Memorable Manitobans: Ernest Robert Sims (1871-1952)

Social worker, administrator.

Born at London, Middlesex, England on 21 July 1871, son of James Sims (1830-1921) and Cecelia Gooding (1842-1917), he grew up in the Edmonton district of London and joined the Salvation Army. In 1893, came to Canada as part of the “English Twenty”" officer group dispatched by William and Catherine Booth. He served in numerous locations throughout Ontario, including St. Catharines, Barrie, Kingston (c1907), Lisgar Street, Dovercourt, Toronto, and Hamilton Citadel, as well as in the Canada West Field.

In Manitoba, he was Superintendent (1912-1913) of the Kildonan Industrial Home in the Municipality of Kildonan, during which time his wife served as Matron. A Staff Captain at that time, he later served as the Young People’s Secretary and retired in 1936 a Lieutenant Colonel with the Territorial Headquarters as the Men’s Social Service Secretary. On 22 June 1899, he married Amy Elizabeth Norman at Prince Edward Island and they had two children: Norman Gooding Sims (1900-?) and Amy Sims (?-?, wife of A. Hennesy).

He died at Toronto, Ontario on 11 January 1952 and was buried in the Salvation Army section of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Sources:

Ontario marriage registrations, Ancestry.

“The Easter Cry,” The War Cry, 13 April 1907, page 15.

“City and general [Salvationists farewell],” Manitoba Free Press, 7 October 1912, page 24.

“Salvation Officers go East,” Manitoba Free Press, 10 October 1912, page 28.

“Entitled to seat in tourist car,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 November 1913, page 5.

“The final farewell,” The War Cry, 11 July 1936, page 13.

“T.H.Q. Staff change,” The War Cry, 28 November 1936, page 8.

“The mail bag [When the bench was “derelict in its duty”],” The War Cry, 28 February 1942, page 9.

“A warrior crowned,” The War Cry, 2 February 1952, page 12.

Lindsay/Heddell family tree, Ancestry.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 17 May 2020

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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