In our Nov. 1 issue, we included two letters from a First World War soldier that were recovered from a house on Beaufort Road, along with a number of photographs. No one at that address knew anything about the man who wrote the letters, Bill Wright. In our Nov. 15 issues, Ken Cox provided some information about Bill including his birth date (06/01/1890 in Ireland), occupation (chauffeur) and local address (89 Wheeler).
This peaked the interest of Louise Brown. Louise no longer lives in the area but returns regularly to attend church at Kingston Road United where she picks up her Beach Metro News (Louise was an original carrier when the paper first started in 1972). Louise wrote that she was sure that Bill Wright married her first cousin, Frances Polley in 1939. Bill and Frances continued to live on Wheeler Avenue with Bill’s two unmarried sisters. Eventually Bill and Frances moved into an apartment on Benlamond, which Louise remembers visiting.
After Frances died in 1983, Bill moved to Hamilton to live with relatives. Bill died in September, 1986 and is buried along side Frances in St. John’s Norway cemetery. Most of Bill’s family is also buried at St. John’s, including his father, James, mother Mary, brother Thomas, and sisters Louise, Elsie and Isabel.
Thank so much to everyone who helped shine a little light on this early Beacher.
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