One of the deadliest epidemics in history came to Europe from America during the Spring of 1918. Scientists would later discover that “the Spanish Lady” is a version of swine flu. My grandfather Jack’s first wife was among the 20 million to 40 million people killed by the epidemic and, though he lived for another 47 years, Jack’s first child was lost to the family.
Elsie McAllister's story is one of our worst kept family secrets. Jack would eventually tell each of his three children, and swear them to secrecy. They disclosed their knowledge to each other after Jack’s death.
My mother, supposedly the oldest of Jack’s children, learned of it shortly after going to a grocery store on Broadway with her grandmother Agnes Cross. The clerk had complimented Agnes on her cute granddaughter, and then inquired about her older brother. Agnes abruptly left the store, telling mom that the clerk didn’t know what he was talking about, but forgetting to purchase all the groceries she had been after. Mom grew suspicious.
She decided to ask her father one day, as he was taking her skating. Jack had long feared that this moment might come, but determined to tell his daughter the truth. He need not have worried. As his answer grew longer, mom grew more worried about their being late for skating than she was over her father’s previous marriage.
Jack’s romance with Elsie McAllister started when he was still painting houses for his father Ben. Elsie’s dad – listed in the Vancouver City Directory as "John McAllister - Men's furnishing & shoes - 2405 Main street." – is said to have disapproved of his daughter’s involvement with a common laborer. The young couple received some support from Elsie’s older sister Muriel, and in 1912 they witnessed Muriel’s marriage to Frank Eadie. Years passed before they were allowed to marry. Like many other British Columbians, Jack attempted to enlist when the war broke out – but was rejected because of a bad kidney. He was a salesman for a wholesale produce distributer, NorthWest Trading Produce co, when he married Elsie on April 25th 1917.
She was well advanced in pregnancy when the Spanish Flu epidemic reached Vancouver. Elsie was diagnosed as having the disease when she gave birth to a son on October 20th1918. Jack started feeling sick after visiting her at the hospital. He collapsed upon returning home. His doctor gave him 24 hours to live unless he could flush his system out with water. He proceeded to pour glass after glass down his throat. That night he broke out into a sweat, and survived. Elsie died on November 2nd.
At this point Elsie’s father, John McAllister, took a prominent role in events. His name, rather than Jack’s, appears as informant on Elsie’s death certificate. He is said to have approached Jack with a proposition. The McAllisters promised to give Jack’s newborn son every advantage that money could bring, IF Jack would totally surrender custody of the boy to them. Jack was never to speak to his son, nor to make his identity known. For the next 46 years, Jack remained an unknown onlooker on the fringe of his son’s life.
Keith appears to have been raised in the belief that he was the son, rather than nephew, of Frank and Muriel Eadie. He rose to become a manager of one of MacMillan Bloedel’s operations, and eventually Vice President of North West Pulp company. Jack is only known to have seen him once. He was seeing his sister Olive and her husband Bill Lee off on the Alaskan cruise that was their honeymoon. Mom was 5 and remembers this day because she was their flower girl, only years later would she learn of the little boy her father had seen.
Aunt Mae brought the news of Keith’s death. She read about it in the newspaper. Mom had never seen Keith before, and was surprised how much his picture looked like her father. That night she asked her father to sit down before he told he. On July 8th 1965, Keith and his wife Edna boarded the DC6 scheduled for Canadian Pacific Airlines flight 21. At 4:40 p.m., their plane struck the ground near 100 Mile House. Keith and Edna are among the 39 people who died of “multiple severe injuries” that day.. Mom attempted to console her father, but Jack shrugged it off: "No, it's all right, he wasn't really my son. I never brought him up."