LEST WE FORGET 73 ASHWORTH, George WWI George was born on May 28, 1894, in Lancashire, England to Joe and Elizabeth Ann (Ormond) Ashworth. The family of eight, seven boys and one girl, immigrated to Cornwall, Ontario in 1907. After the father’s death, the family came west to Rocanville in two groups. His mother and youngest siblings lived at the hotel where Mrs. Ashworth worked. The older boys worked for farmers until five of them enlisted with the hope of staying close to each other at the front and using their settlement money to buy land when they arrived back home. The Ashworth boys had strong opinions and quick tempers with each other. They were all pool players, musical, and could see the humorous side of life. George enlisted in the Army on December 30, 1914, in Moosomin with the 16th CMRR and after training in Canada he arrived in England on October 3, 1916. He spent five months in France (April 3, 1916). Trooper Ashworth was discharged as “physically unfit” on November 27, 1916, because he had very poor hearing due to chronic otitis media (25% hearing) aggravated by service. An interesting note in his service record file is that he made $33 a month while serving overseas. George and his youngest brother, Jack, bought a farm near Rocanville and their sister, Clara, kept house for them for a few years. George married Bessie Moran and had a daughter, Margaret, and moved to the west coast. George died on May 9, 1969, in Mission, BC and is buried at Hatzic Cemetery in Fraser Valley, BC. ASHWORTH, Henry “Harry” WWI Harry was born in Lancashire, England on March 31, 1891, to Joe and Elizabeth Ann (Ormrod) Ashworth. He travelled west from Ontario on a harvest excursion to work to work in Saskatchewan in 1910. Harry enlisted in Rocanville on November 11, 1915, with the 217th Battalion. He left Canada aboard the Olympic on June 2, 1917. He served with the 16th Light Horse unit and was with the 46th Battalion in France in November 1917. Private Ashworth received a Good Conduct Badge on December 1, 1917. After serving three years and five months, Harry returned to Canada on May 29, 1919, and was discharged on June 19, 1919. He joined the Rocanville Great War Veterans Association on November 3, 1919. In 1928, Harry, along with brothers Joe and Wilf, travelled by train to the Peace River District in Alberta and began homesteading in the nearby Deadwood area. He married Jessie Renwick in 1931 and had four daughters. Harry passed away on November 13, 1972, and is buried at Beechmount Cemetery in Edmonton, Alberta.
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