Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthDecember 1, 1898
Place of BirthSwidon, Wiltshire
CountryEngland
Marital StatusSingle
Next of Kinfather, Fred Simpson of Kenora, Ontario
Trade / CallingFireman
ReligionChurch of England
Service Details
Regimental NumberVR-6522
Service Recordsee images below
BattalionHMCS Niobe
ForceNavy
BranchRoyal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Date of EnlistmentJune 8, 1918
Age at Enlistment19
Theatre of ServiceAt sea
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathMarch 26, 1992
Age at Death93

Simpson, Frederick George

Frederick George Simpson was born on 01 December 1898 in Swidon, Wiltshire, England.  His parents were Fred Simpson and Eliza Henams.  In 1904 the family immigrated to Canada and settled in Rat Portage (Kenora), Ontario.  Another son, Harry, was born in 1905.   By the 1911 Canadian census the family was living just outside Kenora in the Jaffray  Township and Fred Sr. was  working as a farm labourer.  A short time later he began working as a miller with the Maple Leaf Flour Mill in Keewatin – a job he had until he retired around 1927.

In 1918 Fred Jr. enlisted with the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve.  He was single,  working as a fireman at the time, and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He made his way to Halifax and  began his engagement on 08 June 1918.  Fred served as a stoker on the Niobe until he was demobilized on 20 May 1919.

After his service Fred returned to Kenora. When the 1921 census was taken he was living with his family in Kenora’s north ward and working as a general labourer. Another son, James, age 12, was included with the family although he was not listed in the 1911 census. Fred went to Buffalo, New York in 1923 with the occupation of ‘hoist engineer’. At the time of the 1930 U.S. census he was living in Lancaster, New York and employed as a stationary engineer for a coupler company. He was still in Lancaster when his father died in 1947.

Fred passed away in Lancaster on 26 March 1992. His mother had died in 1931 and both of his parents as well as his brother Harry (1905-1989) are buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora.

Simpson-Fred-George-10 Simpson-Fred-George-11 Simpson-Fred-George-12


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