Florence Westman - First World War scrapbook

Public

Florence Westman compiled this scrapbook, predominantly 1916-1918, personally titled, “My Chronicle of the War” during and just after the First World War in Ottawa Ontario. The scrapbook contains: photographs; newspaper clippings; postcards; and items of ephemera, including, theater and concert programs, military forms, and menus. Many items relate to her family's involvement in charitable work. Others represent activities organized for the entertainment of the soldiers, including programs for sporting events, theatre and concert performances, and church services. In addition, the scrapbook contains items sent to Florence by soldiers stationed in England and at the Front, such as, photographs, tickets, and military forms, to name a few. The photographs depict soldiers, friends and family—some formal portraits, and the rest, snapshots of picnics, skating, and additional casual scenes. Sources of news clippings are presumed to be Ottawa periodicals. Similarly, unless otherwise noted, the majority of the photographs were taken in and around Ottawa. Westman filled the scrapbook with personal annotations—often highlighting names in news articles and adding captions to photographs and other items. The Scrapbook pages follow roughly chronological order except for loose items, scans of which are shown after the attached scrapbook pages. Most items in the scrapbook date from 1916 to 1918. One soldier mentioned throughout the scrapbook is B. C. Hilliam. Bentley Collingwood Hilliam [b. 1890] a native of North Vancouver, took his theatre company on a tour throughout Canada to entertain the troops. An Ottawa news article, published in November 1916, describes him as, “official amusement director of the Canadian army.” The scrapbook also includes several of his humorous cartoon sketches. Biography: Florence May Westman [“Floss”] was born on November 11, 1889 in Ottawa, Ontario, where she lived until the end of the First World War. Florence’s father, Thomas was an accountant with the Inland Revenue Department and a veteran of the Northwest Rebellion. Her mother, Florence Augusta (née Collett), founded and served as President of the Soldier’s Service Club (SSC) in Ottawa, an organization that provided aid and entertainment to soldiers stationed in and near Ottawa. Florence was also actively involved in the SSC, participating in fundraising performances and other service activities documented in her scrapbook. Florence had 6 siblings: Winniefred [b. 1887], Thomas Arthur [1892-1912], Gertrude Viola [b. 1895], George Edward [b. 1897], Albert Ernest Robert [“Bob”, b. 1900], and Margaret Kathleen [b. 1911]. Her brother George enlisted in in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF) in April 1916 and served with the Signallers overseas. According to a newspaper clipping in the scrapbook, he was injured by a gas shell explosion while fighting in France. The clipping also states that his younger brother Bob, after spending one year at university, joined the newly formed Canadian Air Service in Ontario. Florence married Charles Norman Senior [October 22, 1891 - June 29, 1978], on July 14, 1917 at her family’s summer home in Britannia Heights, Ottawa. Norman Senior, a journalist prior to the War, enlisted in the CEF on September 30, 1916. Little is known about his service, other than that he worked in publicity for the Military Hospitals Commission at their headquarters in Ottawa. During their marriage, the couple lived for a short time in Victoria, British Columbia before moving to San Francisco, California where Norman served as Consul General of Canada. Florence (Weston) Senior died in Ontario in 1978.

In Collection:
Subject Language Date created Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 scrapbook (70 pages) ; 26 x 34 cm
Alternative title
  • My Chronicle of the War
  • Florence M. Westman: my chronicle of the war, beginning January 1916 Ottawa, Ont
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 45.41117, -75.69812
Physical repository Collection
  • Victoria to Vimy First World War Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • Accession Number: 2000-030
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Technical note
  • Metadata by K. Bohlman. Migration metadata by KD.
Rights
  • This material may be protected by copyright. Use of this material is permitted for research and private study purposes only. For all other uses, contact University of Victoria Special Collections and University Archives.
DOI

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