Private 602157 Thomas David Summerhayes

Personal Information:
Thomas David Summerhayes was born 23 December 1884 at Taunton Somerset, the third son of David Summerhayes (1856-1900) and Sarah Jane Melhuish (1853-1931). He had two brothers and five sisters.
He married Alice Maud Strickland at Taunton in the second quarter of 1906. Thomas enlisted in the Canadian Oversea Expeditionary Force in Ontario on 18 January 1915, at the age of 31, although he had no previous military experience. Alice was still living in Taunton at that time.

Historical Information:
Although commemorated on the Vimy Ridge Memorial, Thomas was involved with the 3rd stage of the Battle of the Somme. The 2nd (Canadian) Division was formed in England in April 1915 and was at the village of Courcelette on 15 September 1916. Here they drove the Germans backward with the help of a tank called Crème de Menthe. A memorial was erected approximately 1km south-east of the town to commemorate the Canadian Division. It is a simple octagonal block of Canadian granite that has become the standard memorial to them. From it can be seen the Thiepval Memorial and the Pozieres radio mast.