Welcome to Part 2 of the Charles Richards story. From published newspaper accounts, we know the Richards family was living in Aldergrove prior to September 1912. We also know that Charles Richard was a petitioner for & a charter member of the Aldergrove Farmers' Institute & was responsible for hiring the AFI Store Manager. Despite the feature article about the Richards men during the war, I have thus far only found proof of 2 of Charles' 5 sons serving in the armed forces.
When war broke out, both Reginald & Cecil enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force & served overseas. Charles & Elizabeth received notification at the end of December 1917 that Reginald had died of wounds received in November - to then find out that the army had made a mistake, he actually lived & returned to active duty, only to receive more wounds a few months later. Reginald returned home a year later, in December 1918, marrying twice, his first marriage ending in divorce in 1948. He & his first wife Dorothy had 2 children, Mack & Mabel. Reginald passed away in 1980.
Cecil was also wounded overseas & was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry on the field. While home on leave in 1915 prior to shipping out, Cecil attempted to save 2 men who were trapped in a well. He was almost overcome with fumes himself & despite his rescue attempt, both men died. According to his obituary, Cecil also served in the Air Force after WW1. He never married, passing away in 1972.
Thomas, for whom I have not found enlistment documents, was responsible for making a Soldier Panel for St. Margaret's United Church. The church no longer exists; I'm hoping that someone removed the soldier panel & preserved it prior to the church building being removed.
It appears that the Richards family moved to White Rock in 1918 or 1919. While the directories for 1919 & 1920 have them still in Aldergrove, Charles Richards' obituary states that he had lived in White Rock for 2 years. It is possible that Thomas remained on the farm until it sold. Charles passed away in 1920, Elizabeth in 1953. Thomas didn't marry & passed away in 1962.
Stay tuned for Part 3 #storiesmatter #localhistory #ourcommunity
