Version 6.00

15 February 2025

David March © 2019

James Slaughter was born on 16 November 1886 in Norwich, Norfolk, England to James Slaughter (1861-1934) and Mary Anne Barnes (b 1868). He was raised in Norwich and was still living there at 12 Morley St, Silver Road with his parents and siblings in 1911. His siblings were: Mary Anne Eliza (Ellen) (1888-1975), George (b 1890), Maud (b 1896), Elizabeth (Lilly) (b 1898), Herbert (b 1902) and Hilda (b 1904).

His mother, father and his three youngest siblings were likely all buried in Little Lake Cemetery in Peterborough, Ontario as that is the place of burial given on his father's death registration. The girls, Hilda and Lilly likely lived with their parents in Peterborough until they died. In 1935 they were all living in Peterborough and James II was also listed in the voters list. This would suggest that James Edward was in Canada at that time with the occupation of harness maker. As there was no age and his wife was not listed, it is impossible to be sure it was him. It is possible that he had returned from England (if he had moved there) as his father died in December of 1934 and perhaps he had returned to be with him during illness. It is assumed that his father's death occurred after the 1935 voter's list had been made.

By 1945 Hilda and Lilly were living with their brother Herbert and their mother and James were no longer in the household. James Edward enlisted for WWI in Lucknow, Ontario on 16 March 1916. He gave his occupation as labourer, formerly blacksmith, gave his father's address as 12 Morley St, Silver Road, Norwich England and indicated that he had served 6 years in the No 3 Battery in Norfolk and 2 years in the Volunteer Military in Norfolk. He returned from service on the SS Ongar (formerly the SS Corsican) on 16 March 1918. The information on the passenger list included Pte, Reserve Unit GD, Military District 160, Classification B3 and that his father was in Peterborough.

James had been married in the fourth quarter of 1917 to Ethel Mary Britnell in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. Ethel (25) and daughter, Irene Florence (4) (b 1914) arrived in Halifax, NS aboard the SS Olympic on 4 July 1918 to join their husband/father, a ret'd soldier living in Peterborough. Irene was a child from a previous relationship for Ethel as her birth date precedes the date that James was deployed to England and she is listed as his adopted daughter in the 1921 census. A son, James A E was born in 1919. By 1921 the Slaughter family was living in Kinloss Twp, Bruce, Ontario where James was a cook.

Ethel was born in the fourth quarter of 1889 in Cookham, Berkshire, England to Francis Britnell (b 1857) and Nena Belinda Brookes (1861-1940). Her siblings were: Florence (b 1883), Minnie (b 1885), Frank Edward (b 1886), Arthur (b 1893), Sidney Alfred (b 1895) and Albert William (b 1898). Her mother later married John J Young (1857-1927) and they had a daughter Daisy Maud (1900-1901). John had several children from his previous marriage to Sarah (b 1859) and at least some of them were raised for a few years with the Britnell children after John Young & Nena married in 1900. The Young children were: James (b 1879), Emily (b 1881), Frederick (b 1882), Robert (b 1885), Ernest (b 1886) and Richard (b 1889).

Ethel died on 15 March 1948 in The Sanitorium, Abingdon, Berkshire, England. James died in the third quarter of 1958 in Windsor, Berkshire.

James Slaughter was named three times on the quilt. Each time 160 was printed after his name which was the number of his regiment in WWI. The only discrepancy is that one of the names was Cpl Slaughter 160 and on the ship's passenger list, his rank was recorded as Pte. As many people from Kinloss Twp were named on the quilt, we are quite certain that the man in this biography was the man represented by the three names on the quilt.

Some information about the 160 Battalion can be found on this US Archive Web-site.

James was listed as a corporal on the Bruce Remembers website.

See also Library and Archives Canada.

This family can be found on Ancestry under the title Culross Slaughter Tree.

JAMES SLAUGHTER