Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | June 23, 1874 |
Place of Birth | Marlborough |
Country | England |
Marital Status | Married |
Next of Kin | Mrs A Skinner, Rideout Bay, Kenora, Ontario |
Trade / Calling | Baker |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 439268/198136 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 52nd Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Kenora, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | May 22, 1915 |
Age at Enlistment | 41 |
Theatre of Service | Canada |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | February 5, 1920 |
Age at Death | 45 |
Buried At | Riverside Cemetery, Thunder Bay, Ontario |
Plot | Section 16 #269 |
Arthur Skinner was born on 23 June 1874 in Malborough, Wiltshire, England. His father William Skinner, a tailor, was from Penzance, Cornwall while his mother Susan was from Lynn, Norfolk. The 1871 census found the family living in Wantage, Berkshire and in 1881 in Malborough. Known children born to the family were William (abt 1865 in London), Alfred (abt 1869 in Barkway, Herefordshire), Charlotte (1871 in Wantage), Arthur, and Albert (1876 in Malborough). By the time of the 1891 census Arthur and Albert were living in the Chelsea area of London where Arthur was working as a baker.
At some point Arthur entered a relationship or married Rose Alice Kelly as confirmed by their daughter Isabel’s later marriage record. It appears that together the couple had two children, Isabel who was born in 1901 and Alfred who was born about 1904. On 20 October 1910, at St George Hanover Square in London, Arthur married Edith Emily Harrison. That November Arthur, Edith, Isabel, and Albert immigrated to Canada, arriving in Quebec aboard the Empress of Britain on the 11th. The passenger listed indicated that they were on their way to Kenora, Ontario.
By the time of the 1911 census, Arthur and his family were farming in the Township of Jaffray on the outskirts of Kenora. When daughter Lillian Edith was born in 1913 they were living in Kenora where Arthur was working as a baker.
Arthur signed his attestation papers with the 52nd Battalion on 22 May 1915 in Kenora. His occupation was given as baker and his wife Edith in Rideout Bay as next of kin. At age 41, with blue eyes and black hair, Arthur stood 5 feet 5 inches tall. That November while in training in Port Arthur, Arthur was transferred to the 94th Battalion. For a while during his time in Port Arthur, Arthur received extra pay as a baker. Likely due to his age, Arthur was discharged from service as medically unfit on 19 April 1916 in Port Arthur.
It appears that Arthur, Edith and the three children moved to Port Arthur around 1918 where he found work as a baker. He died of pneumonia on 5 February 1920 in St Joseph’s Hospital in Port Arthur. Edith and daughter Lillian returned to England that May, arriving in Liverpool on the 24th on the Melita, destination given as London on the passenger list. They returned to Canada in 1927, arriving in Quebec aboard the Empress of Scotland on 22 October. Edith died on 8 January 1962 in Thunder Bay. Arthur’s daughter Isabel married WW1 veteran Thomas James Kinney in 1924 in Kenora and later married Frederick McLeod after Thomas’ death in 1940. She died in 1970 in New Westminster, BC. It appears that his son Alfred remained in the Thunder Bay area for awhile, eventual whereabouts unknown. Daughter Lillian married Harry McManus and died in 1994 in Thunder Bay. Arthur is interred in the Riverside Cemetery in Thunder Bay.
By Judy Stockham
obituaries courtesy of the Thunder Bay Public Library
Arthur’s grave marker photograph provided by Bridget Jendek, findagrave.com