LEST WE FORGET 205 KIVELA, Samuel Nikola “Nick” WWI Nick was born on January 1, 1897, in New Finland, Saskatchewan, to Samuel Sr. and Susan (Myllymaki) Kivela. He was the third born of five children. His father was post-master in New Finland and the post office was in their home. Nick was drafted for military service and enlisted on June 13, 1918 in Regina with the 1st Depot Battalion – Saskatchewan Regiment. Nick sailed from Montreal to Liverpool, England aboard the Cassandra on July 29, 1918. Arriving at Bramshott, he was taken on strength by the 15th Reserve Battalion for training to help reinforce the 46th Battalion in France. He was transferred to the Sask Regiment Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) at Egham and Sunningdale camps. Many of the Saskatchewan conscripts who travelled on the HMT Cassandra became severely ill (and many died) from the pandemic influenza. He spent time at Ripon Camp, a demobilization centre, waiting to be sent home. Nick sailed back to Canada aboard the Royal George and was discharged on June 22, 1919 in Regina. After arriving back in New Finland, Nick farmed the old family homestead. He married Olga Maria Lappi from Margo, Saskatchewan. They lived on the farm in New Finland until ill health forced Nick to retire in Whitewood. Nick passed away in 1966 at the age of 69 and is buried at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in New Finland. His wife passed away in 1984 and is also buried at St. John’s. KIVELL, Clarence Ariel “George” WWI Clarence was born on October 13, 1894 in the Whitewood area to parents Lilly Law and John Nancekivell. He was the oldest boy, and third child, in a family of five living children. The boys attended Fletwode School. Their parents died in 1901 and 1904 so the young brothers were split up and worked on farms doing chores for uncles and neighbours, and close to their older sisters in the Hazelbank district. As a teenager, Clarence left to work in south-west Saskatchewan in the Frontier/Maple Creek area. He had typhoid fever in 1913. When war was declared, he returned to Kennedy and the three brothers decided to enlist so they could stay together and have a regular pay cheque and decent clothes and boots. According to family, the brothers walked the 16 miles from Kennedy to Moosomin to enlist on December 21, 1914. The Kivells were small men in height, but were determined to join the 10th Mounted Regiment no matter what obstacles got in their way. Clarence had black hair and his brothers described him as “moody”. He and his younger brothers left Canada with the 10th CMR sailing from Halifax on the Olympic on April 29, 1916. Clarence was assigned to Traffic Control in the 1st Motor Division when he first went to France on November 16, 1916 but he soon managed to get transferred back to the Canadian Light Horse. The brothers saw action at the Somme, Amiens, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and Ypres. Clarence was in hospital in Boulogne in October 1918 with influenza. All three brothers survived and stayed in Europe with the occupation troops having served in France from August 1916 to March 1, 1919. The Kivell brothers returned to Canada aboard the Belgic on April 16, 1919 and were discharged in Toronto on April 30, 1919. Clarence returned to the Maple Creek area in western Saskatchewan and married Aretta Mary Cribbes. The couple and their four young sons moved to Manitoba about 1935 because of drought. They were farming near Westbourne, Manitoba when their house caught fire on April 12, 1943. Clarence, his wife Aretta, and sons Dale, Dean and Raymond, all perished in the fire. The oldest son, Bruce (age 14) was the sole survivor. Clarence and his family are buried at the cemetery in Westbourne and remembered with a memorial plaque.
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