus on infantry actions such as Vimy Ridge, the text argues that tramways were essential to sustaining operations, moving ammunition, supplies, and even casualties. Senior Canadian Corps officers became aware of the tactical and logistic benefits that tramways could bring to the war's operations.

Early Development (1915-1916)

The Canadian Expeditionary Force were later at Light Railways than the British. Their first was a 'local' trench tram monorail at Ploegsteert on 25 August 1915. From October 1915 to spring of 1916, Canadian field engineer companies constructed and maintained 60cm tramway lines at west of Ypres. At this time the Canadian Corps, being short of two engineer field companies, believed tramway construction was a distraction to the division's defensive priorities. This stifled the corps ability to move batteries and ammunition on roads, particularly during rainy and thaw conditions in December and February. On 19 May 1916, a temporary 'Composite Pioneer Company', with seven officers and 225 other ranks, began to transport and shuttle corps supplies forward with two steam locomotives on a 12 mile line connecting the broad-gauge railhead at Poperinghe to Kruisstraat.

On the Somme, the Composite Company constructed an unballasted light railway from Albert, past the Pozieres cemetery to the windmill on the Pozieres-Bapaume Road, using mule and horsepower limiting their role to bringing forward heavy ammunition and engineer supplies. On the Somme light railways first evacuated casualties.

In the Vimy sector, on 23 October 1916, the Composite Company was split in two. Number 1 Section, with 200 other ranks from the 3rd Pioneers, became Canadian Corps Tramway Company and proceeded to Bois de Bray under the command of Captain Goodday. Number 2 Section was formerly the Composite Pioneer Company was still under Majors Roger's command at Gouy. In the northern sector, steam engines from Gouy, hauled an average 1,000 tons per day over the light railway system to Carency, then petrol tractors to Soucitez Wood and finally mules to forward points in the Zouave Valley. In the southern sector, petrol tractors from Bois de Bray hauled an average 275 tons supplies per day forward, followed by 300 mules to various stations. The Canadian Corps required 8,000 tons of supplies a day. Being under German observation the system had limited operations in the daytime.

In the Arras offensive the Canadians began tramway extensions because of the poor roads and limited roadstone. There were 600 to 1,400 men a day engaged on extending the tramline through the destroyed German trench sector and down the east side of ridge, using captured German material lines, due to production issues in the UK.

1917-1918

In July 1917, for the attack on Hill 70, the Canadian Corps took over the extensive and established Loos and Lens British tramway lines to alleviate wear and tear road surface and to reduce the repair needs of the lorries and reduced fuel consumption. On 1 August 1917, Currie reorganised the Composite Pioneer Coy and the Canadian Corps Tramways Company into a single company, known as Canadian Corps Tramways Company, still under Major Rogers. A month later, Lieutenant General Henry Sinclair Horne, GOC First Army, supported Currie's plan for a permanent light railway capability as a solution for heavy gun ammunition supply, by writing to GHQ.

The men employed are highly skilled and have for many months now been doing most valuable work on this forward area. […] the Canadian Corps lines have followed the troops closely in every fresh advance. ln enterprise, experience and rapidity of construction, as also in operation, this body of men is probably the most highly skilled and useful body of men's railway workers on the British Army front, and they have developed a fine esprit de corps.

For the Passchendaele campaign in October and November 1917, War Office sanctioned two new tramway companies for the Canadian Corps. 100 men from the Pioneer Company built four miles of new lines to deliver plank for forward road construction. On the 14 November 1917 the Canadian tramways were formally recognised and granted permanent status in the Canadian Corps. The tramways were divided into two companies: Number 1 company known as the Canadian Corps Tramway Operating Company and Number 2 company known as the Canadian Corps Tramway Construction Company. Their strength was three officers and 267 other ranks per company. On 22 February 1918, the tramway companies became the 1st and 2nd Tramways Company, Canadian Engineers and manpower increased to 383 to give the extra construction

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manpower to enable the Canadian Railway Troops (CRT) to leapfrog forward in mobile warfare. On 14 July 1918 the tramways became an Army level asset of 1,000 men and three and a half companies, working for two British Corps wanting tramways to service Lens and Vimy and Arras and the Canadian Corps in the Arras sector. To do this, 1st Tramways moved south to Arras to operate 26 miles of tractor lines and four and a half miles of push lines. 2nd Tramways took on 500 personnel from the labour companies for track maintenance and 30 new lorry drivers to operate the locomotives in the Vimy North and South sector.

Under the secrecy surrounding operation 'Llandovery Castle' ¹, the Corps moved to Amiens in early August 1918, CRT followed the ?eld engineers. 1st Tramways constructed the light railways along the Amiens-Roye highway. In the week of 9 to 19 August the four Canadian units reconstructed 13 miles of German lines, salvaged and laid three miles of German steel, and laid six miles of new steel. When the Canadian Corps switched back to the Arras front on 23 August 1918, 2nd Tramways and the 6th Battalion Engineers and the CRT, repaired four lines of 18 miles and had ammunition ?owing by 31 August 1918. From 23 September 1918 to the end of the war, the tramway companies leapfrogged with the construction sections in the lead and the traffic or operating section in the rear, moving essential supplies as far forward as possible. The CRT battalions could not build broad gauge track quick enough and there were not enough lorries during this rapid mobile phase. Luckily, the Germans abandoned their light railway, track and supplies only wrecking bridges and points. The old British track was lifted from the rear as the broad gauge advanced. As the army advanced, 9lb a metre track would be replaced by 16 or 20lb track capable of carrying the heavier nine-ton capacity narrow gauge cars and the heavier 40hp petrol electric locomotives.

Construction was entirely manual using picks, shovels and wheelbarrows and mule drawn ploughs and scrapers for excavation and tip cars for ballast. The 1st Tramway Company wrote:

Every yard must be thoroughly drained. Ballast is the whole secret of successful railroading. Six to eight inches needed immediately after laying track. […] Work is divided into survey, grading, track laying, ballasting, maintenance. […] the maximum amount of traffic comes over the road immediately after it is constructed and while the roadbed is still 'Green'. And that by the time the road has reached the final settlement the track will no longer be used, so that the maintenance conditions are continually at the worst while the traffic is heaviest, […].

Conclusion

In the six to eight weeks prior to a battle, the Tramways companies had periods of intense construction and in the month after the battle extending the lines forward. Winters tended to be periods of rest. The dedicated Canadian tramway companies were more efficient, with useful load varied between 56 and 90 per cent per train, than British Corps because of limitations in place from GHQ. After Vimy in April 1917, CTR began reporting casualties. After ordinary sickness, the largest cause of casualties was by gas with wounded and killed in significant battles. From May 1917 to December 1918 the tramway companies suffered 35 killed in action, three accidentally killed, 136 wounded, 179 gassed, 53 accidentally injured and 319 evacuated sick for a total of 725, not unlike an infantry battalion. There were significant accidental injured and killed. Because the Canadian Corps had its own tramways companies it was far more mobile and could build up resources far quicker prior to battle, which reduced the load on the horse transport and lorry traffic as the supply lines extended across the trench devastated zone.

Abridged from: Shoebottom, Bradley, Canadian Corps Tramway Operations in the First World War, Stand To! - the journal of The Western Front Association, Number 141, March 2026

1. Ballast from Lens slag heap Sep17 LAC a001816
2. Track grading July 17 LAC a001663

3. Canadian Railway Troops IWM Q35499
4. Track laying Sep17 LAC a001796

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5. Track repair Dec17 LAC a002287
6. Train in ruined town Oct17 LAC a002066

7. An armoured Simplex narrow gauge
8. A Baldwin petrol loco standard gauge

"Llandovery Castle" was the Allies code name for the Battle of Arras, of 08 August 1918. It was meant to simulate that Canadian troops were preparing for battle in the Flanders/Ypres sector. In reality, the Canadian Corps was being secretly relocated overnight by train southward toward Amiens to lead a massive and highly successful surprise offensive, which broke through the German lines. The German Commander Erich Ludendorff famously referred to the first day of this battle as "the black day of the German Army".

The HMHS Llandovery Castle, was serving as a Canadian hospital ship. On 27 June 1918, the ship was unlawfully torpedoed by the German U-86 off the coast of Ireland, resulting in the deaths of 234 crew members, medical personnel, and 14 nursing sisters. The U-boat commander, Helmut Brümmer-Patzig, then machine-gunned the survivors in the lifeboats to destroy the evidence of his war crime. Only 24 people in a single lifeboat survived.