“My grandfather died on Christmas Eve 1945 on a train that was running between Toronto and Winnipeg. He was on his way home for Christmas. When he died it was that little boy who got my grandmother through it. ”
Interview with Carla Douglas
September 29, 2012
Carla Douglas shows Margi McKay a photo from 1945 of her grandfather, Charles Cecil Irvine, holding her cousin Laird, aged two, on his shoulders.
Charles died suddenly on a train on Christmas Eve 1945 while on his way home to Pine Falls Manitoba, where he had been the mill manager of the Abitibi paper mill. His family had been living in the mill manager's house, so when he died his widow not only had to deal with his unexpected death but also had to move her family out of their home.
Listen to Carla Douglas talk about the Irvine Family.