Background
Peter Darius Shaw was born September 9, 1890 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Claron H. Shaw and Mary Cronkite. His parents married one another December 15, 1883, in Woodstock at the home of his mother’s family. According to records, Claron worked as a mill labourer, engineer, and had previous experience with the British Imperial Army. In addition to Peter, Mary and Claron had an older daughter named Sarah, also known as “Sadie”, and an adopted daughter named Dolly. The family lived at 100 Lansdowne Street. While little is known of his early life, newspapers and records illustrate that Peter was very popular in the community and lived in Fredericton for most of his life. He attended the Brunswick Street Baptist Church and worked as a salesman in a local furniture store prior to the war. Peter did live out west for a short period of time for work, however, when war broke out in 1914, he returned to New Brunswick and enlisted in Saint John with the 26th Battalion. Given his short record of service, there is limited information regarding his physical appearance and details about where he was living at the time of his enlistment. Accounts from a variety of sources suggest he was unmarried, he had no military training, and that much of his life at the time was spent supporting his family through work. Peter was twenty-four when he arrived in Saint John for military service overseas.
Wartime Experience
Along with other young men from the Fredericton area, Private Shaw arrived in Saint John the winter of 1914-1915 ready for training and was expecting to go overseas as soon as possible. After only a few months, in May 1915 Peter was hospitalized at the Saint John General Hospital with a severe cold that was diagnosed as pneumonia. Similar to the experiences of many soldiers and people living at the time, pneumonia was an illness that effected one or both lungs. The painful condition was usually caused by bacteria and other environmental factors. Living in close quarters with a large number of people often made the spread of these viruses much worse. During the course of the war, pneumonia was often diagnosed as a result of the extreme conditions soldiers had to experience. According to the Daily Gleaner, Peter spent a full week in hospital being treated by medical staff before his condition failed to improve. On May 24, 1915, doctors could offer no more treatment to help him. Peter passed away that day. News of his death spread quickly in Saint John and Fredericton newspapers, highlighting how popular the young Shaw was with his friends and military comrades. The day after his death, his remains were returned to Fredericton where a small funeral and reception was held at the family’s home on Lansdowne Street. His body was taken from the home and carried on a gun carriage as friends and military personnel marched in procession down Woodstock Road towards the Fredericton Rural Cemetery. Peter was the only son to Claron and Mary. He was twenty-four at the time of his death.
Lest We Forget
Peter Darius Shaw is buried with honour at the Fredericton Rural Cemetery in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The cemetery is located along the Saint River just off the Woodstock Road.