Destrubé family - Letter from Georges to Dear Ones, March 17, 1917, France
PublicA typed copy of a letter written by Georges Destrubé to his family on March 17, 1917 while in hospital in France. In this letter he discusses the deaths of his brothers Guy and Paul in February and the details of their burial. Destrubé Family Biography: The bulk of the material in the Destrubé family fonds, represented in this exhibit, concerns the children of Ernest Destrubé, and in particular, the siblings who immigrated to Canada in the early part of the twentieth century – Maurice, Georges, Guy, Paul and Sylvie. It includes their lives as homesteaders in Alberta, experiences on the Front of the three brothers (Georges, Guy and Paul) who signed up to fight in 1914, and life just after the war. Ernest Destrubé, “Pumps” to his family, was born in France in 1850. After being wounded in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Ernest began a career in banking. He eventually moved to England to be Assistant Manager of the Comptoir National d’Escompte de Paris, located at 52 Threadneedle Street in London. He lived with his wife Elizabeth (nee Farmery, 1856-1897) and their six children--Maurice, Georges, Dan, Paul, Guy, and Sylvie--on Adelaide Road in London. Following Elizabeth’s death, Ernest married Alice Bauche in 1900. They had a son, Andre, in 1901. After the War, Ernest moved back to France. He lived at Les Clematites, near Beaune, until his death in 1923. Dan Louis [1879-1940] was born in London and spent most of his life in France. Paul Maurice (nickname, Jack) was born in London in 1885. He followed his father into banking but decided soon after to take on the adventure and challenge of homesteading in Canada. He left England in 1906 for the US, where he learned farming from an uncle in Missouri, before traveling to Rife, Alberta to stake his claim. His first wife Margaret (Maggie, née Lebow) died in childbirth in 1918. After the war Maurice married Pevensey (Pem) Wheeler, former hospital headmistress and friend to Sylvie. Maurice eventually (1940s) sold the homestead and moved to Victoria, British Columbia. He married Eleanor Mary Ellis (née Sandeman) in 1950 and later built a cabin on Piers Island. Maurice died in 1978. Marguerite Sylvie (Sylvie, or Syl) was born in London in 1882. After the death of her mother in 1897, she took on the role of mother to her young brothers. Sylvie also made the journey to Canada to help her brothers in Rife. She returned to England during the First World War to work for the Red Cross, Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Sylvie was engaged to family friend, Arthur Fleming, who was killed in action in the War [1916?]. After returning to Canada, Sylvie married Bert Spencer. Together they ran a store in Alberta until, in their retirement, they moved west to Victoria, British Columbia. Leon Georges [b. 1888], Paul Jean [b. 1893] and Charles Guy [b. 1891] were born in London. Guy left England to join his brother in Canada in 1907, followed by Georges in 1908 and Paul in 1913. Georges was a talented sketch artist. He had some training in England but decided not to pursue art as a career. Soon after War was declared, the boys travelled to Edmonton (first Paul and later Georges and Guy) to sign on with the Alberta dragoons, however, the first battalion had already left for the east. Pumps sent them enough money to cover the trip to England, where the three brothers signed up with the Royal Fusiliers. After close to a year of training in England, Paul, Guy and Georges left for France to serve in the same company of the 22nd Royal Fusiliers. In spring of 1916, Georges was wounded at Souchez—shot through the lung. He was invalided to England and convalesced at Ebbwvale, Wales. Although he made it back to France in January 1917, his return to the Front was delayed by quarantine for Mumps. Due to this twist of fate, Georges missed joining his brothers in the Battle at Miraumont, where Paul and Guy were among the several -hundred soldiers killed, February 17, 2017. In the ensuing months, Georges applied for and was granted a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. He returned to England for training and spent the rest of the War ferrying planes to and from France. After the War, Georges married Suzanne Fournier (nickname Mémé). They lived for a few years in Rife, Alberta but Georges found that he was no longer able to do the difficult physical labor required on the farm. He sold his share of the homestead and moved with Suzanne to Victoria, British Columbia. At some point Suzanne and Georges changed their last name to d’Estrubé, although, the rest of the family maintained the original spelling. In 1949 Georges and Maurice made a nostalgic return visit to Rife where Georges died suddenly at age 61. References: Hendrickson, James E., Ed. Pioneering in Alberta: Maurice Destrube’s Story, Historical Society of Alberta. 1981. Stone, Christopher, Ed. A History of the 22nd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Kensington). 1923.
- In Collection:
- 1 page
- 46, 2
- Victoria to Vimy First World War Collection
- World of Mary's Wedding Reminiscences of World War One
- Accession Number: 1982-006
- Special Collections fonds: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/destrube-family-fonds
- [Centre:] FROM GEORGES DESTRUBE TO THE FAMILY[Upper left:] COPY. [Upper right:] France 17/3/17Dear Ones,I have recieved your numerous letters and they have been a great consolation to me. I hope you get mine too; I sent one the daybefore yesterday in a green envelope. I believe I have already said that I recieved no copy of <del>ye</del>your letter to Col. Barker, and I would like one very much.You will find many letters enclosed, I would like you to putthem by for me Pumps, - except of course the new letters that you haven't yet seen; these last you can keep, Pumps.I shall be leaving segregation on Tuesday so my new addresswill be -, Pte. Destrube, No. 50512, 22nd Royal Fusiliers, I.B.D. A.P.o.Sec. 17. B.E.F. France. There is a letter from Vinicombe. He latterly joined theM.G. He was not with Guy and Pauls team but he knew them well, thoughperhaps not intimately. He was a Sergt. last summer, but was reduced to the ranks for shewing cowardice, so I heard. He was a good hearted fellow though. It was a great, great relief to know that our dear boyswere buried together and a cross erected, - this will make it possible tofind their dear grave when the war is over and it will be a greatconsolation to us all. When I get on the Front again I shall naturallytry and locate the spot but unless the Battn. returns to that neighbourhood, this will be impossible. But you may rest assured that the graveswill remain untouched and the spot still quite traceable after the war. Also the burying parties are instructed to make notes of the exact whereabouts which are preserved in England. A chap told me that there wasa public office in London where they made it a business of keeping theserecords and all such information. It is in charge of Sir Lionel Earle,he did not know the exact address, you could enquire Pumps. I should imagine that their personal belongings will have been sent to you without delay. I wrote to Cox asking him to see aboutit and to do his utmost to secure everything and that if some of theirthings fell in the hands of strangers to buy them back if necessary. I hope so much that we get everything back.I met Forbisher again, his version was quite correct, -poor Paul was first to be killed.I do not know at all whether Paul left any things atEdmonton or not. I should imagine that somebody at the Bank would know-unfortunately, the people where he was boarding have left, I think. Ofcourse I don't know their address.Will you please forward the parcel from Rife to the new address I gave you. (I'm afraid it will contain more tobacco than I canpossibly use if such was the duty!)Thanks so much my very dear Syl, for your kind numerousletters. Sunday. 18//17.Last night I recieved a letter from you dear old Syl, and 2 from Mme. Mac Coll and one from Rene. I am so pleased to hear that Minty is arlight, - I hadheard he was killed (only rumour). Goodbye my dear ones, (I dont feel I can write a longerletter.) Love to all Lovingly yours Georges
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