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Name:
The Kershaws in the Great War
Date:
1917
to 1919
Location:
Canada, Siberia
Topic:
[category?]
Description
George and Jemima Kershaw were natives of Manchester, England but wanted additional opportunities for their five sons and two daughters. Their adult children were eager to leave their British homeland to chart a new life’s course for themselves. So in October 1911, the middle son, Frederick, was sent to America to find work and establish a home base for the family in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was skilled as a plumber, so ready work was available. Within a couple months, another middle son, Edwin, arrived in February 1912 to join Frederick. Their father, George arrived in August 1912, followed by his wife, Jemima and son, John, in October 1912. In the spring of 1913, a daughter, Margaret with her husband appeared followed by the second oldest son, Henry and Henry’s brother-in-law, the husband of Elizabeth reached their destination by December 1913. Henry’s wife and children along with sister, Elizabeth and her children joined the family in Massachusetts by April 1914. Only George and Jemima’s oldest son, George, Jr. did not come to America due to his military service starting in 1913 with the British Army Seaforth Highlanders. By June and July of 1914, Europe was about to erupt into warfare, known as the “The Great War”. Jemima Kershaw felt so appreciative and grateful that most of her sons were out of Europe and hopefully safe in America, that these young English immigrant sons would never had to serve in the British Army.
The Kershaw sons had completed the War Draft Registration forms done in the United States as require by law. It was highly unlikely any of the sons returned to England especially during the war but if they were set on serving in the military they could have volunteered.
Frederick was not accepted by U.S. Army due to defective teeth and an ear condition but was accepted by Canadian Engineers Corp. to serve with the Canadian Army. He reported to Quebec, Canada on July 30, 1918. His brother, John, also served with the Canadian Engineering Corp. in Regimental # 2014123 reporting also in July 1918. One of the places he was stationed was in Siberia region located in the Soviet Union. In the Haverhill, Massachusetts newspapers were a couple articles about the Kershaw brothers joining the Canadian Army since they were not accepted by the American military.
Frederick and John, were patriotic enough, in spite of their mother’s fears, to leave the safety of their new homeland to help in the Allied effort to win the Great War in Europe. Both sons did return to Massachusetts, Frederick to his wife and John to care for his widowed mother.
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