BUSH, PTE. HENRY Reg. #657972
Harry ‘Henry’ Edward Bush was born August 27, 1885 in Belleville, Ontario, the son of Charles Bush and Ann Eunice Cronkite. (Charles Bush is recorded in some cases as Charles Rosebush.)
Charles and Eunice’s children included three sons who enlisted in WWI: Harry ‘Henry’ Edward Bush; James Arthur Bush; and William ‘Uncle Peck’ Bush. Despite being identified as being associated with the Magnetawan area by the Magntewan Legion, I can find no connection of any of these three men to this area. However, an older brother Oscar Bush who did not serve is identified as living in Magnetawan at the time of his marriage in 1897. Since the Legion has identified the former three as being associated with the area, we will assume that this is correct and proceed accordingly.
At the time of the 1891 census, the Charles and Eunice Bush family had moved to the Chaffey, Franklin and Sinclair census subdistrict of Muskoka.
On November 21, 1913 Harry Bush of Wanipitae,, son of Charles and Eunice (Cronkite) Bush married Kathleen Deschamps of Sudbury, in Sudbury. Harry identified himself as a cook.
This is where the waters get muddy.
There is a ‘Harry’ Bush, cook, born in Peterborough, Ontario with next of kin Kathleen who enlisted on June 18, 1918 in Vernon B.C. Harry lists himself as having previously served with the 72nd Regiment of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.
But, this is not consistent with the records that the Magnetewan Legion has in their files as noted below:
The confusion is explained with a detailed look at the file of Henry Bush Reg. #657972. In the summary page of Henry's file, the Attestation paper pictured shown on the preceding page is shown. But in the detailed file there is a second Attestation, actually Henry’s first which shows him enlisting in Parry Sound on May 11, 1916. In that Attestation paper Henry also identified his occupation as cook and further identified that he had served in the 72nd Highlanders (3 months).
The Attestation paper also shows that he served in the 47th Battalion of the C.E.F.
In this earlier Attestation paper Henry identifies that his wife Mary lives in Parry Sound.
In fact, Henry Bush enlisted twice – the first time in Parry Sound in 1916 and the second time in Vernon, B.C. in 1918.
In his Discharge Papers, Henry is indeed shown as enlisting May 11, 1916 in Parry Sound with the 162nd Bn. And as having served with the 1st Bn.
His discharge date is given as April 24, 1919.
Pte, Henry Bush embarked from Halifax on November 1, 1916 and arrived in Liverpool on November 11, 1916.
He was assigned to the 4th Bn. And then transferred to the 4th Reserve Bn. Arriving in France April 13, 1917.
On May 3, 1917 he received a gunshot wound in the hand and was invalided to the Western Ontario Regimental Depot.
Henry's wound was received at Vimy Ridge on May 5, 1917. It would appear he had received a sniper's bullet and was dispatched to the CCS (Casualty Clearing Centre in Boulgne)
In February of 1918 he was identified as being with W.O.R.D. (Western Ontario Regimental Depot) and was posted to 4th Reserve Battalion April 18, 1918.
There is a break in the record from April to September of 1918 when Henry was awarded 6 months detention for activities conducted while being AWL (Absent Without Leave). He was apparently court-marshalled.
Interestingly, it was during this period that Henry re-enlisted under the name Harry Bush.
Henry arrived back in the Field on October 2, 1918 and rejoined the 1st Cdn. Bn. On November 2, 1918..
At the time of the 1921 census, a Henry/Harry Bush, age 34; his wife Kathleen, age 25; and daughter Margaret, age 6; together with Henry’s brother Oscar were identified as living in Sudbury.
Daughter Marguerite Celina Bush was baptized June 18, 1915 in Sudbury.
Some family historians note that Kathleen Deschamps, the wife of Henry was also known as Mary Kathleen. There were apparently three other children of the marriage of Henry and Kathleen: Eunice Bush born 1917 and died 1918; Pumpkin (?) Bush (1927-1931); and 2 others (private).
More significantly, a number of family trees identify a Harry Bush, born around 1884 in Ontario who married a Catherine/Katherine Ricard, born in Manitoba to Cezsaire Ricard and Marie Ann Ducharme around 1900 (actual wedding identified as July 29, 1912). Harry and Catherine had 5 children: Albert Richard Bush born in 1903; Louise Bush born in 1905; Agnes Rose Mary Bush born 1906; Harold Winston Bush born in 1908; and Doris Kathleen Bush born in 1914. This family appears in Round Valley , Saskatchewan in 1916. A number of family historians believe hat this is Harry ‘Henry’ Bush.
The 1916 census began in June. If this is ‘our Harry/Henry’ he left Saskatchewan early enough to enlist in Parry Sound in May, 1916. If his wife did not suspect a problem, she would still have listed him as living in Round Valley at the time of the 1916 census, which began in June.
In fact, he would have had to have left even earlier since as previously noted, on November 21, 1913 Harry Bush of Wanipitae,, son of Charles and Eunice (Cronkite) Bush married Kathleen Deschamps of Sudbury, in Sudbury. Harry identified himself as a cook.
To add to the confusion, two of the children of Harry and Cathleen (Ricard) Bush, namely Rose and Harold are shown as the adopted grandchildren of Joseph and Mary Campbell of Portage Le Prairie in 1921. (This would be consistent with Harry/Henry abandoning his Saskatchewan family.)
Clearly, there are some unanswered questions.
Henry is understood to have died July 14, 1960 in Toronto.
Regardless, despite all the permutations the preceding presents, there is nothing to tie Henry to Whitestone or Magentawan except through his brother Oscar.
