BRITISH HOME CHILDREN IN CANADA
  • Home Page
  • This site is maintained by Home Children Canada
  • Home Children Canada website
  • The Sending Organizations
    • Barnardo's >
      • Dr. Thomas Barnardo >
        • Dr. Barnardo bio
        • Articles of Association Barnardo
        • DR. Barnardo's Funeral
        • Barnardo's medical credentials
        • Various articles
        • Home for the Homeless 1888
        • Broughall Legacy Letters
        • THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN 1995
        • The Barnardo Publications >
          • The History of the Publication
          • Our Darlings - Barnardo's >
            • Barnardo's "Our Darlings"
            • Winter in Canada
            • Coloured Plates
            • Monotints
            • Articles of interest
          • Barnardo's "Night and Day"
          • Barnardo Boy's Mag
          • Taken out of the Gutter
      • Barnardo Homes in Britain >
        • Promotional material
        • Boys Garden Village - Barnardo
        • Babies Castle - Barnardo's
        • Watts Naval Training School
        • William Baker School - Barnardo
        • Barkingside
        • Stepney Causeway
        • St. Christopher's Babies Home
        • Teighmore, Channel Islands
        • Other British Homes
        • Vintage post cards
      • Barnardo shipping lists
      • Immigration Parties
      • Russell Manitoba - Barnardo's
      • Toronto Barnardo Homes
      • Hazelbrae Barnardo Home
      • Winnipeg Receiving Home
      • Barnardo's Musical Boys
      • E A Struthers Day Book 1905
      • Crime or Misdemeanors list
      • Promotional post cards
      • Toronto Maternity Home
      • Indenture Contracts
      • Various Barnardo Doc's
      • Barnardo Government Reports
      • Alfred B Owen
      • Excursion's to England
      • Good Conduct Medals
    • Application Fees for children
    • Agreements and indentures
    • Hotel Dieu, Kingston, Ontario
    • Catholic Emigration - 10,000 emigrated >
      • Catholic Emigration Records
      • St. Georges Home - Ottawa
      • Monsignor James Nugent
      • Father Hudson
      • Father Seddon
      • St. Vincent Rescue Home
    • Annie Macpherson - 8,000 emigrated
    • Ellen Bilbrough and Robert Wallace
    • William Quarrier- Brockville Ont 7,200 immigrated
    • Quarriers - Scotland
    • Louisa Birt - 6,000 emigrated >
      • Louisa Birt files (some)
    • John T Middlemore - 5,000 emigrated >
      • Middlemore Placement Lists
      • Guthrie House, London, Ont
      • Fairview Nova Scotia
      • Middlemore Letters
      • Who was John Middlemore
    • Maria Rye - 4,200 emigrated >
      • Maria Rye-Niagara on the Lake
      • Maria Rye Children's Letters
      • Inspections of Rye Children
    • National Children's Home 3,600 emigrated
    • Janet Wallis - Hurst Home
    • Fegan's >
      • Fegan's Home in England
    • Mr. Gold, Melbourne, Quebec
    • Shaftsbury Homes
    • various British organizations
    • Selling Insurance to BHC
    • Visitor Reports
    • John Joseph Kelso
    • 1911 Census of Canada
    • Elinor Close-New Brunswick
    • Vimy Ridge Training Farm
    • Fairbrige Farm Vancouver
    • Inspection of children 1893 to 1894
    • Emma Stirling of Hillfoot Farm >
      • Hillfoot Farm - Emma Stirling
      • The du Pont Inscription
      • Grace M Fagan - A Stirling Girl
      • Florida Humane Association
      • Emma & Bailey’s Bluff
      • The Wm Bingham Estate
    • Bristol Emigration Society
    • Grosse Isle
    • MRS. MARGARET BLAIKIE'S
    • Dakeyne Boy's Farm
    • Salford Catholic Protection Society
    • Ellen Smyly
    • St. Patrick's Home in Ottawa
    • Stanley Boys Home
    • W. J. Paddy
    • Charlotte Alexander
    • Chase Farm School
    • Bristol Union Children 1905
    • Manchester & Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges
    • Church of England, Waifs & Strays 4,468
    • Miss Brennans Home - Montreal
    • House of Providence, Kingston Ontario
    • The Salvation Army
    • G.C. Cossar
    • Mr T. E. Sedgwick
    • Overseas Settlement Committee
    • The Children's Friends Society
    • Church Army
  • Requesting Children's Records
    • BHC's records
    • Barnardo Home Records
    • The Children's Society Records
  • Beacons of Light BHC Tribute
  • BHC Registry, over 82,000 children registered!
  • Ups and Down's Magazine
    • Ups and Downs 1895 - 1896
    • Ups and Down 1897 - 1898
    • Ups and Downs 1899 - 1900
    • Ups and Downs 1901 - 1902
    • Ups and Downs 1903
    • Ups and Downs 1904
    • Ups and Downs 1905
    • Ups and Downs 1906
    • Ups and Downs 1907 June
    • May 1910, 1913 & May & Aug 1912
    • Dec 1915 Ups and Downs
    • July 1939, Dec 1940, Dec 1942, Dec 1946
    • Our Old Friends Directory
    • December 1945 Ups and Downs
    • some articles
    • Names of child in the Ups and Downs
    • Pictures of Children 1903
    • Alfred Jolly
  • How to Research Your BHC
  • BHC Fact Page
  • First World War Casualty Index
  • BHC Burial Index
  • The Park Lawn Cemetery Monument
  • Children's Trunks & Bibles
  • Receiving Homes in Pictures
  • Ships the BHC Came On
  • History of the BHC - Film
  • 2016 BHC Memory Quilt
  • The 2010 Memory Quilts
    • BHC Memory Quilt (Ont)
    • BHC Memorial Quilt (Ab)
  • Service in the Wars
    • First World War Causalities
    • Second World War Service
    • Served in Both Wars
    • Lives Shortened
    • First World War service
    • Lists of boys who served
    • Individual Service Stories >
      • Private William Francis Conabree
      • John Mash
      • Sydney James Bevan
      • Alfred Mist
      • Cecil Bennett
      • Links to stories of BHC WW1 service
      • Newspaper clips - BHC service
  • BHCARA Upcoming Events
  • British Home Child Books
    • BHC Books for Children
    • Historical Books
    • True stories of BHC
    • Fiction Stories
    • Vintage Books
    • Downloadable Books
    • Kenneth Bagnell
    • Perry Snow - Neither Waif nor Stray
    • The Bitter Cry of Outcast London
    • Farm Life in Canada
    • PDF's for downloading
    • Films
    • BHC Articles >
      • Silence
      • Better Life or the Empire Fodder
      • EMIGRATION WORK IN CANADA 1905
      • THE EMIGRANT GIRLS HOME IN CANADA 1877
      • Kennington Cove
      • The Barnardo Boy
      • BHC to Nova Scotia
      • Personal Discovery 1935
      • The Land of the Lost Children
      • Rye's Western Home
      • Church Apologies to Child Migrants
      • Life in the Workhouse
      • Woman Miners
      • Victorian Child Labourers
      • Evicted London
      • Historical News Articles
      • Articles in the British Press
  • The Hazelbrae Memorial
  • Stories of British Home Children
    • Collection of various stories >
      • Reunited Families
      • Other mentions of children
      • Gone too soon
      • BHC Obituaries
      • BHC Mug Shots
      • Our Lost Children
      • 1901 census
      • First World War deaths
      • The darker stories
      • Discontented Maids
      • Lost Children
      • Quotes from BHC
      • Links to other BHC stories
      • BHC Posters
      • British Home Children Burial Records
      • Shorter BHC Stories
    • Stories A to M >
      • The Bagley Family
      • John Bolton
      • James Arthur Ball
      • The Bates Family
      • Hilda Blake
      • Charles Bradbury
      • Joseph Barnett
      • The Lost Children
      • Augustus Bridle
      • Percy Brown
      • Rev A. H. Brace
      • John & Benjamin Butterworth
      • The Brocklebank Family
      • William Joseph Carter
      • John Cawsey
      • Two Gun Cohen
      • Fifi the Clown
      • Henry Richard Cooper
      • Violet Elizabeth Chaffee
      • Edith Cherryholme
      • BHC Centenarians
      • Arthur Clarkson & Lily Wood
      • Albert McCarthy
      • Ronald Chamberlain
      • Anthony (Tony) Chambers
      • Cherryholme-Gizzard-Sharpe Family
      • Herbert Clifford
      • James E Cowell
      • George Daintree
      • George Martin Day
      • Esther & Elizabeth Dawson
      • Leslie Henry Baden Fielding
      • Charlie, Ted and Bill Elliott
      • Wallace Ford
      • George Frost
      • Gladys Fudge
      • Annie Garwood Letters
      • John Lydiet George
      • Annie Gevaux
      • Albert Edward Gill
      • Arthur Mcgregor GODSALL
      • Harry Gossage
      • George Everett Green
      • Robert "Robbie" Gray
      • Elsie Hathaway
      • Books and mentioned children
      • Stewart Harris
      • Cyril Hewitt
      • Margaret Healey
      • George Hollingshurst
      • The St. George's Memorial
      • Walter Leigh Lockett/Rayfield
      • Sydney Howarth
      • Bill Holtum
      • Tom Isherwood
      • General information - Heritage
      • Edward Jones
      • Cecelia & Ethel JOWETT
      • Frederick John Kempster
      • George Marlow Leeson
      • George & Annie McMaster
      • Edgar Evan Marselle
      • Will, Elsie & George Maybury
      • The Mintram Family
    • Stories N to Z >
      • Herbert Owens
      • Fred W. Palmer
      • Lizzie Poole
      • Liela Eliza Preston
      • Nellie Page
      • Francis James Preston
      • Edmond Roberts
      • Dr. John R. Seeley
      • Frederick Robert Shaw
      • Ellen, Martha & Rachel Birch
      • Walter Tompkins
      • Gipsy Simon Smith
      • Robert Rankin and George Nelson
      • Kate, Sarah & Jamie Stewart
      • The Stacey Family
      • The Richardson Sisters
      • Albert Stone
      • The Lois Stanford Collection
      • The Taylor's and Usher's
      • Charlie & Matthew Tyler
      • John Vallance
      • Arnold Walsh
      • The Ward and Seymour Family
      • Joe & Bob Waterer
      • Richard Weston
      • Hilda Williams
      • Walter Wilson
      • Children's Placement Lists
  • Documented Immigration Process
  • Making the Canadian Flag
  • Apologies to BHC & Families
    • Australian Apology
    • British Apology
    • Canadian Apology
  • Political Bigotry
    • Apology Petitions - Canada, Britain and Australia
    • Frederick Nicholls
    • Dr. C. K. Clarke
    • House of Commons Reports >
      • Paying Agents in England
      • Traveling Immigration Agent Reports
      • Immigration Stats
      • Bonus's Paid for Children
      • Propaganda in the press
      • MISS EFFIE BENTHAM
      • Diseased Savages Quote
      • Child Saving Conference 1894
    • John D. S. Campbell
    • Canadian recognition >
      • The Canadian Goverment
    • Britain's will never be slaves
  • Migration Legislation
    • Pauper Children Emigration Bill
    • British Legislation
    • Canadian Legislation
  • The Doyle Report 1875
  • Home Child Interviews
  • Collection/Penny Boxes
  • LAC and Heritage Canada
    • Deported Children >
      • Report of inspection of Home children
      • Inspection reports of Workhouse Children >
        • costs of Inspection Reports
  • Order your official BHC Pin
  • Lori Oschefski
  • Contact us
  • GRIMES, Arthur
  • HCC War Service Index Submission Form
  • Hazelbrae Indexing Forms

Arnold Walsh

In 1905, Arnold Walsh, 14, arrived in Quebec, Canada, with a group of 43 boys (17 from Workhouses) from the Catholic Emigration Association, Coleshill, Birmingham, England, en route to St.George's Home, Hintonburg, Ottawa, Canada.

Picture
Picture
Picture
J.B. Routhier Priest, January 23, (1905?), we the authorised priests, in the cemetary Notre-Dame des Neiges, left (disposed) of the mortal remains (bones) of Arnold Walsh, English Immigrant, deceased the day before, aged 15yrs., witnesses Fred Dowd, & Georges Dubois , authorized witness Priest Couture. ----Priest J. B. Routhier.
In July, 1905, Arnold Walsh came to work for James Kelly, of Masson, Quebec, Canada. Kelly had a farm and considerable property and Arnold was to work as a farm laborer. Despite James Kelly's obvious wealth and comfort, Arnold was forced to live and sleep in the barn.

He froze to death by February and was buried in a box too small for his crumpled up body.

After the discovery of his poor, wasted body, the autopsy showed he had been prodded with a pitchfork, was under-nourished and poorly clad and bruised, had severely frostbitten hands and feet, and a fractured skull. He lay on a bed of manure in his coffin.

The Coroner's inquest into the causes which lead to the death of Arnold Walsh resulted in the jury bringing in this verdict: "That the late Arnold Walsh came to his death as a result of cruel ill-treatment at the hands of James Kelly. We also demand the arrest of the said James Kelly for manslaughter and of the opinion that he should be taken before a court of justice to answer the charge against him. (Buckingham Post, 9 Feb 1906)

"The preliminary trial of James Kelly at Masson for ill-treatment of ... Arnold Walsh is over, and the following verdict has been rendered according to the Ottawa Citizen. ... James Kelly was guilty of neglect and ill-treatment of Arnold Walsh, and do hereby commit him to stand his trial at the next court of King's Bench. ... The deceased was under 16 years of age and Kelly was his legal guardian. ... The coffin in which Kelly buried young Walsh, as well as the clothing, were ordered sent to Hull. ... We have evidence of almost inhuman treatment of Walsh on the part of Kelly." (Buckingham Post, 23 Feb 1906)

At the end of the preliminary hearing, James Kelly was taken to Hull and jailed.

But James Kelly was not going to stay in jail long. "Until such time as the assizes are held at Hull this coming summer or autumn James Kelly is a free man. His advocate Mr. Yvon Lamontagne ... got his release Monday on $4000 bail. Kelly himself gave bonds of $2000, his father-in-law Mr. Kane and his brother-in-law McAndrew going security in $1000 each. (Buckingham Post, 2 March 1906)

On January 19, 1907, James Kelly was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Arnold Walsh. Kelly was sentenced to 7 years in the penitentiary at St. Vincent de Paul. Judge St. Pierre addressed Kelly as follows:

"...the way you treated that poor boy when he was unable to work and the way in which the body was found, leaves no excuse. We must treat those boys, who are to become future citizens, well. ... I do not see how you could have forgotten yourself, forgotten that the boy was far from home and that you were his protector." On October 18, 1907, James Kelly continued his abhorrent behavior. J. M. McDougall, the attorney who defended him, entered action in the Hull courts for $737, being his fees for conducting the defense. It appears that Mr. Kelly, when sentenced, did not pay his attorney and let the account stand. Not because Kelly was unable to pay, in fact his considerable property was being managed by his wife. The same wife that allowed this child to die such a horrible death and did nothing to stop it. No one in the community, in fact, including the clergy, reported the abuse to any authorities.

As was said in the Buckingham (Quebec) Post when reporting this horror: "...and may Arnold Walsh rest in peace."
 Arnold Walsh came to Masson QC in July 1905. He also lived and slept in the barn. He froze to death by February and was buried in a box too small for his crumpled up body. The autopsy showed he had been prodded with a pitchfork, was under-nourished and poorly clad and bruised, had severely frostbitten hands and feet, and fractured skull. He lay on a bed of manure in his coffin. His "patron" was convicted of "manslaughter by neglect" and was sentenced to seven years in penitentiary. No one in the community—including the clergy—reported the abuse to the authorities.
From:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/
 Buckingham Post, 9 Feb 1906:
The Coroner's inquest into the causes which lead to the death of Arnold 
Walsh, an orphan boy residing with James Kelly, has resulted in the 
jury...bringing in the following verdict. That the late Arnold Walsh 
came to his death as a result of cruel ill-treatment at the hands of 
James Kelly. We also demand the arrest of the said James Kelly for 
manslaughter and of the opinion that he should be taken before a court 
of justice to answer the charge against him... As we go to press Kelly 
is on trial...

Buckingham Post, 23 Feb 1906:
The preliminary trial of James Kelly at Masson for ill-treatment 
of...Arnold Walsh is over, and the following verdict has been rendered 
according to the Ottawa Citizen...James Kelly was guilty of neglect and 
ill-treatment of Arnold Walsh, and do hereby commit him to stand his 
trial at the next court of King's Bench... The deceased was under 16 
years of age and Kelly was his legal guardian...The coffin in which 
Kelly buried young Walsh, as well as the clothing, were ordered sent to 
Hull...We have evidence of almost inhuman treatment of Walsh on the part 
of Kelly...drove Kelly to Hull Saturday evening...and Kelly was locked up.

Buckingham Post, 2 March 1906:
Until such time as the assizes are held at Hull this coming summer or 
autumn James Kelly is a free man. His advocate Mr. Yvon 
Lamontagne...got his release Monday on $4000 bail. Kelly himself gave 
bonds of $2000, his father-in-law Mr. Kane and his brother-in-law 
McAndrew going security in $1000 each.

Buckingham Post, 19 Jan 1907:
In winding up the Hull assizes until the March term the following 
sentences were imposed...James Kelly of Masson found guilty of 
manslaughter in the case of the boy Arnold Walsh, a ward of the Catholic 
Immigration Society, was sentenced to 7 years in the penitentiary at St.
Vincent de Paul...Judge St. Pierre addressed Kelly as follows-...the way 
you treated that poor boy when he was unable to work and the way in 
which the body was found, leave no excuse. We must treat those boys,
who are to become future citizens, well...I do not see how you could 
have forgotten yourself, forgotten that the boy was far from home and 
that you were his protector. ..

Buckingham Post, 18 Oct 1907:
Mr. J.M. McDougall, the attorney who defended James Kelly of 
Masson...has entered action in the Hull courts for $737, being his fees 
for conducting the defence. The accused when sentenced did not pay his 
attorney and let the account stand...Though Kelly is in jail, he has a 
farm and considerable property, which is being managed by his wife.

Court documents found in the Archives of Canada on the murder of arnold walsh  *contents are graphic

Picture
Picture

In November of 2012, Carol Goddard & Lori Oschefski visited the grave site of  Arnold, leaving a few memento's behind. Arnold will be remembered.

Picture
Picture
Web Site Hit Counter
Web Site Hit Counter

 ​© 2022 Home children canada
CONTACT US ​

info@BritishHomeCHILDREN.com
BHC Facebook Group
Subsribe to the BHC Newsletter
Picture