GEORGE MARTIN DAY
.....
He was born March 28 1886 in Hastings, Sussex, England, the second son of Frederick William
Day and Deidemia Campbell. His parents went on to have 5 more sons for a total of 7 sons born
to the family. On March 27, 1891, Frederick William Day, who was a waiter at the Belle Vue
Hotel, Hastings, died of Tuberculosis. Deidemia was pregnant at that time with the seventh
son, Alan Walter Day who was born on April 3, 1891, Hasting, Sussex, England. Being
destitute, Deidemia’s plight came to the attention of James Glazier, secretary of the
Hastings and St. Leonard’s Charity Organization, of which Mr. Glazier was secretary. Two of
the sons were selected to go to Dr. Bernardo’s – George Martin Day and his brother Claude
Campbell Day. However, Claude was returned to the family for reasons unknown. George Martin
Day was sent to Canada on his own at the age of nine, on the SS Labrador, out of Liverpool on
June 10, 1897 and arrived at Dr. Bernardo’s home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was one of the
thousands of British Home Children that were sent to Canada as domestic labor. On June 25,
1894, he was placed into the home of William Walkom who farmed in the Estevan area. In July
1900 he was invited to contribute an account of his experience for publication in an issue of
“Ups and Downs”, a circular out of Toronto. Eventually he farmed his own land, being Sec 16,
Twp 3, Range 7, South West of the 2nd Meridian, Estevan, Sask. According to Dr. Bernardo’s
records, George Martin Day was an example of the successes of some of the British Home
Children. He was also able to stay in touch by letter with his mother, who had moved to
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. (Eventually he was joined in Canada by his youngest brother,
Alan Walter Day who homesteaded near Rumsey, Alberta and signed up with the Canadian
Expeditionary forces on April 13, 1915 in Estevan. He was killed in action on Oct 18, 1916 at
the Battle of the Somme, and is buried at the Adanac Cemetery, near Miraumont, France.)
.....George Martin Day returned to England, for his brother Claude’s Wedding in June 1910 where he
met Ethel Florence Burnett. She was born in Gillingham, Rochester, Kent, England on Dec 9,
1880. In May, 1913 he again returned to England where he and Ethel Florence Burnett were
married July 12, 1913 at St. George’s Church, Portsmouth, England. Together with her son
Howard, they returned to his homestead in Saskatchewan where they continued to farm. Leonard
.....
Henry Day, was born April 12, 1914. Gladys Irene Day was born June 15, 1916. George Martin
Day died in the Minot Hospital, on July 22, 1935 from cancer. He is buried at Estevan City
Cemetery, along with their son Leonard who was killed on the farm on Dec 5, 1938, in a
horrible tractor accident. During this time, Howard was working in the mines near Bienfait,
and so he took moved his family there and took over the farm duties. Ethel Florence Day died
June 23, 1950 and is also buried at Estevan City Cemetery.
PHOTOS
The first one is the wedding picture of George Martin Day and Ethel Florence Burnett. The
second picture was taken when he went into the care of Dr. Bernardo’s home in England before
being sent to Canada as a British Home child.
I am his great granddaughter, Leslie Stouse (nee Day)
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Paul & Leslie Stouse |
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