Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | February 1, 1900 |
Place of Birth | Kenora, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Mr. James L. Neilson (father), 74 Balmoral Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Trade / Calling | Student |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 2293762 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | Lord Strathcona's Horse |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Cavalry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Place of Enlistment | Calgary, Alberta |
Address at Enlistment | 74 Balmoral Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Date of Enlistment | March 1, 1918 |
Age at Enlistment | 18 |
Theatre of Service | Canada |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | December 28, 1957 |
Age at Death | 57 |
Buried At | Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Plot | C-0140-3 |
Corporal Clive Proudfoot Neilson was the only son of James Little Neilson and Rebecca (Rhea) Forgan of Winnipeg, Manitoba. James was born in Waterloo County, Ontario to Scottish immigrant parents. Rhea was most likely born in Russia and came to Canada around 1891, when she was about 13 years old. By 1900 James and Rhea were married and living in Rat Portage, Ontario, where James worked as the manager of a box factory. Clive was born on 1 February 1900 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) and his family was still living there at the time of the 1901 census. By 1903 they had moved to Winnipeg where James was operating his own company, J.L. Neilson Machinery. Two daughters were born in Winnipeg, Eleanor in 1904 and Muriel in 1914.
Clive turned 18 years old on 1 February 1918 and he enlisted in Winnipeg a month later, on 1 March. He was a student at the time and he joined a cavalry unit, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians). He served with them for about ten months. As a member of ‘D’ Squadron of Lord Strathcona’s Horse Depot, Clive trained at Sarcee Camp on the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta. In May he suffered a sprained ankle and he recovered for four days in the hospital. He was a Lance Corporal by then and 8 August he was promoted to Corporal. In November the Armistice ended hostilities in Western Europe and Clive was discharged on 21 December in Calgary.
After the war Clive attended the University of Manitoba and became a doctor, graduating from medical school in 1928. He was also very involved in sports including track and field, baseball and rugby. He’s known as one of Manitoba’s outstanding athletes. His name appeared often in the newspapers and he was the Canadian decathlon champion in 1924. His father was president of the Manitoba Amateur Athletic Association for many years.
Clive was married in Winnipeg on 16 July 1932 to Lillian Olive Hammerberg. Lillian was born in 1902 in Norris Lake, Manitoba. Her parents, Hans Olaf Hammerberg and Sigrid Kajsa Norberg, had emigrated from Sweden in 1892 and Lillian was the tenth of their eleven children. Several of the children died young and Lillian’s mother died in 1909, when she was seven years old.
Clive’s first marriage ended and he was married again in Winnipeg on 9 February 1935. His second wife, Olive Ruth Shuttleworth, was a teacher and registered nurse. Olive was born in 1908 in Bradwardine, Manitoba, the daughter of Robert Shuttleworth and Caroline English. She had one brother, Robert Ormond, who was five years older than her. Clive and his wife lived in Winnipeg where he had his medical practice and he continued to be involved in sports. They had three daughters: Marion, Margaret Joan (Peggy) and Eleanor Carol. Clive’s mother died in 1946 and his father in 1947. They are both buried at Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg.
Clive passed away at home on 28 December 1957, at age 57. His funeral was held three days later and he’s buried in the family plot at Brookside. His wife died in 2001, at age 92, and her cremains are buried beside her husband. She was survived by their three daughters: Marion (Mrs. Joe Byrne) of Kennewick, Washington, Margaret (Mrs. Gary Thomson) of Winnipeg and Eleanor (Mrs. Harvey Pachal) of Bird’s Hill, Manitoba.
By Becky Johnson
Graduation and group photos are from the University of Manitoba Brown and Gold Yearbooks, 1927 and 1928.