Regimental Number: M66536
Rank: Private
Ernest, born on January 19, 1906 in Fort William, Ontario, was the youngest in John and Ernestine Poirier’s family of eight children. He had four brothers; William, George, Joseph, Alfred and three sisters; Ida, Lea, and Martha. The Poirier family headed west to start a French-Canadian Cooperative Homesteading Colony. The priest for the Fort William Church in Ontario stated that there were 40 families in Winnipeg who were ready to join the movement. The plan was to lease freight cars and travel by train to Edmonton, then on to Grande Prairie and lastly by wagon to the Bezanson Townsite. John, Ernestine, Ida, Lea and Ernie (Martha arrived after school was completed for the year) left in 1916 and soon realized that there weren’t any families in Winnipeg who were willing to move to the Peace District. That was the end of the dream to establish a French Canadian Cooperative Colony. Once the Poirier’s arrived at the Townsite, they were able to rent a house on Allen’s property. One of their neighbours, Oliver Menard, invited the family to stay with him for the winter as the Allen house was exceptionally cold. After Christmas, Ernie spent the rest of the winter with the Croken family who lived closer to the school. Ernie was very proficient on the harmonica and could also play the fiddle. That spring, John and Oliver entered into a farming partnership. In 1919, as Oliver was getting married, the Poirier’s decided to move to John Ordoway’s homestead on the banks of the Wapiti River. Logs from the Ordoway property were used to build a log home on the Poirier’s homestead (NW 19-72-2-W6) – a distance of seven miles north of the Townsite. Finally in 1920, the log building was finished and the family moved into their own home. As the winter of 1920-21 was exceptionally cold, Ernie had to quit school after completing Grade 8 as it was too far to ride the horse in the cold. Once their oldest daughter, Ida’s marriage dissolved, her two children, Donalda and Dorothy came to live with their grandparents. Shortly thereafter, Ernestine’s brother’s marriage ended and he brought his son, Calvin Mireault to be raised by the Poirier’s. From 1925 – 1936, Ernie worked on his father’s farm. From 1936 – 1939, he continued to work on the farm; however, he also worked as a sales clerk and handyman at a general store during the winter months. Ernie purchased an old 1917 Maxwell car of the same vintage as Jack Benny’s.
In 1940, the Poirier’s sold the farm to Tom LaValley and moved to Wetaskiwin where their daughter Martha was living. Once in Wetaskiwin, Ernie found employment as a teamster for J. Kelly.
Ernie joined the Royal Canadian Army on October 21, 1941 in Edmonton. He received basic training in Edmonton, Camrose, Ottawa and Camp Border before embarking for the United Kingdom in April 1942 where he was attached to the Medical Corps. Private Ernest Poirier served in Canada and the United Kingdom and received the Defence Medal and the Canadian Service Medal and Clasp. He was discharged on demobilization on January 24, 1946 at Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Once discharged, Ernie moved to Fort William as his parents had relocated there around the same time as Ernie had enlisted in the army. He married Doris (maiden name unknown) in 1946; however, it is unknown if they had any children. Ernie passed away in 1981 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Contributed by Wanda Zenner
Sources:
Smoky River to Grande Prairie History Book
Service File