Allan Land Wright was born in Streatham, Surrey, England on 9th July 1888.

The 1891 Census for England on Ancestry.co.uk shows that the Wright family was living at 2, Market Place, Streatham, Surrey. Head of the household was Allan Wright, aged 24. He was born in Sawston, Cambridgeshire and was a Police Constable. His wife was  Georgina, aged 26 who had been born in Ireland. They had two children listed at home.  They were Allen Land, age 2 and William J. 2 months old.

There is an Outward Passenger List on Ancestry showing that  Georgina Wright and her three sons Alan, William and Ernest, age 4 travelled to Quebec, Canada aboard the S.S. Dominion departing from Liverpool and arriving in Canada on 23rd April 1899.

Georgina sadly died age 35 in June of the same year.

The 1901 Census for Canada reveals that the Wright family was living with relatives in Ingersoll Town, Oxford, Ontario. Father, Allan Wright, aged 36 was living with his brother William and his family. Hedoes not appear to have a trade.  He had emigrated a year prior to his family in 1889. The three boys were recorded as  Allen age 12, William  10 and Ernest  8.

Allen Land Wright married Hephziah Rogers on 11th February 1908 in Oxford, Ontario. Hephziah was 18 years of age. She had been born in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, England and  had emigrated to Canada with her parents, William and Fannie and her siblings on 11th April 1905.

The 1911 Census for England records that Allen Land Wright, age 22 and his wife were back in England living in no. 3, 2, Court off Peel Court, Rochdale and working in an Asbestos  Mill.

There is a passenger list showing a Mr and Mrs A Wright departing from Liverpool to Quebec, Canada on 2nd May 1913. I cannot confirm that this is Allan land Wright and his wife but their son John Gordon Wright was born on 20th December 1915 in Montreal.(U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.co.uk)

Allan land Wright enlisted into the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionery Force on 10th August 1917 in London, Ontario. He named his uncle William Wright as his next of kin of Ingersoll, Ontario. Allan’s address was Sarnia, Ontario and his trade was Labourer.  He was unmarried. He gave his year of birth as 1886 when in fact it was 1888. On his medical form he was described as being 5ft 10 ins tall with a clear complexion, hazel eyes and dark brown hair.

After basic training in Canada, Allan embarked for England aboard the S.S. Grampian and arrived on 31st December 1917 when he was posted to Bramshott Army Camp with the 4th Reserve battalion. He remained in England and was posted to Whitley Army Camp on 5th June 1918 and as hostilities were coming to a close, Allan was transferred to Kinmel Park Army Camp in North Wales. Sadly Allan contracted Bronchial Pneumonia, and was admitted to the Canadian General Hospital on 22nd October 1918 where he died of heart failure on 27th October 1918.

(From Library of Canada Archives)

Kinmel Park Camp was a segregation camp used to house Canadian Soldiers awaiting repatriation to Canada after the end of WW1. Unfortunately the conditions at that time were extremely harsh with a lack of every kind of commodity, the camp was overcrowded and the services were poor, there were shortages of clothing, food and blankets. As a result of this situation, a vast number of servicemen and women became ill and many succumbed to the Influenza Epidemic or complications associated with this infection.

Allan land Wright is buried in St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Bodelwyddan.

He is commemorated on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.