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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

Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 2318 Entries

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
3023	ABBOTT, Charles	1884	ENG, ESS, Messing	Apr 1900 : Dominion	CAN	National Childrens Home
3029	ABBOTT, Edward	1863	ENG, LIN, Bourne	Jun 1882 : Dominion	CAN	Unknown
3858	ABBOTT, Emily Jane	1886	ENG, YKS, Guisborough	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3066	ABEL, Charles	1891	ENG,	Mar 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3068	ABEL, George	1887	ENG,	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3069	ABEL, George	1897	ENG,	Mar 1907 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3160	ABSOLOM, Albert Edward	1897	ENG, BRK, Reading	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3107	ABSOLOM, Henry Richard James	1893	ENG, BRK, Reading	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3134	ACKLAND, Herbert George	1898	ENG, LND, Camberwell	Oct 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3142	ACKROYD, John Edward	1886	ENG,	Apr 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3153	ACTON, Alice	1889	ENG,	May 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3154	ACTON, Ellen	1891	ENG,	May 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
6255	ADAMS, Ada Gertrude	1895	ENG, WIL, Highworth	Mar 1909 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
22827	ADAMS, C R	1885	ENG,	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
26477	ADAMS, Charles W R	1887	ENG,	Mar 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
23730	ADAMS, Eliza	1887	ENG,	Oct 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
5602	ADAMS, Gladys	1898	ENG,	Mar 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
22545	ADAMS, Henry William	1898	ENG,	Mar 1912 : Dominion	CAN	Unknown
23726	ADAMS, Isabel	1888	ENG,	Aug 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3278	ADAMS, Robert Henry	1888	ENG,	Mar 1901 : Dominion	CAN	Louisa Birt
23732	ADAMS, Thomas G	1901	ENG,	Mar 1909 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
10890	ADAMSON, George	1893	ENG,	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
9834	ADBY, Ethel Caroline	1893	ENG, BKM, Wycombe	Jun 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
8817	ADCOCK, Lily	1896	ENG,	Aug 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3759	ADDERLEY, David Gerard	1897	ENG, WAR, Birmingham	May 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3758	ADDERLEY, Harry	1899	ENG, WAR, Birmingham	May 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
12851	ADDISON, Gertrude	1886	ENG, LAN, Manchester	May 1899 : Dominion	CAN	Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)
17080	ADGEY, Robert Hugh	1885	ENG, LAN, Liverpool	Mar 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Louisa Birt
9831	ADKINS, Ann	1899	ENG, LND, Camden	Aug 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
9830	ADKINS, Theodora Margaret	1897	ENG,	Aug 1908 : Dominion	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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