Mrs Roberts of Toronto Canada

[X----- X-------]

Yesterday I did another of those heavy sessions at Southampton Archives.

I am rather puzzled over this woman as the old Southampton Committee doesn't really confirm on her association ie:- whether she's linked to the Lusitania or possibly the Empress of Ireland.

Has anyone heard of her and does anyone know of her link to any of the major disaster's.

I would be grateful for any feedback on offer as I would like to put a close to this mysterious link over this woman's connection with one of these major disaster's of the pass.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Andrew,

Do you have a first name for this woman?

 

[X----- X-------]

Hello Jason,

Thanks for the question and sincere apologises for not returning back sooner. As of today, my computer was delivered from the workshops after an absence of nearly four weeks. All sorts of problems but all are sorted. However, one can image the state of the e-mail's building up in my post box - hundreds and hundreds.

Unfortunately no first name is confirmed although I do have her home address which I can supply and comes directly from a medical report of the nineteen twenties. I will hunt this out and report back later.

Hope all is well in Canada? On this side of the pond, the beautiful of Autumn are starting to appear with all the brilliant colours that one is accustomed to.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Andrew,

You're welcome and no worries.

I look forward to seeing the information that you can provide.

Yep, everything is well here, thanks. Our fall equinox has also just begun with the cooler air and the changing of the leaves.

 

[X----- X-------]

Greetings Jason,

The dreaded winter months are approaching aren't they?

Managed to find the details I wrote down some years ago but never found the right occasion to open a new thread and launch a new discussion.

This so-called Mrs. Roberts is addressed as Mrs. C Roberts of 7 Buller Road Eastern Toronto, Canada. The details I have submitted come directly from a medical report dated October 27th 1929 giving her a clean bill of health.

A very interesting story emerges during the financial year of 1949, the very beginning of the Cold War era, as well as the world is rebuilding and recovering from a major world war.

In 1949 saw the Canadian Dollar fall in value and thus Mrs. Roberts is basically holding out her begging bow to the Mansion House Committee requesting if they could consider an extra increase as the exchange rate made her allowance a lot lesser than in previous years.

I am please to say the Mansion House Committee did find ways of solving this problem by increasing the amount to cover most of the expense's incurred. At one point Mrs. Roberts was seriously thinking of uprooting and leaving Canada altogether and settling in Britain to save all the aggro of the devalue of the Canadian Dollar.

As always the Mansion House made their recommendations and advised Mrs. Roberts not to make this sudden move to Britain as she would find the British way of life a lot different and a lot harder then her lifestyle she was accustomed to in Canada. Precisely what did happened to her remains a mystery as none of her originally letters stored in the 'Letter Files' with the old Southampton Committee survive. The bulk of this treasure trove of valuable material was all destroyed. All lost and all gone for ever.

Otherwise I have nothing else to offer then what I have already parted as quoted above.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Andrew,

The dreaded winter months are approaching aren't they?

Yes, unfortunately. I'm more of a summer person, so I never enjoy saying goodbye to the long hot sunny days, especially since our summer on this side of the pond was disappointing weather wise, but what can you do...

Thanks for the information on this woman. How very disappointing that those letters were destroyed, as they indeed would have been valuable. I will do my best to hunt down any further info, regarding which disaster she is connected to and get back to you.

 

[X----- X-------]

Hello Jason,

There's no rush as this level of enquiries will open many of those exploring avenues. Unsure what's held at Toronto Archives but start with the address for 1929 onwards. She may have moved to newer premises in 1949.

Yes, one is deeply disappointed at learning so much material with the old Southampton Committee was a victim of foul play.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the tip. I'll research this as soon as I can.

 

[X----- X-------]

Initially I thought this (Mrs. Roberts) may have been Lusitania related. It turns out she's Mrs Comfort Roberts the widow to Frank John Roberts of Birmingham.

Since finishing the pages of the Relief Fund I've discovered that she and her daughter Flora Louisa were both nurses and both along with their youngest Doris Irene were living in Farnborough Hampshire. They eventually packed their bags and left Britain altogether in the nineteen twenties and headed for Canada.

If there's any living members of the family out there I would like to hear from you please as I need to put closure on a number of questions hanging over all three of them.