Grandmother Mary Crabb hoping to find World War II heroes who saved her life

[Phil]

Also found William Pirlot's obituary though I'm not exactly sure how he ties in, his children are Pauline Griffin's grandchildren,

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/leader ... &fhid=5716

[Phil]

I've reached out to who I believe to be Robert Cecil Griffin's Grandson's wife. Hopefully she can confirm and/or put me in touch with the rest of the family.

[pmcrory]

Another related article, from 2008.

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local- ... by-4829574.

Paul

[Phil]

Ernest Curtis' granddaughter, Alissa, has also responded to a thread on a Facebook group dedicated to Brandon, Manitoba.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1787875 ... 838114275/

The man in the middle was my grandfather, Ernest Curtis. I remember this picture and the story from my childhood vividly. He always wanted to know what happened to the baby. Sadly, my grandfather and my father have passed
away, but my grandmother, uncles and aunt are aware now that you are looking for them. My mom thinks her name was going to be Regina Alexandrea Victoria? My grandfather was from Alexander so I’m assuming the others were from Victoria and Regina?

[Phil]

I'm not having any luck with Brackett. Either the AJ is incorrect or, more than likely, he passed away somewhere other than Regina.

Hopefully Temujin has the nominal rolls for this unit and we can try again.

I've had no luck with Brackett either. I've found an E. J. Brackett and a J. M. Brackett, but I don't believe it to be them. Perhaps if we can pin down the unit of the other two it will lead to the third, perhaps the war diaries at that point.

[klambie]

Shoulder title is 8 Field Regt RCA and a Sept 1941 WD extract from that unit on ww2talk confirms the unit. 113 Bty and 71 Bty of 8 Field were raised in Regina, Saskatchewan and Brandon, Manitoba respectively, linking to the name. 113 Bty was apparently transferred to 7 A/Tk Regt in Jan 1941, leaving 71 Bty as the logical candidate.

However, that does conflict with some of the newspaper mentions of a Regina battery. I'm also not sure how much of an interest the Regina papers would take in a Brandon battery, though I think the LP was pretty widely distributed. Finally, L18xxx regimental numbers were 113 Bty and that's probably what we see on that headstone.

[Ludford 101]

This is weird and were not for a photo of the man, I wouldn't post.

Anthony Jack Brackett, born 1917, died in Spring Valley, California in June of 1995.

I don't have an ancestry account and can't have a look but the photo of him is really quite close.

[Phil]

Here's the thumbnail of Anthony Jack Brackett, born 1917 (would have made him 24 in 1941), died in Spring Valley, California in June of 1995. There is definitely a resemblance (same smile, hairline, eyebrows, nose), the quality isn't good enough to come to any confident match though, and we'd have to sort out his R.C.A. connection.

https://www.ancestry.ca/search/?name=an ... ity=canada

To be clear we have no evidence that this is the A. J. Brackett in question other then his first initials, last name and age at this point. While it is certainly possible he moved to California, it is unlikely.

This council meeting was dedicated to Anthony "Jack" Brackett, which would seem to indicate that Jack was not the actual middle name of this person, but a diminutive form of something else, John perhaps.

http://docs.sandiego.gov/councilminutes ... 950627.pdf

What looks to be this Anthony Brackett's birthdate and the date he passed away. If he did get a social security number upon birth (which I'm not sure this says, it may just mean he received a social security number at some point in his life) it would indicate that this Californian Brackett is not the fellow we are looking for.

http://sortedbyname.com/pages/b189384.html

BRACKETT, ANTHONY was born 17 April 1917, received Social Security number [REDACTED] (indicating California) and, Death Master File says, died 23 June 1995. Research in ZIP Code 91978
Source: Death Master File (public domain). Check Archives for ANTHONY BRACKETT.

[Phil]

Ernest Curtis' son, Harry, has responded publicly to this inquiry.

Harry Curtis, 71, of Ontario, Canada, said his family will welcome Mary with open arms

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/s ... r-13877082

[lilymarie]

Hi all,

Do you think it could possibly be E.J. Brackett? I wonder if the paper had the first initial wrong? I believe he was in the 8th regiment...

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembra ... 20Brackett
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/ ... umber=3700&