When I was ordering my great-grandad’s birth record from the GRO, I noticed that it was almost his birthday! He was born 116 years ago on this day, in a place called Newton-In-Makerfield, now known as Newton-Le-Willows, at 11 Liverpool Row (1).  This street was part of a housing project for the Vulcan Foundry (there’s an old picture of one of the streets if you scroll down here (2)). Given that his dad was a blacksmith at the time, it makes sense that he would be working at the Foundry, and indeed, I believe I found a picture of him on this website of Smiths and Strikers taken in 1901(3). Here’s another great site to learn about Newton history (4).

He was baptized at Emmanuel Church, located in nearby Wargrave (5)

Bert was the middle child of 3 siblings. I have admired this picture of the three of them since I was a kid.

In 1911, Bert’s dad Alfred decided to come to Canada. The rest of the family followed shortly after. Shortly after that, Bert’s mother died.

Alfred remarried, and not long after that, enlisted to fight in WWI. The children were sent back to live with family in England. They returned to Canada after the war. Alfred and his new wife had 5 children together, who looked up to Bert.

As a young man Bert enjoyed spending time with his friends, going to dances and enjoying the outdoors. He didn’t have much formal education, but he loved to read. Here is is in a costume he made for one of the parties he went to.

He met his future wife Ethel at a Policeman’s athletic ball, and together they enjoyed the outdoors.

In April of 1927, Bert took Ethel out for a canoe ride and proposed while the Victrola played their favourite songs.

They got married at St. Thomas Church (pictured below) on 21 May, 1927 (12).

At the beginning of their marriage they lived at the Winnipeg Swim Club, which is where they started their family.

One winter, there was a tax sale for a piece of property. The white snow covering the property was a blank slate for the two dreamers. They bought the property and proceeded to build a house.

But life sometimes has other plans, and the property flooded twice, first in 1948, then in 1950. The 1950 flood carried their house down the river.

But they rebuilt.

They worked hard on their property, creating beauty from nothing, building gardens, planting trees and growing plants. Bert would fall asleep reading seed catalogs.

Their property was a place for all of their family to gather, from Bert’s siblings and their children to his own children and grandchildren. He had a beautiful Hudson’s Bay Company coat he would wear each Christmas to pass out presents.

He retired from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1968 after 48 years of work.

He and his wife loved to travel. They often took road trips to visit family in California. They were also fortunate enough to travel to England to visit Bert’s family there.

I never knew my great-grandfather, but I love how his memory continues to live on through stories and pictures. Happy Birthday, Bert!

---

1 England, General Register Office, PDF copy for an entry of birth for Herbert, born 30 September 1903, registered October quarter 1903; a copy of an entry in the certified copy of register of births in the registration district of Newton in Makerfield, Warrington.

2 Newton and Earlestown Community Group, Newton-le-Willows Heritage Trail (http://www.newtonheritagetrail.com/#/vulcan-works/ : accessed 28 September 2019), “Vulcan Works.”

3 Graeme Pilkington, Vulcan Foundry (http://enuii.com/vulcan_foundry/photographs/staff/group/by%20year.htm : accessed 28 September 2019), “Vulcan Foundry Staff Group Photographs.”

4 Steven Dowd, Newton Heritage (https://www.newton-le-willows.com : accessed 28 September 2019).

5 John Lord,  “Emmanuel, Wargrave, the parish church of Newton-in-Makerfield,” Geograph (https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3054718 : accessed 20 September 2019).

6 Emily, Billy and Bert, photograph ca. 1906; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

7 Emily, Alfred, Billy and Bert in the front, photograph ca. 1914; digital image ca. 2018, Privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

8 Bert the Harlequin, photograph ca. 1925; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec. 2019. Bert’s daughter told me in April 2016 that he made the costume himself.

9 Ethel and Bert Snowshoe, photograph ca. 1926; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

10 Ethel and Bert on Roof, photograph ca. 1926; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

12 Manitoba, marriage certificate 987 (1927), Herbert and Ethel (married 21 May 1927, filed 20 June 1927); Manitoba Vital Statistics, Winnipeg.

11 Ethel and Bert on Roof, photograph ca. April 1927; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

13 Aikman, “St. Matthew’s Maryland Christian Centre.” St. Matthew’s Anglican Church. Winnipeg Tribune Photo Collection. University of Manitoba Archives (http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/tribune/photographs/display_photo.php?id=2658 : accessed 21 September 2019).

14 Gilbert in a Canoe, photograph ca. 1928; digital image ca. 2018, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

15 Winter Landscape, cropped photograph ca. April 1960; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

16 1950 Flooded House, photograph ca. 1950; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019. On the back of the picture it is written:

“You can see where the boys took

out the big window to take the

furniture out in the boats.

Gilbert went thru the window in

his canoe later Thats a little

greenhouse on the front in which

we had some seedlings, we saved

some + lost a few. We are going

to get the place stuccoed this yr”

 

17 Rebuilding House, photograph ca. 1951; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

18 New House, photograph ca. 1951; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

19 Christmas Bert, photograph ca. 1965; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

20 Bert, Retirement Program, ca. 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba;  digital image 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.

21 Bert Birthday, cropped photograph ca. 1975; digital image ca. 2017, privately held by Jennifer Wiebe, Montreal, Quebec, 2019.