In 1914 when the First World War was
declared, Mary Margaret McLaughlin was a widow living in New Glasgow, Nova
Scotia. Her three sons, John William and the twins, Archibald and Angus lived
with her. Was she proud when two of her sons joined up to fight and was she
happy that one of the twins, Angus, stayed behind? Why didn't Angus join up as
well, was that because he was a married man? Did he actually support his wife
and family, even though he didn't live with them?
So many questions but my main concern was
whether any of these McLaughlins were involved in the Halifax Explosion. The
two brothers who went to war never made it back home, John William died in 1915
and Archie died in August of 1917; so neither of them died in the explosion. I
have looked for years but have not found records for Angus after the death of
his twin. Did he move to Somerville, Massachusetts with his mother or stay in
the vicinity of New Glasgow or maybe even move to Halifax in time for the
Halifax Explosion? Perhaps one day I will find out.
The New Glasgow War Memorial commemorates John William and Archibald McLaughlin
No comments:
Post a Comment