Bertie’s parents were James Henry Facer a Shoe Clicker, and Annie Louisa Murby a machinist, who had married 30/3/1891 and started their married life at 85 Hazel Street. They later moved to 251 Welford Road and Annie was working as a Shoe Machinist at home, they went on to have seven children.
The 1911 census shows all seven children were living at home. The oldest, Ernest born in 1892 was an Accounts Clerk, Leonard born in 1893 was a Hair Dresser, Bertie who was born in 1894 was a Heel Builder in the Shoe Trade, the youngest children were, Norman born in 1900, Doris born 1905, Mabel, born 1906 and Dennis born in 1911.
At the age of 19 when working as a Confectioner, Bertie emigrated to Canada, sailing from Bristol to Halifax Nova Scotia in Canada on 5/3/1913. He was one of 705 passengers on the ship ‘RMS Royal Edward’ and he travelled 3rd Class. Later when the war started the ship was used to bring Canadian Soldiers to Europe. It was being used as a troop ship in July 1915 when in was torpedoed by a German submarine, it sunk with great loss of life including Arthur Allen who lived at Avenue Road Extension in Clarendon Park and is also included on the St Michael’s war memorial. For more details regarding the sinking see the entry for Arthur Allen.
Bertie enlisted in Toronto on 28/12/1914 as he was a baker by trade, he joined the C.A.S.C. Field Bakery on enlistment. In August he was Confined to Barracks for 14 days for refusing to obey an order. Then when he was in Boulogne, he was charged with being in a café which was out of bounds, and also stating a ‘falsehood’ to the Military Police, he was deprived of 5 days pay on 11/5/16. He later transferred to the 28th Infantry Battalion.
He was fighting on the Somme in the Canadian Infantry when he was Killed in Action on 26/9/1916 aged 22, and is buried at Pozières British Cemetery, Orvilles-La-Boiselle in France. He is also remembered on the family gravestone at Welford Road Cemetery.
His older brothers also served in the war, from February 1917 Ernest was an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy and Leonard joined the Royal Naval Air Service in May 1917, later he transferred into the Royal Air Force on 1/4/1918. They both survived the war and by 1939 Ernest was a Company Secretary and Leonard was a Master Hairdresser.
