Born at Tumby Woodside June 18th, 1879 to Edward Ashton and Lucy (Ashton) Ashton, he was Christened July 9th, 1879 at Kirkby-on-Bain, Linclonshire. He attended the King Edward VI Grammar School at Louth. At 16 he started work as a Clerk in the Stamford, Spalding and Boston Bank at Boston. January 23rd, 1901 he enlisted as a Private in the 10th Co. Imperial Yeomany (Sherwood Rangers) at Retford, Nottinghamshire and by May was in South Africa when he was promoted to Corporal and again to Sergeant in June.
He returned home to England in July 1902 and was discharged by August. He returned to his work as a Bank Clerk but had already decided to emigrate. March 31st, 1903 he departed Liverpool, Lancashire, England aboard the S.S. Lake Manitoba as a Barr Colonist with his younger brother Frank. They were settled on NW Part Section 34, Township 48, Range 25, Meridian W3 near Lashburn, Saskatchewan on May 6th, 1903. He worked the farm with Frank in the Spring through the Fall and worked a Team on the Railroad in Winters. By 1907 Frank had returned to England and he bought an interest in a General Store in Lashburn and later in the year removed to Lloydminster and bought a Furniture store. While in Lloydminster he met Mary Webster, a School Teacher from Ontario and they married December 28th, 1908 at Winnipeg.
Always an active horseman, Jim was a reserve Captain in the 22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse and was promoted to Major in 1911. At the outbreak of the First World War Jim enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force but was kept behind in Canada to Recruit and Train the 32nd Battalion. He traveled with the Battalion to England in February 1915 leaving Mary and their three infant children back in Dundas, Ontario with her parents.
Along with a Company of the 32nd he joined B. Company, 10th Battalion of the C.E.F. April 27th, 1915 at Ypres. Less than a month later on the 21st of May at Festubert, he led his and another Company on an night attack on the German Lines and they were badly mauled by German Machine Gun nests losing 4 Officers and 250 other ranks, of the 2 Companies only 5 and 12 men were present at Roll Call the next day. Jim was wounded in the arm and leg and was invalided to Hospital in England. After refusing to let the doctors amputate his badly damaged leg Jim fought for over a year in Hospitals in England to recover. He was Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George January 28th, 1916.
In October 1916 he was shipped back to Canada and appointed to the Military Hospitals Commission in Regina to oversee the welfare of the wounded. In February 1918 he was appointed a Commissioner on the Soldiers Settlement Board at Ottawa and worked tirelessly on behalf of Veterans until his retirement June 18th, 1946.
Jim and Mary lived in McKellar Park in Britania Bay after moving to Ottawa. Mary died after a chicken bone pierced her stomach in January, 1919 while Jim was in Germany presenting the Troops with the Settlement Plans for Veterans. Jim married Beatrice Embree March 17th, 1920 at Ottawa and eventually two more children were added to the family. Jim and Beatrice moved shortly after their marriage to 58 Carling Ave. (now 58 Glebe Ave.) in the Glebe , in 1923 they moved to 91 Glen Avenue and in October 1945 to 135 Acacia Avenue in Rockcliffe Park.
Jim started swimming in the English Channel as therapy for his damaged leg. Though the Doctors told him he would likely never walk again he surprised them and managed on "sticks" for the rest of his life. He continued to swim daily long in to his senior years and was one of the founders of the Ottawa Swim Club and went for long swims at the family cottage at Honey Harbour in the Muskokas.
He returned home to England in July 1902 and was discharged by August. He returned to his work as a Bank Clerk but had already decided to emigrate. March 31st, 1903 he departed Liverpool, Lancashire, England aboard the S.S. Lake Manitoba as a Barr Colonist with his younger brother Frank. They were settled on NW Part Section 34, Township 48, Range 25, Meridian W3 near Lashburn, Saskatchewan on May 6th, 1903. He worked the farm with Frank in the Spring through the Fall and worked a Team on the Railroad in Winters. By 1907 Frank had returned to England and he bought an interest in a General Store in Lashburn and later in the year removed to Lloydminster and bought a Furniture store. While in Lloydminster he met Mary Webster, a School Teacher from Ontario and they married December 28th, 1908 at Winnipeg.
Always an active horseman, Jim was a reserve Captain in the 22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse and was promoted to Major in 1911. At the outbreak of the First World War Jim enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force but was kept behind in Canada to Recruit and Train the 32nd Battalion. He traveled with the Battalion to England in February 1915 leaving Mary and their three infant children back in Dundas, Ontario with her parents.
Along with a Company of the 32nd he joined B. Company, 10th Battalion of the C.E.F. April 27th, 1915 at Ypres. Less than a month later on the 21st of May at Festubert, he led his and another Company on an night attack on the German Lines and they were badly mauled by German Machine Gun nests losing 4 Officers and 250 other ranks, of the 2 Companies only 5 and 12 men were present at Roll Call the next day. Jim was wounded in the arm and leg and was invalided to Hospital in England. After refusing to let the doctors amputate his badly damaged leg Jim fought for over a year in Hospitals in England to recover. He was Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George January 28th, 1916.
In October 1916 he was shipped back to Canada and appointed to the Military Hospitals Commission in Regina to oversee the welfare of the wounded. In February 1918 he was appointed a Commissioner on the Soldiers Settlement Board at Ottawa and worked tirelessly on behalf of Veterans until his retirement June 18th, 1946.
Jim and Mary lived in McKellar Park in Britania Bay after moving to Ottawa. Mary died after a chicken bone pierced her stomach in January, 1919 while Jim was in Germany presenting the Troops with the Settlement Plans for Veterans. Jim married Beatrice Embree March 17th, 1920 at Ottawa and eventually two more children were added to the family. Jim and Beatrice moved shortly after their marriage to 58 Carling Ave. (now 58 Glebe Ave.) in the Glebe , in 1923 they moved to 91 Glen Avenue and in October 1945 to 135 Acacia Avenue in Rockcliffe Park.
Jim started swimming in the English Channel as therapy for his damaged leg. Though the Doctors told him he would likely never walk again he surprised them and managed on "sticks" for the rest of his life. He continued to swim daily long in to his senior years and was one of the founders of the Ottawa Swim Club and went for long swims at the family cottage at Honey Harbour in the Muskokas.
Born at Tumby Woodside June 18th, 1879 to Edward Ashton and Lucy (Ashton) Ashton, he was Christened July 9th, 1879 at Kirkby-on-Bain, Linclonshire. He attended the King Edward VI Grammar School at Louth. At 16 he started work as a Clerk in the Stamford, Spalding and Boston Bank at Boston. January 23rd, 1901 he enlisted as a Private in the 10th Co. Imperial Yeomany (Sherwood Rangers) at Retford, Nottinghamshire and by May was in South Africa when he was promoted to Corporal and again to Sergeant in June.
He returned home to England in July 1902 and was discharged by August. He returned to his work as a Bank Clerk but had already decided to emigrate. March 31st, 1903 he departed Liverpool, Lancashire, England aboard the S.S. Lake Manitoba as a Barr Colonist with his younger brother Frank. They were settled on NW Part Section 34, Township 48, Range 25, Meridian W3 near Lashburn, Saskatchewan on May 6th, 1903. He worked the farm with Frank in the Spring through the Fall and worked a Team on the Railroad in Winters. By 1907 Frank had returned to England and he bought an interest in a General Store in Lashburn and later in the year removed to Lloydminster and bought a Furniture store. While in Lloydminster he met Mary Webster, a School Teacher from Ontario and they married December 28th, 1908 at Winnipeg.
Always an active horseman, Jim was a reserve Captain in the 22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse and was promoted to Major in 1911. At the outbreak of the First World War Jim enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force but was kept behind in Canada to Recruit and Train the 32nd Battalion. He traveled with the Battalion to England in February 1915 leaving Mary and their three infant children back in Dundas, Ontario with her parents.
Along with a Company of the 32nd he joined B. Company, 10th Battalion of the C.E.F. April 27th, 1915 at Ypres. Less than a month later on the 21st of May at Festubert, he led his and another Company on an night attack on the German Lines and they were badly mauled by German Machine Gun nests losing 4 Officers and 250 other ranks, of the 2 Companies only 5 and 12 men were present at Roll Call the next day. Jim was wounded in the arm and leg and was invalided to Hospital in England. After refusing to let the doctors amputate his badly damaged leg Jim fought for over a year in Hospitals in England to recover. He was Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George January 28th, 1916.
In October 1916 he was shipped back to Canada and appointed to the Military Hospitals Commission in Regina to oversee the welfare of the wounded. In February 1918 he was appointed a Commissioner on the Soldiers Settlement Board at Ottawa and worked tirelessly on behalf of Veterans until his retirement June 18th, 1946.
Jim and Mary lived in McKellar Park in Britania Bay after moving to Ottawa. Mary died after a chicken bone pierced her stomach in January, 1919 while Jim was in Germany presenting the Troops with the Settlement Plans for Veterans. Jim married Beatrice Embree March 17th, 1920 at Ottawa and eventually two more children were added to the family. Jim and Beatrice moved shortly after their marriage to 58 Carling Ave. (now 58 Glebe Ave.) in the Glebe , in 1923 they moved to 91 Glen Avenue and in October 1945 to 135 Acacia Avenue in Rockcliffe Park.
Jim started swimming in the English Channel as therapy for his damaged leg. Though the Doctors told him he would likely never walk again he surprised them and managed on "sticks" for the rest of his life. He continued to swim daily long in to his senior years and was one of the founders of the Ottawa Swim Club and went for long swims at the family cottage at Honey Harbour in the Muskokas.
He returned home to England in July 1902 and was discharged by August. He returned to his work as a Bank Clerk but had already decided to emigrate. March 31st, 1903 he departed Liverpool, Lancashire, England aboard the S.S. Lake Manitoba as a Barr Colonist with his younger brother Frank. They were settled on NW Part Section 34, Township 48, Range 25, Meridian W3 near Lashburn, Saskatchewan on May 6th, 1903. He worked the farm with Frank in the Spring through the Fall and worked a Team on the Railroad in Winters. By 1907 Frank had returned to England and he bought an interest in a General Store in Lashburn and later in the year removed to Lloydminster and bought a Furniture store. While in Lloydminster he met Mary Webster, a School Teacher from Ontario and they married December 28th, 1908 at Winnipeg.
Always an active horseman, Jim was a reserve Captain in the 22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse and was promoted to Major in 1911. At the outbreak of the First World War Jim enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force but was kept behind in Canada to Recruit and Train the 32nd Battalion. He traveled with the Battalion to England in February 1915 leaving Mary and their three infant children back in Dundas, Ontario with her parents.
Along with a Company of the 32nd he joined B. Company, 10th Battalion of the C.E.F. April 27th, 1915 at Ypres. Less than a month later on the 21st of May at Festubert, he led his and another Company on an night attack on the German Lines and they were badly mauled by German Machine Gun nests losing 4 Officers and 250 other ranks, of the 2 Companies only 5 and 12 men were present at Roll Call the next day. Jim was wounded in the arm and leg and was invalided to Hospital in England. After refusing to let the doctors amputate his badly damaged leg Jim fought for over a year in Hospitals in England to recover. He was Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George January 28th, 1916.
In October 1916 he was shipped back to Canada and appointed to the Military Hospitals Commission in Regina to oversee the welfare of the wounded. In February 1918 he was appointed a Commissioner on the Soldiers Settlement Board at Ottawa and worked tirelessly on behalf of Veterans until his retirement June 18th, 1946.
Jim and Mary lived in McKellar Park in Britania Bay after moving to Ottawa. Mary died after a chicken bone pierced her stomach in January, 1919 while Jim was in Germany presenting the Troops with the Settlement Plans for Veterans. Jim married Beatrice Embree March 17th, 1920 at Ottawa and eventually two more children were added to the family. Jim and Beatrice moved shortly after their marriage to 58 Carling Ave. (now 58 Glebe Ave.) in the Glebe , in 1923 they moved to 91 Glen Avenue and in October 1945 to 135 Acacia Avenue in Rockcliffe Park.
Jim started swimming in the English Channel as therapy for his damaged leg. Though the Doctors told him he would likely never walk again he surprised them and managed on "sticks" for the rest of his life. He continued to swim daily long in to his senior years and was one of the founders of the Ottawa Swim Club and went for long swims at the family cottage at Honey Harbour in the Muskokas.
Inscription
in loving memory of
Edward James Ashton
died 21 March 1965
his wife
Beatrice Embree
died 29 April 1958
Family Members
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