Southwold Remembers . . . The War Years
By Southwold Memorial Committee with interviews by Pamela Walsh, Susan Scott, Editor Published by Township of Southwold. This book lists 546 courageous Southwold township residents who
fought in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Read the stories of life before going to war, during battle, and post-war of 21 of these local heroes as described to Pamela Walsh in emotional interviews. Also
contains photos and short biographies of WWI, WWII and Post WWII Veterans from Southwold.
AVAILABILTY: Township of Southwold Office, 35663 Fingal Line, Fingal, ON N0L 1K
Southwold Remembers . . .The Fingal Observer, No. 4 Bombing & Gunnery School
By Blair Ferguson
Who were these young men and women from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway,
Free France, United States and Canada that were stationed at Fingal’s Air Training School? Read
airmen profiles and accounts of the times from The Fingal Observer, the training base’s own newspaper.
Luckily, a postman stationed at the base collected these papers that decades later were given to
Mr. Ferguson, who has compiled them into a fascinating book.
AVAILABILTY: Township of Southwold Office, 35663 Fingal Line, Fingal, ON N0L 1K0
Southwold Remembers . . . #4 Bombing and Gunnery School Fingal Fatalities 1940-1945
By Pat Temple, Southwold Memorial Committee
The #4 B & G School, was a Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan station in
Fingal, operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. 6,000 students and instructors from the United
Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Free France, United States and Canada came through
Fingal during the war years. This book honours the 19 men who tragically lost their lives in training
accidents. Read the accounts of these mishaps from St. Thomas Times Journal articles and The Daily
Diary of the training school.
AVAILABILTY: Sold Out but available in County Libraries, also available on Amazon.ca
Taken and Destroyed
The War of 1812 Losses Claims
London and Western Districts Upper Canada
By Glenn Scott and Carol Hall
The War of 1812 was a defining period in Canada’s history. The area around St. Thomas was invaded at least six times between 1813 and 1814. The immense losses suffered by local families included household furniture, clothing, wheat, corn, hogs, sheep, and horses. In this book the actual claims of losses submitted by the early families of this area are summarized and recorded. These claims provide a valuable and rare snapshot of life in our frontier community in time of war.
AVAILABILTY:
On Line GlobalGenealogy.com/1812
Mail Order 1-800-361-5168
Glen Stott gstott@xcelco.on.ca
Carol Hall crhall20002000@yahoo.ca
Hard cover, soft cover and book on CD (searchable pdf)
A History of Lawrence Station 1870-2009
By Shirley Longhurst, Alice Plain, Dora McArthur, and Karen Collard
In 1792 Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe marveled at the abundance of walnut trees along the
banks of the Thames River in North Southwold. The trees were harvested but the area remained untouched
until settlers arrived here in 1837. Why was this town established in a location that claimed no
main crossroads? How large, and how active was Lawrence Station years ago?
All of these questions are answered in this book that also reveals fascinating family histories.
AVAILABILTY: Shedden Branch of the Elgin County Library, and at the Elgin County Museum.
The Families Of Five Stakes - A History of Talbotville Royal 1811-1851
By Morley Thomas
Author Morley Thomas, who grew up in the 1920s and 1930s in Talbotville, writes extensively about his beloved home village from it's earliest beginnings, with road surveys in 1811, to the census of 1851. Chapters cover the beginnings, the Talbot settlement process, the development of the farming community, and the social and business centre of the "corner", as well as genealogies of approximately 130 families or individuals who lived in the community during that time. Early maps and an extensive index of names is included.
AVAILABILTY: Available in local libraries and limited quantities on Amazon.ca
Five Stakes Revisited: Talbotville Families in 1931
By Morley Thomas
Morley Thomas expands on his written history of Talbotville with this look at the community as he knew it growing up there in the 1920s and 1930s. His recollections include details gleaned from other local Talbotville historians and the book is sectioned by lot or house and include details on who lived there, from the first settlers to more recent times, with hundreds of names.
AVAILABILTY: Available only from Steve Thomas at stevet@stephenthomas.ca
A History of Watson’s Corners
By Lyla Benn Best and Ann Carmichael Vance
The availability of land was a profound attraction to early settlers. Learn of the first American
families, United Empire Loyalists, and British settlers who traveled to the north shore of Lake Erie to
build a thriving community. Read how the No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School of World War II landed
in this community, and the impact it had on the region.
AVAILABILTY: Local branches of Elgin County Library
Independence and Plenty
An illustrated history of Shedden, Fingal, and the surrounding area
By Alison Vicary and Michael Clark
The actions and experiences of the “ordinary” people of Southwold Township are the focus of this book.
Learn about the successes as well as the failures of the Talbot Settlement’s early inhabitants, and how
they forged this parcel of wilderness into a community of accomplishment and prosperity.
AVAILABILTY: Elgin County Library, Shedden and St. Thomas Library.
Also in Elgin County Archives http://www.elgincounty.ca/archives
See Shedden Tweedsmuir Vol. 2, pages 104 – 125
