Peregrine
Well-Known Member
In 1956 my grandfather Joe wrote, for his grandchildren, stories about his ancestors and his World War 1 experiences. I have been reviewing his writings over recent weeks and done a little research into some of the characters he has written about.
After Armistice, while waiting for troop ships to become available to take all the Diggers home he billeted with a young couple in the town of Bouffioulx in Belgium. Their names were Gustav and Hortense Romain and he stayed with them for about 3 months. He said they were younger than him and he was born 24 Nov 1896. The only other details I have is that Hortense had a much younger sister Renee and another sister Josephine who married during the time Joe was staying with them.
I have done a little research and believe that Gustav died at Einsingen in Germany on 20 Mar 1945, having entered Dachau Concentration Camp on 9 Oct 1942 as an inmate. He is buried at Konzentrationslager Dachau, which seems a little strange as it is a long way from Einsingen in Hesse. These records show Gustav as born 13 Jun 1898 in Bouffioulx.
I found what seems to be Hortense and two little boys travelling in 1926 on a ship named Arundel Castle from Southhampton England to the Belgian Congo. The ship departed Southhampton on 2 Jul 1926 and was bound for South Africa. The little boys listed on the ships records were Mariel b 1920 and Maurice b 1923 in Belgium while Hortense was b 1902. I wonder why she was travelling there, especially as the record she was going to the Congo as a permanent resident? Was Gustav already there working?
I found a Mariel Romani arriving New York aboard a ship named Laurent Meuss on 1 Apr 1943 as a 3rd Engineer member of crew with 5 years experience at sea.
And a Maurice Romain of about the right age died in Pembroke Ontario in Feb 2002.
So more questions than answers. Why did Gustav end up in Dachau as a Belgian prisoner? If Hortense and the boys got to the Belgian Congo what happened to them after that? And if Gustav was with them too when did the family return to Belgium, the Dachau records say his last residence was in Erquelinnes, Belgium? Did Mariel survive WW2 as a merchant seaman? And how did Maurice end up in Ontario?
Any help in answering these questions will be much appreciated.
After Armistice, while waiting for troop ships to become available to take all the Diggers home he billeted with a young couple in the town of Bouffioulx in Belgium. Their names were Gustav and Hortense Romain and he stayed with them for about 3 months. He said they were younger than him and he was born 24 Nov 1896. The only other details I have is that Hortense had a much younger sister Renee and another sister Josephine who married during the time Joe was staying with them.
I have done a little research and believe that Gustav died at Einsingen in Germany on 20 Mar 1945, having entered Dachau Concentration Camp on 9 Oct 1942 as an inmate. He is buried at Konzentrationslager Dachau, which seems a little strange as it is a long way from Einsingen in Hesse. These records show Gustav as born 13 Jun 1898 in Bouffioulx.
I found what seems to be Hortense and two little boys travelling in 1926 on a ship named Arundel Castle from Southhampton England to the Belgian Congo. The ship departed Southhampton on 2 Jul 1926 and was bound for South Africa. The little boys listed on the ships records were Mariel b 1920 and Maurice b 1923 in Belgium while Hortense was b 1902. I wonder why she was travelling there, especially as the record she was going to the Congo as a permanent resident? Was Gustav already there working?
I found a Mariel Romani arriving New York aboard a ship named Laurent Meuss on 1 Apr 1943 as a 3rd Engineer member of crew with 5 years experience at sea.
And a Maurice Romain of about the right age died in Pembroke Ontario in Feb 2002.
So more questions than answers. Why did Gustav end up in Dachau as a Belgian prisoner? If Hortense and the boys got to the Belgian Congo what happened to them after that? And if Gustav was with them too when did the family return to Belgium, the Dachau records say his last residence was in Erquelinnes, Belgium? Did Mariel survive WW2 as a merchant seaman? And how did Maurice end up in Ontario?
Any help in answering these questions will be much appreciated.
