More about Patrick Chivers

 Patrick Chivers was born on 17 January 1897 at home at 40 Wilkies Lane in Liff and Benvie in the district of St Peter on the outskirts of the city of Dundee in Scotland. At the time of his birth and up until his enlistment, the spelling of the surname was Shivers. His father Patrick Shivers was born in Ireland while his mother Elizabeth Brannon was from Dundee. The couple married on 1 January 1885 in St Peter, Dundee. Patrick had at least two older sisters, Elizabeth (1886) and Mary (1889) and likely other younger siblings. At the time of the 1891 Scotland census for Liff and Benvie Patrick Sr was working as an agricultural labourer while Elizabeth was working as a jute spinner. By the 1901 census Patrick Sr was working as a causeway labourer and Elizabeth as a shifter spinner.
Although his service record is not available, according to his Silver War Badge record and his obituary, Patrick enlisted with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) on 12 November 1913, service number 2601. Sent to France at the beginning of the war, the unit held back the Germans at Mons in 1914. At some point Patrick was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps, service number 9415. His obituary stated that he was wounded three times, at La Basse Canal on 25 January 1915, at Menin Road on 8 August 1917, and lastly in August of 1918. Patrick was discharged from service on 10 February 1919, rank of Sergeant. Starting later that year he received a 20% pension into 1921 as the result of a gunshot wound he sustained to the thigh. For his service Patrick was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, 1914 Star Medal service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914, and the Silver Medal/Badge. The Silver War Badge was issued in the United Kingdom and the British Empire to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness from military service in World War I. He was also awarded a clasp, details unknown.
On 2 August 1919, in Alyth, Perth in Scotland, Patrick married widow Alice (née Tully) Doig. At the time of their marriage Patrick was working as a ship yard labourer in Dundee while Alice was living in Alyth. Both of his parents were listed as deceased on the marriage record. Born in 1892 in Aberdeen, Alice was the daughter of William Tully, a tailor, and Alice Grimes, both her parents originally from Dundee where they had married in 1887. By the time of the 1901 census Alice was living with her widowed mother and siblings in Liff and Benvie. On 24 September 1911, in St Peter, Dundee, Alice had married James Doig. James and Patrick had both played football for St Joseph Junior Team before the war, with James also enlisting with the Royal Highlanders. James was reported as killed in action on 25 September 1915 at Loos, France. Alice and James had given birth to daughter Williamina in 1913, and perhaps another child that died in infancy.
Patrick and Alice gave birth to daughter Muriel Tully in 1921 in Alyth. Patrick was the first to immigrate to Canada, arriving in Quebec in August of 1923 aboard the Cassandra. The passenger declaration indicated that he was on his way to Winnipeg to work as a harvester. Alice and the two children left Scotland on 28 December 1923 aboard the Marburn, on their way to Patrick who had settled in the town of Kenora in northwestern Ontario.
Patrick and Alice were to make Kenora their home, giving birth to two more children, daughters Patricia and Alice Joy. By the early 1930’s Patrick had found work as a Sergeant at the Provincial Goal. In later life the family lived in the Daiter Block on Second Street South. According to his obituary Patrick served during WW2 from 1940 to 1944. He served with the local militia, the Kenora Light Infantry and the 16th Medium Battery from 1923 to 1947, retiring with the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He was a life member of the Kenora Branch of the Canadian Legion and served on the executive for many years. He was also on the Manitoba Provincial executive.
Patrick died on 11 February 1955 in the Winnipeg General Hospital. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife Alice and daughters Williamina (Oliver) Simoneau in Kenora, Muriel (Casey) Jones in Vancouver, Patricia (James) Perry in Nashville, Tennessee, and Alice Joy (Don) Blom of Kenora. He was also survived by five grandchildren and his sister Mary Crystal of Dundee, Scotland. Alice died on 14 February 1958 in St Joseph’s Hospital in Kenora. Patrick and Alice are interred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora. By Kenora Great War Project