In
June 1920, a 16-year-old Knottingley boy emigrated with his family to
Canada. Last week, almost 50 years later to the day, he returned to his
birthplace. He is Mr. Harry Johnson, who came over with his wife Dorothy,
to visit Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miller, of Aire Street, Knottingley. Mr.
Miller is an old school chum. Throughout the 50 years Mr. Johnson and Mr.
Miller have kept in touch by letter. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson returned to
Canada on Saturday after visiting many places of interest in the area and
reviving a few old friendships.
However,
Mr. Johnson, although pleased to see familiar sites again, said he was
rather disappointed in Aire Street’s deteriorated condition. He
remembered the many shops that used to sell virtually everything when Aire
Street was the undisputed centre of the town. Surprisingly, after such a
long time, Mr. Johnson, who is now 66, can also remember many of the old
Knottingley personalities. He has distinct memories of his school days at
the Church of England School in Primrose Vale, and of his years as a choir
boy at the Wesleyan Church, Ropewalk. In fact, Mr. Johnson re-visited
Church School and even looked up his name and that of a brother, in the
school register. He also visited the Wesleyan Church and sat in the choir
pew which he and Mr. Miller used those years ago.
As
a boy Mr. Johnson used to live in Weeland Road, opposite Knottingley
police station. He worked on a farm at Byram Park when he left school and
can remember walking all over the Marsh to work each day.
When
he emigrated to Canada he worked on various farms for a while until he
could afford to buy his own. The farm he bought was in Alberta. He sold it
after 25 years and went to work at the Department of Agriculture,
Victoria, British Columbia where he met his wife Dorothy, who worked in an
office on the other side of the corridor from his own.
Mrs
Johnson was born in Worcestershire and her family emigrated when she was
two. In Canada Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are very good friends of two
Knottingley brothers who emigrated shortly after the turn of the century.
They are Alf and Harry Tranmere, who live about 70 miles away from the
Johnson’s. Mr. Johnson can remember the brothers from when he was a boy;
he said he used to watch them milking cows on Cow Lane. Mr. Johnson spent
a little of his time trying to trace some of his nephews and nieces who
are members of the Sweeting family. Said Mr. Johnson, "I’ve tried
all over to catch up with them, but nobody seems to know where I can find
them."
