Paxton, Norman John

Norman John Paxton was born in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on 13 December 1883. He was the son of John and Sarah Paxton. His father was a lock tender.

Paxton was a plumber before joining the military. He enlisted in the Canadian Field Artillery at Valcartier Camp, Quebec, on 25 September 1914. He had some military experience, having served one year in the militia, in the19th “Lincoln” Regiment. Paxton sailed to England as part of the First Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 3 October 1914. After training on Salisbury Plain for four months, the Contingent was shipped to France in February 1915.

Paxton was killed in action on 1 September 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. Unlike Canadian infantry units, which did not arrive on the Somme battlefield until mid-September 1916, Canadian artillery units were involved in the battle from the beginning.

Norman John Paxton is buried in Mesnil Communal Cemetery Extension, in France.