Timeline for Percy and Margaret Simmonds (nee Deakin)

April 16, 1873
Margaret’s parents Reverend Keelinge Addison Deakin and Annie Gibson Henry Howkins are married in Newton Abbot, Devonshire. Keelinge was the Curate of Bedworth in Worcestershire. Annie would have been living with her parents in Newton Abbot. Both are 27 years old.

June 14, 1884
Percy’s parents Alfred Stuart Symondson (but using the alias Alfred Stewart Simmonds) and Emily Margaret Lowe are married at Leeds, Yorkshire. Alfred was born in London and was a trumpeter in the band of the XIth Hussars posted in Leeds. He was 19 years old. I’m not sure where Emily was living, but in 1881 she was listed as a pupil teacher [student teacher] in Otley, Yorkshire. Emily’s mother was living in Leeds near the barracks where the XIth Hussars were posted. Emily was 17 years old when they married.

July 6, 1884
Percy is born at Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire.

September 3, 1884
Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds is baptized at Headingley, Leeds. Alfred is his father’s name, Henry is the name of both his grandfathers and Percy seems to be a name often used in the Symondson family, including Alfred’s youngest brother, age 2 at the time.

February 2, 1888
Margaret Patience Deakin is born in Cofton-Hackett, Worcestershire. She is the youngest of 7 children. By this time her father is the Vicar of Cofton-Hackett. Later she would be baptized by her father, however I don’t have the date.

April 5, 1891 Census of England
Percy age 6 was living in Headingley, Leeds with his 64 year old grandmother Sarah Lowe (nee Nunns) and his 19 year old uncle John Thomas Lowe. At this time he is being raised by his grandmother, presumably at her insistence. His parents are now living in London with his 3 year old sister Constance. His parents had recently lost a one year old third child Albert. Percy’s father was now in the band of Scots Guards.
Margaret age 3 is living at Cofton-Hackett with her parents and 4 sisters, Mary, Ethel, Elizabeth and Dorothy. They have a governess and 2 servants. Her 2 brothers, John (Jack) and Robert were boarding at a school in Battersea, London.

October 5, 1892
Percy’s mother Emily Simmonds dies in London at the age of 25, from complications related to the birth of her fourth child Frederick. Frederick would die a few months later.

April 7, 1894
Percy’s father marries Alice Maud Staniforth in London. Now Alfred is using his birth name Alfred Stuart Symondson.

March 31, 1901 Census of England
Percy age 16 and a railway clerk is living in Headingley with his widowed aunt Edith Jewell (nee Lowe) age 46, grandmother Sarah Lowe, age 74 and uncle John Thomas Lowe age 30. His aunt Edith, a widow, is now head of the household and more of a mother than an aunt.
Margaret age 13 and her sister Dorothy are boarding at a school for young ladies in Emsworth, Hampshire. The school mistress Jane Ann Jewell is the mother-in-law of Edith Jewell. Two of the teachers at this school are Jane Ann Jewell’s daughters and thus sisters-in-law to Edith Jewell. Undoubtably, Percy and Margaret would have first met sometime between 1900 and 1904 when Margaret was attending the school and Percy and his aunt Edith were visiting.
Percy’s father Alfred and his wife Alice are living in London. Percy’s sister Constance and half brothers Alfred Stuart Symondson and Sidney Gordon Symondson are with them. Note Percy’s first name Alfred is the same as his half brother.
Margaret’s parents continue to live at the Vicarage in Cofton-Hackett. With them are the three oldest sisters and brother Robert. There is one live in servant.

April 7, 1902
Percy’s uncle John Thomas Lowe dies age 31. He is buried at East Keswick, Yorkshire.

March 24, 1904
Percy age 19 departs England for Canada on the Sarmation. He is not the first of his line to be in Canada as his Grandmother Sarah Lowe’s (nee Nunns) mother Mary Ann Nunns (nee Field) was born in Canada in about 1795. Mary Ann was probably of English descent as she came to rural Yorkshire before marrying. However she may have been partially of French descent as well.

March 31, 1904
Percy arrives in Halifax then heads to Montreal and spends a few days with a friend. He leaves with a letter of introduction to someone in the Hartney district near Brandon, Manitoba. His goal is to learn to farm and then start his own farm by homesteading.

June 23, 1905
Percy’s aunt Edith Jewell arrives in Montreal on the Tunisian. Her destination is Brandon to be with her nephew, a farmer.

September 1, 1905
Saskatchewan and Alberta are split from the Northwest Territories and become provinces.

Fall, 1905
Percy travels to Saskatoon and on to Radisson by rail, then walked to the Keatley area in search of land to homestead. He filed in Battleford for himself, as well as an uncle Joseph Lowe and for Joe Speed. His agreement with these two is that in return for breaking the land Percy would have the first chance to buy it. Percy then returns to his employer in Manitoba.

Spring, 1906
Percy returns to the Keatley district to begin proving up his homestead. He would first live in a tent then later build a sod shack. A few years later he would build a log house. The land was virgin territory. Obviously there would be no services. No water, no sanitary facilities, no roads (possibly trails), no power, no telephone, no school, no church, no hospital, no grain elevators, etc. It was build it yourself or get together with your neighbours and work as a group. A number of the people in the district spoke English, others were Ukrainian.

May 12, 1906
Percy’s uncle Joe Lowe arrives in Canada.

June 24, 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan
Percy age 22 and his uncle Joe Lowe age 41 are living at the homestead. I’m not sure where Percy’s aunt Edith was living.

January 28, 1907
Percy’s grandmother Sarah Lowe dies age 80 at Leeds, Yorkshire.

Spring 1907
Percy planted his first crop, by hand of course.

1909
St. Mary’s Church was built on land donated by Percy and with funds from England obtained by Aunt Edith Jewell.

April 2, 1911 England Census
Margaret age 23 is living in Woodmancote, Dursley, Gloucestershire. She is a music teacher at a girls preparatory school and living with the Principal of the school.

June 1, 1911 Canada Census
Percy age 26, his aunt Edith Jewell, age 56 and Edith’s relative Jessie Jarmain are living on the farm. I’m not sure where uncle Joe Lowe is staying.

April 10, 1912
The Titanic departed Southampton, Hampshire on her maiden voyage. Margaret was scheduled to be on this voyage. She was to be travelling with a first cousin Paul Aiken Homer and his family. I believe she was to share a cabin with Pauls’ mother-in-law. However Paul’s sister-in-law, who was a member of the party gave birth two days before on April 8 and plans had to be changed. The new born Andrew Reid who later became a surgeon and would have saved many lives. It would appear he began life saving the lives of some of his family.

April 15, 1912
The Titanic sinks.

April 20, 1912
Margaret age 24 departs Liverpool on the Canada. On her voyage they would have still been recovering bodies from the Titanic.

April 28, 1912
Margaret arrives in Canada. Her destination is Winnipeg where her brother Robert lives. Paul Homer and his family arrive weeks later on a different ship. Margaret is not the first of her family to immigrate to Canada. Her brother Robert came to Canada in 1904 and again in 1907. Her maternal uncle Edward Woodin Howkins immigrated to Victoria sometime before 1872. Paternal uncle Charles Frederick Deakin and his family immigrated in 1908. First cousins once removed Paul and Ben Homer arrived in 1891. Of Margaret’s 7 siblings, 2 came to Canada and 3 to Africa. Margaret becomes a stenographer for an insurance company.

November 13, 1912
Percy is confirmed at St. Mary’s Church. This was the first confirmation at the church.

1913
The railroad from Prince Albert to North Battleford was built. Speers which became the trading centre for the district was only 10 miles away, instead of Fielding, 25 miles. A 50 mile round trip by wagon to deliver grain to Fielding was at least a 2 day trip and in one case in the winter, a 4 day trip.

August 4, 1914
Great Britain declares war on Germany which automatically included Canada and others.

November 14, 1914
Percy age 30 enlists in the newly formed 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles. He attests on December 29 and later begins training in Brandon, Manitoba as a member of “C” Squadron. Sometime during this training he would have renewed acquaintances with Margaret.

June 12, 1915
Percy and his unit depart to England where they continue their training.

September 22, 1915
Percy and his unit arrive in France. In January the Canadian Mounted Rifles regiments are converted and reorganized to infantry battalions.

June 1, 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan
Percy is listed as being overseas. His aunt Edith Jewell, uncle Joe Lowe and Edith’s relative Miss Jarmain are at the farm near Keatley.
Margaret is not listed in the census. Presumably she was enroute to England.

June 2, 1916
Percy is badly wounded in the Battle of Mount Sorrel (Sanctuary Wood) in Belgium. His unit is overrun and suffers about 80% casualties. He is left for dead in a shell hole. Two days later the Germans find him and take him prisoner and operate on his wounds. The Canadian Army reports him missing in action and presumed dead. When a telegram informing his aunt Edith about Percy’s presumed death arrives in Keatley and a well intentioned neighbour delivered the sad news, Edith declares the neighbour a liar and refuses to believe it. Her husband had died in a war in the Sudan and now it seemed she had lost the nephew she raised as a son.

June 12, 1916
Margaret age 28 arrives in Liverpool, England on the Orduna which departed from New York. She would enlist with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps) and serve in Canadian Army Headquarters at St. Omer, France. Her oldest brother John (Jack) Deakin is serving with the 1st South African Infantry while her brother Robert Deakin is with the Canadian Army.

July 1, 1916
Percy is in the German Field Hospital located at Ledeghem about 5 miles east of Ypres.

September 5, 1916
Percy is in a hospital (formerly a roller skating rink) in Stuttgart, Germany.

September 20, 1917
Margaret’s brother John Deakin age 39 is killed in action in Belgium. He has no known grave and his memorial is recorded on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. He served in German South West Africa campaign, the German East Africa campaign then his unit was sent to Europe.

December, 1917
Percy is convalescing at Manor Farm, Interlaken, Switzerland. He has a further operation.

April 9, 1918
Margaret’s father Rev. Keeling Deakin dies age 72 in Northfield, Worcestershire.

June 11, 1918
Percy’s internment in Switzerland ends. He spends time in at least two hospitals in London.

September 24, 1918
Percy arrives in Canada on the Kyber.

October 18, 1918
Percy is posted to Moose Jaw Hospital and granted leave until November 4.

November 11, 1918
World War I ends.

November 20, 1918
Percy is discharged from Regina as physically unfit (wounds). He returns to the farm, unfortunately the farm is not in good shape. In the nine years before the war he had proved up 3 quarters of land, by breaking at least 10 acres a year on each of the three quarters in the first 3 years. He had a herd of his prized shorthorn cattle and some farm machinery. The log cabin had been built from logs cut and hauled in the winter from Meeting Lake, 30 or so miles away. Due to his efforts the farm was doing very well. When he returned the cattle were gone and the farm was at risk. He would need to put a great deal of effort to get the farm back into shape. When Joe Speed had heard Percy was missing in action he sold his quarter. Percy not only lost the chance to buy the land, he got nothing for his efforts. To make matters worse, farmers who stayed out of the war did very well for themselves. As a result of the war wheat prices were at historic highs and there was a demand for all the wheat they could produce. It must have been extremely disheartening to know what had been lost, the efforts needed to make the farm a going concern again and he was not the same physically fit man as he was before the war.

May 5, 1920
Margaret returns from England arriving in Quebec City, then on to Winnipeg where her brother Robert is now residing again.

June 22, 1920
Edith Jewell arrives in England to visit her friend Jessie Jarman and her mother-in-law Jane Anne Jewell.

May 27, 1921
Edith Jewell returns to Canada and then to the farm. Presumably she stopped in Winnipeg for Percy and Margaret’s wedding.

June 1, 2021
Percy and Margaret are married in Winnipeg. They were married the same day and in the same church as Margaret’s 2nd cousin John F. A. Homer Lindsay.
1921 Canadian Census
Percy is listed as residing at the farm in Keatley district with his aunt Edith Jewell, even though he is Winnipeg. Uncle Joe Lowe is now residing with and likely working for another farmer in the district. Since Margaret is no longer at her former residence in Winnipeg and not yet at the farm near Keatley, once again she is missed in the census.

October 7, 1922
Son John Percy Simmonds is born, his first name is from his mother’s older brother John (Jack) Deakin and her grandfather John B. Deakin, and his middle name from his father. His father’s uncle was named John Thomas Lowe.

1922-23
Percy was active driving many miles getting neighbours to sign “pooling contracts” to help establish the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. He became a member of the first Speers Wheat Pool Committee. For many years he was a delegate for the sub district which included attending the SWP annual meetings in Regina. He had the additional responsibility of being a key member of the resolutions committee for those annual meetings.

January 17, 1924
Percy’s uncle Joe Lowe is married in Potternewton, Leeds Yorkshire. He returned to England 3 times previously then came back to Keatley. This time Uncle Joe remains in England.

May 2, 1924
Daughter Patience Margaret Simmonds is born, her given names are mother’s given names transposed.

April 6, 1926
Son Robert Henry Simmonds is born. Robert shares his name with a number of relatives, his mother’s brother Robert Deakin, his mother’s uncle, Robert Henry Deakin. Robert’s middle name is the same as his mother’s mother Annie Gibson Henry Deakin (nee Howkins) third given name, and possibly coincidentally, his father’s two grandfathers, Henry Symondson and Henry Lowe.

1927-28
The railroad between Speers and Medstead was built as well as the Keatley Pool elevator. Now Percy only had to travel 4 miles to deliver his grain.

March 7, 1928
Son Thomas Keelinge Simmonds is born. Tom must be named after his mother’s father Keelinge A. Deakin and his mother’s Great uncle Thomas Keelinge Homer. His father’s uncle was named John Thomas Lowe.

August 19, 1928
Percy’s half brother Sidney Gordon Symondson emigrates to Canada. Sidney returned to England in 1937. During his time in Canada he married and had children. He lived in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan for some of those years. Percy and Sidney probably never met.

1930
Percy’s father Alfred Symondson dies age 65 in London.

June 1, 1931 Canada Census
Percy and Margaret are living at the farm near Keatley with their children John, Patience, Robert and Thomas, Percy’s Aunt Edith Jewell and a hired man Anthony Salamon of Russian origin

April 25, 1932
Margaret’s mother Annie Deakin dies age 86 in Northfield, Worcestershire.

1930’s & 40’s
Local hockey was a big part of their lives. Often the community outdoor rink was located on the farm. Percy coached the local boys team which was very successful and even had some players go to the NHL!

September 1, 1939
World War II begins. Canada proclaims its entry on September 10th.

1943
Son John Simmonds age about 21 was training as a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

February 8, 1944
Son John Simmonds graduates from a pilot training program in Souris, Manitoba.

June 1944 or shortly after
Son Robert Simmonds age 18 enlists in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, travels to England and begins training a pilot. However training is stopped when it is realized there is insufficient time for new recruits to complete their training and make use of their skills in the war. The navy will finish the war with the pilots they have already trained. Robert remains in England with the Royal Navy.

September, 1944
Son John is a pilot in the RCAF 437 Transport Squadron whose first operations were at Arnheim.

January 9, 1945
Percy’s aunt Edith Jewell dies age 90. She was married to Albert Charles Jewell in the Commissariat of the British Army. He was killed in the Mahdist War in the Sudan in 1885. She was married less than 6 years and a widow for almost 60. She became a Matron of a “Home for Friendless Girls” in Hull, Yorkshire, before taking the responsibility of raising her nephew Percy. She was very active in the local St. Mary’s Church. She was buried in the family plot in the Churchyard and a stained glass window behind the church altar was erected in her memory.

May 8, 1945
Victory in Europe Day

August 15, 1945
Victory over Japan Day

1945
Son Robert returns from England sometime after the war is over.

June 16, 1946
Son John’s squadron is disbanded and shortly thereafter he returns to Canada and to the farm.

September, 1946
John’s new bride Enid Simmonds (nee Jones) will comes to Canada on a War Brides ship.

1948
The log house and additions are replaced with a two story frame house.

1962
Percy retires from his Saskatchewan Wheat Pool roles.

April 18, 1966
Margaret Simmonds dies at 78. She was a very active and energetic person with her work on the farm, with her family and in the community. She kept turkeys, chickens for roasting, laying hens and sometimes geese. She had a large garden and did all of her cooking on a wood stove as she didn’t want to switch to an electric appliance. She was very active in the Church. She was President of the Anglican Women’s Auxiliary, being president for 25 years. She was known for the Church’s annual garden parties, She was the church organist for several decades. She is buried in the family plot in the churchyard. She grew up in a huge house with servants, went to a private school for young ladies later becoming a music teacher in a similar school. Then immigrated to Canada, was a stenographer, and served in the same capacity for the Canadian Army in France. After marrying, moved to a log house and became a farmer’s wife and took on all the hard work required for such. She was very capable and adaptive and a stalwart of the community. Margaret was survived by her 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

May 5, 1975
Percy Simmonds dies at age 90. He is buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard. He was a very active and well respected at both the community level and provincial level. He was a pioneer. Percy served on the Keatley School Board, on the R.M. of Douglas Council, the Speers Rural Telephone Co. Board, a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion, and later was on the supervisory committee of the Speers and District Credit Union. However besides his farm, Percy’s greatest interest were directed towards the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Percy was survived by his 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He is also survived by 3 half sisters whom he likely never met and possibly never knew their names.

February 15 1984
Daughter Pat Porter dies in Toronto. She was a secretary like her mother and active in her church.

May 14, 1999
Daughter-in-Law Enid Simmonds (nee Jones) dies. She is buried in the family plot at St. Mary’s.

June 20, 2001
Son John dies. Like his father he was a farmer, very active in the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and other community organizations. He is buried at St. Mary’s Churchyard.

December 7 2005
Son Tom dies in British Columbia. He worked many years for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool as well as the Co-op. Like his parents he was active in the church, coaching and also the Boy Scouts. His ashes are buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard, next to Edith Jewell.

January 17, 2023
Son Robert dies in Ottawa, Ontario. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police becoming the Commissioner of the Force. Later he took on duties with the Commonwealth and the United Nations whose duties took him to over 40 different countries.

end of timeline


Since she is not listed by name in the January to March 1888 birth index, she is probably the person listed as Female Deakin, Bromsgrove district, Worcestershire, volume 6c, page 391.

In the 1891 census
Keelinge Deakin is living at the Vicarage, Coston Hackett. His occupation is Clergy, Vicar of Cofton Hackett.
His wife Annie G.H. and
children Mary H.H.,
Ethel M.,
Elizabeth K.,
Dorothy Emily and
Margaret P. are there as well.
Also is a governess and 2 servants.
The next homes are Kendal End (St. Michaels Schools), Kendal End, Kendal End Farm and the Warren.

Attended school in Emsworth, Hampshire, England
The address of the school is listed as 5 & 7 King Street School.
The school mistresses are listed as Jewells

In the 1901 census 5 & 7 King Street (School), Emsworth, Hampshire.
Head Jane Anne Jewell, Widow, age 75, Schoolmistress, own account, born Emsworth.
Daughter Ellen Jewell, single, age 47, school mistress, own account, born Emsworth.
Daughter Florence Jewell, age 39, single, own account, born Emsworth.
Boarder Ida Hetty Mabury Charles, age 16, born Fulham London.
Boarder Gwladys Mary Wilson, age 16, born Galway Ireland.
Boarder Dorothy Emily Deakin, age 15, born Cofton Worcester.
Boarder Marion Francis Charles, age 13, born Harting, Sussex.
Boarder Margaret Patience Deakin, age 13, born Cofton.
Boarder Doris Charles, age 11, born Bosham Sussex.
2 servants.

In the 1911 census Ormond House, 13 Bull Pitch, Woodmancote, Dursley, Gloucestershire.
Margaret Deakin, single, age 23, Music Teacher, born Cofton Hackett, Worcestershire.
Henrietta Matilda Knapp, single, age 68, Principal of Prepatory School, Dursley, Gloucestershire.
The house had 9 rooms.
[The school nearby was the Ormond House School possibly on Silver Street, Long Street or Bull Pitch listed 2 assistants, Matron and head governess ages 21 and 27, 17 boarders (students) boys aged 8 to 13 and 5 servants ages 13 to 23] [Dursley enumeration district 3, page 84]

Emigrated to Canada in 1912.

The Titanic Story is as follows.
Margaret Deakin was emigrating to Canada along with her first cousin Paul Aiken Homer, Paul’s wife Emily Homer (nee Nicholson), Paul’s mother-in-law Mary Ann Nicholson, Paul’s sister-in-law Ethel Reid (nee Nicholson) and Ethel’s husband David Reid. It would seem to me that she was to share a cabin with her cousin’s mother-in-law. On April 8th Ethel gave birth to a son Andrew Reid. Presumably this was sooner than expected. Since their ship the Titanic was sailing on April 10th from Southampton they decided to delay their departure. Margaret departed April 20 from Liverpool on the SS Canada as a second-cabin passenger and arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 28, 1912. Oddly, she did not travel with the Homer/Reid/Nicholson group. Most of the others, but not the men arrived in Canada on June 3, aboard the Megantic.

UK Outward Passenger Lists
Departed Liverpool April 20, 1912 on the Canada, Miss M. P. Deakin, second class, contracted to land at Portland, occupation domestic, age 23, country of last permanent residence England, country of intended permanent residence Canada.

The Canadian Passenger Lists
Arrived April 28, 1912 on the Canada. Margaret P. Deakin, age 23 years, occupation governess. Her parents are Rev K. O? Deakin, Cofton Parsonage Barnt Green, Worc.. Destination is Winnipeg. Nearest relative in Canada is brother R.C. Deakin 127 Kennedy Street Winnipeg.

Information about the S.S. Canada
Years in Service 1896 to 1926
Shipping Line: Dominion
Built by Harland and Wolff Limited, Belfast, Ireland
Ship description: Tonnage 9415, dimensions 500 feet by 58 feet (514 feet overall length), twin-screw, 15 knots, two masts, one funnel.
History: First twin-screw steamship built for Canadian service. Maiden voyage Liverpool-Quebec-Montreal, November 1, 1896. Tonnage was originally listed as 8806. Made a number of sailings to Boston. Scrapped in Italy in 1926.

Listed as a passenger on the Orduna (Cunard Line) arrived June 12, 1916, Liverpool, port of departure New York, New York, Margaret Deakin, permanent resident of Canada, proposed address, Cofton Parsonage, Barn’t Green Worc., stenographer, age 28.
[Interestingly she would have left Canada at about the same time as her future husband was wounded in battle and left for dead.]

Served in WWI in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps later the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, Rank of Corporal (Assistant Forewoman) Regimental Number 338. Served at Canadian Army Headquarters, St Omer France until discharge in 1918. [Actually 1919]

Medal card from WWI for Deakin, Margaret P. Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Regimental Number 338, Asssitant Forewoman , British War Medal and Victory Medal. Theatre of of war in which served France and Flanders May 19, 1917 to October 20, 1919.
I tried to find more of her records, however only the records of 7000 women who served have survived. Of the 57000 who served most suffered severe damage from a German air raid in September 1940. Thus it is likely they no longer exist.

World War I Locations
I thought I would try to locate where Percy Simmonds was badly wounded (Battle of Mount Sorrel), Margaret Deakin (Percy’s future wife) was stationed (Saint-Omer) and where her brother John Keelinge Deakin was killed in in action (Battle of Menin Road Bridge). To my surprise the locations where John Deakin was killed and where Percy Simmonds was wounded were only about 3 miles apart although separated by 15 months in time. Margaret Deakin’s station at St Omer was about 26 miles from both. It would seem that Margaret Deakin was in France when her brother was killed in action, but not when her future husband was wounded.

Listed as a passenger on the Corsican, Port of Arrival Montreal Quebec, port of Departure London, England arrived May 5, 1920. Margaret P. Deakin age 30?, to brother arrived in Canada in 1912, Winnipeg, lived there for 4 years, destination Winnipeg, 57- Rosedale Ave , Fort Rouge, Winnipeg. Description of passenger, height 5’ 4:, complexion fair, colour of eyes grey, colour of hair fair, cabin class.

Canada Ocean Arrival (Form 30A)
Miss Margaret P. Deakin, age 30, Stenographer, birthplace, Cofton Hackett, race English, Church of England, object in coming to Canada joining brother, previous Canadian address Moulvey? Ave, Winnipeg, port of previous entry Portland Me., 1912, Port of departure New York 1916, passage paid by government, destined to brother Robert Deakin, 570 Rosedale Ave, Winnipeg, nearest relative from country whence came mother Mrs. Deakin Barron Rd, Northfield, dated April 27, 1920.

Manitoba marriage index. Married June 1, 1921 Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds and Margaret Patience Deakin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. [They were married the same day as the 1921 census and it seems as if Margaret was missed from that census. Percy was recorded as living at the farm in Keatley, Saskatchewan.]


Was quite musically adept, playing the piano, the organ and the violin.

When living in Winnipeg was a member of the Winnipeg Canoe Club.

Saskatchewan residents Index
Margaret T. [should be P] Simmonds, Keatly [should be Keatley], Saskatchewan Canada. [This would be her death record.]

Church Records St. Mary’s Keatley, Saskatchewan Canada
Burial April 21, 1966 Margaret Patience Simmonds, age 78, born England, last residence Keatley, died April 18, 1966, of coronary thrombosis, buried at St. Mary’s.

His birth certificate lists him as being born July 6, 1884 at 2 Armenia Place U.S.D. Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds, father Alfred Simmonds, musician, mother Emily Margaret Simmonds formerly Lowe address 15 Spring Hill Terrace, Headingly Leeds. Registered on August 12, 1884 in the sub district of North Leeds, district Leeds, county of York.

Parish records St. Michael Parish Church, Headingley, Leeds
Born July 6 1884, baptism September 3, 1884, Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds, parents Alfred and Emily Margaret Simmonds, Leeds, father’s occupation Trumpeter XI Hussars

In 1891 census 32 Royal Park Grove, Headingley, Leeds.
Head Sarah Lowe, married, age 64, born Horsforth, Yorkshire.
Son John T. Lowe, single, age 19, clerk, employed, born East Keswick, Yorkshire.
Grandson Alfred H. P. Simmonds, age 6, scholar, born Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire.

In the 1901 census 64 Royal Park Grove, Headingley cum Burley, Leeds, Yorkshire.
Head Edith Patience Jewell, widow, age 46, living on own means, born Harewood, Yorkshire.
Mother Sarah Lowe, widow, age 74, living on own means, born Horsforth, Yorkshire.
Brother John Thomas Lowe, single, age 30, commercial clerk, born Harewood.
Nephew Henry Alfred Percy Simmonds [order of names incorrect], age 16, railway clerk?, born Leeds.

Railway Employment Records London and North Western Railway, Leeds Station, District Goods Managers Department
A H P Simmonds, apprentice, born July 6, 1884, date of entry into service November 30, 1900, 12 shillings per week on December 19, 1902, 40 pounds per annum July 1, 1903, transferred from goods wages here July 1, 1903, resigned February 19, 1904.

Immigrated to Canada in 1904. There is a Percy Simmonds listed as a passenger on the BAVARIAN of the Allan Line which departed Liverpool on March 24, 1904 with destination Halifax, Canada. His age is listed as 19, marital status single, occupation labourer. The number of passengers was listed as 1424 and the tonnage 6713. His ticket number is 9975.

In the Canadian Passenger lists there is also a Percy Simmonds listed as a passenger of the Sarmatian second cabin (class), destination Canada, which arrived March 31, 1904. His age is listed as 19, born Yorkshire, occupation farmer (lab is crossed out), destination Winnipeg.

Filed for Homestead in 1905. Began farming the homestead in 1906.

In the 1906 census of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan sub-district 10, Saskatchewan.
Head Joseph N. Lowe, single, age 41, born England, immigrated 1905, section 34, township 44, range 11 west of 3rd meridian.
Head Percy Simmonds, single, age 22, born England, immigrated 1904.

The 1911 Canadian census sub-district 30, Battleford, Saskatchewan.
Head Percy Simmonds, 44-11-42-3, single, born July 1884, England, age 26, immigrated 1904, Canadian nationality, Anglican, farmer.
Aunt Edith Jewell, widow, born June 1854 England, age 56, immigrated 1905, nationality Canadian, Anglican.
Friend Jessie Jarman, single, born October 1867 England, age 43, immigrated 1909, Canadian, Anglican.
[In the 1901 England Census Jessie Jarman, single, age 33 governess, born Emsworth, Hampshire. She was living with her widowed mother at 12 King Street, Emsworth. This address was on the same street as the home and school owned by Edith Jewell’s mother-in-law and the same school attended by Percy’s future wife Margaret Deakin.]

Church Records St. Mary’s Keatley, Saskatchewan, Canada
November 13, 1912 Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds, age 28, baptized at Headingley, England by Reverend Canon Wood, confirmed by Right Reverend J. A. Neigham? , Bishop of Saskatchewan, first confirmation November 13, 1912.
[An additional note says] The above was in St. Mary’s Church, Keatley.
[This was the first confirmation at this church. The land for the church was donated by Percy and funds for building the church were obtained from England by his aunt Edith Jewell.]

Canada WWI Canadian Expeditionary Files [pieced together from his records]
Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds, Regimental Number 106553
November 14 1914 Enlisted near North Battleford
December 29 1914 Attested , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
“C” 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
[C Squadron (later Company) , 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles Regiment (later Battalion), 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, Canadian Corps]
Born July 6, 1884, Leeds, Yorkshire
Next of Kin Mrs E. P. Jewell, Keatly [as spelled] Post Office, Saskatchewan
[later the records stated also notify Ellen Jewell, Emsworth, Hampshire, England]
Farmer
Single
Height 5 feet 10 3/4 inches
Complexion: Fair, Eyes: Blue, Hair: fair
Church of England
February 8 1915 to be Lance Corporal [Brandon, Manitoba]
September 22 1915 landed in France
June 2 to 5 1916 reported missing Ypres, Sanctuary Wood
June 4 to 16 He later reported he was taken back to German lines and a Field Hospital at Ledegham until the later part of June then removed to Stuttgart Number 3 Reserve Hospital and was there until December 29 1917
July 29 1916 Now unofficially prisoner of war
July 31 1916 Authorized letter indicating post card received (this date) by next of kin stating he is wounded and prisoner of war at ??ahn
August 10 1916 Now officially prisoner of war at Ledegham, Belgium
September 5 Now officially wounded and transferred to Stuttgart, Germany S. W. R. thigh
December 29 1917 now reported interned in Switzerland
January 12 1918 now interned in Switzerland
April 10 1918 now reported at Manor Farm, Interlaken, Switzerland
June 11 1918 end of internment in Switzerland
June 18 1918 Transferred to King George Hospital, Stamford Street, London, England
June 23 1918, 16 Hospital Orpington, Greater London
September 24 1918 Invalided to Canada, arrived at Quebec on the Khyber
October 14 to October 28 1918 Posted to Moose Jaw Hospital and granted leave, leave extended to November 4 1918
Character: Very Good
Entitled to wear 4 blue chevrons
Posted from Moose Jaw to Discharge Section
November 20 1918 discharged at Regina, Physically Unfit “Wounds”, he served in France 8 1/2 months with the 1st. Canadian Mounted Rifles, entitled to wear 1 gold casualty stripe
Description of wounds June 22 1918
Previous illness February 1915 in hospital 2 weeks, May 1915 in hospital about 10 days Quinsy
Gun shot wound wrist [only mentioned once], shrapnel right thigh and buttock
Fractured femur
Injury to the right cheek breaking some teeth
Pains in right hip, groin and knee also back of neck, sensation of going to fall backwards and has to put head forward to overcome sensation
Headaches in occipital region extending down to level of shoulders
About 1 and a half years after the injury he was occasionally unable to move his limbs and unable to speak
Suffering from Neurasthenia [a condition that is characterized especially by physical and mental exhaustion usually with accompanying symptoms (such as headache and irritability), is of unknown cause but is often associated with depression or emotional stress, and is sometimes considered similar to or identical with chronic fatigue syndrome. This diagnosis is no longer used]

Note about Manor Farm - Interlaken - Craig 2016
From Glimpsing Modernity: Military Medicine in World War I
Then there was Miss Simpkin of Manor Farm Chalet at Interlaken. She had previously run a small hotel for visitors to the area. When war broke out she turned it into a convalescent home especially for mental cases. She provided 20 beds for the treatment of psychological patients who had arrived as internees with psychological injuries (Pict, 1919, 107). Once again, it is worth noting that this was a category of petits blesses also not covered in the primary source record. Shell shock or neurasthenic disorders did not necessarily mean repatriation and therefore there was a class of men suffering from these conditions who found themselves in Switzerland. There was no dedicated space for them in Swiss hospitals or towns so Miss Simkins chalet was always full. As one group of internees grew steadier and were able to take up places in the towns and villages, they were always replaced by other fragile PoW’s from the transports..


The 1916 Canadian census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Township 44, Range 11, Meridian 3, Municipality Douglas
Percy Simmonds, military overseas, head, single age 32, born England, Anglican, immigrated 1904, Canadian, farmer.
Uncle Joseph Lowe, single age 57 born England, Canadian, farmer.
Aunt Edith Jewell, widow, age 61, born England, immigrated 1905, Canadian.
Lodger Jessie Jarman,?, single age 48, immigrated 1909, Canadian.

From Prisoners of the First World War
P.A.5229
Lazarettlisten
England
July 1, 1916
Simonds [incorrect spelling] Alfred Henry S. 1. C.M.R. C Squadr. Fldlz. 1 Ledeghem
[Fidlz is an abbreviation for field hospital. Ledegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It is about 5 or 6 miles east of Ypres. It is possibly the site of the first German hospital he was located at after his capture.]
[“A “squadron was raised in Yorkton, “B” Squadron in Brandon and “C “ squadron in Saskatoon.]

Brandon Daily Sun
Brandon, Manitoba
January 28, 1958
Looking Backward - From the Sun 40 years ago today [ie. January 28, 1918]
Badly wounded in battle at Ypres salient Corporal Percy Simmonds, First CMR’s is now on neutral ground in Switzerland


Served in World War I as a Lance Corporal, with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles Regimental Number 106553. The 1st CMR’s were formed at Brandon, Manitoba and made up of recruits from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They sailed to England on June 12, 1915. The unit was eventually assigned to the 8th Brigade of the Third Canadian Division. The Brigade went to France as infantry on September 22, 1915. He was wounded in action June 2, 1916 at Ypres. Percy spent 2 days in no man’s land before found by the Germans and taken POW. Earlier he had been left for dead by his own. [The number of Canadian Corps POW’s was 3400. To me this is a relatively small number, compared to the number of wounded and killed.] The battle is known variously as the Battle of Mount Sorrel, Hill 62 or Sanctuary Wood.

The nominal rolls of the 1st Regiment Canadian Mounted Rifles 1915
Regimental Number 106553 Lance Corporal Alfred Henry P. Simmonds, no former corps, next of kin Mrs. E. P. Jewell, Keatly [as spelled] Post Office, Saskatchewan, born England, taken on strength December 29, 1914, Saskatoon.

The following quote is from 1st CMR official War Diary for June 1 and 2, 1916.
In the Field
1-6-16
Battn. occupying Trenches 54 to 60 inclusive. No further information at hand as all Orderly Room Records were destroyed.
2-6-16
Battn. occupying T. 54 to 60
8:30 AM
The Enemy commenced heavy bombardment which lasted until 1:15 PM
1:15 PM
Lt. Col. A. E. Shaw killed at Battn. H Qtrs. during a determined stand made by him and about 80 others of the Battn., against Enemy’s Troops who had succeeded in piercing our line to right of Trench 52 occupied by 4th C.M.R. Battn. The Company of this Battn. occupying the trenches on our right being completely destroyed by being blown up by one of the Enemy’s mines. After Col. Shaw was killed, Major Palmer took command and defended the position at VIGO ST. at Battn. HQrs. until there was only two officers and eight other ranks remaining alive and unwounded. The Enemy having bombed the survivors to one end of the trench and having no ammunition or bombs to reply to the Enemy’s fire, he gave orders for remainder to get out if they could, and retire to S.P. 14 and hold on there. As far as it is known only one officer Lieut. F. A. Hey? and about four or five others were the only ones who arrived at this point which they found occupied by Lieut. A. V. Coins? and a few men with a Colt Machine Gun. This position was held by them until relieved, and has since remained in our possession. Out of 21 officers and 671 other ranks who went into the trenches during this tour, 5 Officers are reported killed, 5 wounded and 10 missing. Other Ranks, total casualties 536, 135 returning.”
[These are incredible losses. Officers 95% and other ranks 80%.]

Excerpts from the wikipedia article on the Battle of Mont Sorrel
On the morning of 2 June the German XIII Corps began a massive artillery bombardment of heavy calibre shells against the Canadian positions. Nine-tenths of the Canadian forward reconnaissance battalion became casualties during the bombardment. 3rd Canadian Division commander Major-General Malcolm Mercer and 8th Canadian Brigade commander Brigadier-General Arthur Victor Seymour Williams had been conducting an inspection of the front line on 2 June when the shelling began. Mercer was wounded three times and died early on June 3rd; Williams was wounded in the face and head and taken prisoner.
At 1:00pm, German pioneers detonated a series of four mines near the Canadian forward trenches before the Germans attacked with six battalions. Five more battalions were in support and an additional six in reserve. When the German forces attacked, mainly against positions held by the 8th Canadian Brigade, resistance at the front lines was "minimal".For several critical hours both the 3rd Canadian Division and the 8th Canadian Brigade were leaderless, and their level of defence suffered accordingly. Brigadier-General Edward Spencer Hoare Nairne, of the Lahore Divisional Artillery eventually assumed temporary command of the 3rd Canadian Division. However, German forces were still able to capture Mont Sorrel and Hill 61. After advancing up to 1,200 yards, the XIII Corps dug in. Although the road to Ypres was open and undefended, no German officer took the initiative to exceed instructions and capitalize on the success experienced by the German forces.
also
The Canadian Corps, participation in the Battle of Mount Sorrel is commemorated with the Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) Memorial. The nearby Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62 contains a preserved/simulated section of front line trenches occupied by the British and Canadians between 1916 and 1917.[25] Allied soldiers killed during the battle are buried in the nearby Sanctuary Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Maple Copse Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. Those killed during the battle with no known resting place are commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. The Royal Regiment of Canada conducts a Sorrel Day parade, open to the public, at the Fort York Armoury every year on the second Sunday in June.
end of wikipedia excepts

web sites
https://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/sanctuary_wood.html
https://www.1914-1918.net
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mont_Sorrel
https://canadianmountedrifles.yolasite.com/

from http://canadianmountedrifles.yolasite.com/1cmr-history.php
Sanctuary Wood: 2nd June 1916
Lieut.-Col. A. E. Shaw, of the First C.M.R. Battalion, also made a wonderful stand with a group of his unit. Lieut.-Col. Shaw banded a small number of soldiers into the ruins of a strongpoint just behind the front line—the remains of the fire-trenches were then in German hands. Lieut-Col. Shaw, together with Major Palmer and Lieut. Rowles, was killed as he fought there with cold steel. (Palmer was captured)

Account from: In Kultured Kaptivity, Life and Death in Germany's Prison Camps and Hospitals 
by Ivan Rossiter of the First and Third Canadian Mounted Rifles, (CEF). Dated 1918. 
The story of a Canadian Prisoner-of-War in Germany. 
From the American Libraries Internet Archive:
 
The stillness was suddenly broken. There was a report, a roar overhead, and immediately before our trench rose a geyser of earth, smoke and water, followed by an ear-splitting concussion. This was the first shell. The herald of what was to come. “Where did that one go to?” cried Bailly, through a shower of falling mud and water. “I think we’d better call the rest of the bunch,” said I. But this was unnecessary as the boys were already coming from the dug-out. They were mad at Heinie for so rudely disturbing their sleep, and were inclined to call him some very ugly names. At first, we thought this was to be a repetition of the day before, but soon we had another thought coming to us. Gradually the shelling increased until the noise became deafening. Shells were falling all around us. It kept getting worse and worse until it was impossible to distinguish one explosion from another; it was one mighty roar. We had been through this sort of thing before, but never any of like violence. Trenches rocked and swayed from the crash and concussion. Tons of metal were concentrated on this short space as if the heavens were opened and deadly missiles were being dropped upon us. High above even this awful roar came a terrible screech from the mighty naval guns that had been specially massed for the occasion. They tore out whole sections and the concussion was sufficient to cave in the walls of trenches some distance away. Sand-bags were blown into the air, and there was a continual hum of flying shrapnel, broken in on now and then by the crash of falling trees. Sanctuary Wood was at the apex of the Ypres salient and the Germans had silently massed great numbers of guns of all sizes and on both sides, so that shells were coming not only from the front, but from the right and left as well. Besides the terrible rain of high explosive there was also a barrage of shrapnel, hunting out those that the shells did not get, and another curtain of fire behind us that successfully cut off all reinforcements from getting to us. Between it and their own front line the Hun systematically bombarded every inch of ground. It was impossible to find any protection; there was only one thing to do and that was to sit tight and wait for the inevitable end. It seemed to me it would never come.

Early in the shelling my chum and I had taken up a position in what looked to us to be a strong traverse. This withstood the bombardment for some time but eventually was hit, and we were buried. We dug ourselves out, but another shell coming from the rear demolished the parados, burying us again. Once more we extricated ourselves and found to our surprise that neither one of us was hurt. We then decided to get back to the supports by crawling along over what had once been the trench. This was not a pleasant trip. Arriving at the communication trench we discovered it was receiving exactly the same attention as the front line, so we turned about and crawled back. On the way to the supports we had passed four fellows huddled together in a dug-in traverse, so we joined them. The shells were falling thick and fast here as elsewhere but somehow we managed to escape. I am not going to say we weren’t frightened, because we were, but all we could do was keep perfectly still, hug close to the parapet and wonder why death did not put us out of our misery. Soon we noticed an aeroplane flying overhead, not much more than seventy-five feet above us. Now, six men clustered together in a traverse said only one thing to the air men: a machine-gun crew. They immediately signalled back to their artillery, and soon we were the special object of their attention. The shells would rush past us, so close we could almost feel the hot breath of them, and explode just behind us. But still we were not hit, though under this gruelling fire the traverse gradually crumbled away. With a sickening crash a big one fell near us and the six of us were buried. We dug ourselves out, unharmed except for the shock. “I’m getting out of this,” said one of the fellows. “With you,” replied another. “Come on. Me for supports.” And the four that we had joined left to go overland to the support trenches. My chum and I gathered together a few of the sand-bags and built ourselves a little wall or barricade, but the shells in their search soon found us and the barricade was blown in. This time I was wounded in the leg and we decided to try for the supports. Crawling back, under and over fallen trees, smashed and battered trenches, we found a fairly deep shell-hole. “I think we might as well stop here,” said my companion. The hole looked good to me, so we took to it. Between us we had only one rifle, one bayonet and one entrenching tool. Now there is no hole, however deep, that is deep enough for the average fighting man, so we immediately began to dig. Crouching down, we worked as we had never worked before, my chum loosening the earth while I scraped it into a little pile and shovelled it over. Suddenly a “crump” landed alongside of us but we were both below the force of the explosion and so escaped. However, I was in the act of removing some earth and my hand was above the edge of the hole’s rim. I felt a sudden burning sensation in it and knew that I had been wounded. “I’ve got my Blighty,” said I, turning to my companion. “You lucky dog!” he cried. While he was bandaging me I said “Just think of the time I’m going to have. No more war for a while. Pretty nurses to tend to me, and lots of good things to eat. And say, it is June, too, - strawberries and cream.” I made him envious of my wound. While I was raving on he happened to look over the edge of the shell-hole. What he saw there evidently did not please him. “Great lord, there are a thousand Huns out there!” he exclaimed. “You’re seeing things,” I replied. “Well, suppose you take a little look for yourself.” I looked. Gone were all my dreams of Blighty, for there on all sides were the Germans, advancing in a sort of open formation, the officers in the rear, driving their men into action instead of leading as do our officers. The attacking troops were loaded down with rolls of barbed wire, picks shovels and sand-bags. They were equipped for a long stay. At first they ran into no opposition as there was no one there to stop them. But soon to our right a machine gun got busy and then the Germans began to look for cover. Their artillery lifted and moved farther back to prevent our reinforcement from coming through. Spasmodic rifle fire opened up behind us. Then we could hear the lighter explosions of the bombs. 

What few of our men were left in the supports put up a magnificent defence. Colonel Shaw, our commanding officer, seeing how desperate was the position, threw down his revolver, grabbed up a rifle and bayonet, and at the head of eighty men went over the top leading them into certain death. Very few of that eighty ever came back. Most of them died fighting to the last, our leader among them. The colonel was one of the best of men and officers. He never allowed “his boys” to go in where he had not been himself. Patient and kind and brave, he was loved by every man in the regiment. Captain Wilkin, our greatly loved regimental chaplain, and a fighting man as well, went over with the colonel and his little party to try to stop the Germans. The chaplain used his bayonet to good advantage, and when, unluckily, it snapped off, he used his fists on the boche, and was captured while mixing it up with a German private. They respected the cloth apparently and took him prisoner. When the action was over the Germans had captured our first line on a twelve-hundred-yard front, and a bit of the supports in one or two places. They had done it by their artillery and not by the infantry attack. There was only a handful of defenders left at the last charge and yet they could not penetrate through the supports. They won a temporary victory by a preponderance of artillery. When we saw the Germans attack, we knew we would be unable to put up any worth-while defence. I was wounded and could do nothing. But being isolated and only two of us, we never expected we’d be taken alive. “Well, good-by, old scout. We’ll meet somewhere else before long.” And we shook hands and waited, but not for long. Suddenly two dirty, unshaven and brutal faces appeared over the edge of the shell-hole. For a moment or two nothing happened. Then they growled something we could not understand and signalled to us to come out. We crawled over the edge and were immediately confronted by a German officer with a large revolver – the largest I thought I had ever seen. We felt nervous but I guess he was almost as shaky as we were. He gave us the once-over and then signalled us to move back. We moved from one Hun wave to another, crossing the desolate ruins of our old trench system, crossed No Man’s Land, which was now German land, and into the German trenches – two prisoners of war.
end of text from the Canadian Mounted Rifles site
you can read the complete book on line at
https://archive.org/details/inkulturedkaptiv00rossrich/page/n7/mode/2up

A person in the family tree Kate Chaplin had a son by a previous marriage who was also in the 1st CMR’s. Since he is not a relation he is not included in this site. However it may be interesting to note.
One of her children by her first marriage, Walter Chaplin Scarr was in the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles Regimental Number 106537.
I mention this as my grandfather Percy Simmonds was also in the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles Regimental Number 106553.
As it turned out both were in action on June 2, 1916 at Mont Sorrel. Both men were reported missing in action, presumed dead. Both were found a few days later. Walter was found dead by the Canadians with several bayonet wounds. Percy had been found by the Canadians but was left for dead. Percy was found badly wounded by the Germans, taken POW as survived. Walter’s body was buried but the grave was lost, so his name was recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial. The grave was found several years later. It seems Percy was very fortunate not to have suffered the same fate.

end of WWI information

1921 Canadian Census
Rural Municipality of Douglas, Saskatchewan Canada, 34-44-11 W3
Head Percy Simmonds, born England, immigrated 1904, age 36 Canadian, Church of England, farmer.
Aunt, Edith Patience Jewell, immigrated 1905, age 66, born England, Canadian, Church of England.
[This census was dated June 1, 1921 which was the same day Percy and Margaret were married in Winnipeg. Not every census form was filled out on that day, but questions were to be answered for that date. I can find no entry for Margaret. Perhaps Percy’s aunt Edith filled out the form and Margaret and Percy were not recorded in Winnipeg.]

In the 1926 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
West 1/2 34-44-11 W3, Rural Municipality of Douglas, Battleford Electoral district, Saskatchewan
Head Percy Simmonds, married, age 41, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, Canadian citizenship
Wife Margaret P. Simmonds, married, age 38, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1912, Canadian citizenship
Son John Percy Simmonds, age 3, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Daughter Patience M. Simmonds, age 2, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Son Robert Henry Simmonds, age 1 month, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Aunt Edith P. Jewell, widow, age 71, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1905
hiredman Edward Stogard, single, age 34, born Denmark, parents born Denmark, Danish citizen, mother tongue Danish, home Maker

In the 1931 Canadian Census taken June 1, 1931
Saskatchewan, North Battleford district, subdistrict 19
home owner, home valued at $600, single floor, wood, 5 rooms, family has a radio,
Section 34-44-11 W3 Rural Municipality of Douglas
Head Percy Simmonds, male, married, age 44 [actually 47], born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, nationality Canada, racial origin English, can speak English, can speak French, Church of England, farmer, general farm, total earnings in the last 12 months $960.
Wife Margaret Simmonds, female, married, age 43, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1909 [actually 1912], nationality Canada, racial origin English, speaks English, speaks French, Church of England,
Son John Simmonds, age 8, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, 7 months in school since September 1
Daughter Patience Simmonds, age 7, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, 7 months in school since September 1
Son Robert Simmonds, age 5, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, no time in school
Son Thomas Simmonds, age 3, born Saskatchewan
Servant Antony Salamon, single, age 50, born Russia, parents born Russia, immigrated 1925, nationality Russia, racial origin Russia, speaks English, Greek Catholic, farm labourer
Lodger [Independent was crossed out, but actually Percy’s Aunt.] Edith Jewell, widow, age 76, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, Nationality English, racial origin English, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, occupation Income (Independent crossed out)

Percy was an original member of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and served as a Wheat Pool delegate for many years.

Percy was quite musically adept as a young man, but he never played after he was wounded in WW1, as his hands were stiffened and he was unable to move his fingers easily, in fact some not at all. A family memory is that he in fact had on one occasion played the piano, as a boy, with a symphony orchestra in Leeds. The impression was that it involved a special occasion on which young talent was being displayed.


PERCY SIMMONDS FAMILY
By John Simmonds [son] With Reference From Islae Johnson’s Newspaper Column
Taken from Along the Carlton Trail (edited)

Have you ever found yourself in snow so deep you had to swim through it? This is what happened to Percy Simmonds during one winter of his early years in Saskatchewan. He and two other chaps were logging at Meeting Lake, when a storm blocked all trails. Leaving the others with the tent and team, Percy set out for home on foot. By the time he reached the deep ravine that runs four miles south of Mayfair, he was almost snow-blind, one moccasin was torn and his foot starting to freeze. He recalled that he didn’t walk through that coulee, the snow was so deep, he swam through it. Heading south-east he made it to Venosse Gareau’s shack that night.

Next morning, eyes swollen shut, he set out again, feeling his way along familiar terrain, he eventually came to where he thought Maud Lake ought to be. Edging along what appeared to be a huge drift, he suddenly stepped off into emptiness. He had walked on top of snow covered trees, stepped off the crest and landed with hurting force on the ice covered lake. When the shock of landing wore off he resumed his journey, moccasined feet feeling for the ox trail he knew would lead to a settlers shack. Finding it and stumbling into the welcome warmth that housed a Scotsman, an American and an Easterner, are memories to be treasured. He told of the stew they served being so tough that he chewed it until his jaws ached, then swallowed it whole. In those days when an ox died, they didn’t bury it, they butchered it.

Against all arguments, Percy set out for home next morning. He made it too, in spite of painful eyes that could not see, and a foot sore from freezing. His aunt used cold tea leaf packs on his eyes until he could get to see a doctor in Saskatoon [118 kilometres or about 70 miles away]. For the next year, he was forced to wear two pairs of glasses, one pair tinted.

It was a long way from the farm to Fielding, the closest town, and once it took four days to make the round trip with a load of grain. A blizzard made it necessary to shovel ahead of the team, temperatures dipped to 30 degrees below zero, and when the wily oxen spotted an old barn, they turned in and called it a day. The men lit a fire in the airy shack used by Bill Scott in the summer, but they still had to take turns keeping the fire going while the others huddled in a horse blanket to keep warm and sleep.

Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds was born in 1884 at Bradford [his birth certificate says Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire], Yorkshire, England. His family had always planned to send him to Sandhurst Military College; however, when the time came finances would not allow it. In the meantime Percy had befriended a young man who had gone to school in Montreal; his interest in Canada was kindled. Early in 1904, at a ripe old age of 19, Percy landed in Montreal and stayed a few days with friends of his young pal. He then headed west to make his fortune. Percy carried with him a letter of introduction, given to him by his Montreal hosts, for a farmer in the ‘Hartney’ district in Manitoba.

His new employer advanced Percy $10 (a month’s wages), to buy some work clothes. The ten dollars bought a pair of bib-overalls, a smock, a pair of work boots, a pair of gloves and some socks, with some change left. It was there that he learned about feeding pigs, raising cattle, caring for horses and the growing of crops; of course, the land work was all done with horse drawn implements. The crop was cut with a binder and stooked, then stacked and left until the arrival of a steam threshing outfit. The threshing machine would be set up between stacks and the grain was bagged as it came from the machine. The bagged grain was then hauled to, and stored in a shed in the farm yard. It would then be hauled to town when a platform railway car could be arranged for, so the grain went to a terminal or mill, still in bags.

Percy learned that one worked hard, and for long hours to earn one’s wages, and that the ‘locals’ liked to make fun of a green Englishman. In the fall of 1905, Percy traveled to Saskatoon and on to Radisson, (the end of the rail at that time), then headed north-westerly on foot [about 50 kilometres each way, if he took the most direct route, which was unlikely as we was searching for his ideal location], looking for land on which to file for a homestead. He subsequently filed on SW 34-44-11 W3rd, in an area later known as the Keatley Ridge. At the same time he filed on homesteads for an uncle [Joseph Lowe] (NW 34-44-11-W3rd) and for Joe Speed (SE 4-45-11-W3rd). In return for doing breaking on these quarters, he was to have first chance to buy them. After filing these homesteads in Battleford, Percy returned to his employer in Manitoba for the Winter.

In the Spring of 1906, Percy was back ready to ‘prove up’ his homestead. To ‘prove up’ a homestead, you first paid a $10.00 fee, then you were required to break at least ten acres of prairie a year for three years, and to build a house on the quarter. You were supposed to live on your homestead for at least six months of each of the three years. If you met these requirements you received title to your homestead.

The young Englishman had a busy year in 1906. Ten acres were broken on each of the three quarters. A ‘soddy’ was built to live in and a small barn built as well. The sods for sod buildings were usually obtained by plowing a long furrow in a slough bottom, then the long sods were cut into lengths and laid much the same as bricks, one layer lengthwise (two or three sods wide), the second layer laid crosswise and so on. Rough frames for a door and for several small windows would be set in as you built. Percy didn’t like the idea of a sod roof laid up on poles (the usual roof for a soddy) so he built a roof out of lumber.

Soon after this Percy was joined by an aunt, Mrs. Jewell, an uncle, Joe Lowe, and a friend of his aunt, Miss Jarmine, and so the ‘soddy’ was enlarged. Furniture consisted of canvas camp cots and apple boxes with a home made table.

In 1907 the first seeding on the homestead was to be done. Percy had no drill [for seeding] and no experience at hand-broadcasting of the seed. He made a deal with a neighbour, Jim McBlain, who had considerable experience at broadcast seeding. Bags of seed were laid out at predetermined distance apart at each end of the field. Jim would fill his apron and walk toward the first bag at the other end of the field, broadcasting the grain by hand as he went. When he reached the bag, he would fill the apron again, and head toward the bag at the opposite end of the field, and continue until the field was completed. The field was then harrowed to cover the seed. In return for his seeding, Percy harrowed in Jim’s crop.

Pioneer life continued, a log house was built, more land cleared and broken, and a horse and buggy were bought. During the opening of the west the Anglican Church had travelling clergymen and many church services were held in the ‘soddy’, then the log house. The need for a church was apparent.

Mrs. Jewell, whose husband was killed in the Sudan campaigns of the 1880’s, [January 19, 1885] was instrumental in getting funds for the building of St. Mary’s Church from a missionary society in England, and a church was built in 1909 on land donated by Percy. Later on a chancel was added to the church and still later on the building was placed on a cement foundation. Mrs. Jewell and Miss Jarmine taught Sunday School in those early years, and Mr. And Mrs. Walter Pope were the first couple to be married in the church. St. Mary’s still stands on its original site, surrounded by the graves of many of the pioneers of the district. In 1913, the railroad from Prince Albert to North Battleford was built, Speers sprang up and became the trading centre for the district. Now it was barely ten miles from the homestead to ‘town’.

In 1914, World War I broke out and Percy answered the call to arms in the winter of 1914 – 15, and left Mrs. Jewell and Uncle Joe in charge of the homestead. He went overseas with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, a cavalry unit [actually, mounted infantry], however, their horses were taken away in England and they went to France as infantry. They fought over a few hundred of yards of soil in the water logged area of northeastern France and Belgium. The fighting in the area had soon destroyed and drainage ditches and canals, so the trenches nearly always had water in the bottom of them.

During the attack by the Allies, Percy was severely wounded in the thigh by shrapnel, from a shell that exploded nearby. He passed in and out of consciousness, slowly slipping toward the bottom of a shell hole containing water. Percy learned later that a Canadian stretcher party, looking for wounded after the battle was over, had passed him by as dead, and it was two days later then the German’s re-occupied the area, that he was found and taken prisoner. Gangrene had set in Percy’s wounds and without the benefit of pain killers, the German doctors dug out the shrapnel, set his leg, and treated the wounds by pouring iodine into them and packing the wounds with gauze. This was repeated every 12 hours, and the leg was saved. The Germans, however, were so sure that the leg would be of little use, that they released Percy to the Red Cross in Switzerland, to convalesce. With therapy in Swiss and English hospitals, the leg regained most of its strength. Finally, Percy was allowed to return to the homestead in January 1919. Percy had been reported as killed in action. A telegram to that effect arrived in Speers for Mrs. Jewell. A neighbour a mile to the south of the homestead, Lyman Linnell, brought the telegram out to the homestead to Mrs. Jewell. She opened and read the telegram, looked up and said, "Lyman, you are a damn liar. Percy is not dead." Her intuition was correct. Upon hearing of the report of Percy’s death, Joe Speed sold the quarter, promised to Percy.

In June of 1921, Percy married Margaret Patience Deakin in Winnipeg. They had originally met as school children and again in Winnipeg, when Percy’s unit was in training near there.

Pat was the daughter of an English, clergyman and grew up just outside of Birmingham. She first came to Canada in 1912. Originally she had intended to sail on the Titanic, but at the last moment changed to a boat leaving the following week, and thus missed the fateful journey of the most modern ship of its day.

Pat stayed with a brother while working in Winnipeg, and she too returned to England after war broke out. She joined the Woman’s Auxiliary Army, serving in France with H.Q. Staff.

They were very active in the community. Pat played the organ at St. Mary’s Church and was a strong supporter of the Anglican Women’s Auxiliary, being president of it for 25 years. Percy served on the Keatley School Board, on the R.M. of Douglas Council, the Speers Rural Telephone Co. Board, a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion, and later was on the supervisory committee of the Speers and District Credit Union. However, Percy’s greatest interest was efforts were directed towards the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

During the formative years of the Pool in 1923 – 1924, Percy drove many miles getting neighbours to sign ‘pooling contracts’. He was a member of the first Speers Wheat Pool Committee, and soon after was elected delegate for the sub-district, a position he held almost continuously until his retirement in 1962.

When the railroad was built between Speers and Medstead in 1927 – 1928, Keatley Wheat Pool members organized and naturally chose ‘No. 1’ site for the proposed Pool elevator. One day the telephone rang and an excited voice urged Percy to get over to Keatley as someone was beginning to build on the Pool site. Sure enough, there they were, a whole crew of men and a carload of lumber. When the interlopers refused to move, Percy telephoned Regina over the problem. With 17 other men, they tore up the stakes as fast as the crew put them in. For two days, they worked in shifts to prevent the crew from working. On the third day, a gentleman came walking down the track, inquiring as to who headed the stoppage. Percy was nudged to the foreground, the stranger handed him a card. The stranger turned out to be Mr. Charles, Chief Engineer, Prairie Division, C.N.R.

After a bit of chewing back and forth, Percy suddenly asked Mr. Charles if he was from Hampshire, he admitted that he was.
"You have a sister named Marion, don’t you?"
"Yes," he said.
"Your sister and my wife became good friends while attending the same private school", said Percy. Recognition dawned, and needless to say it was not long before Mr. Charles told the crew to move on, and the ‘No. 1’ site was saved for the Pool.

Percy had played a lot of sports while going to school. He was very interested in local sports. In the early days there were many soccer games amongst the pioneers. Every so often the British pioneers would have to make a stab at playing baseball to satisfy the Americans, (who played soccer so there were enough to make two teams).

Percy’s favourite Canadian game was hockey; in the late ‘30’s and early ‘40’s, he promoted local hockey. The Keatley hockey team made many a trip to North Battleford on the ‘skunk’ in the early evening. Even in later years, Percy rarely missed a hockey game in Hafford; he was a real hockey critic.

In 1948, the old log house and additions were replaced by a two-story frame house. Their family had grown up by then. John had been a pilot in the R.C.A.F. during W.W.II, and served in the European theatre, bringing back a Welsh war bride, Enid.

In April of 1966, Pat died of a heart attack in her kitchen. Percy lived alone in the ‘new house’, vowing he would not live anywhere else but on the homestead. In 1975, Percy died after a short illness, ending almost 70 years of seeing the prairies develop from an uninhabited region to an area where the way of life is second to none. Both Pat and Percy, along with Mrs. Jewell [as well as their sons John and Tom and John’s wife Enid], are buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery; on the land that was originally part of the ‘homestead’, the land they loved so much, and endured so much, in order to retain it.

[A few additional notes about the above article.
1) The land Percy and Margaret Simmonds farmed still remains in the family. It was farmed by their oldest son John, then a grandson and now a great grandson. The size of the farm has grown considerably in the almost 120 years since it was homesteaded by Percy. For information about the farm today see https://raptorent.net/ [Update: the website is now an archive as most of the land has been rented out and the family is no longer actively farming most of the land.]
2) The Keatley grain elevator mentioned in the article has been moved and is now a museum display at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford. Most of the original grain elevators in the province have now been torn down.]