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Record #17542

Name :: : Stephen DUCKHOUSE (1897 - 1917)
Father: :
Mother: :

BMD and other details

Date of Birth: : 27 Mar 1897
Marriage (1): :
Marriage (2): :
Date of Death: : 14 Aug 1917

Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland

Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialFrance, Pas de Calais

Sailing Information

Date of Arrival: : 18 Mar 1910
Country: : Canada
Ship: : Tunisian
Placement Family: : McPhail

Homes / Agencys

Institution (GB): :
Agency: : Barnardos

NotesService Number: 784602
Age: 20
Force: Army
Unit: Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment)
Division: 87th Bn.

Thursday, September, 26, 2013 - 5:05:21 PM
Brenda Jefferies, Review staff
{website}flamboroughreview.com/community/history-resonates-at-freelton-farm/
Brenda Jefferies, Review staff
Ivan and Ruth McPhail and their family welcomed descendants of Stephen Dukchouse to their Regional Rd. 97 farm earlier this month. Posed around the trunk that belonged to Stephen are (clockwise from top right) Mr. and Mrs. McPhail, Pam Halstead, Jill Williams, John McPhail, Margaret McPhail, Sarah McPhail, Michael McPhail, Susan McPhail, Jane King and Cherie Batista.
History resonates at Freelton farm
By Brenda Jefferies, Review staff
More than a century ago, an 11-year-old boy on the last leg of a journey that crossed the ocean and half of Canada made his way up the long lane to the McPhail family homestead near Freelton. With him, he carried all of his worldly possessions in a sturdy wooden trunk.
On a warm Sunday afternoon in September 2013 two families, one British and one Canadian, gathered on the steps of the same farmhouse, now owned by the fifth generation of the family, Ivan and Ruth. The trunk, a physical symbol of the bond created by their shared history, was nestled between three generations as they posed for a photo.
The boy, born in Birmingham in 1899, was Stephen Duckhouse ? one of six boys in the family. By the end of his first decade, he and his younger brother, Albert, were sent to Dr. Barnardo?s Home and entered into the British Home Child program that between 1869 and the 1940s saw more than 100,000 orphaned and poor children sent off to homes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Stephen and Albert arrived in Halifax together on March 18, 1910, on a ship carrying 270 children. The brothers traveled as far as Toronto together. Albert, then 9, was assigned to a farm in Peterborough, while Stephen came to the homestead of Edgar and Ada McPhail and their young son, John.
?That?s who told me about Stephen Duckhouse,? said Margaret McPhail, who recalls sitting with her grandfather as a young girl, hearing stories and sorting through photos. As well, the trunk bearing the hastily scrawled inscription, ?Steve gave me his trunk when he enlisted and went to war in 1916 ? John McPhail,? has remained in the family.
?So my two sisters and my brother, we grew up with this trunk in the house and we grew up seeing this name,? noted Margaret. ?So this was something we were accustomed to seeing, so it was something we were always aware of.?
Two years ago, Margaret was working on the popular genealogy website ancestry.ca when she entered Stephen?s name into the program.
?I felt a compulsion to include Stephen in the McPhail family tree, because I was concerned that he was going to disappear into the mists of time and be a forgotten soul,? she said. Her research, which included sources such as Toronto Star articles and information from the Flamborough Archives, revealed that Stephen, like many young men of the time, fudged his age and signed up to fight in the First World War in July, 1916; he had his medical exam in Dundas before joining up with the 129th Battalion, which was later rolled into the 87th Battalion. He sailed to England on Aug. 24, 1916.
?Grandpa told me that before Stephen left, he came back and told my great grandma Ada he didn?t know if he?d done the right thing ? he had a second thought?and then off he went,? recalled Margaret.
Records show that Stephen had kept in contact with his mother, and assigned his pay to be sent to her address in Birmingham.
Stephen was amongst 10 soldiers who were captured by Germans at Hill 170 n Lens, France on August 14, 1917. Reports say the men were forced to dig a trench before they were killed and buried inside it. Stephen was 18.
Through ancestry.ca, Margaret found Allan Halstead, who had also posted Stephen?s name. ?I emailed Allan and I said, ?Would your Stephen Duckhouse be our Stephen Duckhouse???
Months later, Allan confirmed they were searching for the same person; by then the story was starting to spread. Allan?s niece Cherie Batista got in touch, looking for more information. By last fall, plans were in the works for Cherie and her mother, Jill, and Allan?s wife, Pam, and their daughter, Jane King ? all direct descendants of Stephen?s older brother Fred ? to come to Canada.
?We knew very little,? Jill said during their visit to the McPhail farm earlier this month. The Birmingham resident recalled her grandmother referring to ?Fred?s brother,? and has a vague memory of her grandmother mentioning Canada. ?She did say he was a young man; that?s as much, really, as I think we knew about him.?
?I didn?t know granddad had a brother who went into a home ? and it turned out he had two brothers who were put into a home ? and I didn?t know they?d been sent to Canada,? added Pam.
?Then when Margaret emailed that terrible story about him during the war, being captured and digging his grave?well when I read that I just burst into tears.?
During their visit, Pam and Jill shared many recollections of their grandfather. Fred Duckhouse was a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery, and was awarded the Star Medal in 1915. The cousins suspect his war experiences ? he returned home from the Battle of the Somme when his young daughter was dying ? along with his memories of Stephen were very painful for him to talk about. ?I don?t think it was something they wanted to dwell on when they came out,? said Jill, describing Fred as a gentle, kind, caring man.
The visitors from England made several stops in Flamborough to honour Stephen?s memory, including at Kirkwall Presbyterian Church to view the plaque dedicated to those who served in the First World War and the stone marker in front of Strabane United Church, which lists Stephen Duckhouse as ?murdered? during the conflict.
?It?s difficult to understand today ? this country, Canada took in this young boy, and he is remembered by not just the family, but in two churches. It?s wonderful really,? said Jill.
At the McPhail farmhouse, history and present day come together as Ivan clears his throat and begins to speak.
?It?s remarkable when you think how many years have gone by, that we?re together,? he begins, addressing his guests. ?I?d like to offer you that trunk, if you care to have it.?
Adds his son, John, ?Our rationale is that it was Stephen?s trunk and he didn?t have any choice at that time ? if you have any interest at all in taking it with you, we?d like you to have it.?
But Jill, Pam, Cherie and Jane all agree: the trunk is exactly where it belongs.
?There are many of us descended from Duckhouse,? Jill said, explaining that while the trunk would be appreciated, the extended family wouldn?t place the same importance on it as the McPhails. ?I think it would be honoured here. We would feel this is the place it needs to be?We can always come back and see it, but I believe that that trunk should remain here, where Stephen left it, I really do.
?The trunk wouldn?t have the same meaning as it does here. It?s in its right place.?
Although both families feel a sense of closure, there is still plenty of work to be done on filling out the Duckhouse family tree. Cherie plans to pursue a PhD and has submitted Stephen?s story to Birmingham University, to positive feedback. Pam and Jill have written to Barnardo?s archives for details on Stephen and Albert; they?re hoping to get back items such as intake photos and information on the McPhail applications, and the applications from the family that received Albert. Margaret, who works for Citizen and Immigration Canada, notes that British Home Child Day is marked in Ontario on Sept. 28. She leaves next week for Birmingham, to visit members of the Duckhouse family.
All of them will continue to search for details to paint a clearer picture of the past.
?I feel the McPhails are honouring Edgar and Ada and John McPhail in finding the Duckhouse family,? said Margaret. ?We?re very pleased that Pam and Jill made the effort to come over here?it?s like closing a circle.?
?Our hope is that sometime in the future, with Margaret?s help, we will find out what happened to young Albert Duckhouse,? said Jill.
?We know he didn?t have such a good experience as Stephen,? added Cherie.

ContributorsCreated : 2012-10-19 11:28:01 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : alanmack

Last Updated : 2015-07-14 12:49:06 /

Family History ResearchersRootsChatters with family connections to Stephen DUCKHOUSE:

alhal

Readers Comments

Surnames starting with: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 65 Entries

Surnames starting with: D »DANC »DAVA »DAVM »DAWS »DEEG »DERR »DICK »DIXO »DONI »DOUS »DREW »DUFF »DUNS » DZZZ

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
25324	DREW, Allison	1882	SCT,	Jun 1897 : Sarmatian	CAN	Quarriers
21718	DREW, Ernest	1884	ENG,	May 1895 : Labrador	CAN	Fegan Homes for Boys
15512	DREW, Ernest Edward	1905	ENG,	Oct 1920 : Scandinavian	CAN	Barnardos
19562	DREW, Francis	1886	ENG,	May 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Annie Macpherson Homes
9481	DREW, Samuel	1884	ENG, , St Germans	Jul 1899 : Lake Huron	CAN	Barnardos
9999	DREWETT, Daisy E	1886	ENG, LDN, London	Sep 1895 : Sardinian	CAN	Barnardos
10000	DREWITT, Walter H	1883	ENG, , New Cross	Jul 1894 : Sardinian	CAN	Barnardos
9126	DREYER, Horatio J	1893	ZA_,	Jul 1902 : New England	CAN	Barnardos
26112	DRINKWATER, A W	1894	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
27198	DRINKWATER, Basil Aylen	1921	ENG, GLS, Evesham	May 1933 : Otranto	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
26328	DRINKWATER, Beresford Douglas	1918	ENG, WOR, Evesham, Offenham	Aug 1932 : Oronsay	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
26253	DRINKWATER, Donald Ivan	1925	ENG, WOR, Evesham	Jan 1937 : Oronsay	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
14399	DRISCOLL, Cornelius	1880	ENG,	Jun 1895 : Mongolian	CAN	Unknown Catholic Group
16063	DRISCOLL, Cornelius	1868	ENG,	Aug 1884 : Sarmatian	CAN	Board of Guardians (Various)
20646	DRISCOLL, Emma	1902	ENG,	Oct 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
12100	DRISCOLL, George Edward	1915	ENG, LND, Shoreditch	May 1928 : Ballarat	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
7051	DRISCOLL, James	1866	ENG,	Aug 1871 : Prussian	CAN	MacPherson Homes
16269	DRISCOLL, James	1872	ENG,	Jul 1885 : Sarmatian	CAN	Cardinal Manning (now Nugent Care)
20737	DRISCOLL, Jane	1894	ENG,	Jul 1908 : Tunisian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
14394	DRISCOLL, John	1882	ENG,	Jun 1895 : Mongolian	CAN	Unknown Catholic Group
15039	DRISCOLL, John	1883	ENG,	Sep 1897 : Numidian	CAN	Unknown Catholic Group
20736	DRISCOLL, Mary	1893	ENG,	Jul 1908 : Tunisian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
20738	DRISCOLL, Patrick		ENG,	May 1908 : Tunisian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
4741	DRISCOLL, Sarah	1872	ENG,	May 1887 : Corean	CAN	Charlotte Alexander
4004	DRISCOLL, Thomas	1871	ENG,	Jul 1886 : Polynesian	CAN	Cardinal Manning (now Nugent Care)
4003	DRISCOLL, William	1872	ENG,	Jul 1886 : Polynesian	CAN	Cardinal Manning (now Nugent Care)
5289	DRIVER, Ernest	1913	ENG, LAN, Royton	Aug 1930 : Duchess of York	CAN	British Immigration and Colonisation Association
8075	DRIVER, John	1915	ENG, YKS, Leeds	Mar 1932 : Montclare	CAN	YMCA
18963	DRIVER, Michael	1891	ENG,	May 1905 : Bavarian	CAN	MacPherson Homes
4111	DRIVER, Violet Muriel	1904	ENG, MDX, Edmonton	Oct 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
26454	DRIVER, William	1896	ENG,	Mar 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
4110	DRIVER, William Thomas	1902	ENG, MDX, Edmonton	Oct 1910 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
12484	DROPSEY, George	1892	ENG, , Poplar	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
26738	DRUMMOND, Alfred	1904		Oct 1910 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
13394	DRUMMOND, Grace	1902	SCT,	Jun 1913 : Grampian	CAN	Quarriers
26737	DRUMMOND, John	1902		Oct 1910 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
11805	DRUMMOND, William McQueen	1893	SCT, , Stirling	Sep 1906 : Tunisian	CAN	Louisa Birt
2762	DRURY, Henry	1875	ENG,	Sep 1882 : Circassian	CAN	Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)
8037	DRURY, Mary	1853	ENG,	Jun 1869 : Austrian	CAN	Maria Rye
22460	DRURY, Richard George	1874	ENG,	Mar 1887 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
12118	DRURY, Victor Adrian	1919	ENG, ESS, West Ham	Dec 1928 : Bendigo	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
4149	DRYDEN, Charles Frederick	1900	ENG, NTT, Nottingham	Apr 1915 : Metagama	CAN	Labourers & Domestics
23318	DRYDEN, Mary Stein	1878	ENG, , Edinburgh	May 1887 : Peruvian	CAN	Emma Stirling
26845	DRYDEN, William Thomas	1924	ENG, NBL, Tynemouth	Feb 1934 : Jervis Bay	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
9596	DRYSDALE, Barbara	1909	ENG, , Newcastle upon Tyne	Jul 1924 : Caronia	CAN	MacPherson Homes
6451	DUBB, Ernest	1890	ENG,	Apr 1900 : Cambroman	CAN	Barnardos
21095	DUBBIN, R	1887	ENG,	Apr 1898 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
21110	DUBBIN, Victor	1890	ENG,	Apr 1898 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
4524	DUCE, Edith	1902	ENG,	Mar 1914 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
4955	DUCHAN, Neil	1910	ENG, , Dumbarton	Aug 1925 : Montnairn	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
3857	DUCK, Albert Rice	1905	ENG, MDX, Lambeth, London	Oct 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
3854	DUCK, Arthur Owen	1903	ENG, MDX, Lambeth, London	Oct 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
11533	DUCKE, Maud	1879	ENG,	May 1890 : Nova Scotian	CAN	Charlotte Alexander
8651	DUCKERS, Emma	1910	ENG, CHS, Birkenhead	Jul 1925 : Athenia	CAN	Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)
2682	DUCKETT, Ellen	1877	ENG,	Oct 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
2677	DUCKETT, John Henry	1883	ENG, LAN, Liverpool	Sep 1895 : Sardinian	CAN	Barnardos
6450	DUCKHAM, Blanche	1887	ENG, , Plymouth	Jun 1901 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos	cardinalcanary
17543	DUCKHOUSE, Albert Edward	1901	ENG, WAR, Solihull	Mar 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos	alhal
17542	DUCKHOUSE, Stephen	1897	ENG,	Mar 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos	alhal
7609	DUCKLING, Elizabeth	1859	ENG,	Nov 1870 : Peruvian	CAN	Maria Rye
5356	DUCKWORTH, William	1910	ENG,	Jun 1924 : Montreal	CAN	Salvation Army
5856	DUCLES, Margaret	1893	ENG,	Oct 1904 : Bavarian	CAN	Barnardos
3856	DUDDY, Margaret Aliza	1881	ENG, LAN, Manchester	Aug 1905 : Canada	CAN	United British Womens Emigration Association
9344	DUDMAN, Bert	1892	ENG, , St Saviour Southwark	Mar 1909 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
17977	DUDMAN, Edward S		ENG,	Jun 1897 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links

Surnames starting with: D »DANC »DAVA »DAVM »DAWS »DEEG »DERR »DICK »DIXO »DONI »DOUS »DREW »DUFF »DUNS » DZZZ

Surnames starting with: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 65 Entries

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