During SCAA Archives Week 2023, we shared a request for information that we’d received from a museum in Belgium.
The CMMM Archives received a request for information from the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Belgium. Their researchers have been able to identify the wartime burial locations of more than 1,400 of the 6,928 missing Canadians in Flanders. One of the burial sites located has been identified as belonging to Ernest Robinson, who homesteaded in the Cut Knife area. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour in our local history book Where the Cut Knife Waters Flow Volume I.
from: In Memory of Private Robinson, Feb. 6, 2023
The Passchendaele Museum wanted the Robinson family’s descendants to know his burial site had been determined. His last known next-of-kin had resided in Tatsfield, Saskatchewan, which the museum was unable to trace to a modern address. The next step was to contact the CMMM regarding Names in the Landscape, their digital exhibit sharing the lives of the Canadian soldiers lost in Flanders. They asked for photos of, or archival references to Ernest Robinson that would help tell the story of his life.
We asked our readers for any photos and / or memories they might have of Private Ernest Robinson that we could forward to the Passchendaele Museum. Not only did we receive excerpts from a number of local history books, but through the power of social media, we were able to reach a family member. Since then, the Robinson family has put together a submission for the Names in the Landscape online exhibit.
Pte. Robinson’s nephew, Ken Robinson and Ken’s cousin Holly Robinson have researched and written a short biography of Private Ernest Robinson. It is an honourable tribute to someone whose life was cut so short. It includes a timeline and description (with references) of his military life. They have kindly shared the link with us.
Remember Private Ernest Robinson. Read more here.
~ Debbie M.
Clayton McLain Memorial Museum 