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JaneyCanuck,

You've been a great help, if im ever in Canada i will certainly try Stoneys, although ive never travelled further than Spain!

Best Wishes
Tina

Aha.

RCHA Brigade Association
193 Ontario Street
Kingston ON
Canada K7L 2Y7


One website says "above Stoney's". I had dinner there last summer. ;)

We keep crossing in the post, and I keep forgetting to say you're welcome!

There is an RCHA Brigade Association but I'm having a hard time finding out how to contact it ... It seems to be based in Kingston, Ontario.

http://www.artillery.net/new/hergunkingstonrcha25pdr.html

Aha, a discussion board:

http://www.artillery.net/forum/index.php

If you look under "Last Post", a user named Vancouver Gunner, a Lt. Col., is an administrator. The forum "The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery" has queries along your line. There are many references to the RCHA in the forums (there's a search function).


I'd tell your friend to give that a try, anyhow!

Janey Canuck,

Brilliant, thank you, it will give us something to go on, i will have a look at the website, maybe they even have a contact email address. Now we know he was in C company it gives us a starting point.

Kind Regards
Tina

The RCHA has a website:

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/1RCHA/

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/1RCHA/history_e.asp

and you might consider inquiring about any records there might be.


"Between the First and Second World Wars the batteries were employed in training of the Militia artillery units. The RCHA Brigade represented the only three permanent artillery batteries and had its headquarters with A and B Batteries at Kingston and **C Battery at the Fort Osborne Barracks in Winnipeg**."

That might give you a bit of an idea of the timing of that letter you had -- between the two WWs!

JaneyCanuck,

At least you tried and i thank you for your time. I doubt Frank was in Canada in WW1 so he either enlisted between the wars or joined up in WW2.

Thanks once again
Tina

http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php

(scroll down to the search form)

I looked for a death for each name, but deaths too are only searchable up to 70 years ago, so I found nothing.


The Canadian Legion publishes death notices for veterans whose deaths come to their attention.

http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/lastpost/

There are two Frank Bakers in the index, but the timing is wrong for both of them.


One would think he was old for WWII, but I checked the Virtual War Memorial for a war death:

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem

and found none.


Also tried WWI enrolments, in case he had joined up in Canada -- for some reason, many British men did:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-100.01-e.php

There are numerous Franks, but I don't see a match right off -- you might want to browse the 27 results; the original papers can be viewed, and give next of kin names. Doesn't look hopeful, though.


FindMyPast does give this result on a search for Frank Baker traveling with Mary Baker, 1920-1950:

BAKER F 1891 M 1920 Liverpool Canada Saint John NB

But the corresponding search for Mary travelling with Frank in 1920, produces no results ...

http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action

Hmm.

BAKER May 1892 F 1923 Liverpool Canada Saint John NB



All in all, not a lot of help.

Hi JaneyCanuck,

I agree wholeheartedly, but if you do find anything it would be a big help as my friend Helen doesnt know much about her great Aunt, shes just a name on a family tree with a black and white photograph, and Helen wanted to know more about her, Mary Ellen was born in a workhouse, it would be nice to know she had a long and happy life after her marriage.

Regards
Tina

Unfortunately (for researchers), Tina, birth records in Canadian provinces are generally not available for 100 years, so any births to your couple fall into that black hole.

(I don't consider it unfortunate myself -- I think the practice of publishing the detailed records of the births of living people is an appalling violation of privacy!)

I'll poke around a bit now and see whether there are any other kinds of records I can find that might help you ...

n

Im trying to find some information about my friends family, she has found an old letter addressed to her great Aunt and wondered if anyone can help with her search.

The name and address on the letter is
Mrs F Baker, RCHA, Fort Osborne Barracks, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Im afraid there is no date on the letter. We figured out RCHA is the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

Mrs Baker is Mary Ellen Pittam (known as Nellie) b. 1891 in Kings Norton Warwickshire. She married Frank Ernest Hill Baker in Towcester Northamptionshire in 1920, he was born in 1887 in Northamptonshire. We dont know if they had any children.

They must have emigrated after their marriage in 1920, if anyone can find any records in Canada it would help us out tremendously.

Thanks Tina