Ben & Letitia Hawkes

Ben Hawkes and Letitia Cooper were Pat's father's parents, born- respectively- in Gret Offley and Cookham, relatively small towns north of London.

Many of us had occasion to wear the family Christening robe which began with Letitia's family: she herself was Christened in it in 1868.

Ben was a tailor, a one-time militia member, avid cyclist, and one-time cellist in a black-face band. He started and lost a tailoring business in Letchworth. Bankruptcy in those days carried an unbearable stigma: soon after he left England and brought his family to Canada. It’s believed his son, Bob was about 12 when they came, which would suggest c. 1911. It's not certain how he raised money for the journey.

In Toronto, Ben worked awhile for Tip Top Tailors. The undated photo (right) is a Tip Top worker, reproduced from the archives of Ontario.

Pat tells us that one day while Ben was driving he suffered a heart attack, pulled his car to the side of the street, and died.

At some point, presumably after Ben’s death, Letitia came to Vancouver to stay with Bob, Phyllis and family. It was an unhappy time; before long she returned to Toronto, with her grandson Doug in tow. She died in 1940, at the age of 72.

Ben & Letitia are buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.