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Haney William Lyle

The 1900 Census for North Dakota U.S.A. on Ancestry.co.uk shows us that the Haney Family was living in Normania, Benson, North Dakota, U.S.A. The Head of the family was Edward Haney aged 42 He had been born in October 1858 in North Dakota and was a Farmer by trade. He had been married for twelve years and emigrated to America in 1882 having previously been living in Canada. His wife was Mary Haney, (nee Mc Gowan)  aged 31. She wasborn in  April 1869 in Minesota, U.S.A.  Their listed children were Sara 10 born in June 1889, Melvin 8 wqas born in August 1891, Lyle  2  was born July 1897 and Mark  10 months was born July 1899, There was a boarder living at this property called J Wonderly aged 23 who was born in March 1877.

The 1910 Census shows us that the family was  still living in Normania Township and that there had been some additions to the family. These were children  Mark E.  10, Mary A.  8, Ivan S. 5 and  Francis H who was 1. Also listed in the household was a hired man named Charles Sheiles age 23.  Grandfather James McGowan aged 69 was also listed on the census.  William Lyle was 12 years of age and still living with his family.

In 1913 the Haney family emigrated to Alberta in Canada.  The 1916 Census for Canada on Ancestry.co.uk placed the family at 6, Battle River, Alberta. The Head of the household was still Edward Haney age 58 and still a Farmer by trade.  His wife Mary was 47 years of age and the children still at home were, Mary 13, Ivan 11, Harold  9 and Francis  7. There had been three new additions.  Kenneth was  5, George  3 and Roy 11 months.

Unfortunately I cannot trace William Lyle in 1916, but one of the photographs below shows him with his younger brother in 1914. (Scroll down below the Google map).

William’s Army records tell us that  he enlisted into the 78th Depot Battery of the Canadian Expeditionery Force at Calgary on 4th February 1918. He gave his trade as Rancher and his father as Next of Kin.

On 14th February during basic training in Canada, William was hospitalised for three days due to an accident with a horse. He was discharged three days later after having the nail on his big toe removed and was posted on light duties until it healed.

William completed his basic training in Canada and embarked from Halifax on 22nd March 1918 on the S.S.Grampian. On arrival in Glasgow on 3rd April 1918 he was posted to Whitley Army Camp and later to Bramshott Army Camp.

On 10th May 1918 William contracted Diphtheria and was admitted to Aldershot Isolation Hospital where he remained until 12th June 1918 when he was transferred for convalesence to The Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Bear Wood. He was discharged and returned to duty at Bramshott Army Camp on 28th June 1918.

On 31st January William was transferred to Borden Army Camp. On 21st February 1919 William was transferred to Kinmel Army Camp in North Wales to await repatriation to Canada. (Kinmel Park Camp was a segregation camp used to house Canadian Soldiers awaiting repatriation to Canada after the end of WW1. Unfortunately the conditions at that time were extremely harsh with a lack of every kind of commodity, the camp was overcrowded and the services were poor, there were shortages of clothing, food and blankets).

William Lyle Haney was fatally wounded on 5th March 1919 during the Kinmel Camp Riots on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th March 1919. He was shot in the face, he was admitted to hospital at 3.30pm and died of his wounds later that day at 7.10pm in Ward 13 at the Canadian General Hospital, Kinmel Park Army Camp, Rhyl.

(Sources  Library and Archives of Canada. Soldiers of the First world war 1914-1918 and also The Phelan/ Hokkanen Family on Ancestry.co.uk ).

If you wish to read about The Kinmel Park Camp Riots 1919, a full account has been published by Julian Putkowski, ISBN 0-9512776-1-8. This is available on sale at St. Margaret’s Church, Bodelwyddan.

See also in the menu above ‘Why Canadians?’ for more information.

William is also commemorated on the Canadian Virtual War  Memorial.

William’s Father, Edward died on 19th May 1924 and his Mother moved back to Tonasket Okanegan, Washington to be near her son Mark.

She married William Drew  who died on 28th April 1947. William’s Mother died on 28th November 1949.

The following are all photographs from the previously mentioned Public Family Tree Phelan/Hokkanen Family on Ancestry.co.uk


Learn more about the other soldiers on the Bodelwyddan Memorial

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