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BIRTH: Unknown | ||
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Jim Wheeler came to
Canada from London, England at sixteen years of age. His first work done
was farming for Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Miller at $25.00 a month. Jim Wheeler
got sick of farming quickly and met someone named Charlie Chaney. Jim
was hired by Chaney for a few months as a laborer. Then in 1912, Andy
Fulton, J. Gray, Jim Wheeler and his brother decided to go to England
for Christmas, the fare being only $110.00 each from Vernon to London,
and return.
Shortly after, war broke out so Wheeler decided to join the B.C. Horse
Regiment which later became the C.M.R. Regiment. Wheeler left for Victoria
for training. Shortly thereafter, Jim left to go overseas; and continued
training in Folkstone, Kent. After the Armistice was signed, there were
ten thousand soldiers and a crew of nine hundred who came home to Canada
on the "Olympic". That winter, Wheeler worked on the road with Mr. Hardy.
In the spring, Jim logged for Elmer Christianson; then back to farming
for Charlie Christien.
After that, Jim met a girl in Victoria named Elsie Bennett whom which
he married in Vernon. They came back to Lumby where he worked for Bell
Poll Yard and had some wonderful, though hard years raising his family
of five boys and one girl. Lionel born 1922; Nancy 1923; Leslie 1926;
Jim 1942; Edward 1932 and Norman in 1936.
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