French War Bride Marie-Jeanne Mazeau

French War Bride Marie-Jeanne Mazeau married British born Canadian Expeditionary Force soldier Frederick J E Ball in Rouen, France in 1917.

Canadian Expeditionary Force service file for Frederick John Everett Ball, Regimental no 33249

Frederick was born in London, England in 1891 and came to Canada with his family as a young man in April 1911 on the ship Victorian. He enlisted in September 1914 and went overseas with the No 3 Field Ambulance with the First Contingent in October 1914.

Frederick returned to Canada on the Adriatic in September 1919, with his French bride and the couple lived in Victoria for a few years. However, by 1925 Marie-Jeanne had remarried to John Diggle in Bellingham, Washington and the couple resided in North Vancouver where Marie-Jeanne grew African Violets.

Her husband John Diggle died in 1978 and Marie-Jeanne died in 1987 at the age of 91.

(c) Annette Fulford, January 2025