Chambers, George Henry

George Henry Chambers was the son of John and Mary Chambers of Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland. John was a career soldier who enlisted in the British army around 1871, at age 20, and went on to serve with the Royal Irish Regiment for 23 years. He married Mary Kerr in County Sligo in 1888 and they had at least five children. Edward (1890) and George (28 June 1892) were both born in Clonmel, County Tipperary. Clonmel was the home base of the Royal Irish Regiment. The two boys were followed by Victoria (1894), Maud Mary (1898) and Victor (1902), all born in Sligo.

During his time in the army John served in Great Britain, India, Egypt and Malta. He was discharged in January 1894 on completion of his service. His rank was Colour Sergeant Major and he was awarded a military pension. When the 1911 census was taken George was living with his parents in Sligo. He immigrated to Canada the following year, arriving in Montreal in October 1912 on the Lake Manitoba. His occupation was shop assistant and he was on his way to Winnipeg where a family friend, Walter Rimmington, lived. In 1915 and 1916 George spent some time in New York and California.

The war started in the summer of 1914 and conscription was introduced in Canada three years later. Single men age 20 to 34 were required to register by 10 November 1917. George reported as required and had his medical on 7 November. He was living in Winnipeg by then and his occupation was engineer. He was called up for service on 5 January 1918 and assigned to the 1st Depot Battlalion, Manitoba Regiment. In February he was transferred to No. 10 Canadian Garrison Regiment and sent to Port Arthur, Ontario for guard duty. He was discharged on 10 December 1918 due to being in a medical category lower than “B” (i.e. unfit for overseas service).

George became a civil engineer and worked in Saskatchewan and possibly Alberta. He was married in 1922 to Sarah Emily Briscoe. Sarah was the daughter of Brian and Rachel Briscoe of Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Brian was a farmer and Sarah was one of at least 11 children. She was born in 1902 in Renfrew County, Ontario. George and Sarah had four children: George Lloyd (1924), Milton Brian (1926), John Charles (1930) and Marlene. Lloyd was probably born in Calgary, Milton in Saskatchewan and John in Saskatoon.

George and Sarah lived in Saskatoon from about 1929 until at least 1936. By the mid-1940s they had moved to northwestern Ontario. They spent some time in Fort Frances then settled in Kenora, making it their home from about 1948 to 1963. During their time in northwestern Ontario George was the Kenora town engineer and he was also involved in the construction of many bridges. He retired in 1962 or 1963 and by the fall of 1965 he and his wife were living in White Rock, British Columbia. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in March 1972 in White Rock. The celebration was held at the home of their daughter Marlene (Mrs. Wayne Orser).

George passed away on 28 April 1978, at age 85, in Peace Arch Memorial Hospital in White Rock. Sarah died in the same hospital on 22 October 1986, at age 84. They are both buried in Valley View Memorial Gardens in Surrey, British Columbia. Their son Lloyd had passed away in 1972 and he’s interred in Victory Memorial Park in Surrey. Brian died in White Rock in 1997 and John in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2013.

By Becky Johnson

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