© 2018, Christian Cassidy
Tragic Endings: In this series I try to piece together the lives of Manitobans who died well before their time. Most of the information comes from newspaper stories as things like court or inquest documents no longer exist. As a result, there will be gaps in the life stories and errors in reporting or prejudices of the day may be repeated.
If you have additional information about any of these lives, please feel free to contact me at cassidy-at-mts.net
The Tilley Family of Winnipeg
It turns out that they were on an ill-fated train journey from Halifax to Winnipeg in 1920.
Google Street View, 2014
Alfred R. Tilley was one of six sons born to Alfred and Elizabeth Tilley of Middleton, England.
The Tilleys moved to Winnipeg circa 1911 with some of their adult sons, including Alfred, Arthur, George and Harry. Most settled at 558 Clifton Street which was known as "Elm Cottage". (Alfred first appears in the Henderson Directory at this address in 1911, the others appear in 1912 and 1913.)
Alfred and Harry began a wholesale garden market and greenhouse operation four blocks west at 547 Minto Street. Arthur and George also worked there.
January 28, 1920, Winnipeg Tribune
Alfred married Grace Lilian Payne in Winnipeg in September 1915. The couple had a son, James, in November 1917. In July 1919, Alfred took Grace and James on an extended holiday to his native England.
The Tilleys were returning to Winnipeg aboard the No. 1 Canadian Pacific Vancouver Express train. It was so long that it had to be split into two sections, each pulled by its own engine.
At around 10:30 a.m. on the morning of Monday, January 26, 1920, the train neared Corbeil, Ontario, eighteen kilometres from North Bay, when the engine of the first section lost steam power and stalled just after passing a bend in the track. The second engine rounded the bend and it plowed into the rear of the stopped train.
Nine passengers on the first section were killed and at least seven died later in hospital. Dozens were injured and had to endure a long wait in the minus-30 degree weather before being rescued.
February 4, 1920, Winnipeg Free Press
One of Tilley's brothers travelled to North Bay to identify the bodies and they were returned to Winnipeg for burial.
The funeral for Arthur, Elizabeth and James Tilley took place on February 3, 1920 at Gardner's Funeral Home on Kennedy Street and they were buried in one grave at St. James Cemetery.
The inscription on their headstone reads: "In their death they were not divided."
August 15, 1918, Winnipeg Tribune
Arthur Tilley was a bother of Alfred's and had a couple of near death experiences during the war not long before the train crash that took Alfred's life.
A member of the 100th Winnipeg Grenadiers militia, Arthur Tilley enlisted for the war in July 1915.
In October 1916, he received a gun shot wound to the right leg and was returned to England to recover. In July 1918, he was wounded in a poison gas attack and was again sent back to hospital. He returned to his unit a couple of months later and was discharged back to Winnipeg on June 12, 1919.
Arthur and George, the two surviving Tilley brothers, ran the garden business until their retirement around 1948.
1 comment:
FYI There was another Tilley brother not mentioned above his name was Herbert and he was the youngest and was my Grandfather. He didn't work as an adult at the market garden. He worked at the Manitoba Telephone System.
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