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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:

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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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IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3025 ABBOTT, David Henry1891ENG, ESS, Grays Mar 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3030 ABBOTT, Ellen1893ENG,     Aug 1906 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3040 ABBOTT, James1893IRL,    , Carlew May 1906 : Tunisian CAN Smyly Homes of Dublin  
3060 ABBOTT, Lilian1903ENG,     Jun 1912 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3049 ABBOTT, Penelope1901ENG, KEN, Sidcup Jun 1912 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3063 ABEL, Albert Edward G.1901ENG, ESS, West Ham Aug 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3065 ABEL, Florence1902ENG, ESS, West Ham Aug 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3067 ABEL, Frederick1889ENG,     Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
3064 ABEL, Queenie Victoria1900ENG, ESS, West Ham Aug 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
5599 ABERNETHY, Henry1897ENG, CUL, Whitehaven Aug 1914 : Tunisian CAN Sailing Alone  
3101 ABRAMS, Ada1894ENG, ESS, West Ham May 1912 : Tunisian CAN Unknown  
6354 ABREY, William Roger1901ENG,    , Croydon Aug 1911 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3130 ACKERS, Frederick1893ENG,     Mar 1911 : Tunisian CAN Labourers & Domestics  
6859 ADAMS, George1889ENG,     Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
8886 ADAMS, Henry1889ENG,     Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
9229 ADAMS, Maud1885ENG, LND, Kingsland Sep 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
15500 ADAMS, Reuben Stanley1893ENG,     May 1907 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
20734 ADAMS, William1893ENG,     Aug 1908 : Tunisian CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
22562 ADAMS, William1895ENG,     Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
23862 AGAR, Horace1888ENG,     Sep 1901 : Tunisian CAN Waifs & Strays  
4319 AIKEN, William1891ENG,     Mar 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
22143 AIKIN, David1892IRL, ANT, Belfast Mar 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
6550 AINGER, Florence1886ENG, WOR Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
6477 AINGER, Pollie1889ENG, WOR Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
23743 AINSWORTH, Muriel1889ENG,     Oct 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
2852 AIRD, Arthur1895ENG, LAN Apr 1911 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
17056 AITKIN, David1892ENG,     Mar 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
17057 AITKIN, William1891ENG,     Mar 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
5391 AKERMAN, Martha Rosina1891ENG, MDX, St. Giles Sep 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
9843 ALBON, Frank Baldwin1889ENG, MDX, Staines Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
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 1756 Entries        
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