Harry Walker was born in Nelson, Lancashire England to John Walker and Alice Rosetta Porrett. He was their only son, they had five daughters. Alice, Lily, Edna, Hetta and Mabel.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Sarah Banks on July 23rd, 1908. They had a daughter Doreen in 1909 and a year or so later a son, Donald came along. Donald was sickly, he didn't handle respiratory problems well at all. He was up all night coughing and choking and after a couple of years of this their family doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to emigrate to Canada where the air was cleaner then the air in Northern Britain with all it's Cotton Mills and heavy pollution. Foulridge, Colne and Nelson were major mill areas at that time.
On January 17th, 1913 they set sail for Canada on the R.M.S. Hesperian from Liverpool. Tragedy struck almost immediately. Doreen then 4 years old couldn't tolerate the Sea Sickness and died only two days out in the North Atlantic on January 19th. She was buried the same day at sea which left her confused and hurt parents reeling from grief. Harry, Mary and Donald arrived in Quebec City scared and alone. Mary was again pregnant carrying their third child.
They traveled by train to Montreal, then traveled again to Valleyfield where there were large cotton mills. They both got work because of their previous Cotton Weaving experience and settled in Coteau-Landing close by where their 3rd child John (Jack) was born.
They weren't in Canada very long before WWI broke out in Europe, Mary didn't want Harry to go and leave her alone in this new country with no family around, however both realised that Harry couldn't hold out long and he joined up with the Canadian Forces in 1915 and shipped overseas. When he left Mary was again pregnant with their 4th child Enid. They wrote each other constantly, Harry fighting the Great War and Mary fighting to keep her family together and healthy on the home front.
Harry was wounded by a mustard gas attack during the war which affected him the rest of his short life. He had major health problems after his return, especially respiratory. He could never work in a Mill again, he simply couldn't breath in an enclosed space. He worked outdoors tending gardens the rest of his life. During the war Mary had moved the family to Lachine which was a larger city and had a larger English speaking population. Harry found work with The Dominion Bridge Company planting and tending to their gardens on their grounds and at the Lachine Canel locks. They had three more children after WWI, Archie, Robert and Mary (Betty) and times were always very tough. Harry played the organ and both were extremely active in all choir activities at their Church, Grace United. They both worked very hard helping war veterans, and Harry was one of the founders of the Lakeshore Veteran's Association.
He collapsed at work on a July 4th Monday morning and was rushed to the Lachine General hospital where he died from a massive stroke at 5:45pm Tuesday July 5th. He was only 49 years old. His youngest child was 8 years old. His daughter Enid was so grief stricken that she gave birth to her first child, a son, a month early on July 9th. She named him Harry Walker Theriault.
Mary never remarried and was never interested in finding a new love. She said she had loved Harry her whole life and would love him until she could be with him again.
Just a footnote: R.M.S. Hesperian was a doomed ship. She buried little Doreen and only 2 years later on September 4th, 1915 was sunk to the bottom of the Irish Sea by U20, the same sub and Captain that had sunk the Lusitania. Thirty-Two more lives were lost, mostly women and children.
The family of Harry Walker would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Edda Meinikat for sponsoring this memorial, thank you Edda, you are a gem!
He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Sarah Banks on July 23rd, 1908. They had a daughter Doreen in 1909 and a year or so later a son, Donald came along. Donald was sickly, he didn't handle respiratory problems well at all. He was up all night coughing and choking and after a couple of years of this their family doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to emigrate to Canada where the air was cleaner then the air in Northern Britain with all it's Cotton Mills and heavy pollution. Foulridge, Colne and Nelson were major mill areas at that time.
On January 17th, 1913 they set sail for Canada on the R.M.S. Hesperian from Liverpool. Tragedy struck almost immediately. Doreen then 4 years old couldn't tolerate the Sea Sickness and died only two days out in the North Atlantic on January 19th. She was buried the same day at sea which left her confused and hurt parents reeling from grief. Harry, Mary and Donald arrived in Quebec City scared and alone. Mary was again pregnant carrying their third child.
They traveled by train to Montreal, then traveled again to Valleyfield where there were large cotton mills. They both got work because of their previous Cotton Weaving experience and settled in Coteau-Landing close by where their 3rd child John (Jack) was born.
They weren't in Canada very long before WWI broke out in Europe, Mary didn't want Harry to go and leave her alone in this new country with no family around, however both realised that Harry couldn't hold out long and he joined up with the Canadian Forces in 1915 and shipped overseas. When he left Mary was again pregnant with their 4th child Enid. They wrote each other constantly, Harry fighting the Great War and Mary fighting to keep her family together and healthy on the home front.
Harry was wounded by a mustard gas attack during the war which affected him the rest of his short life. He had major health problems after his return, especially respiratory. He could never work in a Mill again, he simply couldn't breath in an enclosed space. He worked outdoors tending gardens the rest of his life. During the war Mary had moved the family to Lachine which was a larger city and had a larger English speaking population. Harry found work with The Dominion Bridge Company planting and tending to their gardens on their grounds and at the Lachine Canel locks. They had three more children after WWI, Archie, Robert and Mary (Betty) and times were always very tough. Harry played the organ and both were extremely active in all choir activities at their Church, Grace United. They both worked very hard helping war veterans, and Harry was one of the founders of the Lakeshore Veteran's Association.
He collapsed at work on a July 4th Monday morning and was rushed to the Lachine General hospital where he died from a massive stroke at 5:45pm Tuesday July 5th. He was only 49 years old. His youngest child was 8 years old. His daughter Enid was so grief stricken that she gave birth to her first child, a son, a month early on July 9th. She named him Harry Walker Theriault.
Mary never remarried and was never interested in finding a new love. She said she had loved Harry her whole life and would love him until she could be with him again.
Just a footnote: R.M.S. Hesperian was a doomed ship. She buried little Doreen and only 2 years later on September 4th, 1915 was sunk to the bottom of the Irish Sea by U20, the same sub and Captain that had sunk the Lusitania. Thirty-Two more lives were lost, mostly women and children.
The family of Harry Walker would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Edda Meinikat for sponsoring this memorial, thank you Edda, you are a gem!
Harry Walker was born in Nelson, Lancashire England to John Walker and Alice Rosetta Porrett. He was their only son, they had five daughters. Alice, Lily, Edna, Hetta and Mabel.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Sarah Banks on July 23rd, 1908. They had a daughter Doreen in 1909 and a year or so later a son, Donald came along. Donald was sickly, he didn't handle respiratory problems well at all. He was up all night coughing and choking and after a couple of years of this their family doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to emigrate to Canada where the air was cleaner then the air in Northern Britain with all it's Cotton Mills and heavy pollution. Foulridge, Colne and Nelson were major mill areas at that time.
On January 17th, 1913 they set sail for Canada on the R.M.S. Hesperian from Liverpool. Tragedy struck almost immediately. Doreen then 4 years old couldn't tolerate the Sea Sickness and died only two days out in the North Atlantic on January 19th. She was buried the same day at sea which left her confused and hurt parents reeling from grief. Harry, Mary and Donald arrived in Quebec City scared and alone. Mary was again pregnant carrying their third child.
They traveled by train to Montreal, then traveled again to Valleyfield where there were large cotton mills. They both got work because of their previous Cotton Weaving experience and settled in Coteau-Landing close by where their 3rd child John (Jack) was born.
They weren't in Canada very long before WWI broke out in Europe, Mary didn't want Harry to go and leave her alone in this new country with no family around, however both realised that Harry couldn't hold out long and he joined up with the Canadian Forces in 1915 and shipped overseas. When he left Mary was again pregnant with their 4th child Enid. They wrote each other constantly, Harry fighting the Great War and Mary fighting to keep her family together and healthy on the home front.
Harry was wounded by a mustard gas attack during the war which affected him the rest of his short life. He had major health problems after his return, especially respiratory. He could never work in a Mill again, he simply couldn't breath in an enclosed space. He worked outdoors tending gardens the rest of his life. During the war Mary had moved the family to Lachine which was a larger city and had a larger English speaking population. Harry found work with The Dominion Bridge Company planting and tending to their gardens on their grounds and at the Lachine Canel locks. They had three more children after WWI, Archie, Robert and Mary (Betty) and times were always very tough. Harry played the organ and both were extremely active in all choir activities at their Church, Grace United. They both worked very hard helping war veterans, and Harry was one of the founders of the Lakeshore Veteran's Association.
He collapsed at work on a July 4th Monday morning and was rushed to the Lachine General hospital where he died from a massive stroke at 5:45pm Tuesday July 5th. He was only 49 years old. His youngest child was 8 years old. His daughter Enid was so grief stricken that she gave birth to her first child, a son, a month early on July 9th. She named him Harry Walker Theriault.
Mary never remarried and was never interested in finding a new love. She said she had loved Harry her whole life and would love him until she could be with him again.
Just a footnote: R.M.S. Hesperian was a doomed ship. She buried little Doreen and only 2 years later on September 4th, 1915 was sunk to the bottom of the Irish Sea by U20, the same sub and Captain that had sunk the Lusitania. Thirty-Two more lives were lost, mostly women and children.
The family of Harry Walker would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Edda Meinikat for sponsoring this memorial, thank you Edda, you are a gem!
He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Sarah Banks on July 23rd, 1908. They had a daughter Doreen in 1909 and a year or so later a son, Donald came along. Donald was sickly, he didn't handle respiratory problems well at all. He was up all night coughing and choking and after a couple of years of this their family doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to emigrate to Canada where the air was cleaner then the air in Northern Britain with all it's Cotton Mills and heavy pollution. Foulridge, Colne and Nelson were major mill areas at that time.
On January 17th, 1913 they set sail for Canada on the R.M.S. Hesperian from Liverpool. Tragedy struck almost immediately. Doreen then 4 years old couldn't tolerate the Sea Sickness and died only two days out in the North Atlantic on January 19th. She was buried the same day at sea which left her confused and hurt parents reeling from grief. Harry, Mary and Donald arrived in Quebec City scared and alone. Mary was again pregnant carrying their third child.
They traveled by train to Montreal, then traveled again to Valleyfield where there were large cotton mills. They both got work because of their previous Cotton Weaving experience and settled in Coteau-Landing close by where their 3rd child John (Jack) was born.
They weren't in Canada very long before WWI broke out in Europe, Mary didn't want Harry to go and leave her alone in this new country with no family around, however both realised that Harry couldn't hold out long and he joined up with the Canadian Forces in 1915 and shipped overseas. When he left Mary was again pregnant with their 4th child Enid. They wrote each other constantly, Harry fighting the Great War and Mary fighting to keep her family together and healthy on the home front.
Harry was wounded by a mustard gas attack during the war which affected him the rest of his short life. He had major health problems after his return, especially respiratory. He could never work in a Mill again, he simply couldn't breath in an enclosed space. He worked outdoors tending gardens the rest of his life. During the war Mary had moved the family to Lachine which was a larger city and had a larger English speaking population. Harry found work with The Dominion Bridge Company planting and tending to their gardens on their grounds and at the Lachine Canel locks. They had three more children after WWI, Archie, Robert and Mary (Betty) and times were always very tough. Harry played the organ and both were extremely active in all choir activities at their Church, Grace United. They both worked very hard helping war veterans, and Harry was one of the founders of the Lakeshore Veteran's Association.
He collapsed at work on a July 4th Monday morning and was rushed to the Lachine General hospital where he died from a massive stroke at 5:45pm Tuesday July 5th. He was only 49 years old. His youngest child was 8 years old. His daughter Enid was so grief stricken that she gave birth to her first child, a son, a month early on July 9th. She named him Harry Walker Theriault.
Mary never remarried and was never interested in finding a new love. She said she had loved Harry her whole life and would love him until she could be with him again.
Just a footnote: R.M.S. Hesperian was a doomed ship. She buried little Doreen and only 2 years later on September 4th, 1915 was sunk to the bottom of the Irish Sea by U20, the same sub and Captain that had sunk the Lusitania. Thirty-Two more lives were lost, mostly women and children.
The family of Harry Walker would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Edda Meinikat for sponsoring this memorial, thank you Edda, you are a gem!
