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  1. #1
    55SMSAlex3
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    Question Troopship Canadian Pacific Empress of Britain

    Searching for Grandfather Samuel Alexander who served as doctor on liner dying of flu end WW1. Where buried in New York state, US?

  2. #2
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    Welcome to British-Genealogy 55SMSAlex3

    Can you tell us a little more about your grandfather? Where and when born and married, parents, wife, children? This will help us try to identify the correct man.

    Was he the ship's doctor or a doctor in the services?

    Christina
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  3. #3
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    Samuel Alexander
    Are you sure about the name? I can see a Samuel Philip Alexander MD of Arno House, Grange Road, Birkenhead died 14 Dec 1918 at the William Parker Hospital, New York [source - National Probate Calendar]

  4. #4
    55SMSAlex3
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    Thanks. I'm sure about name. Definitely Samuel Philip Alexander MD who died in a NY Hospital, Dec. 1918, but address before WW1 was Tecumseh House, Kent Road, Southsea. This was both home and medical practice as far as known. Otherwise details uncannily close. Would the National Probate Calendar provide details of war service, i.e. name of ship on which he served as medical Dr. or place of burial? The ship was the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of India which was requisitioned as a troopship. He was not in one of the regular services but was part of the Fleet Air Arm. I have yet to research what that means but I do know that he was not paid any pension when he died of flu at the end of the war. The Canadian Bank provided information that the ship was bringing home troops from the Far East for the US government at the end of the war. This information was included in a staff bulletin because his 2 sons were killed in combat and were employed in the Bank before war started. The Bank archivist is searching for information about Samuel Alexander - I already know quite a bit about his 2 sons as the details of how they died, where and where buried is well documented as they were both in the Army.

  5. #5
    55SMSAlex3
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    Thankyou Christanel. I replied to this by email - did you receive it? Samuel Alexander was married to Anna Maria nee Mansell, 1860-1953. Samuel was born in 1862, died Dec. 1918. He had 5 children, daughter Mary Selina Alexander, 1892-1953, the 2 oldest sons killed in combat in WW1, their details well documented - Philip Mansell Alexander, 1895-1916, Alan Mansell Alexander, 1895-8/12/1917; Lee Mansell Alexander, 1903-2001; Seymour Mottram Alexander, 1906-1991.

    Samuel served in the Fleet Air Arm as a Dr. on board the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Britain. He was not in one of the regular services. I have replied further to Peter Goodey as below about information from the Canadian Bank and the archivist is trying to find out more my Grandfather as Philip and Alan were employed by the Bank before the war and their Father's death was recorded in their staff bulletin.

  6. #6
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    Hi
    this is the 1911 census and the form was signed by Philip M Alexander. The children's names all match your man so is your man -and family
    20 Kent Road, Southsea, Hampshire
    Samuel Philip Alexander 48 physician and surgeon own account Glasgow Lanarkshire
    Anna Maria Alexander 46 Birmingham Warwickshire
    Mary Selina Alexander 20 art student teacher own account
    Philip Mansell Alexander 18 student
    Alan Mansell Alexander 15 student
    Lee Mansell Alexander 7 student
    Seymour Motram Alexander 4 kindergarten
    Lilly May Cass 32 servant Isle of Wight

    All Children born Southsea Hampshire

    No I didn't receive an email but we have all the details on this post now for everyone to see and keep up with what is going on

    Christina
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  7. #7
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    I see Samuel Philip was actually the surgeon on the Empress of Britain when it departed Liverpool and arrived New York on 2 Oct 1918

    When I searched for the ship I found this
    One of some 69 armed merchant cruisers commissioned in World War 1, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, launched 11 November 1905, completed by May 1906, 14,189grt, 488ft long, 18kts, owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, taken into naval service August 1914, armed with 8-4.7in, returned to civilian service May 1915 and employed as troop transport. Later, as Montroyal, sold for breaking-up in 1930.

    So it wasn't actually being used in the Services in 1918.

    To find where Samuel Philip Alexander is buried I think you need to find an obituary for him. I see his wife died in England so there will probably be an obituary for him in the English papers anditmay say where he is buried.

    Christina
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  8. #8
    55SMSAlex3
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    Thank you very much for both threads. Perhaps oldest son Philip signed the census form rather than his father Samuel. The Canadian Bank staff bulletin presumably published soon after the war ended mostly gave details about the deaths of Philip and Alan but included this about Samuel:
    'Note: we record with deep regret the death of Dr. S.P. Alexander M.D., M.R.C.S. (Father of Second Lieutenants P.M and A.M. Alexander) which took place in December 1918. Dr. Alexander served as a surgeon on transport duty between Liverpool and New York during 1918, and also acted under the United States government during the return of the American Forces. Whilst thus engaged he contracted influenza which terminated fatally in a New York hospital.'
    I will follow up your suggestion of searching obituaries to see if they give any clue to where he was buried. My father, Seymour Alexander, wrote in a family memoir that he had visited his Father's grave in New York whilst a young man working in a Bank in Toronto. He described his Father as having a 'pauper's' burial. I presume this might have been because there was no family to pay for a burial in the US. I have asked the Canadian Bank archivist to find out if my Father worked for the Canadian Bank in Toronto as his 2 older brothers were employed by the Bank before enlisting in WW1.
    Sheila.

  9. #9
    55SMSAlex3
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    Dear Peter, I have discovered a 1914 notification of the award of the 1914 Star to Philip Alexander, Samuel Alexander's son, and the address at that time of Mrs A.M. Alexander Samuel's wife and Philip's mother as Arno House, 123 Groupe Road Birkenhead. Grange Road sounds more likely. I will try more searches.

    Thank you very much.

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