Stories from the Station: Bernard Groves, Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve

 Bernard Richard Groves (1900-1956)

Image courtesy of findagrave.com

Date of Birth: 24 August 1900

Place of Birth: St. John’s, Newfoundland

Date of Death: 3 November 1956

Burial Place: Forest Road Anglican Cemetery, St. John’s

 

NRNR ID: 2021x

Enlistment Date: 4 March 1916

Served at HM Wireless Station: ~4 March - 18 June 1916

Position: Guard

 

Appearance (as described in Service Record). 

Height: 5’ 3½”  

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Blue

Complexion: Fresh

 

Early Life

Bernard Richard Groves was born in St. John’s Newfoundland, in August 1900. His parents were William John Groves and Mary Ellen (Cooper) Groves both of St. John’s. 

William and Mary Ellen had married in November 1898 and had their first child, James Cyril Groves in February 1899. At this time, they were living in “Hoyles Town,” likely the area around what is now Hoyles Avenue in St. John’s. 

 

Over the next few years, several more children joined the Groves family. In 1902, Albert was born, followed by William in 1904 and Gordon in 1907. 

When Bernard was 10 years old, his brother Guy was born. Tragically, at the age of 2, Guy died of marasmus, a severe form of malnutrition, likely the result of an underlying health condition. 

Burial site of Guy Groves.  
Image courtesy of findagrave.com

In 1915, at the age of 15, Bernard was working for the Newfoundland Furniture and Moulding Co. in St. John’s. 

McAlpine's Directory, 1915. 
Courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative.

The following year, his youngest brother Edgar was born.

 

In March 1916, Bernard enlisted in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve, at the age of 15 years old. His service record indicates he either lied about his age or it was misrecorded, as it states that he was born in 1897 and was 19 years old at the time of enlistment (all other documentation about Bernard states that he was born in 1900). 

 

Military Service

Bernard was initially attached to HMS Briton in St. John’s. It was at this time that he would have likely served his guard posting at HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl. 

The identities of the men in this photograph are unknown,
however, Bernard Groves would have worn the style of uniform
worn by the 4 reservists on either end of the group.
Image courtesy of the Wireless Station Collection, 001-001-005.

According to a story from Fred Adams, a St. John’s historian, Bernard was on guard duty one night. His suspicions were aroused by two unusual heaps of snow. When he saw one of the heaps move, he drew his rifle and ordered identification. He was shocked when two Germans stood with arms raised in surrender. According to Fred Adams, the agents were dropped by a German U-boat at Bay Bulls and ordered to walk to Mount Pearl to blow up the station. A former Newfoundland resident who returned to Germany just before the war was rumoured to be involved, providing the German government with information about the landscape and coastline.

Learn more about this story in this Living Heritage podcast from Heritage NL. Check it out here.

The snow at HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl could be very deep. 
It would make a good hiding place. 
Image courtesy of the Clem Scott collection, 006-001-005.

HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl. 
Image courtesy of the Wireless Station collection, 001-001-003.

On June 18, 1916, Bernard was posted to HMS Victory I, in England. He went to England on June 24, 1916, onboard SS Scandinavian. 

 

HMS Victory I was a shore establishment at Portsmouth, UK and served as an accounting based and holding barracks. During his time here Bernard would have likely continued his training and preparation for his next posting. 

 

In October 1916, he was posted to HMS Cormorant, the receiving ship at Gibraltar. He may also have spent time working on the torpedo ships based out of Gibraltar. He remained in this posting for the duration of the First World War.

 

In late 1918 he was posted to HMS York, an armed boarding steamer. This posting was short, and on February 7, 1919, he was posted to HMS Vivid II a shore establishment in Devonport, specifically the Stokers and Engine Room Artificers School⁴.

 

Two days after his posting to HMS Vivid II, tragedy struck the Groves family at home in Newfoundland. James, Bernard’s older brother, and the oldest of the Groves children died on February 9, 1919, after a lengthy fight against consumption (tuberculosis). His death announcement in the St. John’s Daily Star noted Bernard’s role in the Navy and the sadness that must be felt by Bernard overseas. 

Announcement of the death of James Groves. 
St. John's Daily Star, 1919-02-10.
Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative.

At the end of March 1919, Bernard was posted back to HMS Briton and returned to Newfoundland along with other reservists in early April. They sailed on the SS Caronia to Halifax and then continued to St. John’s onboard the SS Sagora.

 

With the freshness of the loss of his brother, Bernard’s homecoming would have been bittersweet. 

 

Bernard continued his service in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve until May 12, 1919, when he was released from service. 

 

Later Life and Family

Following his naval service, a young Bernard returned to living with his family in St. John’s. In 1921, at the age of 21, William, Mary Ellen, Bernard, Albert, William Jr, Gordon, and Edgar were all living together in St. John’s. William Sr. was working as a machinist at a factory, William Jr, a joiner at a clothing factory. 

 

In 1925, the family suffered another loss when Albert died of tuberculosis at the age of 23. The family had lost three of seven sons. 

 

In 1926, Bernard had once again left the island of Newfoundland and was working as a brass finisher in Saint John, New Brunswick. At the time this was a whole different country. 

It was in Saint John that Bernard met his future wife. Margaret “Maggie” Bella MacKenzie, originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, had emigrated to New Brunswick in 1920 to work as a domestic. 

 

They were married on July 14, 1926. 

Marriage of Bernard Groves and Margaret MacKenzie
in Saint John, New Brunswick on July 14, 1926. 
Image courtesy of ancestry.ca

They welcomed their first daughter, Helen, into the world in 1927. In 1929, they returned to Newfoundland, where they settled down as a family. 

 

In 1933, they welcomed their second child, Shirley. 

 

In 1935 the family was living on Purcell’s Ridge Road, near Oxen Pond Road, and Bernard was working as a painter. Living in the same house was Bernard’s brother Gordon and his wife, son, and daughter. Bernard’s Parents lived next door with his youngest brother Edgar, and his nephew Cyril.

 

Bernard’s father, William, died in February 1940 of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. He was 68 years old. 

 

The family continued to live in the area near Oxen Pond, and in 1949 they were living on Groves Road. Bernard and his brother Edgar were both working as painters, and Gordon was working as a diesel engineer.

Groves Road indicated by the red line.
The families likely lived in the lower portion, near Oxen Pond Road, given Census recordings. 
Image courtesy of Google Maps. 

Death

Bernard died suddenly on November 3, 1956. He was 56 years old. He was survived by his wife, Margaret “Peggy,” who was 59 years old, and his two daughters, Helen, aged 29, and Shirley aged 23.

Announcement of the the death of Bernard Groves. 
Daily News, 1956-11-05. 
Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative.

Following his death, he was interred at Forest Road Anglican Cemetery. An announcement of his death was in the Daily News, which called up ex-servicemen to attend his funeral in honour of his service during the First World War.

Daily News, 1956-11-06. 
Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative.

Burial place of Bernard and Margaret Groves. 
Forest Road Anglican Cemetery. 
Image courtesy of findagrave.com

His wife Margaret lived to be 101 years old and died in June 1999. They had 15 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren at the time of her death in 1999. 

Family Tree

Parents:

1. William John GROVES (b. 1 October 1872, d. 29 February 1940)

1. Parents:

1. James GROVES (b. 1817, d. 1890)

2. Elizabeth (Skinner) GROVES (b. 1835, 3. 1905)

2. Siblings: 

1. Emily Clara GROVES (b. 1857)

2. George John GROVES (b. 1860)

3. Mary Ann GROVES (b. 1861, d. 1948)

4. Elizabeth GROVES (b. 1864)

5. George James GROVES (b. 1870, d. 1952)

6. Albert Richard GROVES (b. 1876, d. 1950)

7. Lena GROVES (b. 1880)

2. Mary Ellen (Cooper) GROVES (b. 1874)

Siblings: 

1. James Cyril Joseph GROVES (b. 1899, d. 1919)

2. Albert Edward GROVES (b. 1902, d. 1925)

1. Died of pulmonary tuberculosis

3. William John GROVES (b. 1904, d. 1965)

1. Annie (Peddle) GROVES (b. 1908, d. 1982)

1. Elizabeth GROVES (b. 1928, d. 1932)

4. Gordon Augustus GROVES (b. 1907, d. 1990)

1. Wives 

1. Elizabeth (Kelly) GROVES (b. 1909, d. 1929)

1. Cyril GROVES (b. 1927, d. 1982)

2. Margaret Francis (Fulford) GROVES (b. 1911)

1. Gordon Jr. GROVES (b. 1931, d. 1983)

2. Phyllis GROVES (b. 1935)

5. Guy George GROVES (b. 1910, d. 1912)

6. Edgar Lindhurst GROVES (b. 1916, d. 1978)

Wife: 

1. Margaret Bella (MacKenzie) GROVES (b. 1897, d. 27 June 1999)

1. Father: William MACKENZIE

2. Mother: Mary (Henderson) MACKENZIE

3. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland

4. Emigrated to New Brunswick in 1920

5. Married Bernard in 1926

6. Moved to Newfoundland in 1929

Children: 

1. Helen Margaret (Groves) OLIVER (b. 2 July 1927, d. 12 April 1991)

1. Husband: Edward OLIVER (b. 1926, d. 1988)

2. Children:

1. Graham OLIVER (b. 1953, d. 2014)

2. Edwin OLIVER (b. 1956, d. 1974)

2. Shirley Muriel (Groves) TUCKER (b. 1933, d. 2015)

1. Husband: Howard TUCKER

2. Children: 

1. Howard TUCKER

2. Christopher TUCKER

3. Elaine TUCKER

References: 

1. 1898 November 13 Marriage Registration, William and Mary Ellen Groves. Image courtesy of ancestry.ca

2. 1912 Grave of Guy Groves. Image courtesy of findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196346346/guy-groves

3. 1915 McAlpine’s St. John’s Directory, page 168. Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. 

4. Poole Museum. “Frederick Spear.” Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.pooleww1.org.uk/people/5167/frederick-spear/.

5. Service Record: Bernard Groves, Provincial Archives of Newfoundland, and Labrador, GN 182.13, Reel 3

6. 1919 Grave of James Cyril Groves. Image courtesy of findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196578907/james-cyril-groves

7. Newspaper Clipping from the St. John’s Daily Star (St. John’s, NL). 1919-02-10, “James Cyril Groves.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

8. Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Herald (St. John’s, NL). 1919-04-09, “Naval Reservists Coming.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

9. Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Advocate (St. John’s, NL). 1919-04-10, “Sailors Returning.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

10. Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NL). 1919-04-10, “R.N.R’s Returning.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

11. 1920 Arrival Form, Margaret Bella MacKenzie. Canada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924. Courtesy of ancestry.ca

12. 1926 Marriage of Bernard and Margaret Groves.  Provincial Archives Of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada. Online access courtesy of ancestry.ca

13. 1921 Census of Newfoundland. District of St. John’s East, Ward 1, Page 109. Newfoundland. Department Of Tourism, Culture, And Recreation, Newfoundland, Canada. Courtesy of ancestry.ca

14. 1935 Census of Newfoundland. District of St. John’s East, Nagles Hill, Page 65. Newfoundland. Department Of Tourism, Culture, And Recreation, Newfoundland, Canada. Courtesy of ancestry.ca

15. 1949 Voters List. Electoral District of St. John’s East, Rural Polling Division No. 47.  Federal Elections, 1935–1980. R1003-6-3-E (RG113-B). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Courtesy of ancestry.ca

16. 1956 Bernard Groves Headstone. FindAGrave.com https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196939099/bernard-r.-groves

17. Newspaper Clipping from the Daily News (St. John’s, NL). 1956-11-05, “Deaths.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

18. Newspaper Clipping from the Daily News (St. John’s, NL). 1956-11-06, “The funeral  of our late comrade.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative

19. Obituary of Margaret Groves, June 1999. Courtesy of ngb.chebutco.org.