Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthJuly 2, 1883
Place of BirthRat Portage (Kenora), Ontario
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Next of KinMrs Allan Young, sister, Kenora, Ontario
Trade / Callingsalesman
ReligionPresbyterian
Service Details
Regimental Number256673
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion1st Depot Battalion Saskatchewan Regiment
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedConscripted
Address at EnlistmentWeyburn, Saskatchewan
Date of EnlistmentJanuary 5, 1918
Age at Enlistment34
Theatre of ServiceCanada
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathApril 30, 1932
Age at Death48
Buried AtRosedale Cemetery, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Plot6-52-4

Creighton, George Francis

Although he gave his year of birth as 1885 on his recruitment papers, George Francis Creighton was likely born on 2 July 1883 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), Ontario. A birth record was not found but census documents as well as his obituary and grave marker support that birth year. His father George Creighton, the son of Irish immigrants, was from the Waltham area of Quebec while his mother Margaret Gardner, the daughter of Scottish immigrants, was from Dalhousie, Lanark, Upper Canada. By the mid 1870’s the couple was living in Fort Frances, Ontario where George was working in the lumber industry. Three children were born in Fort Frances, John William, Edith, and Mabel. By the 1880’s the family had relocated to Rat Portage as George began working for the Mather Lumber Company. George was born in 1883 followed by another son James in 1885 who only survived for six weeks. The family then operated a large dairy farm on the outskirts of the town. Sadly, Margaret and Edith died in 1888. The next year George SR married widow Margaret Paterson. Born in Elora, Ontario, Margaret was the daughter of James and Beatrice (neĆ© Ritchie) Gerrie. She had married James Paterson in 1875 in Elora and the couple had one child, a daughter Clementina. George and Margaret gave birth to son Robert Bathgate in 1891. Robert’s mother too was to die young, passing away in 1903 in Rat Portage. George’s brother John William died in 1909 in Kenora.

Having worked for the Graham Brothers in Kenora for a number of years in the clothing department, George moved to Saskatchewan around 1912 where he worked as a salesman for Maybee’s Limited, travelling for the company in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. While in Kenora he was very active in sports, excelling as a sprinter and field athlete. He was also a keen rowing enthusiast.

Having completed his medical examination in Weyburn, Saskatchewan in October of 1917, George signed his recruitment papers in Regina on 5 January 1918 with the 1st Depot Battalion Saskatchewan Regiment. His occupation was given as salesman and his sister Mrs Allan (Mabel) Young of Kenora as next of kin. However George’s service was to be very limited as he was found medically unfit and discharged on the 3rd of July.

George died on 30 April 1932 and is interred in the Rosedale Cemetery in Moose Jaw. He was predeceased by his father George in 1925 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and his brother Robert in 1930 in Kenora. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife in Moose Jaw, and sisters Mrs Allan (Mabel) Shaw and Mrs George (Clementina) Rioch of Kenora. Clementina died in 1940 and Mabel in 1975, both in Kenora.

George’s brother Robert had enlisted in Kenora in February of 1915 and served overseas with the 44th Battalion.

by Judy Stockham

Creighton-George-Francis-1


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