Rudolph Robert Corbett

Central School Honour roll

Rudolph Robert Corbett  43^rd Howitzer Battery, Canadian Field Artillery   307610  Rudolph signed his attestation papers on the 6^th of December 1915 at Guelph, Ontario.  He was a student, born on the 12^th of February 1896 at Mimico, York, Ontario.
His parents:  Thomas Corbett ( 1856 — 1923  ) and,
      Annie Maria Young ( 1856 — 1940 )-(Funeral director file)
      At New Westminster in 1920, we find Rudolph who normally was working as a rancher in Princeton, B.C., with enough time to get married to Minda Alvilde Hanson.  And later in 1940 he was living in Toronto.

Brothers:   Arthur Ernest Corbett ( 1880 — 1960) ;  Frederick William Corbett,( 1889 — 1962 )  also Thomas Edward Corbett ( 1885 — 1934 )

Sisters:  Marie Emmeline Corbett "Freeman"( 1883 — 1955 ); Helen Corbett "McLeod" ; Florence Amy Corbett "Swackhamer" ( 1894 — 1958 )

SERVICE RECORD:   states that he was demobilized on the 7^th of April 1919 at Toronto, Ontario.

NOTE:  No idea when he or his wife passed away. His brother Frederick William Corbett, also served in WWI

William George Coleman

Port Coquitlam Honour roll
Central School honour roll

William George Coleman  No.2 Section Skilled Railway Employee,
No.13 Light Railway Operating Company, C.E.F. 2125396
      William signed his attestation papers on the 21^st of March 1917 at New Westminster, he was working as a wiper and fireman for the CPR.
Born on the 3^rd of December 1899 Boissevain, Manitoba ( He wrote down 1897 originally but got caught ) home was in Coquitlam.
His parents were,  Robert John Coleman (1873-1940)  and  Margaret Cecilia Meakin (1879-1965) they lived at 2215 Central Avenue in Port Coquitlam, the home today is gone replaced by typical budget infill homes.  

At Vancouver in 1932 William married  Edna Cecilia Nelson (1907- 1961 )
No idea how many children came of this union.
Numerous brothers: Wilfred Harold Coleman (1897-1968)
  Herbert Lawrence Coleman ( 1898-1945) and
   Robert Alfred Coleman (1904-1983)
and a sister:   Lily May Coleman (1900 - 1992) married Ernest Cook, they divorced, then she married John Merrick, and she became, Lillian May Merrick
 
Service Record: Inside his records is this statement: “Not to be sent overseas until 19 years of age” after he was caught lying about his age.
Served in France with the railway building units as a telephone operator. 
He sent his hard earned money back home to his father in Port Coquitlam   William was in England from March to June of 1917, then over to France from June to March, then back to England from March to November of 1918, then back to Canada in December, and he was then discharged on the 7^th of February 1919 at Vancouver, B.C.
Primarily employed as a telephone operator,  and very sober according to one of the comments in his file.

William George Coleman died on the 27^th of August 1973 at home in Vancouver, he is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby.

Wilfred Harold Coleman

Central School honour roll

Wilfred Harold Coleman  131^st Battalion, 158^th Battalion. 790559
   Signed his attestation papers on the 7th of February 1916  at New Westminster, B.C. He worked as an electrician Wilfred was born on the 29th of April 1896 at Boissevain, Manitoba. He was living in Port Coquitlam with his wife, Caroline  Martha Elizabeth Baird ( 1898 – 1960 ) they were married in 1916 at New Westminster  he was working as an electrician at this time.

Children of Wilfred and Caroline:

Dorothy Margaret Caroline "McChesney" ( 1916 - 1962         )
      she was married to  Joseph George McChesney
Marshall David Coleman ( 1920 - 1964 ) married to Joyce Estelle Merrick
Possibly more children to be found..

His previous military service was with the 158^th Battalion, 104^th Regiment, for a period of sixteen months. 
     His parents were: Robert John Coleman 1873 – 1940 & Margaret Cecilia Meakin  1879 - 1965
They had numerous children see the other two Coleman entries on this blog, both are brothers of Wilfred.

Service Record:  He was designated as medically unfit on the 19^th of September 1916 at the Vernon Camp.  He was previously for one month in the 158^th Battalion from the 6^th of January 1916 to the 6^th of February 1916, then in the 131^st Battalion from February until September 1916.  He was having troubles with abdominal pain, from a previous appendix operation.     He tried to serve his country.

Wilfred  died on the 14^th of May 1968 at the Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, B.C. at the age of 67.  He had retired in 1960 and was living at 2212 Hawthorne Avenue, Port Coquitlam.

No. 14 Platoon( photo from the 131st Battalion year book, 1916 )

Top Row: G. Brown, Percy Gibb, Hosford Franklin Nagle, Leslie Lemuel Evans Goldsmith, William Gower, S. Brown, John Simon Whittaker, James Alvin Scott, J. Gourlay, F. Jackson, P.J. Leidmeier, Frederick Harvard.
Second Row: Marmaduke George Bateman, Ralph Wellington Atkinson, Herbert William Henry, Harry Gower, J. Walker, John Gleave, James Arthur Hayne, Joseph Ladoux, William Perry Patten, J. Stewart, D. Dougherty,(David or Daniel Dougherty).
Third Row: George Dalziel, J. MacKenzie, Justin Dorr, G. Williams, John Henry Griffiths, William Henry Lawrence, A. Henderson, Ernest Turner, Wilfred Harold Coleman, Walter John Wigmore, Edward Cadenhead, Abe Denson.
Fourth Row: Albert Richard Eden, David Gillies, James Glass, William Herbert Simpson, F. Grant, Ernest Austen, James Joseph Shea, Roy Torrence Hildebrand, Martin Marin Beadle, James Lyall Goldsmith.
Front Row: Corporal Harry Carter, Company Sergeant Major Richard Arthur Henderson, Lieutenant Vyvyan Chard Brimacombe, Lieutenant Keith Campbell MacGowan, Company Quartermaster Sergeant Leslie George Rayner, Sergeant Edward Groves, Corporal Robert Albert Victor Cheale, Bugler Victor Thomas Crispin.

Robert Albert Victor Cheale

Port Coquitlam Honour Roll
Central School Honour Roll

Robert Albert Victor Cheale,  Corporal 131^st Overseas Battalion. Signed his attestation papers on the 14^th of January 1916 at New Westminster 790399     b.12 December 1897 Bexhill, Sussex, England. He lived in Port Coquitlam with his parents, and worked as a carpenter. Active: 104th Regiment, New Westminster. Service file: while emptying 6-pounder shells, accidently dropped match and received 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns to the right side of his face; he was hospitalized for a few weeks then returned into the fray.

Photo from 1916, 131st Battalion , 14th Platoon; Robert is pictured in the front row, far right.

Father: George Cheale  1863 – 28 December 1941 age78. worked as a carpenter; lived in Port Coquitlam.
 Mother: Jane Langridge b. 27 August 1861 Sussex, England - d. 8 June1925 Port Coquitlam, age 63.

1911census, finds the family living at Harrison Mills; it appears that the family moved to Port Coquitlam in 1913, at which time Robert's father built the John Kilmer Residence at  1575 Pitt River Road, today more easily seen from Knappen Street. ( photo from the PoCo museum ) Followed in 1914 by a home at 1824 Pitt River Road, and another next door 1828 Pitt River Road, built in 1922. Robert's father George was a well trained English carpenter, who probably built many more homes than these three.

After the war, Robert returned to Port Coquitlam, and in 1926 he married Nellie Greenwood, (1901 – 1984 )

Brother:   Percy Cheale
Sisters:   Mrs. E. Bartons
Mrs. Florence Gertrude Pricilla Goodsell, VI ( 1893 – 1973 ) she was married in 1913
 
Jeannie Cheale married in 1923 Clarence Edward Nichols;  In 1932 as a widow she remarried, becoming Mrs. Jennie Georgina Davidson West, ( 1904 – 1971 )

Also a Bernice Cheale, Bernice Donald 

Robert Albert Victor Cheale, died on the 22^nd of January 1977 at the Royal Columbian hospital, New Westminster, he was cremated.   Retired postal supervisor, and was living at 108-711 7^th Avenue, New Westminster, B.C.