Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | September 20, 1889 |
Place of Birth | Colehill, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Mother: Eliza Garrow, Norman, Ontario |
Trade / Calling | Stationary Engineer |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 439095 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 4th Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Not stated but likely with his mother in Norman, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | February 9, 1915 |
Age at Enlistment | 25 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | January 17, 1980 |
Age at Death | 90 |
Buried At | Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario |
Plot | RC A-1-14 |
Frank Jacob Garrow was born September 20, 1889 in Colehill, Ontario. He was the 5th child of 8 born to Joseph Garrow and Elizabeth McKinnon. Frank’s siblings were William, Joseph, Steven, Annie, Lucy, Sarah and Agnes. The family was all born in Ontario. Shortly after the 1901 census Joseph and Elizabeth moved their family west from Peterborough, in the southern part of Ontario to Norman, Ontario (which now is a part of the City of Kenora).
Frank belonged to a local active Militia in Kenora when he signed on February 9, 1915 with the 52nd (New Ontario) Battalion. After a short period of time training in first Kenora, then in Port Arthur the Battalion was on its way east by train to St. John, New Brunswick. It is from here that they boarded the ship, S.S. California for England and arrived in Plymouth on December 3, 1915. The Battalion moved directly to Witley Camp for 6 weeks of training under the British instructors. Bramshott was the next stop for 2 weeks more of training.
Bramshott was a camp near Aldershot. It was established in 1915 to relieve the space limitations in Shorncliffe. During the war it was a training camp, primarily for infantry. By January of 1916 Frank had been transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion and sometime later he was transferred again to the 4th Battalion.
The 4th Battalion was sent to France. From February 22 to May 17, 1916 Frank was with the 4th battalion in France before becoming ill.
Frank was diagnosed with myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart muscle) thus resulting in being shipped back to Canada in August of 1917; Frank had spent a total of 4 months in 2 convalescent hospitals in England. A news article mentions Private Frank Garrow along with another local Private Erskine and 2 other soldiers from Dryden, H. Fox and R. Wightman, were headed for Winnipeg by train. Frank was declared medically unfit for further service and discharged in Winnipeg in March 19, 1918.
After his discharge from the army Frank returned home to Norman, Ontario and married a local girl, Adine Cayer. Their marriage took place September 2, 1919. They had 8 children, Raymond, Gordon, Percy, Stanley, Elizabeth (Betty), Bernice, Jeanette and Gloria. They also had a baby girl, Marie, that died at birth in 1941. Living and raising their children on 3rd Street in Norman, Ontario they belonged to the Roman Catholic Parish in their neighbourhood, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Frank began services with the Ontario-Minnesota Pulp and Paper Company in Kenora with the sawmill department. He was employed with the company until his retirement on November 1, 1959 as a turbine engineer.
Frank’s wife, Adine, passed away March 21, 1975 at 73 years old. Frank Jacob Garrow lived to be 90 years old when he died at the local hospital in Kenora on January 17, 1980. Both are buried together in the Roman Catholic Section of the Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora, Ontario.
By Linda Pelletier
Family Photo:
Front row: Joseph (Jr), Lucy, Agnes, Lumina (William’s wife);
Back row: Sarah, Steven, Frank, William; with Mother, Elizabeth, in the middle.