HIGGINS, Michael Joseph

War
1st World War
Date of Birth
Date Attested
Attested at
Toronto - Ontario
Original Unit
75th Battalion - Mississauga
Regimental Number
140096
Rank
Private
Date of Death
Age at Death
32 years 6 month
Cemetery
Dover St Jan Cemetery - Dover - Kent - England
Cenotaph
None
Biographical Summary

NAME:                        HIGGINS          Michael Joseph                                                                                          DIVISIONAL UNIT:     3rd Canadian Infantry Division                                                                                                                                             123 Pioneer Battalion                                                                                                                                                            Canadian Engineering Corps                                                                                                            RESIDENCE:             Toronto - Ontario                                                                                                                                MOTHER:                   Mrs. Margaret Higgins - Toronto - Ontario                                                                                        Personal:                    Height 5'  8" and his weight was 146 pounds. He had a dark complexion with blue eyes and hair                                     that was dark brown.

Michael was employed as a plasterer prior to his enlistment into the Canadian Corps and was of the Roman Catholic faith.                                                                                                                                                                    From the time of his enlistment until he embarked from Canada he was training and attached to the Canadian Railway Construction Troops. The Empress of Britain departed from Halifax on March 29, 1916 and arrived in Liverpool on April 9th. He then transferred to the 3rd Canadian Pioneer Battalion then goes overseas into France and joins his unit in the field.                                                                                                                                            Pioneer Battalions worked closely with the Engineers and were always in the forward areas. Their work consisted the positions that the infantry recently captured, tunneling, mining, wiring, railroad work, deep dugout work and laying out, constructing trenches and keeping them in repair.                                                                                          At some point Private Higgins had developed a cough and is now suspected as having tuberculosis and he is moved to No. 10 Stationary Hospital - Calais on January 7, 1918. He is immediately invalided back to England on the troopship St. Patrick and on January 14, 1918 is admitted into a Military Hospital in Dover - Kent and the very next day Private Higgins passed away from the effects of tuberculosis.                                                                                His mother received word of his passing away three days later and she was shocked by this unexpected news  because just a week prior she had received an optimistic letter from Michael stating he was on the road to recovery.