John Caveney (1890-1986)
Gateshead youth in the Canadian Forestry Corps
John was born on 31 August 1890 (not May 1891 as claimed on his enlistment papers), and was baptised at St. Joseph’s Church, Gateshead at the end of September. His father was Irish labourer Michael, who, with his first wife, Mary, had four children, and with John’s mother, whom he had married at the end of 1889, another four. At the time of the 1891 census, young John was living with his parents, his maternal grand-parents and step-siblings in Peareth Street, Gateshead. Ten years later, he was orphaned as both his parents had died with months of each other in 1899. He was at St. Peter’s home for Catholic Boys, Waifs and Orphans in Gainford, between Barnard Castle and Darlington, along with some of his brothers.
On 23 October 1903 John [listed as John Cavenny on the ship’s manifest] was one of a party of thirteen children taken by the Canadian Catholic Emigration Society to Ottawa in Canada. From that date until his enlistment in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) there is no knowledge of him.
He enlisted on 30 March 1916 in Ottawa, giving his address as Venosta and his job as that of teamster. As he had no parents or family to give as his next of kin, he listed a friend, Myrtle Baldwin of Farm Point, Quebec, and also arranged for her to receive his separation allowance. John became Private 397385 of the 224th Battalion, which was created to recruit men with forestry skills. A six-week recruitment took place and over 1,600 men joined the battalion which sailed to England in May 1916 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel A McDougall. MacDougall had been a timber contractor before the war and went on to become General Officer Commanding Canadian Forestry Corps and Director General of Timber Operations, Great Britain and France on the creation of the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) in November 1916.
On their arrival in England, the 224th worked at Heathfield, Devon until April 1917 when, as 29th Company Canadian Forestry Corps, they were posted to France as part of No.9 (Bordeaux) District.
Private 297385 remained with the CFC in France throughout 1917 and then, on leave in England in March 1918, he married Margaret Johnson in Newton Abbot, Devon, a girl he had met whilst working at Heathfield. Taken ill in France in July 1918 with suspected Potts disease [tuberculosis in the spine], John was invalided to England in August and remained in various hospitals until he was diagnosed with pleurisy, discharged from hospital and posted to the CFC Base Depot at Sunningdale, where he worked as a cook.
John was discharged from the CEF on 24 April 1919 in England. He and his wife, Margaret, moved to Gateshead. They had a son, Anthony, born in 1923, and a daughter, Margaret, born in 1925. At some time they returned to the south coast as John Caveney died in Poole, Dorset on 18 August 1986.
Children’s Homes website, page on Saint Peter’s Home for Catholic Boys, Gainford:
http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/GainfordAS/
University of Manitoba, Canadian Catholic History “Historical Studies”, 65 (1999), pp. 50-70, “Catholic Child Immigration to Canada”:
http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back%20Issues/CCHA1999/McEvoy.htm
World Digital Library, recruitment poster for 224th Canadian Battalion:
https://www.wdl.org/en/item/282/
Civil Parish: Gainford
Birth date: 31-Aug-1980
Death date: 18-Aug-1986
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: 74 Peareth Street, Gateshead (1891 census)
St. Peter’s home for Catholic Boys, Waifs and Orphans, Gainford (1901 census)
Venosta, Quebec (enlistment papers)
25 Hampden Street, Gateshead (service record)
Poole, Dorset (death certificate)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Employment: teamster (enlistment papers)
Family: Parents: Michael Caveney, Margaret Caveney nee Mann
Siblings: Thomas Patrick Caveney, Sara Joanna Caveney, Daniel Caveney; Mary Jane Caveney, Hugh Caveney, Michael Caveney, Anna Caveney (step-siblings)
Wife: Margaret Caveney nee Johnson
Children: Anthony Caveney, Margaret D.Caveney
Military service:
297385
Private
224th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
No.29 Company Canadian Forestry Corps
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Gender: Male
Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham