- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 10
Hello ,
i am writing you because my father is searching for his father. His father was a member of ReginaRifle in WW2. He met my grandmother named Regine Wilken in 1945 in Germany. In April 1946 my father was born. He never met his canadian father. I sent you a copy of his letter to the Butson familymembers in Canada. Until today we don´t have an answer. Can you help me?
Here is the letter:
Dear Madame or dear Sir,
your address I got from canada411. I am writing similar letters to all Butsons available to me because I try to find out anything about C. J. Butson, a member of the Canadian Allied Forces in the end of WW II.
The reason why: I am quite sure that C. J. Butson seems to be my father. Now that I am almost 65 years of age, I want to learn more about my roots – and therefore I am looking for any helping hand and hope to get by that way: I want to learn his whereabouts resp. to get into contact with his family. May even be we are relatives?
To put you into the story: My mother Regine Wilken fell in love with this man and got pregnant in summer 1945.After I was born in April 1946, she got sick seriously, and Canadian soldiers helped the local physician with penicilin they certainly got from an army pharmacy (penicilin was not available to German people then). Thanks to this initiative my mother survived. From “C.” our mother never heard anything, maybe he had to leave Germany instantly.
Well, as you may imagine, there was a lot of trouble water in those times, and therefore this complete matter (“occupation children”) has been under taboo for decades. This continued even after my mother died in 1993.
But recently things have changed as I was given a hand-written notice “C. J. Butson” and the address “P.O.B. 2342, Vancouver W6B 3W5”. My mother`s youngest sister had kept this paper she got from her as a secret. She had promised to remain absolutely silent up to now.
My problem here in Germany: There are only few contemporary witnesses left and it is difficult to make them talk. Nevertheless: By own researches and conclusions we found out that Butson was a Canadian citizen and that his unit should have been the Regina`s Rifles Regiment. As I read in the RRR`s War Diaries of RRR availbale on the internet, RRR 1st Bat. came to Northern Germany in spring 1945. But there was no Butson in the 1st Battailion.
Regarding the timeline of pregnancy, it is explicable that Butson should have been with the 4th: This unit came in summer 1945 and left Germany in early 1946. Unfortunately, the records of the 4th Battailion seem to be incomplete.
The region concerned is Ostfriesland whith the villages of Strackholt (where my mother lived) and Holtrop (where the Canadian Forces seemed to have had a rough-and-ready HQ, close to Strackholt). Holtrop is shown in the diaries mentioned.
One more detail shows that Mr Butson did not leave Germany in, let me say: remorse mood: He handed his P. O. B. address to my mother (P.O.B 2342, Vancouver V6B 3W5). I got this address from my aunt, too. I presume this has been a military postal service address. My letter to this address was returned to sender.
So, this is more or less all we know. It would be great if you could help us with your memory or family talks. It is significant to keep this matter private as long as possible.
Please be sure that I have no financial demands. I am well situated with a bakery on the island of Langeoog in northern Germany, married to my beloved wife, our son has one daughter and one son, so that I try to be a good grand dad, too.
Please, drop me some lines with your answer. If you prefer e-mail you may proceed your message to wilkencare@gmail.com - even in case you cannot help me.
Thank you in advance,
Best regards,
i am writing you because my father is searching for his father. His father was a member of ReginaRifle in WW2. He met my grandmother named Regine Wilken in 1945 in Germany. In April 1946 my father was born. He never met his canadian father. I sent you a copy of his letter to the Butson familymembers in Canada. Until today we don´t have an answer. Can you help me?
Here is the letter:
Dear Madame or dear Sir,
your address I got from canada411. I am writing similar letters to all Butsons available to me because I try to find out anything about C. J. Butson, a member of the Canadian Allied Forces in the end of WW II.
The reason why: I am quite sure that C. J. Butson seems to be my father. Now that I am almost 65 years of age, I want to learn more about my roots – and therefore I am looking for any helping hand and hope to get by that way: I want to learn his whereabouts resp. to get into contact with his family. May even be we are relatives?
To put you into the story: My mother Regine Wilken fell in love with this man and got pregnant in summer 1945.After I was born in April 1946, she got sick seriously, and Canadian soldiers helped the local physician with penicilin they certainly got from an army pharmacy (penicilin was not available to German people then). Thanks to this initiative my mother survived. From “C.” our mother never heard anything, maybe he had to leave Germany instantly.
Well, as you may imagine, there was a lot of trouble water in those times, and therefore this complete matter (“occupation children”) has been under taboo for decades. This continued even after my mother died in 1993.
But recently things have changed as I was given a hand-written notice “C. J. Butson” and the address “P.O.B. 2342, Vancouver W6B 3W5”. My mother`s youngest sister had kept this paper she got from her as a secret. She had promised to remain absolutely silent up to now.
My problem here in Germany: There are only few contemporary witnesses left and it is difficult to make them talk. Nevertheless: By own researches and conclusions we found out that Butson was a Canadian citizen and that his unit should have been the Regina`s Rifles Regiment. As I read in the RRR`s War Diaries of RRR availbale on the internet, RRR 1st Bat. came to Northern Germany in spring 1945. But there was no Butson in the 1st Battailion.
Regarding the timeline of pregnancy, it is explicable that Butson should have been with the 4th: This unit came in summer 1945 and left Germany in early 1946. Unfortunately, the records of the 4th Battailion seem to be incomplete.
The region concerned is Ostfriesland whith the villages of Strackholt (where my mother lived) and Holtrop (where the Canadian Forces seemed to have had a rough-and-ready HQ, close to Strackholt). Holtrop is shown in the diaries mentioned.
One more detail shows that Mr Butson did not leave Germany in, let me say: remorse mood: He handed his P. O. B. address to my mother (P.O.B 2342, Vancouver V6B 3W5). I got this address from my aunt, too. I presume this has been a military postal service address. My letter to this address was returned to sender.
So, this is more or less all we know. It would be great if you could help us with your memory or family talks. It is significant to keep this matter private as long as possible.
Please be sure that I have no financial demands. I am well situated with a bakery on the island of Langeoog in northern Germany, married to my beloved wife, our son has one daughter and one son, so that I try to be a good grand dad, too.
Please, drop me some lines with your answer. If you prefer e-mail you may proceed your message to wilkencare@gmail.com - even in case you cannot help me.
Thank you in advance,
Best regards,
