Daniel Judd (1876-1917)

Daniel Judd was born on 20 December 1876 in Stebbing, England, to Samuel Judd (a shepherd) and Caroline Grout.

Daniel moved to Canada and, in 1904, married Ida Johanna Niemela (from Finland). The couple had three children and, in 1906, were both working together at an “Old Man’s Home” on Cambie Street – Daniel as a porter, Ida as a nurse. The family moved to Port Coquitlam, where Daniel was a rancher.

Daniel enlisted on 24 March 1916, although he was already a member of the 104th Regiment. He served as a Private with the 29th Battalion and was a bandsman.

Photo: Operation Picture Me

Daniel was killed in action on 21 August 1917, during the Battle of Hill 70 at Lens, France. He was 40.

Daniel’s eldest son, Adolphe, died in 1922, when he was 17. He had been shot while on a hunting expedition at Pender Harbour. The following year, Ida started a Supreme court action for damages for the death.

By 1931, Ida was the landlady of the Fraser Hotel at 227 Carrall Street, alongside John Klemola, another Finn. In 1932, they were subject to a Supreme Court case themselves, as two ex-tenants sued for $600 in damages after they were evicted from the café they ran on the hotel site.