Edgar Lionel Fawcett (1879 - 1925)

Born 3 Feb 1879 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Zealandia Irene (Carter) Fawcett — married 27 Jun 1906 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Died 6 Jul 1925 at age 46 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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Biography

Lionel was born in winter 1879, the second child and son of Edgar Fawcett and Myra Holden.^[1] Sister Amy Louisa died in spring 1881 at seven weeks of age. The 1881 census was collected during the brief period with Amy in the house.^[2] Lionel's family lived at 14 Franklin Street (later renamed and renumbered as 1020 Collinson Street, the land is now occupied by apartments).^[3]

Sister Blossom was born in spring 1882, then sister Adelaide Tindal was born autumn 1885, but she also died young, in early 1889. Sister Olive Anne was born in summer 1887, and in 1890 Lionel's family moved to their new home just outside the city limits at Victoria Arm (The Gorge), dubbed Dingley Dell. The 1891 census shows the family of six there.^[4]

At minimum, Lionel attended Victoria's Central School under teacher Mr. Doran.^[5]

Brother Victor Cecil was born in summer 1891, and final sibling Bessie in spring 1894. The 1901 census found the entire family of eight at Dingley Dell.^[6] By this time Lionel was working as machinist for Albion Iron Works.^[7]

Still working as a machinist, Lionel married Hawaii-born Zealandia Carter in summer 1906, the ceremony performed by family friend Bishop Cridge.^[8] In the spring following their marriage, Lionel took a job aboard the cable ship Restorer.^[9] Still engaged in that work in 1909, the couple lived at 736 Courtney Street.^[10]

They then moved to Lionel's early childhood home at 1020 Collinson,^[11] and commenced building a second home on the lot.^[12] The 1911 census had the couple still at 1020 Collinson, with Lionel now working as a clerk at the customs house,^[13] undoubtedly thanks to his father who had just retired from a senior position there. By 1913 the couple moved in to their new home at 1022 Collinson.^[14]

With the outbreak of the Great War in summer 1914, Lionel continued working as customs house clerk. He later registered for service, attesting in April 1916. Lionel arrived in Liverpool on September 22, 1916, with the rank of Staff Sergeant, Fitter due to his experience, including his machinist and customs work. Through the first half of 1917 he trained primarily at Witley Camp. Lionel, as Armament Staff Sergeant with the 14th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery arrived in Havre, France on August 22, 1917. That autumn, while deployed near Lens, Lionel performed an act of gallantry that led to him later receiving the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He was promoted to Armament Quartermaster Sergeant in January 1918, and remained primarily in France until hostilities ended in November 1918. He returned home in June 1919.^[15][16]

Edgar L. Fawcett, D. C. M., left Victoria in May, 1916, as a private with the 15th Brigade under Lieut.-Col. A. Ogilvie. He is now Staff-Sergeant at 14th Brigade Headquarters Staff and on Christmas morning last received annoucement of the award of the D. C. M. "for faithful performance of his duties and distinguished services at Anzin, near Valenciennes, when under fire he put in order two field guns which had been incapacitated by shell fire." At the time of enlistment he was attached to the staff of the Victoria Customs House. ^[17]

Upon his return, Lionel resumed his work at the customs house, and his home life with Zealandia at 1022 Collinson.^[18] Near the end of 1920, the couple's first and only child, daughter Evelyn Betty, was born.

Although not explicitly indicated in his service record, apparently an incident during the war led to latent heart damage, which began to manifest itself during the 1920s.^[16] With his family living at 1776 Rockland Avenue, Edgar Lionel Fawcett passed away in summer 1925, the cause being septic endocarditis.^[19]

Succumbing to illness caused by his service overseas during the war, Edgar Lionel Fawcett passed away last evening at the Jubilee Hospital, where he has been confined to bed for the past eight months. The late Mr. Fawcett was born in Victoria forty-six years ago, the second son of the late Edgar Fawcett of "Dingley Dell," and is survived by his widow, who was Miss Z. Irene Carter, and a daughter four-and-a-half years of age, his mother, and the following brothers [and] sisters: T. D. Fawcett, Mrs. Walter C. Shiner, Mrs. W. W. Stevens, [Victor] C. Fawcett, and Miss Elizabeth H. Fawcett. The late Mr. Fawcett enlisted with the 62nd Battery, C. G. A., and was later appointed Armament-Quartermaster-Sergeant of the 15th Brigade, C. F. A. He went overseas with them and served for the duration of the war. Mr. Fawcett won the D. C. M. for conspicuous bravery during the advance of the victorious armies at Cambrai and Valenciennes, where he kept in action under almost continuous shell fire in exposed situations the twenty-four guns of the brigade. For the last fifteen years Mr. Fawcett had been in the Canadian customs service. For over fifteen years he had been a member of the Arion Club. ^[20]

Sources

1. ↑ Province of British Columbia, Birth Record, Reg. No. 1879-09-002581
2. ↑ Canada Census 1881, British Columbia, Victoria City, James Bay Ward, page 37, lines 5-9, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1881&op=pdf&id=e008211906
3. ↑ British Columbia Directory, 1882-83, page 38, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1882-1883/British_Columbia_Directory/jpeg/0022_Victoria_-_Names_Page_17.jpeg
4. ↑ Census of Canada, 1891, British Columbia, Esquimalt, District 11, page 19, lines 11-16, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1891&op=pdf&id=30953_148094-00325
5. ↑ Victoria Daily Times, December 18, 1890, page 1
6. ↑ Fourth Census of Canada, 1901, British Columbia, Victoria District A, Subdivision 1, Esquimalt, page 17, lines 34-41, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1901&op=pdf&id=z000011925
7. ↑ Victoria City Directory, 1901, page 59, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1901/Victoria_City_Directory/jpeg/0005_Victoria_Names_A-Z_Page_055.jpeg
8. ↑ Province of British Columbia, Marriage Record, Reg. No. 1906-09-014412, http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/377eb0e6-28e5-4f07-ba00-e2068ba4741f
9. ↑ "Its Departed Glories Or Esquimalt, Then And Now", Victoria Daily Times, April 6, 1907, page 3
10. ↑ Directory of Vancouver Island, 1909, page 406, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1909/Directory_of_Vancouver_Island/jpeg/0336_Names_A-Z_Page_071.jpeg
11. ↑ Henderson's Greater Victoria City Directory, 1910-11, page 240, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1910-1911/Henderson's_Greater_Victoria_City_Directory/jpeg/0175_Names_A-Z_Page_066.jpeg
12. ↑ City of Victoria Archives, File 06005 - 1022 Collinson Street, https://archives.victoria.ca/1022-collinson-street
13. ↑ Fifth Census of Canada, 1911, British Columbia, District 13, S. Dist. No. A, Enum. Dist. No. 15, Victoria, page 3, lines 32-33, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1911&op=pdf&id=e001943604
14. ↑ Henderson's Greater Victoria City Directory, 1913, page 255, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1913/Henderson's_Greater_Victoria_City_Directory/jpeg/0229_Victoria_Streets_A-Z_Page_027.jpeg
15. ↑ Library and Archives Canada, Personnel Records of the First World War, Reg. No. 1260425, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=385433
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Hopke, G. (2002). Now I know: The private memoirs of Robyn Stanyar. FirstBooks Library.
17. ↑ "Two Soldier Sons Of Victoria Pioneer", Victoria Daily Times, February 26, 1919, page 8
18. ↑ Henderson's Victoria Directory, 1920, page 286, https://bccd.vpl.ca/1920/Henderson's_Victoria_Directory/jpeg/0191_Victoria_Names_A-Z_Page_096.jpeg
19. ↑ Province of British Columbia, Death Record, Reg. No. 1925-09-346124
20. ↑ "War Veteran Died Here Yesterday", Victoria Daily Times, July 7, 1925, page 2