In April 1920 their first child, Gordon was born.
On October 16, 1920, the miners in Lancashire went on strike. Both Granny and Poppy’s families had been miners for several generations. The strike ended by November 3, 1920, but it made my grandparents to believe that they needed to move. Three weeks of no income long before the days of employment insurance, and with a new baby, would not have been easy. Granny’s brother, Jim, had come to Canada a few years earlier and had a good job with the Harbour Board in Montreal. Uncle Jim told Poppy that he would help him get a job in Canada if he decided to come.
As a complete aside, A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, was born in 1920.
My mom, Doreen, was born in July 1922.
In April 1923, Poppy decided to cross the ocean and take his chances on Canada. While I was at my mom’s in July, I found a photocopy of Poppy’s letter to Granny from the ship. Unfortunately, it did not scan well but it was so enjoyable to read.
Poppy also sang on the ship on the way over.Finding these odd pieces of paper made me so glad that I actually went through everything while we were clearing paper rather than just throwing everything out.
More will follow!
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