Person Page - 772

     She was born circa 1852.

     She was born circa 1853.

     She was born circa 1856.

     She was born circa September 1860.

     She was born on 5 October 1903 at Souris, Manitoba, Canada, Manitoba Birth Registration 1903-002129.^3,2 Leona married Harry Graham Moffat on 23 March 1922 at Souris, Manitoba, Canada.^4,5
     Leona Catherine Barnes was buried at Souris, Manitoba, Canada.⁶
     In the obituary of Harry Graham Moffat who died 22 October 1951, hiswife, the former Leona Barnes, was listed as a survivor.⁷
     In the obituary of Alden Carswell Blight who died 20 March 1975, her mother-in-law, Leona, was listed as a survivor.⁸
     In the obituary of Helen Blight who died 27 May 1975, her mother, Leona Catherine Barnes, of Prince George, was listed as a survivor.⁹

     She was born on 23 March 1922 at Souris, Manitoba, Canada.^2,4 Alternatively, she may have been born on 23 March 1923 at Souris, Manitoba, Canada, according to Bill Moffat.¹ Helen married Alden Carswell Blight in 1945 at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.^5,6,2,4
     Helen Jeanette Moffat died on 27 May 1975 at Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, at age 53 according to BC Death Registration 1975-09-008716.^1,7,8,2,4,9 The informant on her death registration was her son.² The cause of her death was given as cancer of the lung.²
     The following selected information is extracted from her obituary.
     Helen Jeanette Moffat was buried on 30 May 1975 at Prince George Municipal Cemetery, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.^10,3,9
     In the obituary of Harry Graham Moffat who died 22 October 1951, his daughter, Helen Blight, of Port Arthur, was listed as a survivor.¹¹
     In the obituary of Alden Carswell Blight who died 20 March 1975, her widow, Helen Blight, was listed as a survivor.¹²
     See the footnotes below for a link to her obituary that appeared in the newspaper the Brandon Sun published in Brandon, Manitoba, 3 June 1975.⁴
     In the obituary of Alden Muir Blight who died 26 March 1977, his daughter-in-law, Helen Blight, was listed as predeceased.¹³
     The following biographical information was shared at family group sheets compiled by Bill Moffat, 24 June 2003:

     He was born on 11 May 1905 at Kildonan, Manitoba, Canada.^2,3
     Francis Moffat died on 2 September 1905 at Kildonan, Manitoba, Canada. Note that since 1972, Kildonan is a district within Winnipeg.^2,4,1
     His name was recorded as Francis Isabelle Moffat on his birth registration, which recorded this as a female birth.³

     She was born in 1860 or 1861 at Canada West, United Province of Canada.^3,2,4 Jean married William Moffat circa 1890 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^5,6,4
     Jean Jeffray (sic) Moffat died on 7 December 1894, at 332 Ross St., at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, according to a Certified True Copy of her Manitoba Death Registration: 1894-002318.^7,3,1,8
     Jean Jeffrey Douglas was buried at St. James Cemetery, Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.¹
     Jane Douglas appeared on the 1861 Canadian Census of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Canada West in the household of her parents, Thomas and Susan Douglas.²
     William and Jennie Moffatt appeared on the 1891 Canadian Census of Winnipeg, Manitoba, enumerated 17 April 1891, a Presbyterian and an accountant. Their son Henry was listed adescribed as s living with them.⁴

     He was born on 12 August 1891 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Note that the family grave marker gives his birth date as Aug 11th, one day earlier. The 1906 census incorrectly gives his birthplace as Ontario.^2,10,11,7 Alternatively, he may have been born on 8 December 1891 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Manitoba Birth Registration 1891-002355. This database confuses me. Some records clearly use DDMMYYYY date format while other records use MMDDYYYY. So conceivably, 08/12/1891 could be interpreted as Dec 8th.¹²; or, in July 1892 at Manitoba, Canada, in the 1911 and 1916 census.^3,6 Alternatively, he died on 17 December 1916 at Kriegsgefangenen Stamnlager Wahn, Wahn, Germany, at age 25 according to official military documents.^13,14,4,15
     Douglas Walter Moffat died on 17 December 1916 at Lycée Henri Wallon, Valenciennes, France, at age 25.¹⁶
     Douglas Walter Moffat was buried on 18 December 1916 at Valenciennes (St. Roch) Communal Cemetery Nord, Valenciennes, France.¹³
Douglas Walter Moffat is also remembered on a gravemarker at St. James Cemetery, Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^10,17
     
     Douglas Walter Moffat began military service on 17 November 1915 at the age of 24 years, 3 months and 5 days at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, joining the 90th Battalion upon his enlistment.² He sailed from Halifax to England aboard the S. S. Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic) on May 31, 1916, arriving at Liverpool on June 8, 1916. He trained at Shorncliffe. On Aug 28, 1916 he was taken on strength by the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles in France.

Just short of four weeks later, he was reported missing on Oct 1, 1916 and was unofficially reported as a prisoner of war at Beaumetz. It was noted that he had gun shot wounds to his hand, chest and abdomen. Based upon the 1ST Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) War Diaries for this date, he was probably wounded and taken prisoner during a raid to bomb Regina Trench. They captured 2 officers and 14 other ranks at the expense of 1 officer missing, 1 officer wounded, 40 other ranks missing and 13 other ranks wounded. They could not hold the ground gained once the Germans received reinforcements and counter-attacked.

There were later reports of his being transferred to "Wahn bei Coln" or Wahn near Cologne.^2,18,19 Pte. Douglas Walter Moffat ended his military service on 17 December 1916 upon his death due to his wounds while a prisoner of war.

End of Military Service section.^2,15

     His name was recorded as Douglas Walter Moffatt on his birth registration.⁹
     Douglas Walter Moffat was a survivor of his mother Jean who died in 1894.²⁰
     Douglass (sic) W Moffat appeared on the 1901 Canadian Census of Winnipeg, Manitoba in the household of his parents, William and Allice M. W. Moffat.⁵
     Douglas appeared on the 1906 Census of Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, in the household of William Moffat and Maud Moffat.⁷
     Douglas Moffatt appeared in the 1911 Canadian Census of Manitoba in the household of his parents, William and Alice M. Moffatt, listed as a farmer's son.³
     Douglas Walter Moffat was described as a farmer before he enlisted in November 1915.²
     Douglas appeared on the 1916 Census of Canadian Prairie Provinces, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the household of William Moffatt and Maud Moffatt, listed as in the military overseas and his occupation was noted as a farmer on his own account.⁶
A newspaper article appeared in the Winnipeg, Manitoba The Winnipeg Tribune 10 November 1919 :

     The following analysis is from my personal research and reflects my attempts to consolidate information from different sources.

     The following information is from my personal research, April 2017:

     

Link to the Canadian Great War Project:; "Soldier Page" for Douglas Walter Moffat²³

     He was born on 13 July 1893 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, according to a Certified True Copy of Manitoba Birth Registration 1893-001103, dated 29 Jan 2022. His father, William Moffat, registered the birth, and Jean J. Douglas was identified as his mother. The 1906 census incorrectly gives his birthplace as Ontario.^1,8,5,9,7 Alternatively, he may have been born in August 1894 at Manitoba, Canada, according to the 1911 and 1916 census.^2,6
     Athol William Moffat died on 21 November 1919 at Manitoba Sanatorium, Ninette, RM of Strathcona, Manitoba, Canada, at age 26 accordng to a Certified True Copy of his Offical Notice of Death, 066173. His Veterans Death Card uses a double "t" in Moffatt, but other millitary records have been corrected to a single "t."^{1,10,5,11,12,13}
      The cause of his death was given as T.B. (tuberculosis.)^11,12
     Athol William Moffat was buried on 25 November 1919 at St. James Cemetery, Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^15,16,14,17      His estate was probated in 1920. His uncles Thomas James Douglas and Robert Andrew Douglas were the executors.¹⁸
     

Military Service - Royal Army Service Corps

     Athol William Moffat began military service on 4 December 1915 at the age of 22 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, joining the Imperial services rather than the Canadian forces. His occupation was given as "commercial". His service number was M2/153012. Note that his pension file notes his enlistment date as Nov 1915, but other records show his service was reckoned from the December date above.^19,20
     On 29 November 1916, at German East Afica, he was injured when pinned by a truck (lorry) that rolled over. The medical report states: "man says he has had malaria from time to time. Since 1915 contracted(?) in E. Africa being in hospital on and off during that time. He states a lorry in which he was[,] capsized[,] it fell on him and afterwards the Doctors told him he had a fractured pelvis, he was treated in different hospitals, finally at Daris-Salaam, was sent to the Union on Dec. 1916. Arrived Cynberg(?) Depot 7/1/17." The report on Sept 18, 1917 indicates that they expected him to be disabled for a period of 6 months.
     He served in German East Africa from Feb 7, 1916 to May 11, 1917 when he returned "home" where he remained from May 22, 1917 to Oct 16, 1917. He served in France from Oct 17, 1917 to Aug 12, 1918 when he was again sent home. In both cases, since he was a member of the Imperial forces, "home" was England, not Canada.
     Travel orders contained in the Imperial War Service Gratuities (WSG) file dated Aug 3rd, 1918 direct him to Canaples tailhead where he was to embark for Boulogne. From there to London to get orders for Leave to Winnppeg, Canada, sailing on the 16th. He was granted 42 days leave, so ending Sep 27th. This probably means that after this leave, he returned to England, where he was subsequently discharged after the end of the war, as unfit for furhter service.
     His Canadian Circumstances of Casualty form lists his next-of-kin as:
     Mrs. T. J. Douglas (sister) of 91 Westgate, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
     This was his aunt and not his sister since this was his maternal uncle's address (see below).²¹ Cpl. Athol William Moffat ended his military service on 6 February 1919 at Royal Army Service Corps Depot, Grove Park, England, after serving in German East Africa and France as a member of the British Royal Army Service Corps, Mechanical Transport section.
     This record does not clarify whether he was present when he was discharged, having returned from Canada, or whether it was an administrative action and he was already in Canada.
     The file related to an application for War Services Gratuities made by the executors of his estate includes a letter that states he "was discharged in England on the 6th of February, 1919, at Woolwich, Dockyard." It further states that his next-of-kin was his uncle T. J. Douglas, 91 Westgate, Armstrongs Point, Winnipeg, Man..

End of Military Service section.^22,18

     His name was recorded as William Athol Moffat on his birth registration.⁷
     Athol William Moffat was a survivor of his mother Jean who died in 1894.²³
     Athol William Moffat appeared on the 1901 Canadian Census of Winnipeg, Manitoba in the household of his parents, William and Allice M. W. Moffat.²⁴
     He appeared on the 1906 Census of Canadian Prairie Provinces Manitoba in the household of his parents, William and Maud Moffat.⁹
     Athol Moffatt appeared in the 1911 Canadian Census of Manitoba in the household of his parents, William and Alice M. Moffatt.²
     Athol appeared on the 1916 Census of Canadian Prairie Provinces, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the household of William Moffatt and Maud Moffatt, listed as in the military overseas and his occupation was noted as a collector for a stock yard.⁶
     In the obituary of William Moffat who died 2 May 1918, his son, Athol Moffat on active service, was listed as a survivor.²⁵ He was included on a passenger manifest for the "Melita" which departed from Liverpool on Aug 19, 1918 dated 29 August 1918 arriving at New York, New York, USA. He was a single soldier whose last permanent address was Winnipeg and his destination was Souris, Manitoba.²⁶
     The following obituary appeared in the newspaper The Winnipeg Tribune published in Winnipeg, Manitoba 24 November 1919:


     The following article appeared in the Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Free Press, 8 December 1919 :

     The following information is from my personal research, April 2017:

     
     The following analysis is from my personal research and reflects my attempts to consolidate information from different sources.


Link to the Canadian Great War Project:; "Soldier Page" for Athol William Moffat²⁸
     Note regarding Athol William Moffat: I have not found him by name or regimental number in ancestry's database: All UK, British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920 (Rick Moffat, July 2022.)³²

     He was born on 15 July 1917 at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.^1,4 Alden married Helen Jeanette Moffat in 1945 at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.^5,6,7,8
     Alden Carswell Blight died on 20 March 1975 at Orange County, California, USA, at age 57.^9,10,11,2
     The following selected information is extracted from the obituary of Alden Carswell Blight.
     Alden Carswell Blight was buried at Prince George Municipal Cemetery, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.^6,12,2
     He was commonly known as Carswell.¹³
     See the footnotes below for a link to his obituary that appeared in the newspaper the Brandon Sun published in Brandon, Manitoba, 26 March 1975.²
     In the obituary of Helen Blight who died 27 May 1975, her husband, Carswell Blight, was listed as a survivor.¹⁴
     In the obituary of Alden Muir Blight who died 26 March 1977, his son, Carswell Blight, was listed as predeceased.¹⁵
     The following biographical information was shared at family group sheets compiled by Bill Moffat, 24 June 2003: