Captain Thomas Harold Broad
Born: Feb 4th, 1895
Killed in Action – Sept 17th, 1918 at Guemappe, France
Buried at Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux
Stories abound in the annuls of Great War history of demonstrations of bravery, courage and sacrifice. Yet, when one digs a little deeper into the lives of the men they uncover stories of phenomenal success and personal achievement. The short life of Thomas Harold Broad is one of those wonderfully tragic stories.
Thomas Broad was born in the seaside town of Tintagel, Cornwall England. (while unrelated, legend relates that Authur, King of the Britons was conceived in the town of Tintagel. Not that he ruled from there, but was actually conceived in the town. Worthy of being placed on the sign denoting the entrance to a town fmho) Thomas’ family emigrated to Calgary, Alberta in 1908. By the outbreak of war, Thomas was 18 years old and worked as a cashier. This shows that 104 years may have passed but the first job of a young person hasn’t really changed much. In the summer of 1916, he enlisted with the 137th Calgary Battalion and assumed the role as Lieutenant.
The battalion proceeded to England in July of 1916 where they were transferred to the 2nd Reserve Battalion upon arrival. Thomas was transferred to the 116th on Feb 2, 1917 to coincide when the battalion was ordered to the continent. Thomas’ first exposure to the horrors of warfare was at Vimy Ridge. Like many of other former cashiers, the shock of death, destruction and misery dramatically impacted many of the newly arrived soldiers. He was treated for Trench Fever, later recognized as Shell Shock, that sidelined him for a month before being able to return to his men.
In the next year the battalion’s mettle was tested at the raid at Avion/Fosse, Hill 70 and Passchendaele. They then spent a significant amount of time in the first half of 1918 training and preparing for their planned major assault on the Germans. It was during this time that Lieutenant Thomas Broad was promoted to Captain and then after successfully completing courses in England, to the Intelligence Officer for the battalion. As a 22 yr old man, he had quickly improved his leadership skills, improved his position within the battalion and would have been a valued member of the 116th leadership team. These are fantastic achievements for a former store cashier.
Captain Broad’s brilliant run came to a tragic end suddenly on the 17th of September of 1918. Along with the other Canadian units, the 116th were the sharp end of the spear breaking through Amiens on Aug 8th and rapidly compiling wins and gaining territory. On that morning when the battalion was positioned near the town of Guemappe, France German artillery shells zoned in on their camp. While rushing to help men injured in the first volley, including the battalion Lieutenant Colonel, Captain Thomas Broad was killed in a follow-up series of 5.9s. His loss dealt a significant blow to the battalion, losing a rapidly advancing leader and the just appointed Intelligence Officer.
Lest we forget.