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Arthur Austin CRESWELL (1892-1982) - Hockey Player - #47 (52 Ancestors)

11/26/2015

5 Comments

 
Theme: Sporting     |     Images: Click on many to enlarge ​
Picture
Canadians love their hockey; it’s a matter of national pride.  So I was quite excited to learn that Austin CRESWELL, one of my ancestral cousins, had been the captain of an amateur hockey team prior to WWI.  In fact the Regina Victorias Hockey Club were inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967 because of their remarkable achievements in 1914. They were the 1914 World’s Amateur Champions, and holders of the Allan Cup (1914), the Patton Cup, and the Van Naikenberg Cup. ​During the process the Regina Vics had won 21 of 25 games, and scored 166 goals while only allowing 70 goals against.  And Austin was goal keeper for at least some of these games.

Picture
1914 Regina Victorias Hockey Club - Team Inductee, Saskatchewan Hockey (SHA) Hall of Fame
World’s Amateur Champions 1914 ~ Allan Cup Holders ~ Patton Cup Holders ~ Van Naikenberg Cup Champions
Front Row: J. Kain, J.Tait, Fred Wilson, J. Brown (physical instructor), Lyman Abbott, J. Potts, C. Young
2nd Row: Frank Mastel, Austin Creswell (captain), Charlie Otton, Alvin Hammond, Walter Molisky, Fred McCulloch
3rd Row: A. Urquhart, G. Woolside, C.A. Wood, J.A. Westman, G.B. Reid (manager), F. Ritter
http://www.saskhockeyhalloffame.com/images/2013_inductees/Bios/1914_Regina_Victorias_-_Team_Bio.pdf
Unfortunately the war intervened and their magic disbursed when many of the team members enlisted to fight for Canada; they were among 42,000 Saskatchewan residents who joined up.  Their teammates were devastated when their right wing sharpshooter Lyman (Hick) Abbott was killed by a sniper in the Battle of Amiens on 14 Aug 1918, having previously earned a Military Cross and Bar for his bravery and leadership.  Austin is mentioned twice in the published story of Hick Abbott:
Naturally, Abbott heard the call [to war], as did many of his teammates from that 1913-14 team, including goaltender Fred McCulloch, defencemen Charlie Otton and Austin Creswell, who was the team captain, and rover Freddy Wilson. ...
Late in 1918, [teammate] Joe Potts started a fund-raising drive, the result of which would be the Abbott Memorial Cup, which for years would go annually to the champion of western Canadian junior hockey. When the subscription drive started, the first name on the list was Lyman Potts ($10). The second name was that of Lieut. Austin Creswell, the captain of the 1914 Victorias.”
PictureArthur Austin CRESWELL in hockey jersey, c1910
perhaps when he played amateur hockey
for the Shamrocks Hockey Team in Regina Saskatchewan
Photo courtesy of Stordy Family Tree by CollectiveRoots, ancestry.com
Arthur Austin CRESWELL, known as Austin, was my maternal second cousin, three generations removed (2C3R). There is disagreement about his birthdate, although all agree he was born in June.  Austin's military file lists both 21 Jun 1893 and 23 Jun 1892. His baptism record says 21 Jun 1891 (followed by his baptism on 29 Jan 1892), and his death registration says he was born 21 Jul 1892. Only one of these can be right!  As to location, almost everyone says  he was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, although his baptism records says he was born at home in St Eleanors PEI, which has since been incorporated into nearby Summerside.

Austin only had two brothers although he was the ninth of ten children born to Harry Compton CRESWELL and Margery Ann BELL.  Both his parents were also born in Prince Edward Island. His grandparents Robert CRESWELL and Catherine COMPTON were married there after immigrating from Hampshire England.  The family name has also been spelled CRASWELL, especially in previous generations.  

Austin spent most of his childhood in Prince Edward Island, and likely learned how to play hockey on outdoor rinks as a child.  By 1905 his family had moved to the prairie province of Saskatchewan, in or near Regina.  He joined the Regina Shamrocks Hockey Team who earned the title of Amateur Champions of Saskatchewan for the 1910-11 season.  By the time of the 1911 census he was living with his parents and younger brother Fred in Assiniboia, quite a distance to the south west.  This location must have been short-lived because by 1912 Austin was back in Regina playing cover for the Regina Bees.

In 1914 at the start of WWI, Austin was an athletic young man of about 22 who was team captain and one of the founding members of the Regina Victorias Hockey Club in 1913-14.  Hockey was not well funded as it is today, so other employment was also necessary.  By 11 Sep 1915, when Austin enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Regina, he was listed as a surveyor (it's interesting that this date was another "911").  Austin was assigned to the Canadian 68th Battalion Regina detachment as a Lieutenant.  He shipped out of Halifax on 28 Apr 1916, arriving in Liverpool on 7 May.  By 1 Jul 1916 he was in France with the 5th Battalion undergoing field training, including grenade and anti-gas courses, ending on 12 Aug 1916 when he was returned to field duty.

Late that September and only about 6 weeks after his stint in the trenches began, Austin was wounded when a rifle bullet shattered a bone in his right forearm.  He was evacuated to England on 29 Sep 1916, then granted leave on 29 Nov 1916 due to his disability.  He arrived back in Canada on December 8th, taking up residence in Regina.  It is noteworthy that the 1916 Canada census lists Arthur Austin living with his sister Winifred and family in Regina in June of that year, although he was obviously in Europe at that time.  Once back in Canada his wound continued to be monitored and he received massage therapy for his injury.  On 5 May 1917 he was listed with the 9th Saskatchewan Rifles, part of the Canadian Defense Force (CDF).  His medical exam on 13 Aug 1917 in Regina declared him fit for duty but he didn't leave Canada again until 17 Nov 1917 with the Regina Divisional Cyclist Platoon.  Early in 1918 he was posted to the 15th Reserve Battalion, and then to the Saskatchewan Regimental Depot on 15 Feb 1918.  Two days later he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, and assigned to the 24th Squadron from 5 Oct 1918 to 26 Jan 1919 as a flying officer in their "B" Flight.  

Of course the war officially ended in Nov 1918, but there was still so much work that needed doing in the aftermath. But again Austin was sidelined, becoming "dangerously ill" with the influenza and pneumonia in Feb and March 1919.  Fortunately he recovered in time to undergo three operations in May, in part to reset the bone in his injured arm, recovering in  the Red Cross hospital in London until 7 June 1919. Finally he set sail for Canada on 11 Jul 1919 aboard the SS Cedric and was demobilized on 25 Jul 1919.  Austin was now about 27 years old and single.
According to a family member:
"After the war [Austin] returned to his hockey career--was signed to play for Los Angeles on the first artificial ice there.  Remained in the U.S.  Had a laundry business in Redding and other places."
While I cannot find any official records to support his involvement in hockey in Los Angeles, I have found a note about a "Creswell" who played for the Milestone team in Saskatchewan about 1921 when Austin was living and working  there as a carpenter.  He was a lodger in the Reyes family boarding house.

Austin moved to the States about 1925, and by 1930 he was working as a service station salesman in Kelso, Washington.  He was still single and renting a room on Pacific Avenue from a coworker. But by 1935 he had married Lorena and they were living in Tacoma WA where he was a service station manager. I do not yet know her maiden name.  They moved to Eugene Oregon for a brief time, and by the 1940 census had moved again to Spokane WA, having landed a job as a "promotional man" for an oil company.  By 1841 they were living in Seattle, and his job with Richfield Oil Company (based in Los Angeles) had him crossing the border into Canada on at least a couple of occasions. Austin's 1942 WWII draft card says they were living then at 316 East Harrison in Seattle.  In 1944 Austin petitioned to become a naturalized US citizen, and in 1945 they were back living in Tacoma.
PictureGravestone of Arthur Austin CRESWELL
Royal Oak Burial Park,Victoria BC
Austin and Lorena don't appear to have had any children.  They were living in Redding California in the 1960s, and Austin cared for his wife when she became an invalid.  Lorena Marguerite died there in 1967 at the age of 73, and Austin brought her ashes up to Victoria BC to bury them with her parents.  While in Canada he took the time to visit and reunite with his relatives in BC and Saskatchewan, and in 1968 ended up marrying Cora (Elliot) CRESWELL, his younger brother Fred's widow and his sister-in-law.  His nieces and nephews were supportive of their loving uncle, now step-father.  Austin and Cora lived in Redding for a year, and then moved up to Victoria British Columbia. 

Austin died at the age of 90 on 18 Sep 1982 at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.  His first wife's ashes were moved to a shady corner at the Royal Oak Burial Park where there was room for Austin's ashes to be buried beside her.  The gravestones for cremation vaults are small and there is no room to mention his sporting achievements nor his service in the great war.  I'm sure the poppy I left stuck in the ground at the corner of his gravestone will not last long.  While this story is not etched in stone either, it hopefully provides a fitting memorial to this lovely man and his life.

Picture

Location of graves of Arthur Austin CRESWELL and Lorena M CRESWELL, Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria BC

​Hockey Stats (Updated 15 Jan 2019)

​Additional information on Austin's hockey career has come to light, with thanks to Alan MacLeod, Victoria author of  "From Rinks to Regiments: Hockey Hall-Of-Famers and the Great War".  Although Austin isn't one of the 32 hockey players covered in his book, Alan was kind enough to access Austin's hockey stats by subscription on the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR) site.  Austin did indeed play professional hockey after the war, ending his hockey career in 1928-29 with the San Francisco Seals.  Here are the details:
Profile of Austin Creswell - Defense
Name: 
Austin (Arthur) Austin Creswell  - AKA Cresswell, Carswell
Born
: June 21, 1892 - Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Died
: July 18, 1982 (age: 90)
Height: 5,10 / 177.8 cm 
Picture
TOURNAMENTS
Season
Team
Tournament
 GP
G
A
P
PIM
1911-1912
Regina Seconds
Allan Cup
1
1
​
1
 
1913-1914
Regina Victorias
Allan Cup
2
4
 
4
2
1922-1923
Vancouver Young Liberals
Allan Cup
8
4
3
7
6

​REFERENCES and FURTHER READING
​

Regina Shamrock Hockey Team, Amateur Champions of Saskatchewan 1910-11 - “Hockey heritage: 88 Years of puck chasing in Saskatchewan” -  book shared on our roots site
Regina Victoria Hockey Club - Saskatchewan Sports Hall Of Fame site
Hick Abbot, The Story of a War Hero - Austin's teammate
​Arthur Austin CRESWELL, WWI Military File - Library and Archives Canada (LAC) site

I have posted additional  information on my COMPTON  families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
5 Comments

James JEFFERY (1757-1815) - #46 (52 Ancestors)

11/20/2015

5 Comments

 
Theme: Change     |     Images: Click on many to enlarge 
My maternal JEFFERY line hailed from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of Hampshire, England.  Others have traced this family back as far Richard JEFFERY, Yeoman of Nettlestone Farm, who was buried in St Helens, Isle of Wight in 1686.  Richard’s great-grandson James JEFFERY was born in 1757 in Brook, Isle of Wight and lived in Newport.  Their surname (in a variety of different spellings) has been found in records for this Island as far back as the 1300s.  So the family has deep roots on the  Isle of Wight (IOW), living in several different communities over the generations.​
Picture

JEFFERY Family Locations on the Isle of Wight, England including Nettestone, St Helens, Newchurch, Brook, Newport, Carisbrook, Whitwell
James JEFFERY, my 4-times-great grandfather, was baptised in Brook IOW on 6 Nov 1757, the oldest son of Stephen JEFFREY Jr  and Betty EDGIN, and the second of their nine children (although at least four died very young).  James became a land owner and shop keeper.  By 1783 he was living in Carisbrooke near Newport when he married Jane Saunders RYDER in Newport IOW at St Thomas-a-Becket Church.  They had nine children between 1784 and 1800.  His three oldest children (Eliza, James Jr, Stephen) were baptized in Whitwell IOW, and his next daughter Hannah (my 3x-great-grandmother) was baptized in Carisbrooke on 21 Nov 1790.  The remainder of his children (George, Sarah, Edward, John and Jane) were baptized in Newport, the second largest city situated in the centre of the island. Three of these children (Sarah, Edward and John) died as infants between 1794 and 1798. James' mother died in 1799. Then his wife Jane died in July 1804.  Life had turned quite grim indeed.
​

All of this must have been terribly hard to bear.  But with a young family to care for, he quickly remarried on 4 Dec 1804 to the widow Elizabeth PEDDER (nee CHESTLE) in Carisbrooke.  Their daughter Sarah (perhaps named after her deceased half-sister) was baptized in Newport in March 1806.  Later that same year, James’ oldest daughter Eliza married in Winchester on the mainland.  A couple of months later on 14 Jan 1807, his oldest son James JEFFERY Jr married Lucy CAFFIN in Chichester Sussex and then returned to the Isle of Wight to raise his family.  Eliza also returned to the island.

James life seemed to be back on track, surrounded by family.  But change was in the offing.​

We can only speculate on the reasons why James decided to emigrate to Canada.  Sometime in 1809 James’ sister (or cousin?) Ann died at the age of 50.  James was two years older, so Ann's death would have been yet another reminder of his own mortality.  Perhaps a mid-life crisis played its part, and a new start would have sounded appealing. The grass was definitely green in Prince Edward Island, and the advertisements for colonial settlers presented it as a golden opportunity.  So in 1809 James sold some property, bought supplies and sailed to PEI where he bought two large parcels of land totaling 694 acres in Lot 17 from the proprietor Harry Childeroy COMPTON.  We know that James’s son George was also in PEI in Nov 1809 as he was a witnesses on one of the land transaction documents.  

At least some of his family did not emigrate until the following year.  Family documents mention at least one unnamed family member sailing from England on 14 Aug 1810 and landing 5 Nov 1810 in Charlotte Town.   It is a real shame that passenger lists haven’t survived or may not have been created that far back. But from newspaper accounts of ship arrivals, perhaps they were aboard the brig “Louisa”, arriving in Charlottetown on 5 Nov 1810 from Portsmouth.
Just eight days later on 13 November 1810, James’ daughter Hannah JEFFERY married Thomas Compton COMPTON, son of Harry COMPTON, proprietor of Lot 17 who had sold them the land.   Unless this was an arranged marriage, Hannah must have emigrated earlier in order to meet and be courted by Thomas, and have time to plan the wedding to follow the arrival of more of her relatives.  Or did Thomas go to England for business or family matters, and meet her there or on board ship?  There are several possible scenarios.  The Comptons had settled in  PEI in 1803 and had built a large home which they named "The Pavillon".  Hannah at least was soon living in comfort, as she would have quickly taken up residence there with her new husband.

Not everyone emigrated.  James oldest two children Eliza and James as well as his daughter Jane, his father and siblings, remained in England.  Those in PEI attending Hannah's wedding were probably James and his 2nd wife Elizabeth, Stephen, Hannah, George and young Sarah.

The process of felling trees, clearing land, planting crops, building a house and setting up a business must have been daunting and filled with hardship, at least initially.​  And perhaps business was not as profitable as hoped for. So not everyone stayed.  James must have become disillusioned and decided to move back to the Isle of Wight, leaving on 27 Jun 1812. Just days before sailing he signed his will, summarized as follows:
Will of James Jeffery, Richmond, Richmond, PEI [1757-24 April, 1815], yeoman. Bequests: to Charles and the other 2 children, sons or daughters of [his son] James Jeffery & Lucy Jeffery, late Lucy Coffin of Chichester in the city of Chichester, County of Sussex; to daughter Elizabeth Pring?; to son Stephen Jeffery; to daughter Anne or Hannah Compton; to son George; to daughter Jane; to daughter Sarah Lawford Chestle-Jeffery; to Edward Lawrence, son of Francis Lawrence, one farm called Welling [130 acres], late in occupation of John Welling. Witnesses: Thos. Nickerson, George Coles, Daniel Davis. Will signed 22 June, 1812; probate granted 5 Sep., 1816.
A codicil stated that the will (which was once reported missing) was dated 20 Jun 1812 and the codicil itself was dated 22 Jun 1812.  Generally speaking, James divided his estate equally among his children and his three grand children of that time.  I don’t know yet how Edward and Francis Lawrence were connected.

We do know that Hannah remained in PEI after her father left, as did Stephen and George.  Sarah was still very young , but as of 1826 she was living in PEI as well.  James’s second wife Elizabeth died in 1829 on the Isle of Wight, so she presumably left PEI with her husband, assuming she went there in the first place.  James himself died before her in 1815 in Carisbrooke IOW, only three years after returning to England.  He was buried in Church Litten Park, Newport on the Isle of Wight.

I would like to acknowledge the original research of Betty M Jeffery and Carter W Jeffery, my main source for this story. They published their book  "The Jeffery Family of the Isle of Wight and Prince Edward Island" in 1998.


REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

The Jeffery Family of the Isle of Wight and Prince Edward Island, by Betty M. Jeffery and Carter W. Jeffery, 1998
​PEI Heritage Buildings - blog by Carter W Jeffery
Early Wills of PEI, Summaries - Island Register site
Isle of Wight - wikipedia
Map of Isle of Wight, England - myGoogle Maps
​
I have posted additional  information on my COMPTON  families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
5 Comments

Major Frederick Farrer MAY (1883-1951) - #45 (52 Ancestors)

11/12/2015

1 Comment

 
Theme: Veteran      |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
Updated: 16 Nov 2015 - added photo and posting with 1st Depot Battalion, NB, 1918

Shortly after I started this blog in 2012, I wrote of my “Remembrance Day Thoughts” about my uncles Dean ANDREW, George ANDREW and Alan ANDREW and their cousin Ben ANDREW (all WWII veterans) and about the sacrifices of war in general.   I’ve also written about my great-uncle Albert Edward ANDREW who earned a Military Cross for his bravery in WWI, and Terry’s father William Irvine BOORMAN who served in the Canadian Navy during WWII.  ​
PictureMajor Frederick Farrar MAY
Canadian 26th New Brunswick Battalion, WWI
On this Remembrance Day I’d like to honor the life and military service of my Great Uncle Major Frederick Farrar MAY who married my grandfather’s sister Hetty Mabel ANDREW in St Johns Anglican Church, St Eleanors, Prince Edward Island on 21 Jul 1921. He was a banker and an army man as well as a veteran of WWI.  

Fred was the only child of Robert MAY Jr. and Henrietta Farrer STEWART.  There is some confusion about the year of his birth.  His baptism record says he was born 18 Oct 1883 in Charlottetown PEI, but was baptized 16 Dec 1880 (3 years earlier).  His parents were married in 1879, so either year could be true, but Fred’s military records confirm his birth in 1883.  When Fred was less than six months old, his father died in Apr 1884 at the age of 32.  According to a brief biographical note published in the Charlottetown Guardian in 1934, his father Robert MAY Jr. was born in St Malo, Brittany, France where Fred’s grandfather Robert May Sr. served as the British Vice Consul.  Robert Sr retired to St Helier Channel Islands then emigrating to PEI sometime before his son Robert’s marriage in 1879.  Fred descends from a proud and distinguished line.

Fred’s mother Henrietta was dealt a double blow when her father died the same year as her husband.  She was left  to raise her young son alone; she never remarried.  Her STEWART ancestors were originally from Scotland via London who became well-to-do land owners in PEI. Henrietta was born in Charlottetown in 1848.

PictureFred F May and his buggy. Aug 1921. Home from their honeymoon.
Fred was sent to military school at quite a young age; I think he had quite a strict upbringing and was certainly not used to children, having no siblings and perhaps not much opportunity for unstructured play at home or at school. After his mother died late in 1920, Fred married Mabel ANDREW the following summer.  They were both 38 years of age.  They built a house near Mabel's ANDREW and COMPTON relatives in St Eleanors PEI.  At times Fred was overwhelmed amid the noise and social dynamics of this large family.  They were a boisterous bunch.  ​

Mabel wanted a family of her own, but tragically their only child was stillborn.  Fred’s in-laws made him feel more than welcome, resulting in his peace being continually interrupted with visits from his many ANDREW nieces and nephews and other relatives.  There were family picnics, gatherings and outings to contend with, as well as at least one family trip to Nova Scotia to visit Mabel’s oldest brother.  Fred was often enlisted to chauffeur visiting relatives in his horse and buggy or sleigh, and later his automobile.  And we can be grateful that he had an interest in photography.  As the first one with a camera, he was counted on to capture family events on film.

My Aunt Harriet (ANDREW) CLARK once told me a wonderful story about her Uncle Fred MAY.  He liked to dress up his nephews and even his wife in his army uniform.  She said he was scared of kids and didn’t know how to act with them. Harriet used to visit them a lot and help out with baking, dusting and looking at photo albums to avoid dusting!  At first, she was intimidated by her Uncle Fred until she discovered his weak point: shortbread.  One day he came into the kitchen to sneak some of the shortbread she was making and whispered in her ear "Don’t tell your aunt!"  Harriet realized he was just like a big kid, and was better after that. 

Picture

Captain Fred MAY is second from the right, shown with his fellow officers of the 26th Battalion before leaving New Brunswick for England.
26th Battn. Officers, 4/15. (Left to Right) :
Capt. A.O. Dawson, Capt. Alex McMillan, Major A.E.G. McKenzie, Lt. E. Alban Sturdee, Lt. Col. J.L.McAerty, O.C. Capt. (Rev.) E.B. Hooper, Capt. W.R. Brown (Adjutant), Capt. F.F. May, and Lt. Gordon M. Johnston.
(From Fred MAY’s photo albums, in his own handwriting.)
Picture
Fred had a distinguished military career.  Back in 1906, Fred was appointed as an Officer in the Active Militia of the Dominion of Canada to the 62nd Regiment of the St. John Fusiliers on Sept. 14, 1906, starting rank: Lieutenant.  By 1911 he and his mother were living in a boarding house on Union Street in St John, New Brunswick where he was stationed.  In Aug 1914 Canada committed to fighting in WWI and Fred enlisted in St John on 2 Nov 1914 as an existing officer. He was awarded the rank of Captain with the newly-formed Canadian 26th New Brunswick Battalion, known as the "Fighting 26th". The 26th New Brunswick Battalion was one of the first twelve battalions of the Second Canadian Division​.  According to his attestation papers, Fred declared himself to be a banker with 17 previous years of military experience: 5 years in the Charlottetown Engineers, 2 years in the 4th C.A. and 10 years in the 62nd Regiment.  So his military involvement must date back to about 1897 when he was only 14.  

The 26th Battalion website says that their original battalion of 1250 left for the battlefront in France on 13 Jun 2015 and fought in many major battles. Included is a fairly detailed overview of this battalion’s movements and engagements published originally on newsprint.  The battalion sailed for Britain aboard the Caledonia steamship and trained in Kent England where they were reviewed by the King of England on 2 Sep 1915 at Beachborough Park near the camp grounds.  Camp was broken Sep 13, and they crossed from Folkestone, landing at Boulogne Sep 14.  They took a train from Pont-aux-Birque to Wisernes then marched to Renescure then to Bailleuil, 5 miles back from firing line.  The 26th Battalion first located at Kemmel-Vierstadt near Poperinghe and Ypres in Belgium, on the right hand side of this spur in the German line. They began fighting in trenches Sep 21 2015.

Fred’s portrait is included at least three times on the 26th Battalion’s website. One caption reads: 

Captain F.F. May who was wounded in the early months of the unit’s occupancy of the front line, when a high explosive shell demolished a dug-out in which he was seated.  He is now Deputy Chief Recruiting Officer for New Brunswick and hope to return to the front with the new army.
The family version of this story says that Fred May was injured in WWI when he was buried alive by a shell at Ypres and was dug out by his men.  So exactly where and when was Fred wounded?  I have now "unearthed" some of the details.  While the 26th Battalion was still in the area surrounding Ypres, their Company A was involved in a brief but important offensive on 13 Oct 2015 which they called the “Crater Fight”.  A further mention is made of Fred on the above website:
Capt. F.F. May, a reliable officer of C company soon after the crater fight was seriously wounded by a shell explosion.  He is only now fully recovering from the effects of the wounds, and it is expected that he will take an imporant appointment in the new army.
From this I assumed that Fred was injured near Ypres sometime in the latter half of October 2015, only about a month after arriving at the Western Front.  Then I located the war diaries of the 26th Battalion and found two additional notes about Fred:
27 Oct 1915, K & L Trenches: 
“Major E.E.G. McKenzie, Capt. F. F. May and Lieut. F. E. Lockhart with 50 men from the Battn. attend an inspection by His Majesty the King at the village of Loere [?]  His Majesty was accompanied by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.” ...
1 Nov 1915, Scherpenberg: 
“Very rainy.  Battn attended baths at Westontre [sic].  Capt. F. F. May wounded.”
PictureMajor Frederick Farrer MAY, commanding officer of "A" Company,
1st Depot Battalion, New Brunswick Regiment
Although I was very grateful to learn the exact date of Fred's injuries, these entries brought up additional questions (of course!). It doesn't say exactly how Fred was wounded, although that was explained in published story of the 26th Battalion (as above). While the rest of the battalion was assigned to the "K & L Trenches" on Oct 27, Fred was lucky enough to represent the 26th Batallion to the King of England.  What an honor!  Then just five days later when the Battalion was assigned to their billets in Sherpenberg (quite a distance away the other side of Antwerp according to recent maps), and enjoying the baths in Westouter (close to Ypres and Poperinge), Fred seems to have been on duty in the trenches.  Surely he would not have been wounded in the baths!  So Fred's assignments seem to have been at odds with his battalion in general.  From the surrounding entries in the war diary, they had been getting heavy rains for weeks, the weather had turned cold, and the trenches were flooding and collapsing and in need of constant attention.  So the shell explosion that wounded Fred must surely have also buried him in wet, cold, heavy mud.  What a terrifying experience that must have been.

Once Fred was fit to travel, he would have been transported back to Canada, and  likely continued his convalescence at the hospital in Charlottetown PEI.  The family thinks this may be where he met his future bride Mabel ANDREW, who was a nurse in training there at that time.  Once recovered, Fred returned to New Brunswick where he continued to serve in his new army postings.  He probably made frequent trips over to PEI.  I don’t believe he saw any further action overseas.  From family photos we know that in 1918 Fred was the Commanding Officer of Company "A", 1st Depot Battalion, New Brunswick.  This battalion was formed on  15 Apr 1918 to provide reinforcements for the 26th Battalion and other reserves, and at least some of their training was held at Camp Sussex.

At some point Fred’s mother returned to Charlottetown and then became ill.  She passed away after the war on 14 Dec 1920, and Fred arranged a private funeral for her two days later, with burial at St Peters Cemetery in Charlottetown.  On the same day as her funeral, another notice was published in the Personals section of The Charlottetown Guardian:

HOME AGAIN - Major F.F. May has returned to Charlottetown, and we understand that he intends to reside here in future.  Major May went overseas with the original 26th N.B. Battalion.
PictureFred MAY and his horse Tom in PEI
Fred must have been a man with a new mission.  He formally announced his engagement to Mabel ANDREW on 2 Feb 1921. Five months after that he was married and living in St Eleanors PEI.  Fred and Mabel  went to Quebec for their honeymoon.  They built a new house, which burned down before they had moved in, so they built it again. They endured further heartache when their child was stillborn.  Fred maintained his military connections through involvement in the Canadian Legion.  In 1928 he delivered a speech to its Charlottetown branch about "his recollections of the 26th Battalion outlin[ing] its adventures from the time the first detachment left Prince Edward Island until the fighting was done.”  And again in 1931 he addressed the Summerside branch.  In 1932 there was a veteran’s reunion held at Mt Stewart PEI, and Major F.F. May was appointed Chairman for the coming year.  In 1936 he talked in Kensington about the self sacrifice of veterans and the need to strive for self control as an example to the younger generations.  He was promoting temperance.  Fred was a very active speaker during the 1930s and still a military man at heart.
​

The Second World War brought further changes to his life. Nearby farms in North St Eleanors were taken over to build an air base (including the farm of his brother-in-law Harry ANDREW).  Nephews and many young men from the area went off to fight for our country and freedom.  It must have been so hard to go through the strife of war yet again, even from the sidelines.  

PictureGrave of Fred and Mabel MAY, Duncan BC Canada
After the war, when his brother-in-law Harry ANDREW (my grandfather) and part of his family decided to move across Canada to the west coast for a new start, Fred and Mabel decided to move with them.  In about 1946 they bought a little 2-bedroom house on Coronation Avenue in Duncan BC on Vancouver Island.  But they didn’t have too many years left to enjoy their new home.  On 21 Jul 1951 and after only five years in BC, Fred died at home from a heart attack.  He was 67 years old.  Mabel died seven years later on 8 Dec 1958 from a stroke while fighting cancer. She was 75.  They are buried together in St Mary’s Cemetery just outside of Duncan BC.

Fred left a wonderful legacy in the form of photo albums, some of which are now in my care.  While he usually gave vague captions such as "The Missus" for family photos, he was much more diligent about giving detailed information for a fair number of military photos.  Many are now quite faded with age, so I am in the process of scanning them all.  I am hoping to create a separate military page on this website to display and share these wonderful images of Fred's military life.
​

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

MAY, FREDERICK FARRER - Soldiers of the First World War - Library and Archives Canada site
​The 26th Battalion, New Brunswick - St John Free Public Library site
26th Battalion - Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group site
War Diaries of the 26th Battalion - Canada at War site
WWI Battles - First World War site
Ypres Salient, Poperinge - Great War site
Canada and WWI - Veterans Affairs Canada site
1st Depot Battalion, New Brunswick Regiment - guide to resources, Collections Canada site

I have posted additional  information on my ANDREW  families elsewhere on this website.
Further military photos from Fred MAY's albums can  be found on our military page.


"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
1 Comment

Clara Duchemin COMPTON (1882 -1945)  - #44 (52 Ancestors)

11/5/2015

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Theme: Frightening      |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
Picture
View looking south, showing the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion - 6 Dec 1917
Library and Archives Canada / C-019944; Ref No. MIKAN 3193308, 3623023
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/albums/72157627774733594
It must have been terrifying to witness first hand the catastrophic explosion and destruction that occurred in Halifax Nova Scotia on the morning of 6 Dec 1917. Thousands were killed or injured when a French vessel “Mont-Blac” loaded with explosives collided with the Belgian relief boat “Imo" in the Halifax harbour, creating the world’s largest man-made explosion of its time.  A huge area in the more affluent south side of the city was decimated, including of the business and residential district of Richmond.

 A COMPTON second cousin of mine (twice removed) was seriously injured during the Halifax explosion, but was lucky enough to survive. The transcript of a brief news article from the PEI Summerside Journal, Wed. Jan 16,  1918, published about five weeks after the explosion, says: 
"Mr. & Mrs. H.A. Compton, Summerside have received word that their daughter, Mrs. George B. Hillis, who was severely injured in the Halifax disaster, will soon be sufficiently recovered to be removed to Summerside.” 
A few more details were shared by another family researcher: “… Clara was severely injured in the Halifax explosion, visiting her husband's lumberyard in the city's south end. Several months after the explosion, local PEI newspapers published that Clara was returning home to the island to finish her recovery”.  Their son Gordon was also injured in the Halifax explosion. According to his 1964 death registration, Gordon's injury 46 years previously was listed as a contributing factor in his death.  

At the time of the explosion, Clara Duchemin COMPTON was living with her husband George Beaman HILLIS in his native Halifax along with their two sons Benjamin Franklin “Frank” (born 1904)  and James “Gordon” HILLIS (born 1905).  Clara and George HILLIS also brought up Eva MACPHAIL from an early age,  a step-daughter of Clara's sister Alfreda Compton MacPhail.​  Eva was born about 1912, and was no longer living with the HILLIS family in 1921.

Clara was born on 2 Feb 1882 in Summerside PEI, the daughter of a prosperous merchant Harry Alfred COMPTON and his wife Sophia Eleanor CLARK.  She was one of ten siblings, although three died very young; Clara was the oldest surviving daughter and grew up in Summerside.  I cannot locate her in the 1900 or 1901 census, so don't know how she met her future husband.  Less than two years later on 14 Jan 1903, Clara and George were married in Summerside PEI.  They lived in Halifax were both sons were born.
PicturePublished 22 Dec 1917, Charlottetown Guardian, PEI
(see transcript below); http://islandnewspapers.ca/
George’s family, headed by his father James HILLIS, were owners of the HILLIS & SONS Iron Foundry, located in the Richmond area near the waterfront in Halifax.  They were a significant employer in the area.  George was involved with the family business, and at some point worked at their Richmond foundry.  By the time of his retirement on 23 Dec 1949, he was president of Hillis & Sons Ltd.​

Looking further in old PEI newspapers, I have located a few articles covering this historic tragedy and its affect on the HILLIS family.  On Dec 22, a visitor from Halifax told of attending a large public funeral for about 250 unidentified dead before traveling to PEI on business. Efforts were still underway to excavate dead bodies in cordoned off Richmond, but reconstruction work had already begun in southern Halifax. A death notice was published for a Mr Clement Fraser, a previous resident of PEI who worked as a molder in the Hillis Foundry in Halifax. He died in the disaster. Another brief article was republished from the Halifax Chronicle  on 22 Dec 1917:

"Frank Hillis’ Body Found —  Yesterday morning at twelve o’clock the bodies of Frank Hillis and Harry Saunders were discovered buried in the fallen cement at Hillis’ Foundry.  Though partially crushed they were easily recognized, the faces being only slightly injured.  It is supposed that Mr. Hillis, who was early at work that morning, had seen the fire and watched it from across the road.  He and Mr. Saunders were just entering the office door when the explosion occurred, which instantly killed them.  Mr Hillis had on his office coat.  Besides the bodies of Hillis and Saunders those of three other men were found but these were so covered with debris as to be unrecognizable.”
Picture
A scene following the Halifax Explosion - 6 Dec 1917. The Hillis & Sons Foundry is the building on the left.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/8148372966
The above Frank HILLIS was George’s older brother, not his son. I do not know if Harry Saunders was related. According to other Hollis family trees, another brother James Burton HILLIS was also killed that day.  How very tragic.  As the whole foundry was destroyed, it’s amazing that George survived.  He must have been at a different location that day - perhaps at the lumber yard mentioned above - and any injuries he might have received were not fatal.  I have not found any references regarding injuries to either George or their older son Frank.  The whole family must have been overwhelmed with grief at the loss of family members, friends and associates as well as the destruction of their foundry.  George’s father James died less than two years later at the age of 79, likely still deeply affected.  But they did rebuild and the business continued.

The support of Clara's COMPTON family in PEI likely aided her recovery from this frightening ordeal.  Clara and George continued to live in the Halifax area for the rest of their lives.  Their final residence was in Birch Cove to the north west on Bedford Basin.  Clara died at the age of 63 in hospital in Halifax from a stroke on 12 Sep 1945.  George died  a widower six years later on 29 Jun 1951.  The were both buried at Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax, not far from Dalhousie University and well within the 1917 debris zone from the explosion that changed their lives so many years before.  
​
REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Clara Eleanor MacPhail (Clara’s niece and namesake, born 1922) - "Following Their Footsteps" blog
PEI Historic Newspapers - islandnewspapers.ca
All about the Halifax Explosion of 1917 - cbc site
Halifax Explosion, 1917 - 25 photos by Library Archives  - flickr.com
​
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    Terry and Claudia Boorman have been interested in their family history since the 1980s.  They live in Victoria BC Canada.

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