Horace (Albert) Powsey and Clara Powsey


Horace/Albert meets brother Nick for the first time in about 40 years, sometime in the early 1970's.


Albert and Clara and twin daughters Jose and Jean on the Dutchess of York.


Albert and Clara at their daughter Josie's house in Ottawa.

Notes and anecdotes on the life of Horace (Albert) Powsey and his wife Clara

(These notes have been collected from the memories of a later immigration of Powsey's, the son's of Nick Powsey, Albert's brother, who came to Canada with their families in 1969 and 1970. He and Clara made a dear couple and they each were forthcoming with stories about their past. If anyone out there have further anecdotes or information, or corrections, please let us know.)

Albert fought in WW1, and was batman to an Officer, and he received a medal for carrying his wounded superior out of the line of fire while injured from a wound to the hand. Albert's arm and hand were severely damaged by the wound and he often wore a leather glove to 'hold the hand together'. He also told Tony Powsey's kids of being being bombed in a trench and being blown into the air after the bomb buried itself in the ground before exploding. He also told of being out of the war as a result of his wounds and being presented with a white feather by a woman while riding a tram; the feather was a symbol of cowardice used to spur young men to sign up for the war; Albert promptly presented her his damaged hand.

Alberts wife, Clara, apparently had a child out of wedlock before she met him. Called Gilbert, he was raised by her parents as a younger brother. Clara was said to be 10 years older than Albert, although ships records from their immigration don't support that, the records, from two voyages, aren't accurate in relation to each other. According to Albert, he met Clara on a pier where he was chatting her up while waiting for a cue to dive off the pier and save someone pretending to drown. This was presumably part of Professor Powsey's pier activities in addition to the dives, an another indication of how extensively his children became involved in the operation. All of a sudden, in mid-conversation, Albert jumped up, left Clara, and dived off the pier to save a 'drowning' soul. He obviously made quite an impression as Clara married Albert in 1916.

Apparently Clara was not accepted by family as a result of her 'illegitimate' child (sired by an Officer if not a gentleman), although Gladys Hubble recounted that they left because Clara's sister, who had never married, would spoil their two girls, the twins Josie and Jeanie. 'Auntie Jo' recounted to us that she was four at the time of their coming to Canada. Ships immigration records have been found online that document three voyages the family made. The first was with the entire family in March 1929 arriving in the port of St. John, New Brunswick aboard the Duchess of York. Albert's given age was 37, Clara's 38, and Josephine's (and Jean's) 10. See the above picture scanned and submitted by Barbara Garner, a granddaughter of Alberts brother Archie. The family must have returned to the British Isles at some point because there are further documents showing that Albert Horace Powsey (given age 36) arrived alone back in Canada at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the White Star ship The Cedric in March 1931. In May 1931 Clara (given age 40) and Josey (given age 8) (and presumably Jeanie) aboard the White Star ship Laurentic. Family anecdotes suggest they arrived in Canada with some savings just before the depression; Albert almost immediately met an old friend who hailed him from across the street and ended up ripping him off through some insurance racket.

There is another anecdote that sometime after their arrival in Canada the twins Josey and Jeanie were kidnapped, an event that received coverage in newspapers, particularly The Toronto Star. The twins were safely returned.

The depression was very hard, Albert spent a lot of time out of regular work, and Josie and Jeannie often went to work hungry and the school complained to Albert and Clara, requesting they go on welfare, but Albert refused ( Clive remembers him telling this story with pride and emotion in the early 1970's). Albert started working at Sears as an elevator operator, then he went into janitorial and maintenance work for the company. Later on Albert and Clara bought and ran a resort on the shores of Rice Lake north of Port Hope and Lake Ontario, and near Roseneath. When Albert and Clara retired and lived at their summer cottage on Rice Lake, Albert kept the building meticulously maintained and well ordered; as well he was capable of repairing virtually any broken household appliance or electrically operated object; he was was exceptionally handy despite his severely war damaged hand.

Apparently, in 1966, at their golden wedding anniversary party down at the cottage on Rice Lake, a telegram or phone call was received which told of Clara's 'brother' Gilbert's death, and Clara was terribly upset at the news.

When Tony and Margaret Powsey arrived in Canada Albert and Clara and their children were extremely hospitable. Clive remembers arriving at the cottage on Rice Lake on their 1968 holiday and receiving 'grab bags' from Clara; brown paper bags full of candies, gum and sweets. Albert and Clara could still 'roll' together in the late '60's. This was a remarkable stunt in which Clara would lay on the ground and Albert would bend over and hold her ankles while she held his; Albert would fall forward in a roll lifting Clara to the position he had been in and they would repeat this rolling tumbling act like a human wheel across the cottage living room floor!

Albert and Clara, like many in that day, both smoked; Clara smoked like a chimney! Clara bought hers but Albert would spend part of each evening manufacturing his own out of tobacco and papers with a machine. Albert would go to bed before Clara, and she would joke he was showing his age, and sit up and smoke. She would empty out half of the ash tray before going to bed so Albert wouldn't get on to her about the amount she smoked the following morning. In the late '60's, despite their smoker's coughs and gravelly voices, they seemed marvels of health for their age and a testament to the healthy lifestyle apparently found in Canada. In the summer their cottage was shared with their daughter Jean and her husband Bob Thompson and son Brian. In the autumn Albert and Clara would move into an apartment near the old Post Office in Port Hope. One spring in the early '70's they stayed with Margaret and Tony Powsey and family for a couple of weeks because the ice and snow was later leaving the lake and cottage than usual.

Clara died in about 1972. Albert was hospitalised around 1976, and died soon after. While in the hospital Albert would still consume his regulation bottle of Guinness in the evening. They are both buried in a cemetery on a hill north of Port Hope, Ontario, with a fine view in all directions..

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