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Record #23313

Name :: : Ernest Frederick BETTS (1900 - 1977)
aka : Fred
Father: :
Mother: :

BMD and other details

Date of Birth: : 15 Nov 1900
Marriage (1): :
Marriage (2): :
Date of Death: : 12 Feb 1977 Notes : Massive Coronary

Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Lincolnshire, Stamford

Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Ottawa

Sailing Information

Date of Arrival: : 19 Oct 1908
Country: : Canada
Ship: : Dominion
Placement Family: : Bryant, Robert

Homes / Agencys

Institution (GB): :
Agency: : Barnardos

NotesAt the age of 7, Fred Betts arrived in Canada Oct. 19, 1908. In England, his father had abandoned the family. His mother tried to take care of her three children, but unfortunately died of unknown causes. His sister, Elsie May, had arrived in Canada earlier in the year. His older brother, Sydney, remained in England, never to be heard from again. His parents were Charles Betts, who apparently spent his time in local pubs singing for drinks, and Annie Maria Linfoot,who died in 1904. Despite the willingness of some family members who, I'm told, were willing to care for the children, they were removed and sent to a Barnardo home.
From information and stories retrieved, he was sent to a farm in Reach, Ontario and spent the next few years as a child labourer in various farms throughout the region. I know he did not have a pleasant childhood and he refused to speak of it. I believe because it was too painful for him to talk of those memories.
His sister in the meantime, I believe was adopted, received an education and went on to be a nurse, and live a very satisfying life.
At some point in time, they were able to find each other. I'm uncertain as to when that was.

At the age of 16, he left. I'm not certain where he went or what he did, but it has been mentioned that possibly he began the life of a sailor and sailed the seven seas.
1936 - Border crossing at Niagara Falls
1941 - He was a merchant seaman on the "SS Canadian Cruiser" which was torpedoed and sunk by the German pocket battleship "Admiral Scheer". He spent the rest of the war as a POW. I have an account of his time in Germany and will post it here shortly.

After his liberation from the POW camp, he returned to Canada. He took a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Ottawa, on Sparks Street called Bowl's Lunch. There he met the love of his life, my mom, Rhea Rose Alba Blondin. The only way he could get her to go out with him was to lie about his age. He told her he was 34, she believed him, she fell in love, they got married, then he told her his real age. Kind of funny, I don't think she ever forgave him for that.

BETTS, Ernest - 10, lodger with Robert Bryant family in Reach, Ontario, arr 1908 on SS Dominion with Dr Barnardos SEE McDONALD

ContributorsCreated : 2013-11-10 07:11:05 / From original database

Last Updated : 2013-11-10 11:57:03 /

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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 30 Entries

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ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
3004	AARON, Alfred Robert	1899	ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool	Mar 1911 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
3003	AARON, John Richard	1895	ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool	Mar 1911 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
3007	ABBEY, Bertha	1890	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Jul 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3006	ABBEY, John	1887	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Oct 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3161	ABBEY, Thomas	1892	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Oct 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3020	ABBOT, Alice	1877	ENG, MDX, Islington	Oct 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3047	ABBOT, William	1878	ENG,	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
3019	ABBOTT, Alfred	1869	ENG,	Aug 1887 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
23669	ABBOTT, Alice	1877	ENG,	Oct 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3022	ABBOTT, Bertie	1894	ENG, SFK, Ipswich	May 1909 : Corsican	CAN	Barnardos	sharonmx5 , patty_in_ms
3025	ABBOTT, David Henry	1891	ENG, ESS, Grays	Mar 1901 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3055	ABBOTT, Douglas Groves	1910	ENG, HAM, Hartley Wintney	Apr 1924 : Montclare	CAN	Barnardos
3858	ABBOTT, Emily Jane	1886	ENG, YKS, Guisborough	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
8354	ABBOTT, Frederick Albert Prosper	1885	ENG, LND, Homerton	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
3036	ABBOTT, George	1894	ENG, MDX, London	Jul 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3038	ABBOTT, Herman Henry	1882	ENG, MDX, Hoxton, London	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
10624	ABBOTT, John	1913	ENG,	Apr 1929 : Duchess of York	CAN	Barnardos
3045	ABBOTT, Leslie	1883	ENG,	Mar 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3060	ABBOTT, Lilian	1903	ENG,	Jun 1912 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3026	ABBOTT, Mary	1888	ENG, ESS, Maldon	Oct 1902 : Colonian	CAN	Barnardos
3049	ABBOTT, Penelope	1901	ENG, KEN, Sidcup	Jun 1912 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
5046	ABBS, Bertie Cecil John	1914	ENG, LND, St. Pancras	Mar 1930 : Duchess of Richmond	CAN	Barnardos
3061	ABDALE, John George	1873	ENG, NBL, Newcastle Upon Tyne	Mar 1891 : Norwegian	CAN	Barnardos
3063	ABEL, Albert Edward G.	1901	ENG, ESS, West Ham	Aug 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3066	ABEL, Charles	1891	ENG,	Mar 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3065	ABEL, Florence	1902	ENG, ESS, West Ham	Aug 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3067	ABEL, Frederick	1889	ENG,	Jul 1900 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3068	ABEL, George	1887	ENG,	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3069	ABEL, George	1897	ENG,	Mar 1907 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3071	ABEL, John	1886	ENG,	Jun 1897 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links

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 30 Entries

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