Bill, his parents and his elder sister came to Canada from Cumberland, England, in 1910 and homesteaded at Delia, Alberta, where the kids attended school. He had a younger sister, Betty. In 1930, Bill took a homestead in the Gundy District. The same year he worked on the grade for the expansion of the N.A.R. from Hythe to Dawson Creek.
In the fall of 1930, he started working as a watchman in the N.A.R. shops at Hythe. When the new grade was completed he moved to Dawson Creek. The depression made most work scarce but he did manage to get some work at McLennan in the shops and on the work trains. In McLennan, he stayed at Mrs. Houndle’s boarding house.
In 1940, Bill joined the army and he returned in December of 1945.
In the summer of 1947, Bill married Jean Hansen, daughter of Jens Hansen of McLennan. He continued to work for the N.A.R. until retiring in the spring of 1973. Bill and Jean had one daughter, Patricia (Garry McArthur).
Source: Community Book – Trails and Rails North Volumes I and II
Photo:
Photo from June, 1945, in Holland (Trails and Rails North Volume II)