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Samuel Wilfred Goodall was born in Prospect Place, Tibshelf, Derbyshire on 3 May 1892. He married Edith Johnson on 27 January 1917 in the Parish Church at Tibshelf.
As a young man, he was a coal miner, a deputy, at Winning Colliery, Blackwell, Derbyshire, before seeking fortune in Canada to where he emigrated in 1928. He left on the Minnesdosa, Liverpool-Saint John, New Brunswick. Six months later, Edith followed with their four children on the Baltic, Liverpool-Halifax. They settled in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia.
They built their own log cabin on land about 10 miles north of Natal in the Elk Valley, and tried their hand at farming. To help ends meet, Wilfred worked part-time as a miner in Natal and Michel, and came home at weekends.
In 1935, Wilfred had a hernia and decided to return to England.
Wilfred, Edith, Muriel, Esme and Derek all returned, arriving 23 December 1935 in Liverpool on the Duchess of Atholl. They then lived at Newton for a time until moving to Derby. Cynthia, who was married with small children, remained in Canada.
Back in England, Wilfred returned to the coal mine, until, through his daughter Muriel, who was working as a Tweeny at Etwall Hall, he got a job as a gardener at Ashe Hall, not far from Etwall. Following that he worked as a gardener at Burnaston Hall, and then he and Edith bought a house at Littleover.
Their final move was to 40 Suffolk Avenue, Chaddesden, Derby around 1939, where he and Edith spent the rest of their lives. During this time he worked as an insurance agent for the Britannic Insurance Group, a painter at Platers and Stampers, Derby, a general laboratory assistant at the British Celanese at Spondon. From age 65 to 80 he worked as a part-time handyman at Brown's Jewellers in Derby
He died 11 April 1986 at the home of his daughter Esme at 30 Glenfield Lane, Kirby Muxloe, Leicester. He would have been 94 on 3 May.
Wilfred reckons that it is his widespread family and his devoted wife who kept him young, as well as his pipe and pint of beer.
Their recipe for a long and happy married life? "Help each other and be tolerant."
Wilfred enjoyed dancing, home decorating, his garden & he was an excellent pianist. |