Mills/Power family, Woolwich>Canada

[crozier]

Seeking information on Frederick Archibald Power, married Alice Martha Mills in Woolwich, Kent 1904. Moved to Canada, possibly Prince Albert Sask. Son F....   Another Frederick?
Alice's father Alfred Mills served at the Armoury, Prince Albert; all of Alice's brothers were on active service World War 1. Her son Fred (?) enlisted while underage and sent back to Canada.
Any further information much appreciated.

[Jacquie in Canada]

The story about the son sounds a little fishy to me. I find it hard to believe that a boy who would have been 10 years old at the most at the start of WWI could pass for over 18 at any point during the war. There are attestation papers for Frederick Archibald Power born 14 Apr 1881 who was living in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan at the Library and Archives Canada website. Here's a link:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=588351&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=1ttnltbtlcvalgi86svmir2he1
Perhaps the husband had to return to Canada early for some reason and that is where the story came from. You can order his military file through the Library and Archives Canada website.

Jacquie

[crozier]

I won't quote the newspaper article I have in full, but just pick out some bits: A Fighting Family

Quartermaster Sergeant A Mills who has served as caretaker of Prince Albert Armory since it was opened in 1915 ...served 22 years in the Royal Horse Artillery, of which 20 years were spent in foreign service in India, Burma, Afghanistan, Arabia Aden, Barbara, Persian Gulf...He has five sons who have enlisted. James was killed in France. Alfred was wounded on the Somme. Bert is serving in France. William is serving in Italy. Arthur was killed in Egypt...Son-in-law Alfred Carpenter is now working in munition works in Woolwich...Frederick Power, now in Flanders with the 188th Battalion,has served 17 years... Alfred Carpenter, a grandson in the Australian forces, has been prisoner of war in Turkey for two years. F Power, another grandson, was returned to Canada under age.

[jorose]

http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action
 - shows Fred A Power heading to Canada in 1913.

Frederick was not actually born in 1881 but in 1883, according to freebmd - and he also gave his birthdate as 14 April 1883 when he was in the Royal Navy, see: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/  The only 'underage' bit here is how much younger he was than his wife.

In fact, his family seem to have already been in Canada, see:
http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=146660
and have a look at household 142 and the notes at the bottom of the page.  Fred is aged just 1, but there is another son, Robert, aged 14 in the household (surely a bit younger?).

He signed up for WWI also, as Robert Frederick Power, and gives Frederick Power as his father - but perhaps he was younger than he suggested?
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e.php?image_url=http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc014/585923a.gif&id_nbr=588465
 
A possible hint - although I can't find Robert Frederick Powers b. in Woolwich as his army papers suggest he was, there is a Robert Frederick Mills who was born in Woolwich in 1902.

http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action
 seems to suggest that Alice M Power (b. 1880) travelled in 1910 to Canada, perhaps with  Robert (b. 1900), and Alfred (b. 1909)

[Jacquie in Canada]

That makes sense now. Thanks, Jorose. And you were correct about the 1910 passenger list. Alice M. Power, 30, was travelling with Robert, 10, and Alfred, 1, aboard the Dominion which departed from Liverpool on 18 June 1910 and arrived in Quebec on 27 Jun 1910. On the Canadian passenger list, she says she is going to her mother and father in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Here's a link to the Canadian passenger list at Library and Archives Canada (they are the second last family on the page):
http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/e/e143/e003563511.jpg

Fredk A Power was aboard the Ionian which departed from London on 16 April 1913 and arrived in Quebec on 29 Apr 1913. On the Canadian passenger list he indicates he is going to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Here's a link to the Canada passenger list at Library and Archives Canada (line 18):
http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/e/e144/e003585203.jpg

Jacquie

[crozier]

Thanks very, very much for all of this. Still a bit puzzled by what the information is saying. But I do intend to work it all out; I would never have got this far on my own.
Your help has been invaluable!
Can I ask though, one last question for now, as I can't access the passenger lists? When did Alfred and Mary Mills (the parents) sail for Canada, and which of their children accompanied them? I can only guess it would be sometime after the 1901 census when Alfred was listed as a foreman in the Woolwich dockyard and 1910 when Alice sailed to join her parents.

[Willye]

I am the paternal grandson of Frederick Archibald Power and Alice Martha Mills who both died in New Westminster British Columbia, Canada.  I have a scanned image of their obituaries.  Their son Arthur Herbert Power was my father, who was born in Prince Albert Saskatchewan, Canada.  Further information is available upon request for  Jacquie and crozier.

[Jacquie in Canada]

Further information is available upon request for  Jacquie and crozier.

Thanks but I'm not related to that family. I was just doing look-ups for crozier. You need to make a couple more posts and then you and crozier should be able to contact each other to exchange information using the PM system here.

Jacquie

[Willye]

To crozier:

It's interesting that you are seeking INFORMATION about my grandfather Fred.
What is/are the reason(s) for your searches? 

I have only learned today about my unknown uncle Robert (my father's brother it seems), whom I have no recollection of meeting, yet  now know he might be a "Bob Billimore" who was a pallbearer at his mother's funeral (Alice Martha Mills). Interesting eh?  I have been to her  gravesite over the years, along with her husband Frederick Archibald Power's site, and  their infant son Willy.   These graves are in New Westminster, BC Canada, where I was born.
 
(my father) Son of Fred and Alice was Arthur Herbert Power DOB Jan. 26, 1915.
I am the only direct "Power" relative surviving.....so this all is very awesome.