Attestation papers

George Scott Blackbell was born in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland to George Blackbell and his wife Josephine Sarah (nee Hobson) on 15th January 1887, twenty four years after their marriage and he was baptised 5 weeks later at St. Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth.

By the time of the 1901 Census the family were living in Dock Street in Monkwearmouth and to add to the family of oldest brother William (aged 24), George (aged 14) and sister Annie (aged 20) was 7-year-old Fredrick; William was listed as a plumber and father George a ship’s steward.

April 1908 saw George Scott emigrating on board the Dominion Line’s ship Southwark, sailing from Liverpool to Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a farm labourer. 1911 saw him in Ontario, but by 1916 he was on a homestead in Alberta. Back in Sunderland his mother died in 1911 and his father had retired and taken a naval pension; Fred and Annie were still living with their father.

George enlisted on 6th November 1917 in Macleod, Alberta as Private 1251320 in 78th Depot Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery with his father in England listed as his next of kin. This changed by February of the following year when George married Mary Ann Crow on 4th February in Calgary, just days after he had been made a Bombardier. The 78th Battery never went overseas, they remained in Lethbridge, southern Alberta, to train replacements.

Rheumatic fever saw George enter the Military Hospital in Calgary for 4 weeks in April; he was discharged as fit but readmitted on 13th May for 4 days, but unable to carry out his duties he was again readmitted with myalgia and treated with bed rest and massage to the affected limbs, until finally discharged on improvement on 1st June 1918.

At the end of October 1918 Calgary was in the grip of a Spanish flu epidemic, brought back by returning soldiers. George was admitted to Sarcee Isolation Hospital on 6th November but died 8 days later at 9.30am on 13th. A message had been sent to his wife on 11th to say that he was ill in hospital, but it is not known if she arrived in time.

A Court of Inquiry was convened at Calgary on 28th November 1918 to enquire into the death of 1251320 Bdr G.S. Blackbell. In evidence Captain T.J. Costello who had attended him whilst in Sarcee Hospital said “he had influenza which developed into pneumonia which did not respond to the usual treatment”. The finding of the Board was that he died of pneumonia. As George had not entered a theatre of war he was not eligible for a Victory Medal or British War Medal. Mary, his widow, was however awarded a War Service Gratuity of $90.

George Scott Blackbell was buried in Union Cemetery, Calgary; and commemorated in the Canadian Book of Remembrance, page 369 and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

The Sunderland Echo 23/11/1918 lists:-

Blackbell - died of influenza in Canada, Nov. 14th 1918, aged 30 years. Bombardier, George Scott Blackbell of 78th Canadian Artillery, second son of George and the late Josephine Blackbell, 72 Gladstone Street. deeply mourned by father, brothers and sister.

George Scott Blackbell is remembered in Sunderland in S140.048 Part 07 page 140 and S140.048 Part 09 page 200

Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Canadian Book of Remembrance
The CWGC entry for Bombardier Blackbell