Hopkin, Private Norman Theodore

Service highlights

  • Service number: 3130236
  • Rank: Private
  • Born: 17 October 1889, Woodham
  • Residence at enlistment period: 785 King Street, London
  • Drafted: 3 January 1918 (Military Service Act)
  • Training and postings: 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment; 4th Reserve Battalion at Bramshott
  • Unit in France: 18th Canadian Infantry Battalion, 2nd Canadian Division
  • Sailed to England: late January 1918 on SS Grampian, arrived Liverpool 16 February 1918
  • Wounded: afternoon of 27 August 1918, shrapnel to left arm and side
  • Died: 10 September 1918 at 7 Casualty Clearing Station, too badly injured to be evacuated further
  • Burial: Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery
  • Commemorated: cenotaph at Rannoch

A Life and Service Remembered

Norman Theodore Hopkin was born at Woodham on 17 October 1889. Before the war reached him directly, he was living in London, Ontario, working as a clerk for the Wegener Clothing Company and boarding at 785 King Street. It is an ordinary address and an ordinary job on paper, which makes the abrupt shift into army life feel even sharper.

He did not choose to enlist but was drafted, or called up on 3 January 1918 and began training with the 1st Depot Battalion of the Western Ontario Regiment. By the end of that month, he was on his way overseas. He sailed for England on the SS Grampian, arrived at Liverpool on 16 February, and the next day was sent to Bramshott to complete his basic and advanced infantry training. On 10 May 1918, he was posted to the 18th Canadian Infantry Battalion, then serving in France with the 2nd Canadian Division.

On 8 August 1918, the Canadian Corps launched the Battle of Amiens, the opening of Canada’s Hundred Days. The offensive hit with sudden force, and the Canadians advanced an extraordinary distance for trench warfare. Fighting continued until 11 August, when German reinforcements finally helped stabilize the front.

Two weeks later, on 26 August, the Canadian Corps opened another offensive near Arras. The 18th Battalion captured Chapel Hill and pushed on toward Guemappe. On 27 August at 10 a.m., the battalion resumed the attack. The town of Vis-en-Artois was taken without difficulty, but the battalion soon came under heavy artillery and machine gun fire on the banks of the River Sensée. By nightfall they had secured only a small bridgehead on the east bank.

Sometime that afternoon, Norman was hit by shrapnel in the left arm and side. He was evacuated through 4 Field Ambulance to 7 Casualty Clearing Station. His wounds were too severe for further evacuation, and he died there on 10 September 1918.

Norman was buried at Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery in Averdoingt, France. His headstone bears an epitaph chosen by his mother:

You nobly answered your duty’s call
You gave your life for one and all

He was survived by his mother, Isabella Hopkin, of Woodham, along with several sisters and brothers, including a younger brother, Arthur, who served with the Canadian Engineers. Norman Hopkin is commemorated on the cenotaph at Rannoch.

Major battles and operations

  • Battle of Amiens and the opening of Canada’s Hundred Days (8 to 11 August 1918)
  • Arras area offensive (26 to 27 August 1918), including Vis-en-Artois and fighting at the River Sensée
  • Evacuation chain from front line to casualty clearing station (late August to September 1918)

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