August 10, 1914. Britain, and as a result Canada, have been at war for less than a week. Robert Dixon and Deborah Ross are married in London Ontario at St Paul’s Cathedral Anglican Church.
Robert is 25 years old and is now working as a teamster. Now a teamster in London Ontario in 1914 meant someone who drove a team of horses – not a truck – and not a member of the Teamsters Union. Who exactly Robert is working for as a teamster we don’t know. And we see on the Marriage license that Deborah Ross is one year younger than Robert at age 24. Except of course we know that Deborah Ross was born thirty years ago in Ballinamallard, Ireland in 1884. Oh well – so – Deborah wasn’t totally forthright about her age – a woman has to do what a woman has to do – Deborah sensed that Robert would want to be the senior in the relationship – and she was quite ok with letting him think he was. And besides, the pretty young Deborah could easily pass for 24. Deborah’s sister Isabella is there to witness the wedding – but she isn’t going to contradict her big sister when it comes to her age.
Did Robert and Deborah move up the wedding because of the war ? This is a possibility – maybe Robert who had some military experience in England and had already joined the local militia in London Ontario was keen to join the army and defend England and the King. And if that was the case then it might have made sense to get married before he left – before they would be separated by the Great War. Also , if the couple were good financial planners, they might have known that by getting married that Deborah would receive a separation allowance. Though it seems unlikely the couple would have known this given the war had just begun. The wedding was probably planned well in advance of the war.
