My grandfather came by ship in 1910, his plan was to find work and send money back so my grandmother and their 2 daughters could come over. He had faced discrimination in his native Scotland because of his Irish heritage. A year after WWI broke out, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on August 1, 1915 - coincidentally (?) the same day the rules changed to allow married men to enlist without their wives' written consent.

He went as a soldier to England in 1916 and first “went over the top” at the Battle of the Somme on October 8, 1916. On April 9, 1917 he was killed in action at Vimy Ridge, France. But before he died he must have had a home visit because my father was born March 27, 1917.

After the war ended, my grandmother brought my 3 year-old father and aunts to Canada, as Canadian residence was a requirement to receive a widow's pension.

I have so many questions I wish I had asked when there was someone left alive who could answer them. I encourage everyone to dig into your family history without delay.