Herbert Arthur Wall, Able Seaman Royal Navy WWI

Posted on by under The Wall's

Herbert Arthur Wall, Able Seaman, Royal Navy

His Royal Navy Records state he was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England on September 9, 1884. According to his son Charles, Herbert was an orphan and told him he never knew who his parents were.  [ii]   The 1891 Census for Wales lists Herbert Wall as a visitor with the George Thomas Hartland family in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. I also found a record where at age 11 Herbert went to the Pontypridd Union Cottage Homes at Church Village, Llantwit Vardre, Glamorgan, Wales.  Herbert was admitted by George Hartland. The Cottage Homes were opened in 1892 and housed pauper children away from the workhouse. Each ‘cottage’ accommodated around 16 boys or girls plus a house parent. However,  according to the Wales Census he is back living with the Hartlands in 1901. During this time he must have apprenticed as a shoemaker since his Naval Records state this as his occupation upon enlisting.

What is most interesting is that in his Royal Navy Record he states his year of birth as 9 Sept1884, however, in subsequent records, he states his year of birth as 1885.  The date he enlisted in the Royal Navy was also 9 Sept. 1902. It has been suggested that perhaps this allowed him to join the Navy one year before he was of age.  In addition, in subsequent records, he states he was born in Bristol, Somerset, Pontypridd, and Cardiff, Wales. This may suggest that he did not know where he was born or that he learned more as he grew older.

I have found a record for Herbert Arthur Wall, his parents John Wall, a Carpenter and Charlotte Sexton his mother.  The registration made by Charlotte states Herbert was born 15th Sept. 1885 in Cardiff, Wales.  Since Herbert lived in Wales with the Hartlands, Cardiff seems to be the logical place where he was born.  When Edwin Wall, Herbert’s grandson had his Ancestry DNA completed there was a clear relationship between him and the Walls of Wedmore Somerset, England and the Binnings’ of the same area. This suggests that his father was likely John Wall (1845-1890), the son of John Wall (1796-1891)  and Janetta Binning (1806-1868). I concluded this by eliminating the other brothers of John Wall and their immigration date or death dates. 

John Wall (1845-1890), the assumed father of Herbert, may have left home early because he doesn’t show up in the census records for the family, although his birth record is clear.   There is very little verifiable information about his life.  His death occurred in 1890.  There are a number of John Walls who were servants in the homes of others between 1861 and 1881 who appear to be about the right age.  At this time, I cannot find any evidence of a marriage between John Wall and Charlotte Sexton.  Perhaps the reason Herbert did know his parentage,was because he was born out of wedlock and at some point he went to live with the Hartland family.  

There is little known of Herbert’s childhood, except for his stint in the Cottage Homes, however, his naval records indicate he was 18 years old (probably only 17) when he enlisted in 1902 and that prior to joining the navy he was a shoemaker.[iii]  His record describes him as 5’5″, with blue eyes and a “fresh” complexion.  No distinguishing marks were recorded. Herbert served on a number of ships and navy cruisers over the years.

Based on his Naval records[iv], Herbert received his basic training on the HMS Impregnable, the Royal Navy training ship located at Devonport.    Herbert served on many ships during his service, however, from July 1913 to February 1917 the major part of World War I, he served on the HMS EXMOUTH a fighting ship and part of the 6th Grand Fleet at the outbreak of the war. From April 1916 to February 1917 the EXMOUTH  was located in the  Mediterranean and South Africa.

His record indicates he transferred to the HMS Redbreast on February 10, 1917, an ” 805 ton fleet messenger.   The Exmouth’s log[vi] indicates that 12  ratings and 1 prisoner were transferred to the Redbreast on July 8, 1917. This appears consistent with Herbert’s service record.   The HMS Redbreast was torpedoed in the eastern Mediterranean on 15 July 1917.  REDBREAST, 15th July 1917, Mediterranean – sunk by German coastal minelayer “UC-38”. Q-ship “Redbreast” (naval fleet messenger, 1,300grt, 1908) was allocated to the Senior Naval Officer Malta for operations as a Special Service ship; her complement and casualties are unknown.   Herbert’s naval record indicates he left the Redbreast on 21 July 1917.  Since this was a personnel and supply ship it is likely other ships were nearby to facilitate a rescue.

An alternative explanation lies in the term above “Q” ship.  Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Their codename referred to the vessels’ homeport, Queenstown in Ireland. These became known by the Germans as a U-Boot-Falle (“U-boat trap”). A Q-ship would appear to be an easy target, but, in fact, carried hidden armaments. A typical Q-ship might resemble a tramp steamer sailing alone in an area where a U-boat was reported to be operating. By seeming to be a suitable target for the U-boat’s deck gun, a Q-ship might encourage the U-boat captain to make a surface attack rather than use one of his limited number of torpedoes. The Q-ships’ cargoes were light wood (balsa or cork) or wooden caskets, and even if torpedoed they would remain afloat, encouraging the U-boat to surface and sink them with a deck gun. The crew might even pretend to “abandon ship”. Once the U-boat was vulnerable, the Q-ship’s panels would drop to reveal the deck guns, which would immediately open fire. At the same time, the White Ensign, the Royal Navy Flag would be raised. With the element of surprise, a U-boat could be quickly overwhelmed.

Individuals serving on these ships would be seen as merchant seaman. So it is possible that when he was assigned to the Redbreast he was posing as a merchant seaman but was there to destroy U boats.  His service on the Redbreast was described in his Naval Record as “superior”.  Herbert’s son, Charles told his children that he was a Merchant Seaman during the war, which would also add to the explanation.

Marriage to Ethel Mary Pope

Herbert was age 27 when he married Ethel M. Pope in St. Austell, Cornwall, England on March 14, 1911.[viii]    Throughout the war Ethel lived in East Newlyn, Cornwall.  Herbert was away from the family for long stretches.  Ethel was used to the lonely life of a sailor’s wife.  The following dates are from his service record when he was assigned to Vivid or Vivid 1 which is basically an accounting base or nominal ship that one was assigned to when ashore. The Vivid’s indicated accounting bases at Devonport.   The record gives us a glimpse at how infrequently he was home with his family from his marriage and that for the majority of the war he was at sea.  I am certain when they married that this was not how they imagined the years from 1913-1917 to work out.

  •  Vivid = February 15 to March 17, 1911 —  note he was married on March 14, 1911,
  • ­ Vivid I =February 22 to June 30, 1913 — this was just before he shipped out on the Exmouth on July 1, 1913, where he spent the majority of WWI.
  • ­ Vivid I = July 22 to September 25, 1917- this followed the sinking of the Redbreast.
  • ­ October 18, 1921, to February 9, 1924 – this followed his service on the HMS Tiger until September 26, 1917[ix],

Additionally, Herbert served on the Tiger from September 26, 1917 to October 17, 1921 when he likely spent additional time ashore during this period [x].

Herbert left the Navy and was pensioned in September 1924.  The family lived in Newquay with daughter Sylvia born in 1911, Ada in 1920, and Charles, my father-in-law,  born in 1923.   In 1926 the family left England and arrived in Halifax.  The family obtained land near Glassville, New Brunswick, through the Soldier’s Settlement Board. [xi]  He again took up the shoemakers trade in New Brunswick.  Charles[xii], his son remembers him leaving Glassville on a bicycle riding Saint John to buy leather for making shoes.

Herbert had served in the Great War in the Royal Navy and when the Second World War broke out on September 6, 1939, he joined the Canadian Navy and worked in the canteen in Saint John, NB according to Charles, his son.   In 1941 while still enlisted he died of cancer of the liver.  He is buried in a military cemetery in Halifax. [xiii]

Primary Sources

[i] Letter from Lillian Bambury, daughter of Richard Pope, Devon, Plymouth England. Summer 2000

[iii] Naval Service Record, the PRO, Great Britain

[iv]Copy of Royal Naval Record Able Seaman Herbert Wall, # 214648 Devonport.

[viii]  Marriage Certificate 6/10/01

[xi] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000.

[xii] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000

[xiii] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000.

Secondary Sources

The Tiger

Beginning in January 1917, Tiger uneventfully patrolled the North Sea, as both fleets were essentially forbidden to risk any more losses. She provided naval support for British light forces involved in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight on 17 November 1917, but never came within range of German forces.  Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1913)  Accessed July 15, 2013

[x] ” ”Tiger” remained in service with the Royal Navy after the Armistice with Germany and she had a flying-off platform added on ‘B’ turret’s roof in 1919. The ship collided with the battleship HMS|Royal Sovereign in late 1920 while assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.  “Tiger” survived the culling of older capital ships following the Washington Naval although she was placed in reserve on 22 August 1921.  The ship was refitted in March 1922 and on 14 February 1924, ”Tiger” was recommissioned and became a seagoing training ship, a role she served in throughout the 1920s.[x]

Redbreast

Some sites indicate there were no casualties when the Redbreast sank while others state there were 44.  This site indicated the number of casualties unknown.  http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishQships.htm   Accessed July 16, 2013.

Nancy Edna Mills — Raising a Family in New Brunswick

Posted on by under The Jukes', The Mills

William LEONARD Jukes and Nancy Edna Mills

Leonard met Nancy Mills of Douglas , at an Anglican church picnic in Douglas in 1908 and married her on April 4, 1915 following the death of Nancy’s mother, Nancy Francina (Hanson) Mills. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Plaster Rock, NB where Leonard worked for the Fraser Mills on log drives, cutting trees and in the lumber mill. Three children, Mary, Clifford and Alfred were born in Plaster Rock. By 1927, when my mother Frances MARGARET Adeline Jukes was born the family was living in Edmondston, NB. Leonard was now working for the Fraser Farms, tending cows and delivering milk by horse and cart to families in the areas. Two other children were born in Edmonston, Leonard Jr and Horace before the family left Edmondston and moved to Fredericton Junction, Sunbury County where Leonard found work, running a farm by 1935. Later the family moved to Three Tree Creek where Leonard rented a house and land and made a living for the family by cutting and selling pulp. During the war years Leonard was able to purchase a small house and farm on the Tracy highway where he continued to cut pulp using horses to pull the logs out of the woods. The children including their daughter Margaret worked in the woods peeling pulp. At the end of the war none of Leonard’s sons were interested in working on the farm in Tracy so he sold the farm and purchased a lot of land Nashwaaksis and built a small house at 227 Sunset Drive in 1947.  This is where I grew up. Leonard continued as a night watchman in a nearby mill and later on the John Wilkins Farm. He also worked as a flagger during the construction of the first Oromocto by-pass in the mid-fifties

Leonard was a great fan of horse racing and spent many happy hours in the horse barns and watching the races at the Fredericton Raceway. As a child I remember the smell of his old red plaid jacket when he returned from the horse barn and knew that those pockets contained pink peppermints for the horses which he occasionally offered to us if we begged and pulled on his pocket. He looked forward the Fredericton Exhibition each year and annually donated a case of canned milk to the Anglican Church Canteen each year.

While Leonard was busy making a living for his family, Nancy worked hard at home. She was an avid reader of the Family Herald and a member of the Doubleday Book club. She was extremely resourceful, making her own dresses by creating paper patterns. She made quilts from old coats and other scraps of materials. I remember her crazy quilts which were quilted together using bright red knots of yarn scattered everywhere. She made wonderful seasonal preserves including crab apple, chokecherry, strawberry, blueberry jams and jelly. She crocheted beautiful doilies and knitted plenty of socks and mittens over the years for the family. She kept many scrapbooks of poems, obituaries and recipes over the years.  Before she died in 1960 she taught me how to knit.

Our family was still traveling to Three Tree Creek in the late 1950s to pick blueberries and high bush cranberries and I have many happy memories as a child of these trips as well as sugar cookies, Johnny cake, bread and baked beans made by both my mother and my grandmother.

My grandmother was one of those women who had no money of her own, save for whatever my grandfather chose to give her for groceries from time to time. He controlled the purse strings. Imagine her sense of freedom when she began receiving the old-age pension in 1956. She began taking the bus to Saint John to visit her daughter, Mary, and began visiting and spending time with her grandchildren in Fredericton and Saint John. I remember the red plaid scarf hats that she purchased for me and my sister Grace in the fall of 1957. Her life definitely changed during that time. Unfortunately she died of a massive coronary while visiting her daughter Mary, in 1960.

After my grandmothers death, my grandfather moved between his children’s homes until his death in 1973. It was as if he was never content in one place after Nancy died.

(Footnote) Brennan, Grace. Interview of Margaret Jukes Brennan for Gerontology 201, STU)

Clara Winifred Stockley 1899-1986

Posted on by under The Brennan's, The Stockley's

 For a year I have been trying to get a separation allowance for my wife having forwarded Marriage Certificate and Birth Certificate to Ottawa.  It is not that I want the money. But would like our marriage accepted by the military authorities. [i]

Daughters of the Empire insignia

Daughters of the Empire insignia

Will Brennan’s application for an allowance for his young wife, Clara Stockley b. 1899 was written 95 years ago at the time of this post and gives an interesting insight into attitudes towards the military and towards asking for financial help from the military. Perhaps the request was written to make an impression on the authorities, perhaps and most likely it was Will’s pride, or perhaps this is just what one had to say to get their application for an allowance considered. In any event, the record exists.

Clara Stockley was just 18 years old at the time of her marriage to Will Brennan. Clara was the youngest daughter of Mary Eastwood and Moses Stockley II whom you met in the previous post. She had been in Canada for five years arriving in Saint John in 1912 with her parents Moses Stockley II and Mary Eastwood. The family worked in the cotton industry in Manchester, England for many years and immigrated to Saint John to take up the same work in there.

Clara’s mother, Mary (Eastwood) Stockley died in 1915 of the Spanish Influenza, and after WWI ended, her sisters Mary and Grace returned with their soldier husbands to England.  Only Clara and her brother Moses Stockley III remained in Saint John.

At the age of 32 years, Will married Miss Clara Winifred Stockley, February 16, 1917 in St. Luke’s Anglican Church.  John F. Petrie and Margaret Mary Hall stood up with them for the nuptials. They resided at 228 Brussels St. Saint John and by 1919 were residing at 250 City Rd., Saint John.[ii] Later they lived with Aunt Susie (Proud) and Frank Murphy on Sandy Point Rd. Saint John, NB.

Unable to work in his electrical trade due to his War disability, Will found work as a caretaker for the Bank of Canada while the family lived in an apartment below the bank. In 1940 Will bought a farm, although he had never farmed his whole life he moved the family to Midland, Kings County, just outside of Norton, New Brunswick.  In this photo, Clara’s sons James and William are showing off their catch at the farm in Norton.

James19 and Billy 17

Will died in Norton on February 26,1943 from heart failure and complications of pneumonia.  Following his death, Clara sold the farm and moved back to Saint John. By this time her daughter Evelyn was married to Gerard (Red) Flemming and James (Jimmy, my father) was serving overseas with the remaining children living with her until their marriages on Saint David Street and then at 233 Main St. In Saint John.

Clara Stockely Brennan Clara maintained her close ties with England and with her family in Manchester over the years.  In this picture, taken in the late 1960’s, she is pictured on the left in the front row, when she was elected Vice President of the Daughters of the Empire.

During WW II her son James, a Gunnar in Third Canadian Regiment, spent time with the Madden Family  in England and kept up connections with Cecilia Madden throughout his life.  Similarly,  Clara’s sister Mary Dixon’s sons spent time with her in Saint John. This was because the Dixon’s served in the Navy and spent time in port in Saint John during the war.

Will and Clara had 10 children:

­   Josephine Evelyn (1918-1991)

­   James Arthur Douglas (1920-1990)

­   William Stanley Edward (1922-1962)

­   Lydia Clara May (1925-2021)

­   Constance Lillian (1926-2010)

­   Mary Margret Elizabeth (1927-1992)

­   Clara Winnefred (1931 – 2018)

­   Robert Francis Tucker (1933-2005)

­   Grace Louise (1934-

Lawrence Windsor (1937-1994)

 

 

 

[i] Proceedings on Discharge, Certificate to be signed by soldier upon discharge, February 19, 1918.

[ii] Service Records, National Archives of Canada, William James Brennan, Reg. No. 22709

Kenneth Alfred Jukes, North Shore Regiment and the Battle of Normandy

Posted on by under The Brennan's, The Jukes'

Kenneth Alfred Jukes,  North Shore Regiment, killed in France on August 8, 1944.

poppy

My mother Frances MARGARET Adeline Jukes told me about a warm summer day in August 1944 in Traceyville, NB. She was working in the garden of their next door neighbour. Her parents Leonard and Nancy Jukes had gone to Fredericton by  horse and wagon and would be gone all day. The neighbour emerged from her house and walked out back towards the garden, a piece of paper in her hand. Because Leonard and Nancy were away, a message had been delivered to the next door neighbour. The neighbour told Margaret (Maggie) that there was news of her brother and that he had been killed in action on 8 August, 1944.

Kenneth ALFRED Jukes North shore Regiment

Kenneth ALFRED Jukes
North shore Regiment

I cannot imagine my mother’s anguish and pain at this time. The neighbour insisted that Maggie keep this to herself and not tell anyone until her parents arrived home. She also insisted that she not tell her parents immediately upon their arrival home from Fredericton but to wait until after they ate their evening meal.

She explained that once they get this news they will not be able to eat for days.

So Maggie took her advice and during the meal her mother asked her a number of times, if there was something wrong as she sensed that something was bothering Maggie. Each time Maggie answered “No”. Then,  after supper she told her parents the terrible news. I imagine that it was a relief to Maggie to be able to share her grief with her parents, however what a terrible burden for a young girl to bear the responsibility of informing her parents of the loss of their son, not yet 20 years old. That night must have been one of the cruelest nights my grandparents and my mother experienced. My mother told me that she was thankful for the neighbour’s advice as her mother did not eat again for more than a week she was so overtaken with grief.

Maggie Jukes and Jim Brennan about 1947

Maggie Jukes and Jim Brennan about 1947

After the War my mother met my father James Arthur Douglas Brennan, son of Clara (Stockley) and Will Brennan in Saint John.  (This is a story for another post) . As she was telling Jim about  her bother’s death in France she mentioned the date and the area where he died. My father realized that this was during the Invasion of Normandy and he knew what happened that day because he was there too. Both men were with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division , Alfred with the North Shore Regiment and my father,  a Gunner with the  Royal Canadian Horse Artillary.

Here is how my father explained it to me years later:
American Bombers who were providing air support dropped their markers short of the target and as a result bombed the 3rd Division Canadian Infantry which included members of the North Shore Regiment. I sat and watched  on the other side of the ridge from Alfred’s position when it was hit by “Friendly Fire”.

The War Record at the Juno Beach Centre described the same event this way:

On August 7th, armoured vehicles and tanks were positioned near the Verrières Ridge. At 2300 hours, heavy bombers were pounding the German defences and Canadians felt their enthusiasm growing as they heard the engines roar and the bombs explode. At 2330 II Corps’ columns started off on both sides of the Caen-Falaise road. Darkness and clouds of dust made progression increasingly difficult and several units lost their way. In spite of the heavy bombing, German artillery and tanks were able to put up a grim resistance. In spite of the confusion, II Corps reached its first objectives and was in position to proceed with phase two.
On August 8th, Lieutenant General, Guy Simonds who was in charge of the II Canadian Corp which included the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, requested the US Air Force to provide aerial bombing support. At 1300, 678 aircraft flew over German positions. The German Flak countered with accurate fire and several aircraft were hit. The leader of a 12-bomber squadron being heavily damaged dropped his bomb load before reaching its target and the other aircraft, reacting automatically did the same. The bombs fell far behind the combat line but in an area that was filled with Allied troops waiting to move up to the front. Some 65 men were killed and 250 wounded from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and from the 1st Polish Armoured Division, not to mention equipment losses.

When my father told me this story I could not help but think back to that day in August 1944 when a young seventeen year old girl must have felt that France was such a far away place in which to lose her brother. Little did she know that the man she would meet and marry was also there in that same valley where her brother made the ultimate sacrifice.

Kenneth Alfred Jukes born 19 November 1924  is buried at Beny-Sur Mer Canadian War Cemetary where the Canadian men who gave their lives in the  landings at Normandy are buried.

Clifford Henry Wimbush Jukes, Killed In Action, Battle of Canal Du Nord, 29 September, 1918

Posted on by under The Jukes'

During attack on Cambrai in the morning of September 29, 1918 he was killed by machine gun fire.

poppyThis is the single line of the official explanation of how Clifford Henry Wimbush Jukes, at 23, lost his life while fighting in France during the last days of the Great War.

From the War Diary of the 42nd Battalion we learn the details of what happened on the road to Cambrai the morning of Clifford’s death. In the early morning of September 29, 1918, Clifford was one of the 42nd Battalion, Royal Highlanders of Canada who jumped off at the Cambrai-Duai railway line leading to Cambrai and proceeded toward the road to Cambrai until they ran into a low broad line of wire running in front of a dump. It was not cut and the men were compelled to work their way through it seriously slowing their advance to the road. Some causalities occurred while cutting through the wire, however, it was at a point halfway between the wire and the road that they were met with intense german machine-gun fire from both sides at point-blank range. Clifford lost his life at some point between the cutting of the wire and approaching the road to Cambrai.

Clifford H W Jukes and Elizabeth Briggs 1917

Clifford H W Jukes and Elizabeth Briggs 1917

Clifford died 43 days short of the Armistice and the end of the War. He was buried in the Mill Switch British Cemetary located at CambrTilloy-les-Cambrai, a village 2.5 kilometres north of Cambrai. Tilloy village was captured by the Canadian Corps at the end of September 1918, and the cemetery was made by the Corps Burial Officer in the following month. The name is due to a switch line from the Cambrai-Douai railway which ran in September 1918, to a large German supply dump on the site of the mill 800 metres North-West of the cemetery. There are now over 100, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated on this site.

Clifford Henry Wimbush Jukes was born on 8 April 1894 in Birmingham, England. He came to Canada shortly after his eighth birthday with his brother William LEONARD Jukes who was eleven years old at the time. (Leonard’s story can be found in an earlier post).
The two boys arrived at the port of Halifax on June 4, 1902, under the auspices of the Middlemore Homes.

James and Isabella Davidson of Stanley opened their home to the two boys. In the 1910 Census of Canada, the Davidson’s listed Clifford as their adopted son. Clifford and Leonard worked on the Davidson farm as this was one of the primary reasons that Canadian families took Middlemore children into their care. Clifford resided with Leonard and his wife Nancy in Douglas at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth (Lizzie) Briggs on 4 March 1917. When Clifford married Lizzie he had already signed up to go to war. His Attestation Papers indicate his occupation was cook, while his marriage certificate states his occupation as a soldier. Before he married Lizzie he lived with his brother Leonard and his family in Douglas, NB.  Clifford’s daughter Doris Eliza Jukes was born 5 March 1918 in Fredericton and was just 5 months old at the time of his death.

It has been suggested by some researchers that many British Home Children signed up to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a way to return to their families in England. Clifford listed his mother and her address, who had remarried, as his next of kin in his Attestation Papers so we know he was in contact with her. We also know that he spent time with his family in England when he went overseas because he is pictured with his family in

Jukes Family - 1918 England Clifford is in back row between his two sisters.

Jukes Family – 1918 England
Clifford is in back row between his two sisters.his Royal Highlander Uniform in this photo. I cannot help but think that perhaps all Clifford wanted was to see his mother again.

Primary Sources
War Diary of 42nd Battalion Quebec Regiment (Royal Highlanders of Canada), Historical Documents, Archives of Canada
Middleton Homes Records, Historical Documents, Archives of Canada

Secondary Sources
Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
Canadian War Graves Commission

we-will-remember-them

Leonard Jukes, British Home Child

Posted on by under The Jukes'

William Leonard Jukes, British home Child

“It isn’t a keep it’s a linger.”  Those are the words that Annie Jukes spoke on August 28, 1901, to sum up her decision to part with two of her children William Leonard Jukes, 10 and Clifford Henry age 7.

  In describing her family’s plight Annie Jukes explained “I just can not keep them in food and clothes or I would not part with them.”  Annie’s remarks are recorded along with other family information in Case No. 2236 of the Middlemore Homes.[1]   Annie’s husband, William Jukes had died five years before and with 5 children to support, the boys were forced into running errands for neighbours for food.

Annie’s request was granted on May 24, 1902, when both Leonard and Clifford departed from Liverpool on the SS Siberian.  They arrived in Halifax in June of that year.   Leonard soon found himself in Stanley, New Brunswick where he lived along with his brother Clifford, with the Davidson Family and worked on their Farm.

By 1907, at the age of 16, Leonard met Nancy Edna Mills, who lived at Claremont, which is part of present-day Douglas.  Nancy was the daughter of William Alfred Mills and Nancy Francis Hanson.  The two courted for 7 years with Leonard making trips by horse and wagon between Stanley and Claremont on Sundays, his day off. Nancy would not marry because her mother was ill and she took care of her.

Leonard Jukes and wife Nancy Mills

Leonard Jukes and his wife Nancy Mills

Leonard and Nancy were married on April 14, 1914. By 1917 the family lived in Plaster Rock where Leonard worked for Fraser Mill.  By 1927 Leonard was working for the Fraser Dairy in Edmundston, delivering milk by horse and cart.

The family eventually settled in Traceyville in the 1930s where they farmed, logged, and traded horses until 1947, when the family moved to Nashwaaksis where Leonard worked on the John Wilkins Farm for a time.  Leonard worked hard all of his life; his last job was at the York Municipal Home when he was in his seventies.  An avid horseman he spent many a day at the Fredericton Race Track at the barns or placing the odd wager on a horse.

Our memories of our grandfather are a mix of sounds and smells.   He always carried peppermints for the horses and when he came home from the barn we would beg him for a peppermint.  I can still remember his laugh and the smell of the barn mingled with the strong taste of the peppermints.  I remember his voice when he would sing some old English hymn and when he would try to teach us how to count to 10 in Welsh, which we never mastered.  Grampy died on May 20, 1973, at the age of 82.  He left behind, 6 children, 21 grandchildren, and many great children, quite a legacy for an 11-year-old boy who found himself alone in a country he didn’t know.  More details about their life in New Brunswick can be found in the post: Nancy Mills: Raising a Family in New Brunswick.

[1] The National Archives reel A-2105 volume 246, and case number 2236. Application books #2 1895-1903.

The Mills Family and the New Jersey Volunteers

Posted on by under The Mills

The Mills Family and the 2nd Battalion New Jersey Volunteers

My Grandmother Nancy Edna Mills (1891 -1960)  wife of William LEONARD Jukes, died when I was just 10 years old. Her father was William Alfred Mills, (Israel, James)  I have very little direct information about the Mills Family history and how they came to New Brunswick.  It is likely that the first of our line was a soldier in the 2nd Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers who for now will have to go unidentified.  The family was raised in the French Lake, Sunbury County area and property records confirm this.  An early grant map shows one of the roads leading into French Lake was named Mills Road.  William Mills, Nancy’s father is buried in the Geary, NB cemetery.   Most of what I have gleaned has come from Sunbury County Census and Land Registry Records in New Brunswick and earlier in Nova Scotia.

The Unknown Mills Descendent

This soldier may have served in the, 2nd Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers a battalion that was raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey in 1777 who after the war received grants along the St John River when the regiment was disbanded for their service of the King. [i]  the  following records suggest that the Mills family did receive grants in this area:

The 2nd Battalion New Jersey Volunteers had petitioned for grants of land during the period following the end of the war.   In 1784, William Mills and Isaac Mills were part of  a group of grantees described as:

New Jersey Volunteers – 2nd Battalion. For the Warrant to Survey, Surveyor’s Report and List see: Manuscript Documents, vol. 409, Doc. 146 and 146b. Surveyor’s certificate. Draft Grant: 38,450 acres. Township of Sunbury. On the southern side of the River St. John. Bounded in part by land granted Major Lockeman, County of Sunbury[ii]

By 1790 additional grants were recorded to the Mills families.

Grant No. 221 records John Mills Sr, John Mills Jr, and William Mills as grantees in property in Burton and Lincoln Parish on June 14, 1790.

In the 1851 Census,  James Mills b. 1796 and Samuel Mills b. 1808 appear  living one house apart.

By working backwards from the 1851 Census, using Loyalist Grant Records and mapping the census locations subsequent to 1851 I believe that James and Samuel are likely  brothers and descendants of  Loyalist William Mills.

The Historical Index at the New Brunswick Land Registry Data base from 1776-1876 indicates a deed in Burton where James Mills Sr. granted 50 acres of land in Burton  to Samuel Mills[iii]. There is a second deed where James Mills granted 50 acres of land in Burton to James Mills Jr[iv].  This suggests they have a common father from whom they received  their property which is on record in the 1851 census.

[i] History of 2nd Battalion New Jersey Volunteers http://www.royalprovincial.com/military/rhist/njv/2njvhist.htm Accessed July 23, 2013.

[ii] Nova Scotia Land Papers 1765-1800 Nova Scotia Archives.   Accessed July 28, 2013. http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/landpapers/archives.asp?ID=198&Doc=certificate

[iii] Consolidated Index New Brunswick Land Registry Database.  Accessed July 31,2013.  Deed Book M(14) page 174.

[iv] Consolidated Index New Brunswick Land Registry Database.  Accessed July 31,2013.  Deed Book P(17)) page 201.

Herbert Arthur Wall, Able Seaman Royal Navy WWI

Posted on by under The Wall's

Herbert Arthur Wall, Able Seaman, Royal Navy

His Royal Navy Records states he was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England on September 9, 1884. According to his son Charles, Herbert was an orphan and told him he never knew who his parents were.  [ii]   The 1891 Census for Wales lists Herbert Wall as a visitor with the George Hartland family and he is still living with the Hartland’s in 1901.  During this time he must have apprenticed as a shoemaker since his Naval Records state this as his occupation upon enlisting.

What is most interesting is that on his Royal Navy Records he states his year of birth as 9 Sept1884, however in subsequent records he states his year of birth is 1885.  That date he inlisted in the Royal Navy was also 9 Sept. 1902. It has been suggested that perhaps this allowed him to join the Navy one year before he was of age.  In addition, in subsequent records he states he was born in Bristol, Somerset and in Pontypridd and Cardiff, Wales. This may suggest that he did not know exactly where he was born or learned more as he grew older.

I have found a record for Herbert Arthur Wall, parents John Wall, a Carpenter and Charlotte Sexton his mother.  The registration of birth was made by Charlotte and states Herbert was born 15 Sept. 1885 in Cardiff, Wales.  Since Herbert lived in Wales with the Hartlands’, Cardiff seems to be the logical place where he was born.  When Edwin Wall, Herbert’s grandson had his Ancestry DNA completed there was a clear relationship between him and the Wall’s of Wedmore Somerset, England as well as the Binnings’ of the same area. This clearly suggests that  his father was likely John Wall (1845-1890), son of John Wall (1796-1891)  and Janetta Binning (1806-1868).

John Wall (1845-1890), the assumed father of Herbert, may have left home early because he doesn’t show up in the census records for the family, although his birth record is clear.   There is very little verifiable information about his life, until his death in 1890.  There are a number of John Walls who were servants in the homes of others between 1861 and 1881 who appear to be about the right age.  At this time I cannot find any evidence of a marriage between John Wall and Charlotte Sexton.  Perhaps the reason Herbert did know know his parentage was because he was born out of wedlock and at some point he went to live with the Hartland family.

There is nothing known of Herbert’s childhood, however, Herbert’s naval records indicate he was 18 years old (probably only 17) when he enlisted in 1902 and that prior to joining the navy he was a shoemaker.[iii]  His record describes him as 5’5″, with blue eyes and a “fresh” complexion.  No distinguishing marks were recorded. Herbert served on a number of ships and navy cruisers over the years.

Based on his Naval records[iv], Herbert received his basic training on the HMS Impregnable, the Royal Navy training ship located at Devonport.    Herbert served on many ships during his service, however, from July 1913 to February 1917 the major part of World War I, he served on the HMS EXMOUTH a fighting ship and part of the 6th Grand Fleet at the outbreak of the war. From April 1916 to February 1917 the EXMOUTH  was located in the  Mediterranean and South Africa.

His record indicates he transferred to the HMS Redbreast on February 10, 1917, an ” 805 ton fleet messenger.   The Exmouth’s log[vi] indicates that 12  ratings and 1 prisoner were transferred to the Redbreast on July 8, 1917. This appears consistent with Herbert’s service record.   The HMS Redbreast was torpedoed in the eastern Mediterranean on 15 July 1917.  REDBREAST, 15th July 1917, Mediterranean – sunk by German coastal minelayer “UC-38”. Q-ship “Redbreast” (naval fleet messenger, 1,300grt, 1908) was allocated to the Senior Naval Officer Malta for operations as a Special Service ship; her complement and casualties are not known.   Herbert’s naval record indicates he left the Redbreast on 21 July 1917.  Since this was a personnel and supply ship it is likely other ships were nearby to facilitate a rescue.

An alternative explanation lies in the term above “Q” ship.  Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Their codename referred to the vessels’ homeport, Queenstown in Ireland. These became known by the Germans as a U-Boot-Falle (“U-boat trap”). A Q-ship would appear to be an easy target, but in fact, carried hidden armaments. A typical Q-ship might resemble a tramp steamer sailing alone in an area where a U-boat was reported to be operating. By seeming to be a suitable target for the U-boat’s deck gun, a Q-ship might encourage the U-boat captain to make a surface attack rather than use one of his limited number of torpedoes. The Q-ships’ cargoes were light wood (balsa or cork) or wooden caskets, and even if torpedoed they would remain afloat, encouraging the U-boat to surface and sink them with a deck gun. The crew might even pretend to “abandon ship”. Once the U-boat was vulnerable, the Q-ship’s panels would drop to reveal the deck guns, which would immediately open fire. At the same time, the White Ensign the Royal Navy Flag would be raised. With the element of surprise, a U-boat could be quickly overwhelmed.

Individuals serving on these ships would be seen as merchant seaman which is a term Charles Wall, Herbert’s son used to describe the work his Father did in the Royal Navy.  So it is possible that when he was assigned to the Redbreast he was posing as a merchant seaman but was there to destroy U boats.  His service on the Redbreast was described in his Naval Record as “superior”.  Herbert’s son, Charles told his children that he was a Merchant Seaman during the war, which would also add to the explanation.

Marriage to Ethel Mary Pope

Herbert was 27 years old when he married Ethel M. Pope in St. Austell, Cornwall, England on March 14, 1911.[viii]    Throughout the war Ethel lived in East Newlyn, Cornwall.  Herbert was away from the family for long stretches of time.  Ethel was used to the lonely life of a sailor’s wife.  The following dates are from his service record when he was assigned to Vivid or Vivid 1 which is basically an accounting base or nominal ship that one was assigned to when ashore. The Vivids’ indicated accounting bases at Devonport.   The record gives us a glimpse at how infrequently he was home with his family from the time of his marriage and that for the majority of the war he was at sea.  I am certain when they married that this was not how they imagined the years from 1913-1917 to work out.

  •  Vivid = February 15 to March 17, 1911 —  note he was married on March 14, 1911,
  • ­ Vivid I =February 22 to June 30, 1913 — this was just before he shipped out on the Exmouth on July 1, 1913, where he spent the majority of WWI.
  • ­ Vivid I = July 22 to September 25, 1917- this followed the sinking of the Redbreast.
  • ­ October 18, 1921, to February 9, 1924 – this followed his service on the HMS Tiger until September 26, 1917[ix],

Additionally, Herbert served on the Tiger from September 26, 1917 to October 17, 1921 when he likely spent additional time ashore during this period [x].

Herbert left the Navy and was pensioned in September 1924.  The family lived in Newquay with daughter Sylvia born in 1911, Ada in 1920, and Charles, my father-in-law,  born in 1923.   In 1926 the family left England and arrived in Halifax.  The family obtained land near Glassville, New Brunswick, through the Soldier’s settlement board. [xi]  He again took up the shoemakers trade in New Brunswick.  Charles[xii], his son remembers him leaving Glassville on a bicycle to Saint John to buy leather for making shoes.

Herbert had served in the Great War in the Royal Navy and when the Second World War broke out on September 6, 1939, he joined the Canadian Navy and worked in the canteen in Saint John, NB according to Charles, his son.   In 1941 while still enlisted he died of cancer of the liver.  He is buried in a military cemetery in Halifax. [xiii]

Primary Sources

[i] Letter from Lillian Bambury, daughter of Richard Pope, Devon, Plymouth England. Summer 2000

[iii] Naval Service Record, the PRO, Great Britain

[iv]Copy of Royal Naval Record Able Seaman Herbert Wall, # 214648 Devonport.

[viii]  Marriage Certificate 6/10/01

[xi] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000.

[xii] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000

[xiii] Conversation with Charles Wall, April 23, 2000.

Secondary Sources

The Tiger

Beginning in January 1917, Tiger uneventfully patrolled the North Sea, as both fleets were essentially forbidden to risk any more losses. She provided support for British light forces involved in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight on 17 November 1917, but never came within range of any German forces.  Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1913)  Accessed July 15, 2013

[x] ” ”Tiger” remained in service with the Royal Navy after the Armistice with Germany and she had a flying-off platform added on ‘B’ turret’s roof in 1919. The ship collided with the battleship HMS|Royal Sovereign in late 1920 while assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.  “Tiger” survived the culling of older capital ships following the Washington Naval although she was placed in reserve on 22 August 1921.  The ship was refitted in March 1922 and on 14 February 1924, ”Tiger” was recommissioned and became a seagoing training ship, a role she served in throughout the 1920s.[x]

Redbreast

Some sites indicate there were no casualties when the Redbreast sank while others state there were 44.  This site indicated the number of casualties unknown.  http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishQships.htm   Accessed July 16, 2013.

William James Brennan, Canadian Expeditionary Force, WW1

Posted on by under The Brennan's

Will and Clara (Stockley) Brennan

Will and Clara (Stockley) Brennan

William James Brennan, Canadian Expeditionary Force, WWI

He was baptized William, on January 23, 1884, just four days after his birth at the Church of The Immaculate Conception in Saint John, New Brunswick.  The record for that day stands out from all others on the page, because the priest in documenting and therefore legalizing his birth, first wrote in his parents names and then drew a single line through both the name of his mother and his father and wrote instead, “of unknown parents”[i].

The baby, who was blessed by the church was my grandfather, William (Will) James Brennan. These records do tell us that his father was a protestant and his mother a catholic and that their firsts names were John and Jane.  Their family names are illegible and any insight who his biological parents were has been lost.  It is likely that his mother was Irish and from the Brussels St. area or the Lower Cove loop area where many Irish Immigrants lived at that time[ii].  See my most recent post, “Who is John Vose?”

We do know, however that William was adopted by James and Sarah Brennan.  So we will begin with what we know,  James Brennan, Will’s adopted father,  came to Saint John as a young man and worked for a time as a ship’s laborer and was vice-president of the Ship Laborer’s Union. [iii]    Sarah and James were married in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on August 1, 1871; just one day after Sarah Jane Proud converted to Catholicism.[iv]   James was born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland in 1843 the son of Patrick and Mary Brennan.[v]  Sarah was born in Saint John in 1845, the daughter of Thomas Proud and Elizabeth Harvey.[vi]  Thomas had emigrated from England years earlier and Elizabeth was from New York.[vii]

In January of 1884, James and Sarah Brennan were into their thirteenth year of a childless marriage. There is no record of the adoption of William by James and Sarah, just the baptism record.  This is a strong connection and suggests that it is most likely that it was through the Church of the Immaculate Conception that William became the adopted son of James and Sarah. The baptism record is a mystery since the parents names are crossed out. It is clear that the first names of the parents are John and Jane. I have always thought the father’s last name was VOSE (pronounced voss as in boss) and the archivist at the Catholic Diocese in Saint John agreed, however my efforts to connect John Vose to the Brennan family was never successful until my husband had his DNA test.

By 1897[ix], James was no longer working as a ships laborer, but had become the proprietor of the Old Reliable Union Hotel located at 184 Union Street not far from Kings Square.  Sarah, James and William lived at the hotel with 3 domestics and approximately 18 roomers for the next 8 years.[x]

Will was sixteen when his mother Sarah died on February 5, 1905. One year after Sarah’s death, Will’s father, James remarried.  His second wife, Margaret Priddle was from Carboneer, Newfoundland.  Their marriage certificate gives both their addresses as Union St., Saint John.  In any event, Will did not; according to one of his daughter’s, get along well with Margaret Priddle.  It was during this time that Will became estranged from the Catholic Church.[xi]  It was also during this time that James, with a reputation for enjoying a drink, lost the Union Hotel in a game of cards according to family lore.[xii]  James died on June 11, 1911 in poverty, his funeral paid for in part by the Saint John Relief Association.[xiii]

Will Brennan,  Canadian Expeditionary Force

Little is known of Will’s early life but his children recall him telling stories of the family’s deep involvement with the Church of the Immaculate Conception including that he served as an alter boy. We know from his service records that he left school at 15, was a certified electrician by trade and was attached  to the 62nd. St. John Fusiliers Militia.[xiv]

 It is likely that Will began spending more and more time with his aunt Susan (Proud) Murphy and her husband Frank after his father’s death[xv].  He was working for the American Light Company in Saint John earning $18.00 per week in 1914.   When World War I broke out, the Dominion of Canada immediately and without hesitation supported the United Kingdom’s declaration of war against Germany and its allies.  War was declared on Germany on August 4, 1914 and Will enlisted in the 12 Battalion on August 10, 1914 at the age of 30 years, 7 months. Like many young men he did not hesitate.

Will’s service record, suggests he was not a formidable man, and somewhat small in stature:  5 ft. 3 1/2 in. tall, with blue eyes, medium complexion and dark brown hair.   It also states he had a number of tattoos: a cross on his chest with “in Memory of Mother”, a shield and crucifix on his left forearm, and the initials W.J.B. on his right forearm.

His attestation papers were completed in Quebec on September 28, 1914. He arrived in England on Oct. 21, 1915 and arrived in France on March 21, 1915 with the 10th Battalion, D. Coy, 15th Platoon, 2nd Infantry Brigade, First Canadian British Expeditionary Force.[xvi]

On September 26, 1916, Will received a gunshot wound to his left hand at the Somme, while fighting near Courcelette.[xvii]  His middle finger was amputated and a portion of bone was removed.  After spending four months in Hospitals overseas, Will sailed from Liverpool for Canada on the SS Scandinavian on January 5, 1917.  He left the MHCC Hospital in Halifax on August 31, 1917 and returned to Saint John.  He received his discharge from the 10th Battalion on January 18, 1918.  Will served overseas for 2 years and 3 months.

Background to Battle of Courcelette

One of the most famous and deadly battles of the War was in France at the Somme.  The four-month Battle of the Somme was fought from 1 July to 18 November 1916.  The Canadians, originally in the Ypres sector, missed the first months of the fighting, but had moved to the Somme by early September.   In the fighting to come, the Canadians would benefit from two tactical innovations: a creeping artillery barrage, and the first employment of tanks in combat.  To assist with cutting barbed wire and silencing enemy machine guns, seven tanks, or armored land cruisers, accompanied the Canadians in their first major battle at Courcelette on 15 September. Mechanically unreliable and as slow as a walking person, tanks nonetheless struck fear into the enemy, many of whom surrendered when the tanks first appeared.  With the new artillery barrage, tanks, and a carefully prepared infantry attack, the Canadians captured the ruined village of Courcelette on 15 September. Despite thousands of casualties, it was a victory, one of the few for Allied forces on the Somme. Further attacks through September and October were just as costly but less successful. Operations against Desire Trench and Regina Trench, to the north of Courcelette, were grinding affairs where soldiers attacked and counterattacked repeatedly over the same ground, and always under heavy enemy fire.

The capture of the ruined town of Courcelette, France on 15 September 1916 was a significant Canadian victory. It was also the first time tanks were used in battle.

Primary Sources

[i] Church of The Immaculate Conception, 1884 Cathedral Records (From the Bound Original), Saint John NB  p. 572  B. 25

[ii] Murphy, Peter (1997) “Poor Ignorant Children:  A great Resource” Masters Thesis. St. Mary’s University.  States “Neighbourhoods within the city came to be dominated by natives of a single county or parish (for example Saint John’s King’s and Sydney Wards became respectively Cork and Louth enclaves). While this process of “chain-migration” provided a social safety net for those involved, it tended to encourage a profoundly clannish sense of community which was exclusive even of other Irish Catholic immigrants.”

[iii] Saint John Globe, Monday, June 12, 1911, Obituary, James Brennan.

[iv] Church of the Immaculate Conception,

[v] Registration of Marriage James Brennan to Margaret Priddle (second wife) January 8, 1906 (PANB: F15921 #1257)

[vi] Burial Permit Saint John Board of Health, Feb 6, 1905, No. 318.

[vii] Church of Immaculate Conception Genealogy Binder

[viii] Conversation with Lydia Jukes, Will Brennan’s daughter, March 2000.

[ix] This is the first time he is listed as proprietor in the Saint John City Directory.

[x] 1901 Saint John County Census, Saint John City

[xi] Conversation with Grace McCallum, Jean St. Saint John, NB.

[xii] Conversation with Grace McCallum, Jean St. Saint John, NB. Some say he won the hotel in a game of cards, others say he lost it.

[xiii] Fitzpatrick Funeral Home Records, Saint John Pubic Library Microfilm F 11985, pg. 189.

[xiv] Service Records, National Archives of Canada, William James Brennan, Reg. No. 22709

[xv]  Sarah Jane Proud and Susan Alice Proud were sisters who were born almost a generation apart. Sarah was born around 1848, while Susan was not born until 1872.

[xvi] Last Will and Testament of William J. Brennan, Reg. No. 22709

[xvii] Medical History of Invalid, National Archives of Canada, William Brennan, Reg. No. 22709

Secondary Sources:

Historic Details for this section were obtained from:  http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/guerre/courcelette-e.aspx   Accessed July 16, 2013.