HASTINGS, Alvin Burns

DIVISIONAL UNIT:        British Third Army
                                             6th Battalion
                                             Canadian Railway Troops
SERVICE NO:                   1006662
RESIDENCE:                     New Liskeard – Ontario 
DATE OF BIRTH:            October 2, 1899
                                             Wingham – Turnberry Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           December 13, 1917               18 years     2 months
CEMETERY:                     Ypres Resevoir Cemetery – Ypres –
                                             West Vlaanderen – Belgium
                                             IV     B     9
FATHER:                           Robert Hastings – Englehart – Ontario
BROTHER:                        Roy A. Hastings – New Liskeard - Ontario
Occupation:                        Farmer                                  Religion:     Presbyterian
Enlistment:                         New Liskeard – June 12, 1916 into 228th Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 16 years     8 months

He and his unit depart from Canada and St John, New Brunswick on the S.S. Missinabie on February 16, 1917 and arrived in Liverpool on February 27, 1917.
At this point in the war the 228th Northern Fusiliers Overseas Battalion is now known as the 6th Battalion of Canadian Railway Troops. He leaves England for France on May 5, 1917.
Our Canadian railway units played a major role in the construction and maintenance of all gauges, including light rail railways, for the five British armies in France and Belgium.
The unit was under the command of the Third British Army and on this day 1,340 yards of track was laid at Metz-Tres line and the Havrincourt line. They also repaired shell breaks caused from enemy artillery. On the Y4 line they graded 100 yards, ballasted 333 yards, drained 300 yards and ditched 370 yards.
The Third Army Headquarters at this time were in Albert – France.
This day for the Canadians was voting day for the Federal election in Canada and 1,081 men of the Battalion cast their ballots.
Sapper Hastings received a compound fracture of his right thigh during military operations and died at the 
1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance the same day as he received his wounds.
Sapper Hastings younger brother David Eldon Hastings would be killed in April 1918 in France.
Each battalion was equipped with technical equipment, with horse transport, with motorized transport, with scrapers, motorcycles and wagons. They also had pile drivers, steam shovels, working trains, work tools and labour units. Usually there were 500 – 1,000 unskilled labourers attached to a battalion. Each sapper was in charge of about 5-10 men. There were infantry and foreign workers also attached to a railway battalion.