Clarence Bowles' Story
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Clarence was only 12 when his father died in
1903. The 1911 census shows Clarence, 20, working as a
machinist. He's still living in Midland, Ontario with his mother,
half-sister Bertha and older brother Stanley who is listed as a
Salesman.
Within a few years the three brothers Alf,
Stanley and Clarence would partner in a series of grocery ventures in
Fort William which led to what would become an institution in Fort
William's marine history, The Marine
Grocery.
Clarence left the business with his brothers
when he went to serve in the 38th Battalion in Britain and in France
during the First World War.
He married Reba Munro in Fort William in 1928
where they raised two daughters Ellen Anne and Lois.
His other love was music. He played the
euphoneum and the trombone in the Fort William City Band, the Port
Arthur City Band and the army band in which he was a sergeant.
Clarence experienced a heart attack while at
work at the Marine Grocery and passed away in March 1955.