Patrick Milligan Fowlie (Ontario)

[queencorgi1]

Patrick Fowlie was the brother of James Lawrence Fowlie, who died in 1917 and who is part of a group of young men I am researching. After the war (in which Patrick himself served) he emigrated to Canada and married (wife Ruby Bernice Price). No children as far as I have discovered. His mother moved out to join him after her husband's death. I am trying to see if any photos/documents relating to James were passed on to anyone -- perhaps Price relatives? A very long shot I know but any advice/help most gratefully received from the brilliant denizens of Rootschat!

[Jacquie in Canada]

I am surprised I am having such a difficult time finding anything about this man. He was president of Shell Oil Company of Canada from 1929 to 1948 yet there are not as many mentions as I would have expected in the Toronto Star archives.

I did find an announcement for his successor at Shell. It indicated Patrick was returning to England to undertake administrative duties with Shell. With that information, I found an incoming UK passenger list for Patrick and Ruby on the Queen Elizabeth which departed from New York on 12 Nov 1948 and was destined to Southampton. Their intended address was the Athenaeum Court Hotel and they indicated they intended future permanent residence was "other part of British Empire".

There is also an outgoing UK passenger list which has a now retired Patrick and Ruby returning to Canada on the Saxonia which departed from London on 23 May 1958 and was destined for Montreal.  Patrick's birth date is listed as 16 Sep 1899 while Ruby's was 10 Oct 1904.

Did Patrick and Ruby marry later in life? There are a large number of passenger list and border crossing entries for Patrick travelling alone for work purposes. I viewed quite a few of them and they all indicated he was single with either his mother or a friend listed as being his closest relative/friend in Canada. The 1948 passenger list is the first mention I have found of Ruby.

Jacquie

[queencorgi1]

Hi Jacquie! And many thanks for your research. It's reassuring to find that an expert native like you is finding Patrick so difficult. Yes, he did marry Ruby later in life, can't lay my hands on the date at the moment but it was in the 1940s. I suspect that she was probably a similar age to him, they married for companionship maybe, and this older age explains why there were no children. Anyone interested in the Fowlie family may like to know that Patrick and James's father, Dr Peter Fowlie, somehow rose from a very modest background in Stornaway, Scotland to become one of the Municipal Commissioners for Singapore. This small group of men ran every aspect of the colony under the governor and were at the pinnacle of colonial life both socially and economically. I long to know more about him as well. Thank you again, Jacquie, for the newspaper items especially the photograph one.

[RunKitty]

Hi,

Another interesting obit for him in the Globe and Mail, Dec 2 1965, page 12.
"Oil Firm Head did much work as Volunteer".  It says he was president of Shell Canada Ltd. from 1930 to 1948.   He died yesterday of coronary thrombosis. He was born in Singapore, educated in Scotland and at Woolwich in England.  He served in Europe in WW1, and later in India with the Imperial Army as a gunnery officer. He was with the Royal-Dutch Shell Group in London, before coming to Canada, where he headed Shell for 18 years.  Then, he went back to England to organize and administrate the Royal-Dutch Shell group's pension department.  When he retired in 1957, he returned to Canada.

He had many volunteer interests, including the St. Johns Ambulance brigade.  Earlier this year, he was made a Commander Brother of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

He leaves his wife, the former Ruby Price.

RK

[queencorgi1]

Thanks, Runkitty. He obviously had a distinguished career ... I just wish family history had been one of his interests!!

[Jacquie in Canada]

It might be a waste of time but here's a link to the website for Shell Canada:
http://www.shell.ca/en/about-our-website/contact-us.html

There is a general inquiries email address listed. Maybe they could have a bio for Patrick or something.

Jacquie

[queencorgi1]

Many thanks Jacquie. You never know!

[RunKitty]

Patrick Fowlie was the brother of James Lawrence Fowlie, who died in 1917 and who is part of a group of young men I am researching.

Hi - Just looking at your initial post.  Are you trying to find out about James Lawrence Fowlie through his brother Patrick??  There is quite a bit about James online... what else are you looking for??   

RK

[queencorgi1]

I think I've found what there is about James online, I was hoping to see if any photographs/family items have surfaced anywhere. I have had great help about his schooldays from the local historical society and also his time at university (from the institutions concerned) as well as about his father's career in Singapore (from a university there). I have got a couple of newspaper items about James's death, and the Great War Forum has as always been very helpful about various points. Have you seen anything else I've missed?