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Record #15925
Name :
: William DONOVAN (1882 - )
  aka : Willie Donovan


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1882 (approx.)

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 7 Aug 1897
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Vancouver

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesIn 1897, W. J. Donovan, 14, arrived at Quebec, Canada, along with a group of 137 Barnardo children en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto Star
Wednesday, October 30, 1929

CONVICT ON TICKET SEEKS DEPORTATION

Spent Twenty-Two Years in Prisons--Saw Action in Two Wars

Special to the Star by Staff Reporter

Hamilton, Ont., Oct. 29.--Willie O. Donovan, who claims to be an English "ticket-of-leave" with the record of having spent 22 of his 47 years in prison, is not too pleased with the prospect of a rigorous Canadian winter and he appealed to Inspector of Detectives J. R. Crocker to-day for deportation. He is being held pending communication with Scotland Yard for a check-up.

He told the Inspector of an adventurous career which began when he was sent as a Barnardo boy to a farm near Dunnville and has since progressed through two wars, three penitentiaries and "bush-bound" Northern Ontario.

"I served 22 months with the 14th Hussars in South Africa, and was honorably discharged," Donovan said. "Then I got in bad in England and was sentenced to five years in Dartmoor in 1905 for burglary. I was there when the only successful break was made from the Moor by two convicts, who jumped aboard a freight train, but found it going the wrong way and were caught at Land's End."

A week's leave from the horrors of war brought him back to England an old pal, Donovan related, and the subsequent conviction for 22 burglaries during the week took him back to the solitude of a prison for thirteen years. A titled English social service worker became interested in him when eleven yeas of his sentence was served, he said, and he once more gained freedom on "license." The lady went further and got him work as a coal trimmer on the Laurentic, but while he was still on parole he claims he deserted the ship at Montreal. "I broke my arm when I jumped from the boat," Donovan said, "and I had to nurse it myself for fear I would be caught. I worked my way to Northern Ontario and for the last fourteen months have been working in railway and lumber camps near Sudbury."

"I have been going straight," he said. "The game isn't worth the candle. I have been in tight places and 22 years in jail has taught me to go straight. If I can get back to England I will go to [illegible] for the rest of my days."

Donovan jibed the inspector on Canadian police methods, claiming that if he were wandering the streets in England carrying a pack he would be questioned by every "Bobby." 
ContributorsCreated : 2012-01-22 20:07:15 / From original database

Last Updated : 2012-01-22 20:09:14 /

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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  11 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
14268 DONOVAN, Alfred1888ENG,     Sep 1901 : Parisian CAN Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee  
16260 DONOVAN, Daniel1871ENG,     Jun 1883 : Sardinian CAN Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee  
16066 DONOVAN, Dennis1871ENG,     Aug 1884 : Sarmatian CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
11289 DONOVAN, Frank1885ENG,     Apr 1896 : Mongolian CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
14186 DONOVAN, Henry1889ENG,     Jun 1901 : Corinthian CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
14853 DONOVAN, John1870ENG,     Jul 1885 : Sarmatian CAN Cardinal Manning (now Nugent Care)  
20953 DONOVAN, P1928ENG,     Aug 1938 : Otranto AUS Christian Brothers  
14080 DONOVAN, Robert1886ENG,     Oct 1900 : Numidian CAN Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee  
13527 DONOVAN, Timothy1873ENG,     Jul 1887 : Sarmatian CAN Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee  
20727 DONOVAN, Timothy1894ENG,     May 1908 : Tunisian CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
15925 DONOVAN, William 1882ENG,     Aug 1897 : Vancouver CAN Barnardos