Antarctic Explorer lost in Canada - can you help find him

[bobandbryony]

Hi everyone.

We started our family research because we found some memorabilia in the attic which had belonged to my wife's great uncle - Alastair Ross who we discovered had been the taxidermist aboard the Scotia on the 1902-1904 Scottish Antarctic Expedition under William Spiers Bruce.

We have spent the last year researching him and his family with amazing results (see "from Orphanage to Westminister Abbey" in success stories. Unfortunately we cannot find out what happened to Alastair after his last postcard from Montreal in 1910 and would deraly like to find out what happened to him.

The basic data is that he was born in 1881 in Edinburgh the son of Andrew and William Frances Ross nee Gillon. Birth cert and census until 1901 in Scotland all checked out and there is no record of a death in Scotland or England for that name with that birth date. (A death of a flyer in Yorkshire with the same name is a red herring).

There are suggestions that he made have settled down in Canada and was certainly in Montreal around 1910.

He had two brothers who were in Canada about this time who both volunteered and joined Canadian regiments. His elder brother, Andrew's, war record is well documented including his death in the trenches and we have found the attestation papers for his younger brother Donald who had previously served in the Royal Scots. Donald was badly wounded but survived the war.

Before the war Andrew had been playing rugby for the Vancouver Rowing Club but his obituary says that "WE" were in Alaska when war broke out and hurried back to Vancouver to enlist. The "we" may refer to him and Donald or he and Alastair. No army record can be found for Alastair.

Alastair's role in the 1902-1904 expedition is well recorded and like many explorers at that time he faced great dangers particularly when he and 5 others were left behind for a year while the ship went to recoal in Argentinia. His contribution was finally recognised in 1987 when "Ross Heights" in the Antarctic was officially named after him.

Noboby it seems, however, knows what happened to him.

We have spent many many hours searching for Alastair and would be very grateful if anyone in Canada or the USA can give us any clues.

Bob and Bryony

[paddyscar]

Hi Bob and Byrony:

I can have a poke around and see if I can find something this side of the pond.

No army record can be found for Alastair.

Have you looked at any Canadian military records (so I don't duplicate your efforts)?

Did 'the boys' have middle names? Do you have specific dates of births? Do you know what line of work they were in, at any time, other than Alastair being a taxidermist?

Do you have any idea where or when his brothers came to Canada? There may be some trace of their arrival, but there won't be any citizenship record since we were all part of the Empire.

he was born in 1881 in Edinburgh the son of Andrew and William Frances Ross nee Gillon.

It's not unheard of, to have unlikely given names; so I need to ask - Was Alastair's mother named William Frances Gillon, or should that have been [Andrew William and Frances Ross nee Gillon]?

The last odd question - what religion would they likely have been? Not that it cuts much of a difference in later years, but it might have been what they would have put on any military records.

Hopefully, I can find a bit for you.

Frances

[bobandbryony]

Hi Frances,

Thanks for your offer of help.

Yes, we have tried to search Canadian army records for Alastair but have had no success, unlike his brothers where the records are very clear.

The brothers did not have middle names and their dates of birth etc are as follows:

Andrew Ross - 15 May 1879, Newington, Edinburgh, died 6 April 1916 France, unmarried. Andrew was a marine engineer of sorts but really played rugby to the exclusion of most other things. He served as a sergeant in the 29th Canadians. "Tobins Tigers"

Alastair Ross - 20 Decmber 1881, Newington, Edinburgh, death and/or marriage unknown. Alastair was a medical student at Edinburgh University when invited onto the expedition. There is no record of him qualifying as a doctor in Scotland and it seems probable that taxidermy was something he did to go on the expedition and learned / taught himself "on the job" The Guild of Taxidermy have no record of him practising as a taxidermist in Great Britain.

Donald Ross - April 1889, St Andrews, Edinburgh, died 12 July 1949, Edinburgh. Married Florence Whyte MacArthur 1918, one daughter Doris Jardine, born <after 1908> died <after 1958> . Was a trainee accountant, a profession that he came back to after the war. He served with 79th C H of Canada Regiment, number 153705.

I confirm that their father was Andrew Ross (1849 - 1925) and that their mother was indeed William Frances Ross, nee Gillon.

We believe that their religion would have been Church of Scotland as Andrew senior was an Elder of New Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh.

We know definitely that Andrew junior played for Vancouver Rowing Club (Rugby Section) in the 1910/1911 season and we have the team phot to prove it! The diary of their father Andrew Ross indicates that both Alastair and Andrew were in Vancouver in July 1911. The book of obituaries of Rugby Internationals killed in WWI states that Andrew was in Alaska in 1914 but raced back to Vancouver to join up and he (Andrew) uses the expression "we" which could refer to him and Alastair or to him and Donald.

Lastly we have postcards from two of the three boys. From Alastair, one dated 2 June 1908 from Montreal reads "Staying here tonight as thre is no train to my destination till tomorrow." and another sent on the same day says "Have new address but will not send just yet till I arrive there". Another card is from Andrew from Japan dated 29 October 1908.

Hope this helps you to help us - we're very grateful

Bob and Bryony

<dates edited as they are after our TS cut off dates. LesleyB>
See viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6601

[grannysrock]

Hello Bob and Bryony

There is a likely entry for Andrew junior in the 1911 Census in Vancouver City ( born May 1879, Scotland , lodger, engineer , year of arrival 1910 ) - but I can't see Alastair .


The only thing I found on Google that might be worth mentioning
was an obituary for the father Andrew Ross in The Scottish law review and Sheriff Court reports, Volume 41 in 1925

http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=%22su ... 1&oi=spell

where it stated that Andrew Ross was survived by "2 sons and several daughters" .

Having found your very interesting tree on Ancestry, I take the above statement to indicate that Alastair was still alive in 1925 ( along with Donald) .

Do you know if he returned to Edinburgh University after the expedition - perhaps there would be some record of him in their archives ?
Perhaps Andrew Ross senior's will ( if he made one) might mention Alastair's whereabouts ?
Are their any family tombstones to which his name might have been added ?

Apologies if you've been down these routes before .


Sally

[garibaldired]

I presume you've explored everything held at the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University?
They do seem to hold quite a lot of information about the expedition including photos.

Best wishes,
Meg

[bobandbryony]

Sally

Thank you so much for your reply. Can you please tell me how I can go about accessing the census report. We are in England and my membership of Ancestry doesn't seem to cover 1911 (Canada) yet.

You are absolutely right about the obit the contents of which is repeated in the Scotsman version. However in the "The Scots law Times" it says ".....and the other son Donald, severely wounded. Mr Ross is survived by that son and three daughters" - it was actually four suggesting that Alastair was dead. I think however that your version and that of the Scotsman is correct and that he was still alive in 1925. The family story is that Alastair fell out with his father who perhaps considered him persona non grata for some reason. It may be that Alastair did not enlist like his two brothers and his father held it against him. Sad really because his bravery during the expedition cannot be questioned.

I think your suggestion about the will is very good indeed. The Scotlands people wills section seem to stop earlier than 1925 -so any idea how I go about it

No the university has no record of him going back to complete his degree and there is no record of a doctor of that name on the records in the U.K.

We are waiting for details of the gravestone for Andrew Ross and his wife so maybe there will be something there.
Meg

Thanks for the tip. We did contact the Scot Institute but they had no record of our Alastair and their library was closing for six months.! We were very lucky on the photo front as The Glasgow special collections unit has some excellent plates from which, for a fee, they are prepared to take prints. As I have mentioned elsewhere we are also very lucky because the Scottish Screen Archive has a short 1904 film of the return of the Scotia.

Thank you both once again - we will keep searching - although not quite to the ends of the earth - I leave that to Alastair and the explorers who came after him

Bob and Bryony

[garibaldired]

Can you please tell me how I can go about accessing the census report.

Go to http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca where there is free access.

The SPRI have a searchable photo database which seems to suggest there are at least 3 photos of Alastair held there.

Best wishes,
Meg

[grannysrock]

You can also search the 1911 Census for free at www.automatedgenealogy.com.

I believe that testaments after 1901 can be accessed at the National Archives of Scotland
http://www.nas.gov.uk/guides/wills.asp - although I have never actually tried this myself - perhaps there are some members who have tried this and can comment on the process?

Sally

[grannysrock]

I presume you've explored everything held at the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University?

thankyou Meg , Bob and Bryony for mentioning this institute - on their website , I have just found 4 photographs of my relative Dr George Adam Davidson who was on the British National Antarctic Expedition . He died just a few years after and although I have been lucky to find on line a photograph of him taken in New Zealand with Ernest Shackleton - it is so amazing to see him as he was during the expedition - they are absolutely superb photographs and my face is wet with tears - I have no idea why old photographs have such an impact on me - but they really do.

I wish you every success with Alistair !
Sally

[garibaldired]

Sally,

So pleased for you
I know exactly what you mean about old photos though - gets you right in the heart!

Best wishes,
Meg