MORROW, Thomas Henry

DIVISIONAL UNIT:         3rd Canadian Infantry Division
                                             9th Infantry Brigade
                                             43rd Battalion  -  Cameron Highlanders of Canada
                                             “A” Company
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   859247
RESIDENCE:                    Goderich - Ontario
DATE OF BIRTH:            July 3, 1886
                                             Goderich – Goderich Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           March 6, 1918                      31 years     8 months
CEMETERY:                     Thelus Military Cemetery – Thelus –
                                             Pas de Calais – France
                                             III     D     8
PARENTS:                         Mr. George and Mary Ann Morrow – Walterville - Ontario
Occupation:                        Labourer                               Religion:     Methodist
Enlistment:                         November 8, 1915 – Winnipeg – Manitoba – into 179th Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 29 years     4 months

He left Canada on the HMT Saxonia and arrived in Liverpool on October 13, 1916. He transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion located at East Sandling in Kent. Then he was taken on strength by the 43rd Battalion and went overseas into France, leaves to join his unit in the field and joins them on March 6, 1917.
Private Morrow is assigned to a Carrying Party with the 9th Infantry Brigade and does not rejoin the 43rd Battalion until April 18, 1917.
He is wounded at Vimy Ridge and is sent to a Casualty Clearing Station on May 19, 1917, then admitted to No. 13 Stationary Hospital based in Boulogne on May 21, 1917 with shrapnel wounds to his right shoulder and arm. On May 28th he is invalided back to England on the Hospital Ship St. Andrew. Then he goes to the Bradford War Hospital on at the end of May and finally goes to a Convalescent Hospital on June 10, 1917. He then rejoins his unit on November 11, 1917.
Private Morrow was in the front trenches with his unit south-east of Avion. At 3:30 am the enemy began projecting gas shells on the right front of the Battalion. As well as the gas the front lines had to deal with High Explosive enemy shells. It was estimated the enemy lobbed over 250 gas shells between 3: 30 am – 4:00 am.
The Casualties suffered during this attack were 11 killed and 80 wounded. The winds were from the north-east at 3 mph.
It seems that a warning was given about “liquid fire” and took the precautions for that type of attack. However, it was not “liquid fire” but gas instead and these men did not have their masks on and were very seriously affected as they began to breathe in the gas. It is also noted that the enemy lobbed high explosive shells onto the “A” Company trench just seconds before the gas shells arrived.
One of the casualties during this enemy artillery barrage which included gas shells was Private Morrow.