A Tale of Two Cities


The next part of this article could pass as a sub-story of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Two countries and one family!


 I was contacted by Lorraine Buckland (left) who lives in Canada, who asked about her grandmother Eva A. Buckland’s grave. She died in 1946 and is buried at St. Hillary’s, Killay. At the time of her death the family were living in Gower Road. Lorraine’s father, Dennis Buckland, emigrated to Canada arriving in Nova Scotia in August 1947, his father Alexander A. Buckland emigrated at a later date. A new life beckoned for Dennis who married Maria Gray and had three daughters, Eva, Melody and Lorraine. Grandfather, Alexander was employed from 1949, with Peek Frean (Canada) Ltd.



In 1961, the family came back to Swansea for a holiday and featured in a South Wales Evening Post newspaper article, posing for a photograph at Langland (see pic below left).



Alexander was born in 1895. On the 1901 census he is listed as the youngest child of Alexander and Eliza Jane Buckland, who resided in Swansea. One of his elder sisters was Harriet Laurence Buckland. Harriet was married in
South Wales Evening Post
Kind permission Lorraine Buckland


1909 to Albert V Moss; they had three children Samuel, Edward and Violet. It is through Violet’s great grand-daughter Angharad Griffiths that Lorraine is connected to the family.
Peter 
kind permission of Angharad Griffiths





Angharad told me that they knew of the family in Canada, but they had lost touch after the death of Alexander during 1975. It was her father Peter Griffiths (right) who took the DNA test, and as a result they were connected with Lorraine in Canada.

They are now able to share family stories and artefacts that would have been lost or would have meant nothing. This summer after many years apart Lorraine and Angharad will meet for the first time.



I would like to thank both ladies, Lorraine and Angharad who were able to furnish me with information to write this article.



Copyright – The Bay Magazine – June 2018

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