Alfred Edward WOODS

[Big Ted]

Hi, my Grandfather was Alfred Edward Woods born 1869, Emerald Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was an Opal Miner.

The only Australian record I have is his birth certificate

In 1914 at the outbreak of WW1 he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a Driver with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

He joined in Calgary, Alberta.  have his service records and he had a wife called Clara and a daughter called Kate.

He was a quartz/gold miner in 1914 -

In 1916 while recovering from being run over by a French peasant driving a heavy horse and cart he met and married my Grandmother Rebecca Kyne in London, England.

I have Alfred's birth certificate from 1869
Military service records from 1914 to 1918
Marriage certificate from 1916 and his death certificate from 1935.

What I don't have is when he arrived in Canada, where he lived and who was and what happened to his first wife Clara and his daughter Kate.

If anyone can point me in the right direction or have access to birth, marriage or census records I would be very grateful for any help filling in the blank in his life.

[polarbear]

Hello there.

Just for general info I thought I would put a link to Alfred's Attestation and Re-attestation forms. His first Attestation was actually in Val Cartier, which is in Quebec?

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=329118&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=5tvpmq4n03emdhbgdfbgmr7eu6

Can you tell us anything about the address in England for next of kin on the first one (with Clara)?  Alfred was on the  passenger ship Olympic arriving Canada 05 Oct 1916 with other apparently disabled Vets. He is listed as a Miner with destination of Edmonton (Alberta).

I can find no sign of a Clara or Kate in the 1916 census which includes Alberta. Have you looked for a marriage for him in Australia?

Did he say he was widowed on his marriage to Rebecca?

Unfortunately, privacy laws may prevent you finding out about Clara or Kate if they are in Alberta. And I don't believe Alberta has anything available on the internet wrt BMDs. I believe you would need to apply to Service Alberta for certs and would likey have to meet certain conditions for doing so. This link may provide some info in this regard.

http://servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/VitalStatistics.cfm

Other than the passenger info I mentioned above, I don't see his arrival in Canada from Australia (or elsewhere (England?)) at the moment.

I also noted that he was declared unfit to serve at his Re-attestation which would mean he would have had to make his own way back to England (?) but I don't see him on the UK inbound passenger list at the moment, either.

Quite a puzzler!

PB

[Big Ted]

Alfred lied on his marriage certificate, he gave the wrong age and wrong fathers name. When he joined the army he gave the wrong age as he was too old to join. His service records show he was receiving payments for his wife and child. He isn't listed as a widower. He married 12th June 1916.

He broke both shoulders while training, suffered shrapnel wounds before being run over by a French peasant while driving the heavy horse and cart. He also suffered from nervous debility (shell shock?). He met and married my grandmother in a very short period of time while recovering in London.

His service records give an address in London for Kate and Clara after his marriage to Rebecca Kyne - 11 Gibraltar Gardens. Yet no trace - will have to wait for the 2021 census to see if any trace

I can't seem to find any record of a marriage anywhere in Australia to Clara. Either Alfred was a bigamist or he 'invented' a wife and child to get more allowances from the army.

One avenue I have yet to explore is if he arrived in the USA and then travelled to Canada. In Australia Alfred and his brother were Opal miners. I believe he was off to find his fortune in one of the gold rushes and ended up digging quartz that was then crushed to extract any gold.

I am going to go back over Alfred's service records page by page for any clues.

With Alfred travelling from Australia, Canada, England - and possibly USA as well records could be anywhere!

No family tale survived to indicate Alfred was previously married or had other children. It has taken me 25 years to get where I am today.

He is a puzzle indeed. But thats what makes family tree research so interesting

[Big Ted]

Tucked away in the service records is a Military and Defence Separation Allowance Form.

This is dated 1914 in the name of Miss Kate Woods age 21 (born c 1893) address - North A? (unreadable), Vancouver, British Columbia. This document shows the payment of 4 cheques for $20 each in September, October, November and December 1914. All cheques cancelled and returned by the Dead Letter Office in December 1914/January 1915. One comment 'Daughter over 16'.

[dave2013]

Hi Big Ted. I think you are my uncle.  My grandmother is Rebecca Wood.And my Grandfather is Alfred.
My mother is Joyce. Is she your sister?
Perhaps you could contact me.
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I live in Vancouver

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[dave2013]

BIG TEDand POLAR BEAR.
Could you email me and remind me who you are again. Thanks
David Ames
Vancouver
'm going to England next month DEC 12 and am desperate to contact my cousin Ed Woods. Thanks if you can help.

[dave2013]

Thanks again for your help in this matter.
David

[J.J.]

Much was found on another site
http://boards.ancestry.ca/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=18560&p=localities.northam.canada.general