Private
Charles Blakey
466498 7th Canadian Imperial Forces
Missing in Action 24th September 1916, aged 39
Lived in British Columbia
Commemorated on the Vimy Ridge Memorial, France
Commemorated
in the Canadian
Book of Remembrance page 55
Commemorated
on the St Peters
Memorial, Burnley
Burnley Express 28th October 1916 - 11th November 1916
Charlie Blakey was born on July 20th 1877 the son of John and Mary Anne Blakey and lived at 21, Lindsay Street, Burnley. He was married to Phoebe Alice Blakey of 13335 63rd Street Edmonton Alberta. He moved to Canada in 1913 and enlisted in the Canadian Infantry in 1915 as Private 466498 in the 7th Battalion., Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment).
“Burnley
Canadian Dies Of Wounds. Well-known Burnley Baths Attendant. (Burnley
Express 28/10/1916 (P))
Thousands of Burnley swimmers will regret to hear of the death from
wounds in France on September 28th of Pte. Charlie Blakey of the Canadian
Contingent, who was well known as attendant at the Central Burnley Baths
for many years, and latterly at North Street Baths. Pte Blakey, who was
39 years of age, was a son of the late Mr John Blakey of Lindsay Street,
and he married a daughter of the late Mr. George Nothard, the well known
cab proprietor and driver. Pte Blakey was well known and widely respected
in his position at the baths. He and Mrs Blakey went out to Edmonton,
Alberta in Canada about three years ago. About twelve months since he
enlisted in the Canadian contingent, and came over to England with his
battalion. A little over four months ago he got a short leave, which he
spent in Burnley, staying with his old friend Mr Wilson of Church Street.
He then went out to France, having been at the front just about four months.
He leaves a widow in Canada. Before leaving Burnley Pte Blakey had attended
St Peter’s School all his life and for some years had acted as secretary.
He was succeeded in that office by Pte. Yates, who was killed about a
month ago, so that two secretaries of St Peter’s School have made
the supreme sacrifice.”
“Killed Soldier’s Boy Chum”
(Burnley Express 11/11/1916)
Pte Jim Bannister, Lancashire Fusiliers (4790) now in France, writes:-
“I see by the Express of October 28th that Pte. Charles Blakey has
died of wounds received Sept. 28th. I got wounded and crushed on Sept.
27th. I used to write to Blakey up to that date, for I have been his mate
from boyhood, and I should like to get any address of his brothers and
sisters. I came out here in Dec. 1914. I got invalided home Oct. 21, 1915
through the effects of gas on the 2nd of May, 1915. I came out a second
time in Aug. 1916 and got wounded Sept. 27. I enlisted three days after
the war broke out, and my home address is Hufling Lane. I get your paper
every week and I am sorry to see the good old Burnley lads’ photos
in the death roll. I am sure that anyone who had known Charlie Blakey
would always respect him, for he was a proper Straightforward and honest
lad – not a flaw in his character”.
Notes
Wedding at St Peter’s Church
2/8/08 Charlie Blakey, Bachelor, Assistant Baths Manager of 21 Lindsay
Street, son of John Blakey , mechanic (retired) married Phoebe Ann Nothard,
Spinster, dressmaker of 48 Lindsay Street, daughter of George H Nothard,
cabdriver. The witnesses were Edward H. Warton and Ethel Hague.
Charlie Blakey was a witness at the wedding of Arthur Pollard at St Peter’s
Church on 23/06/06.
In Burnley Express Roll of honour for November 11th 1916 “from his
sorrowing wife of North Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. “
1901 Census – 21 Lindsay Street – John Blakey (62) mechanical
stoker fitter,
Mary Ann (63), Charlie (23) weaver.
His wife’s address
was given by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as 2330 Royal Oak
Avenue, New Westminster, British Columbia..
His enlistment papers for the Canadian Forces list his occupation as janitor.
His height was given as 5ft 5 ¾ ins and his girth 34 ¾ ins
and he had served in the 101st Edmonton Fusiliers
Notes He was formerly Sunday School Secretary at St Peter’s Church
and brother in law to Charlie
Alderson. (who also emigrated to Canada and became a war casualty!)
I have been doing family history up till a a few years
ago and had found out much about my family in Burnley, dating back to
my Great, Gr, Gr, Gr Grandparent's lives there. There were James Pete,
(born 1778), and his wife Mary( born 1778). James Pate was Innkeeper
of The Red Lion Inn, Burnley and also had taken out approx. 45 licenses,
and was a public carrier between Burnley and Manchester. Other carriers
also used the inn's stabling facilities.
As time passed, I believe it was Archibald Pate (1810-1881) , James
and Mary's son, who eventually became Landlord of a pub on Anne St,
mentioned as the residence of Private Charles Alderson in your information
on him. This pub passed on to Rose Pate,(my grandmother) an only child
of Ethelbert and Rose Hannah (nee Eastwood) , who had begun running
the pub , 52//53 Anne St ,then called "The Live and Let Live"
in 1879, with the name changed to The Cricketer's Arms in 1883 b/c it
was located very close to Burnely's Cricket Gounds. Ethelbert died in
1897. It was at that time my Grandmother Rose, an only child, inherited
the Cricketer's Arms.
Rose Pate married John Ashworth, a policeman from Pontefract, who then
became Landlord of The Cricketer's Arms. One of their 3 sons, the youngest,
John,(b. 1915) was my Father. The eldest Son was James Ashworth who
inherited the Cricketer's Arms and was to look after his approx 20 yr.
younger brother,my Father John Ashworth.
In 1924 however, James let Phoebe
Blakey, (nee Nothard). the WW1 widow of Charlie Blakey, both of
whom had already emigrated to Canada before WW1 broke out, and whom,
while visiting her birthplace town of Burnley temporarily for an unknown
reason, become the guardian of my Father,John Ashworth, aged 7. She
brought him to Canada with her when she returned. She was, by then,
I think, residing in New Westminster, B.C. If not, she and her sister
Ada soon moved there. She had emigrated to Canada with her husband Charlie
Blakey, her brother in law Charles Alderson whom had married her sister
Ada, and Phoebe's and Ada's father.
As you state in the info on Charlie Blakey and Charles Alderson on your
"Burnley in the Great War" website, Charlie and Charles, brothers
in law, were killed only 1 or 2 days apart. Ada and Phoebe always lived
and moved to different locations to be together, so I can only hope
that their strong relationship helped them cope with the tragic news
of their husband's deaths, made even more devastating by the closeness
of dates of their deaths.
I believe that Phoebe and Ada (nee Nothard) also had a younger brother
Frederick, but I have found no record of him emigrating to Canada with
the rest of his family.
I am also very interested in contacting any family members of Charlie
Blakey or Charles Alderson, but I don't know how possible that may be.
Perhaps listing my info on your "Burnley in the Great War"
website might connect with someone, somewhere.
For unknown reasons, all contact was lost between my family and my Father's
brothers at least by the WW2 years. The were my "phantom"
family, of whom my Father remembered little and said less. It is a long
story as to how I located my Uncle James when he was 80 yrs. old., and
the long trek of discovery this started me on to get to the point I
am in now piecing together my family history.
(courtesy of Dianne Carlson (nee Ashworth)
British Columbia, Canada
