Image: Part of Beatrice’s Application for Entry for a Soldier Grant.
Beatrice was born ca. 1863 in Odiham, Hampshire, England. Her husband, Alfred Harry Veitch, was killed in the Battle of Coronel on November 1, 1914, while serving as fleet paymaster on the HMS Good Hope. They had been married 24 years at that time, and had two grown daughters, Nesta and Hyacinth. Beatrice volunteered with the Red Cross, making surgical dressings. In 1928, she came to the South Peace with her daughter Nesta and her family, and filed on a homestead at NW 28-70-24-W5. In 1930 she filed on SW 32-70-24-W5. However, the records indicate that she later canceled on both homesteads.
Sources: Where the Red Willow Grew p. 303; Across the Smoky p. 178
- Red Cross Records
- 1911 Census, England & Wales
- Application for Soldier Grant
- Lives of the First World War – Alfred Veitch
- Find A Grave
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.