Naval Liasion Officer Ottawa?

[suedent]

My gg-uncle Charles Edward A'LEE (born 30 Dec 1893 in Lansallos, Cornwall) emigrated to Canada in 1924 aboard the Melita (Canadian Pacific).

He and Mabel ROWE travelled as Charles and Mabel LEE giving their destination as Montreal. Charles left behind a failed marriage, & his daughter, who was cared for by his mother.

There is a note on Charles' Royal Naval Records
"Particulars to Naval Liasion Officer The Roxborough(?) Ottawa Canada 14/2/61"
This was possibly due to Charles' death, he would have been 67 then.

Does anyone know the correct name for the building, does it still deal with Naval Records?

If not is there an address I can maybe write to to perhaps give me some leads on where Charles lived & died.

TIA
Sue

[Antonia]

There is a website in Canada with immigration and military records.
Try www.collectionscanada.ca

[suedent]

Thanks for the link Antonia but unfortunately the archives contain military records for those men and women who served in the Canadian forces. Charles was in the British Navy and didn't emigrate to Canada until he had retired from the Navy. His records were sent to Canada for pension purposes I think.

As far as immigration records go the archives online records don't cover 1924. I have also checked the naturalization records and he's not listed under either LEE or A'LEE.

It looks like the family's mystery man is going to continue to be a mystery for a bit longer.

[suedent]

Just a little nudge in case anyone knows where the building is.

[Geoffers]

I don't know, but as a long shot have you tried the British High Commission (http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1106750637785)?

Did he remain a British Citizen and if so, was probate granted in Britain?

[suedent]

Thanks for the suggestion Geoffers, I must admit I hadn't considered the High Commission.

As far as I know Charles remained a British Citizen, I can't find him under A'LEE or LEE in the Naturalization records.

I'll have another look in the Probate Register the next time I pop into Newcastle but to be honest I don't think he will be there, not unless his luck changed dramatically & I suspect we might have heard more about him if it had.

[Mary Anne]

Sue

The Roxborough was a very elegant apartment building in the centre of Ottawa. Here's a picture of it in 1910 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/king/053201/05320113010501_e.html
And here's a blurb from another site that talks about its orginal site and how they moved it: "Many famous Canadians lived in those apartments, including William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent. In 1965 it was decided that the apartments would be moved and part of the site was used to build the National Arts Centre. Two years later the rest of the site was turned into a park, named to commemorate the Canadian Centennial."

But that isn't really what you are interested in, is it?! ;) If they sent the Naval Liaison officer correspondence there in 1961, it is possible that the navy was using one of the apartments as an office, or perhaps had offices on the ground floor. I doubt it *dealt with Naval Records* in any other way than that. It was still an apartment building as far as I know (I lived here then) until they moved it - and now it is firmly an apartment building. The High Commission in the 1960s had a building across Elgin Street from where The Roxborough used to be, so they were maybe renting space there at the time, as I said.

If you want to find out about him, and he was still with the British Navy, I would think all the records would be in England. If he was serving here with the Navy, then died, I would think his death records and all would be in the service record or in British probate records, wouldn't they?

If, on the other hand, he was no longer with the Navy (age 67, would he have retired by then?), there may be records in Canada that pertain to his time here, then you will probably need to go to Canadian sources. If he died in 1961, whetehr still with the Navy or not, there may have been a requirement to probate the will in Canada - don't know. Unfortunately, in Ontario, they have not opened death records for as late as 1961, except to next-of-kin (these would be in Toronto, with the Ontario Vital Statistics folks).

All kind of depends what you want to know, of course.

You could have a look at directories for the period, to find out where he lived (these are held at the Library and Archives Canada here in Ottawa - I could look him up for you if you like next time I am there). That could at least tell you something about where he was. If you are really lucky, he may have owned some land, in which case, you COULD get at death records through the Land Registry Office, which is also in Ottawa.


Mary Anne

[suedent]

Hi Mary Anne,
thanks for the information about The Roxborough. It would certainly make sense for the High Commission to be using it as an "overflow"


I have Charles' Naval records from England, he was invalided out of the RN in 1921 (with Otitis Media).

I knew he'd gone to Canada around 1924 with his "wife" Mabel Rowe & I can't find any record of a marriage in England.

From findmypast I found that Charles & Mabel left the UK on 24 July 1924. The ship (The Melita) was bound for Montreal.

Where Charles and Mabel settled after their arrival I don't know, that is one of the things I'm hoping to find out, that and where they died & were buried. It's complicated by the fact that they may have used the name LEE.

Along with the note about the particulars being forwarded there is a reference number, I'm not sure if it would be of any use.
DNA3AK 351/61/28 or it could be DNA3A/e 751/61/28

If it's not too much bother it would be great if you could have a look for him.

[Mary Anne]

Sue

I will have a look, although it may be some time before you hear from me again (contemplating replacing flooring at our house and I fear it will mean my den/offcie will be unusable for at least a week or two :o). But I will keep this info and have a look for what I can find.

FYI, the Passenger Lists at Library and Archives Canada show the Melita arriving in Montreal, but only between 1919 and 1921. They haven't finished scanning and posting all of the ships' info yet, so it may be that there will be later years for the Melita.

Do you know that they ended up living in Ottawa, or did they stay in Montreal, do you think? It might be worthwhile trying whoever has the Naval records in Britain to see if that file number means anything to them. So that is the last date you have for him, then?

There is a Herbert Charles Lee about the right age, who died in British Columbia in 1973 -- might that be your man? (so many people go there to retire, 'coz of the warmer climate, I thought I would have a look...besides they have the indexes online ;)). If you think it is you can order a copy of the cert. at the BC Archives:
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-5777470/services/servops/contacts.htm

Vital Event Death Registration

Name: Herbert Charles Lee

Event Date: 1973 3 29 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 77
Gender: male
Event Place: North Surrey

Reg. Number: 1973-09-008536
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13325


There's also a Mabel Edith Lee who died in 1969, age 60. No A'Lee.

(Edit -- no that probably isn't him, then - I just looked at your original post and he is Charles Edward...)


Mary Anne

[suedent]

Do you know that they ended up living in Ottawa, or did they stay in Montreal, do you think?

I really have no idea, sadly the people that might have known have long since died.


So that is the last date you have for him, then?
Mary Anne

Sadly yes, and I only found the ship manifest when they went online last year. I've been chasing Charles for about 10 years now with very little to go on.

I know that he wrote to his mother (she died in 1956) but no one remembers where from or indeed what happened to the letters |banghead|

[Geoffers]

I know that he wrote to his mother (she died in 1956) but no one remembers where from or indeed what happened to the letters

Did his mum leave a will?

Was your chap by any chance a Commissioned Officer in the RN?

[suedent]

Did his mum leave a will?

No will left by his mum, there was probably very little money, her husband had been a farm labourer. When he died she went to live with with my great-grandparents as prior to that they'd been in a tied cottage.


Was your chap by any chance a Commissioned Officer in the RN?

No sadly he was just a rating, a Stoker.

[Geoffers]

Rather inconsiderate of them

[suedent]

Isn't it just!! |laugh1|

[Mary Anne]

Indeed. Well, I will look in directories, which I can do easily here for both Montreal and Ottawa, from 1924, and we will see whether he shows up...cross your fingers!

[suedent]

Fingers (& toes) crossed!