Biography of
Walter John Waddelow
This biography was
prepared over the summer of 1997 by George Faulder and Carol Evans. Details for
this story are from earlier conversations with Walter, as well as new items
obtained from him only recently. The inspiration to prepare this biography came
about following:
Walter's
Birthday
Celebration
18th
July 1997
Walter John Waddelow
was born at Scotton, Lincolnshire, England on July 18TH 1897. Walter
had an older brother Alfred William and a younger sister Emma May. Descendants
of his brother and sister came to Victoria to help make Walter's 100th birthday
celebration a truly memorable event.
Life in England
Walter enjoyed a happy childhood. He
states that although they were poor, his mother had been a cook prior to
marriage and their family had the best meals of all his friends. As far back as
he could remember he had a love for wheeling and dealing, an inclination that
his parents didn't entirely support. Walter believed that if you got something
and improved on it, the article should be worth more, and not merely given away.
Walter related that he and his brother
saw Haley's comet as boys. That would have been in May 1910, when he was 12
years old. Walter and his mother attended the local Church of England, while his
father was Methodist. Upon leaving school at about twelve years he left home to
work as a farm labourer (as was his father). When he was 18 years old (1915) he
joined the army and served with the Lincolnshire Regiment in Ireland in 1916 in
connection with the Easter rebellion. After Ireland he served in France for a
short time, where he was injured and gassed, and invalided back to England.
A New Life in Canada
On returning to civilian life he was
unhappy with the opportunities available in England, to realise his dream of
owning his own land he cast his eye to Canada. A friend had gone to the Province
of Saskatchewan in Canada, and Walter headed there. The destination at least
where he got off the train, was Govan, Saskatchewan, a small prairie town 60
miles north of Regina, the Provincial Capital.
Walter told the Railway Station Agent
at Govan that he was looking for work. The agent suggested he should go to the
local Cafe and inquire if any hands were needed. Fortune surely shone brightly
on Walter that day, and he was immediately hired by Peter Hill, a local farmer.
He worked willingly for Peter and was considered as a valued family member.
While working on this farm he learned about farming and Canadian ways. Walter
considered his experience with the Hill family to be one of the high points in
his life. Peter Hill was a 'fiddler' and performed at square dances. Walter
learned to "call" dances, although he never learned to square dance.
Walter stayed with the Hill's for three
years and then went to Calgary, Alberta, a City in the south central part of the
Province. This would be about 1924. In Calgary he found a job as a deliveryman
for a laundry.
A Wife and a Daughter
While working as a deliveryman in
Calgary he met Mary Vagg, a widow living with her relatives. Mary had a little
girl named Isabelle. Walter and Mary were married, and he now had a wife and a
daughter. Isabelle was born in County Ayr, Ireland on February 8,1922. Little
Isabelle was to become known as Isa all her life.
A Start on a Railway Career
Mary's brother worked for the Canadian
Pacific Railway, (CPR). Walter was attracted to this work and got a job as a
brakeman, (guard), with the CPR. He would have started this railway job in the
later 1920s when he was near 30 years old.
Although Walter had a long railway
career it wasn't without some rough spots. Soon after he started the brakeman
job the depression bit and he didn't have enough seniority to hold full time
work. The railway offered to keep him employed on an 'as needed' basis thereby
maintained his seniority position. Walter made the best of the situation and at
the same time had started to realise his dream of owning land.
Sod Busting Days
As a means of augmenting his income and
to make a start at owning land. Walter took out a homestead near Bluffton,
Alberta; a small town located about 40 miles north and a little west of the City
of Red Deer. Homesteads were grants of 160 acres of un-improved land made
available at very low cost. The homesteader was obliged to clear trees and break
a specified area of land. and erect a basic dwelling to qualify for title to the
land.
The land division system in Western
Canada saw land set out in divisions called "sections", (A section is
a square piece of land, one mile on a side, having an area of 640 acres). One
quarter of a section was one half mile on a side with an area of 160 acres, and
this comprised the basic homestead farm unit. Taking out such homesteads was the
choice of many immigrants coming to Canada in those times.
Mary and Isa would have been involved
with the early homestead scene, and this would be a primitive existence for the
family. In any event, Walter and Mary made a go of it and prospered. Isa would
have had many experiences on the farm, one of which was to act as the
veterinarian for her pet cat.
Walter liked to relate stories. and he
tells of a remarkable coincidence involving a neighbour. It seems that he got to
know a German fellow across the common fence and they swapped stories. It turned
out that they had faced each other across the trenches in France and were
delighted that they could now be friends in the new land.
The homestead scene for Walter's family
would have lasted into the late 1930s at which time railway business picked up
and Walter was called for full time work. He sold the much-improved farm and
moved to Edmonton.
Big City Life and Full Time
Railway Work
Walter lived in both Edmonton and
Calgary during his railway days, always owning a house wherever he lived.
Walter took his railway work seriously,
but at the same time he found it rewarding and enjoyable. He doesn't need much
encouragement to start talking about this important part of his life. He much
enjoyed cooking in the caboose, where he prepared quite "superior"
meals for the crewmembers. The train crew (three men) lived and worked in the
caboose while on the road. Cabooses were fitted with beds and a simple kitchen
arrangement with a combination heating and cook stove. Walter knows that his
biscuits were the best ever made. In the early part of his career he had only a
few minutes to make biscuits and according to Walter. They were the best he ever
made. Later, when he had more time to cook they were inferior things.
After a number of years service, Walter
was promoted to conductor. It is understood that he was a conductor for only a
few years. when he accidentally pulled his shoulder, This injury resulted in a
disability that prevented him from continuing to work as a conductor. For the
balance of his career he worked as a trainman (the brakeman on passenger
trains), primarily on regular passenger trains, and later on "Bud' cars
(sprinters). This wasn't all bad for Walter because he liked people and related
well to passengers. He retired from the railway in 1962 at age 65.
Isa Grows Up
At the time the family moved from the
farm to Edmonton, Isa would have been a teenager. After completing schooling she
got a job as a clerk at the CPR yard office in south Edmonton. She married Bert
Wynn Feb. 16, 1946 and they lived at various locations in the West Coast, as
Bert followed his naval career. Bert retired and they moved to White Rock on the
southern mainland British Columbia coast.
Tragically, Bert died suddenly Auq.18,
1988, at 67 years. Isa continued to live at White Rock. but largely lost
interest in life after Bert died. Isa died at White Rock on May 8, 1995,
following a lengthy illness. Bert and Isa had no children.
Retirement on Vancouver Island
Soon after Walter's retirement he and
Mary moved to Esquimalt, B.C. on Vancouver Island, where Bert and Isa were
living at that time, and bought a house. Esquimalt is adjacent to the City of
Victoria on the south end of the island. Retirement brought an entirely new and
actively, involved life for Walter.
He took up an interest in coin
collecting, and generally buying and selling almost anything. He became what he
had always wanted to be - an auctioneer. Because of chest weakness from his war
gas experience. his voice couldn't hold out for the long calls required of a pro
auctioneer. but he did ok on a part-time basis. Right up to the last few years
he maintained his Interest in merchandising and turning a profit. Isa said
"he was born with dollar signs in his eyes.'
Walter smoked a pipe for a good many
years, but following a coughing bout put the pipe away for good.
He operated the passenger elevator In
the Douglas Hotel in Victoria for a time. One day in the hotel a woman inquired
if he was Walter Waddelow. She replied that she was Mary Hill from Govan, Sask.
and recognised him from his "pouchy" cheeks - after over 40 years.
Walter was a congenial person and
enjoyed contacts with people. He was snappy In conversation, a great story
teller who knows lots of 'one liners', referring to himself as a "first
liner".
He took up golf in Victoria and is
proud of his hole-in-one accomplishment. He never was a long hitter, but he had
a great putt. His son-in-law Bert cautioned other players to "watch out for
Walter, he'll chip and putt you to death."
Mary died in 1977, after over 50 years
of marriage, and Walter moved to a condominium in the Shelburne area of
Victoria.
A Second Marriage
In 1981 Walter met Ruby Faulder whose
husband Fergus, also a railwayman, had died in 1979. Following a whirlwind
courtship, Walter and Ruby were married on August 15.1981. They lived in, and
bought. and sold three condominiums over a number of years. They were quite
active in the earlier years of marriage; traveling to Europe, Hawaii, Reno USA
and to visit Ruby's family around Canada. Ruby has a large extended family,
living mainly in Western Canada.
When living on Lampson Street, Walter
was struck by a vehicle and badly bruised, but over time recovered nicely and
hasn't suffered any permanent effects. A number of similar experiences over the
years have shown Walter to be a very resilient man.
The Lampson condo worked out well until
1994, when the couple realised that looking after themselves had become too
much. Walter and Ruby, who were 97 and 89 years respectively, moved into a
retirement residence (The Victorian). At the Victorian they have a spacious,
one-bedroom suite, and the convenience of a fine common dining room. The couple
enjoys the Victorian and it has been good for them.
When it is considered that Walter and
Ruby were each married for over 50 years to their first spouses and has now been
married for 16 years, this is remarkable in itself. Ruby's daughters, Carol
Evans and Sandra Vance live in Victoria and are able to support the couple as
needed. Her son George and his wife Kay live in Edmonton, Alberta.
100
Years and On!
The One Hundredth Birthday
Walter looked forward to his hundredth
year and had a grand birthday celebration in Victoria on July 18th
.1997, with both Walter and Ruby partaking actively in all events. The
Celebration started with a noon dinner at the Victorian. which the family guests
attended. A birthday party with a cake was also held at the Victorian in mid
afternoon, attended by Victorian residents and family guests. Later in the
afternoon the celebration continued at the Evans home. Everyone thought the
couple would be played out by that time and would want to rest. Lo and Behold to
everyone's surprise, a phone call from Ruby and they shortly arrived at the
Evans home by taxi. ready to join the party in progress.
Walter was very proud to have received
100th birthday greetings from the Queen, the Governor General of Canada, and the
Prime Minister. The Victoria daily newspaper had an article and photograph of
Walter in the following day's edition. Walter exclaimed that he has had a
"Wonderful Life".
Twenty people came from near and far to
wish him well, including a very welcome party of six relatives from England
representing the Waddelow family. The English visitors were two of Walter's
nieces Ethel and Dora (sisters) and Ethel's husband Claud, and their daughter
Valerie-Parsons, (from Spain), and Walter's nephew Cecil French and his wife
Mildred. The balance of the guests were Ruby's friends and relatives.
The Future!
Walter's next challenge is to see the
year 2000, at which time he can claim that his life spanned three centuries.
Walter is in good physical health. He
gets around the residence nicely by himself with the help of his wheeled walker.
He can walk fairly well on his own but can speed around with the walker. He
sight is impaired, but can see and think adequately to play a sharp game of
cards. His hearing has only recently deteriorated. He dresses and grooms
himself, and eats heartily in the Victorian's dining room.
He can no longer attend his beloved
Anglican Church, but each Wednesday morning finds him with Ruby in the residence
chapel for an Anglican service.
Walter Waddelow, a
former conductor, with his birthday balloons'
100
year old reflects on a wonderful life
By Patrick Murphy
- Times Colonist staff.
Walter Waddelow has picked up a few
tips in the 100 years he has trod the Earth: Keep your head down in the
trenches; quit smoking; drink in moderation; and have a wonderful wife.
"I've had a wonderful life, "Waddelow said as he celebrated his 100th
birthday Friday at the Victorian, in Saanich. "I'll just keep on as long as
my wife doesn't kick me out and I don't think she will now. Ruby is the grandest
lady there is." He married Ruby 16 years ago after the death of his first
wife Mary. The couple now lives together in the retirement home. "I have
had two wives and they were both wonderful ladies" he said.
Waddelow was born in England, and at 17
he served in France in the First World War and then set out for Canada and a
Saskatchewan farm, where he worked until he got on the CPR. He was a trainman
and conductor until his retirement in 1962 and then came to Victoria with Mary.
Waddelow smoked for many years, but one day on the trains he started coughing
until he vomited. That day he gave away his pipe, cigars and tobacco and never
touched them again.
Today, he admits to enjoying a nice rum
and coke now and then, but always in moderation. He used to be a coin collector
and a junk collector. "I would collect anything I would get a dollar
on" he said. "If I could buy something and sell something, I figured I
could make money."
