Erik Broen

  Research Notes:

1. Military Service WW 1 Service File; see my computer folder for PDF

- Attestation Statement (declaration) - birth as 26 Jun 1897*** (18 years old) at Colm, ND; his father as John E Broen from Hay Lakes; date 27 May 1916 at Camrose (pages 3 & 4)
- enlisted date of 27 May 1916 and Active service began on that date AND discharged 18 Jan 1917 as medically unfit (page 5 - Casuality Form, Active Service) [at enlistment, he was 18 yrs old, 11 months and 1 day]
- assigned to the 223rd Overseas Battalion with rank of Private; Regiment # 294417 stationed at Portage la Prairie
(pages 8, 9
- Medical History of an Invalid (page 19 & 20) ; he had an old fracture of the femur/thighbone in 1904 in Camrose when he was run over by a wagon; his left thighbone is shortened and overlapping resulting in walking with a limp; marching causes pain. Recommendation by medical officer: "Discharged as physically unfit for military service and not permitted to relist", dated 3 Jan 1917

- his discharge was 18 Jan 1917

*** his birth is likely incorrect on this statement. Most records indicate his birth as 26 Jun 1898. If this is his actual birth date, he would have been 17 years old, but the minimum age was 18 to join the army
( http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-canadian-great-war-soldier/ )

** ** Nelvin Prestlien's attestation paper was date 23 May 1916, but his file included a handwritten paper that was dated the 11 Feb 1916)



2. Camrose Canadian

25 Jan 1917, page 1, col 5; "Our Boys who are in Kaki"; "Discharge: Honorable discharge has been given to Pte. Erik Broen of the 223rd."
25 Jan 1917, page 2, col 4; "Armena". "Erik Broen who had enlisted with the 223rd was honorably discharged as being medically unfit, and is now at home again."






3. Death: AB provincial archives death index [ last reviewed, 26 Dec 2022 ]

- I have reviewed the deaths indexes, from 1877-1933 - - could not find him recorded ????




John E Broen's obituary of 1933 states that he was predeceased by 5 sons, two who died in North Dakota (Einar and John) and three who died in Alberta (Eric, Ingvard, and John). Mary's obit of 1960 notes that she was predeceased by 5 sons; however, the sons are not named.

I have not found a death record for Eric. There is a note of burial at Old Scandia Cemetery in Armena, but no dates of birth or death are noted. He had died before his father (who had died on 22 Jun 1933; I had reviewed issues of the Camrose Canadian Jan 1933 to Jun 1933, but there was no notice of his death).

Erick is not recorded in the 1921 (or 1926) census with his parents. However, he would have been 23 years old and so it possible he was living elsewhere. He is not indexed on ancesty.ca 1921 census collection. It may be possible that he died between 1918 and 1921.

We also know that he was discharge from the Canadian Army on 18 Jan 1917 and thus his death would have had to be sometime between this date and the end of Dec 1932.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Birth - 1898, 26 Jun 1898, Kulm, LaMoure Co, North Dakota, United States. Birth location is assumed since his father farmed in LaMoure Co, ND prior to coming to Canada. The 1906, 1911 and 1916 Canadian Census records (I haven't located him on the 1921 census) records his birth year as 1898, with the 1901 census recording birth as 26 Jun 1899 and his age as 2 years. However, Erik's World War I Service file records his birth as 26 Jun 1897 (see Military Service event).

His birth date is most likely 26 Jun 1898.

2. Military Service - World War 1, 27 May 1916 to 18 Jan 1917, Canada. ⁵⁹⁷ Military Service WW 1 Service File. Attestation Statement (declaration; (pages 3 & 4) - birth as 26 Jun 1897 (18 years old) at Colm, ND; his father as John E Broen from Hay Lakes; date 27 May 1916. He enlisted on 27 May 1916 (Camrose) and Active service began on that date. Erik was discharged on 18 Jan 1917 as medically unfit (page 5 - Casuality Form, Active Service) . He had been assigned to the 223rd Overseas Battalion with rank of Private with his Regiment # 294417 and he was stationed at Portage la Prairie [MB] (pages 8, 9).

His medical history report (Medical History of an Invalid, pages 19 & 20 record that he had an old fracture of the femur/thighbone in 1904 in Camrose when he was run over by a wagon. This resulted in his left thighbone being shortened and overlapping and resulted in his walking with a limp; marching causes pain. Recommendation by medical officer: "Discharged as physically unfit for military service and not permitted to relist", dated 3 Jan 1917. His discharge took effect as of 18 Jan 1917

3. Death, Between 17 Jan 1918 and 31 Dec 1932, Alberta, Canada. ^597,598 John E Broen's obituary of 1933 states that he was predeceased by 5 sons, two who died in North Dakota (Einar and John) and three who died in Alberta (Eric, Ingvard, and John). Mary's obit of 1960 notes that she was predeceased by 5 sons; however, the sons are not named.

I have not found a death record for Eric. There is a note of burial at Old Scandia Cemetery in Armena, but no dates of birth or death are noted. He had died before his father (who had died on 22 Jun 1933; I had reviewed issues of the Camrose Canadian Jan 1933 to Jun 1933, but there was no notice of his death).

Erick is not recorded in the 1921 census with his parents. However, he would have been 23 years old and so it possible he was living elsewhere. He is not indexed on ancesty.ca 1921 census collection. It may be possible that he died between 1918 and 1921.

We also know that he was discharge from the Canadian Army on 17 Jan 1918 and thus his death would have had to be sometime between this date and the end of Dec 1932.