Remembering Ernie Shaw and Ernie Baptiste George.

Ernest Henry Shaw was born September 17, 1918 in Forestburg, Alberta. He was my Dad’s youngest brother. In late 1940 Uncle Ernie and his best friend Ernest Baptiste George hitched a ride to Vernon and joined the Army. It was against their parents’ wishes but they joined anyhow. Up to this point the War had been fairly quiet but things were heating up and they were determined to be a part of it all and be in the same outfit as well but fate had a way of intervening.

The boys passed their medicals. In those early days the medicals were pretty shoddy and no medical testing was ever done to see if anyone had a serious illness. They came home for a short period of time and then back to Vernon to get their basic training which was about six months in length.

Both were assigned to the Lanark & Renfrew Scottish Regiment, R.C.I.C. and were preparing to be shipped overseas when Ernie Shaw suddenly was taken seriously ill. Young Ernie Baptiste went on with the troops that were headed for Europe and Ernie Shaw was admitted to the Vancouver General Hospital.

Ernie was subjected to a battery of tests and finally after several months, he was diagnosed with Bright’s Disease, which is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It is characterized by edema, the presence of albumin in the urine and is frequently accompanied by high blood pressure (hypertension).

Ernie was not discharged immediately from the Army but was kept on so he could get medical treatment for his illness. He was discharged from the hospital but was considered an outpatient and was treated on a regular basis. Part of Ernie’s treatment was that he must stick to a very strict diet which prohibited fried food and could not consume alcohol and he needed to get plenty of rest. If he followed this regime he could live a fairly normal life.

By this time Mom and Dad were already in Fort Erie, Ontario and Ernie got permission from the Army to be transferred to the Army Post near Fort Erie. He got on the train to go stay with them. He was already “going steady” with Laura Burton of Oliver and Laura followed him out a few months later.

Mom made sure that Ernie stuck to his diet and did not drink. He continued his appointments with the Army medical staff and had gained weight and was doing quite well. He got letters from Ernie Baptiste now and then and wrote him back as often as he could.

When Laura came to Fort Erie, she got a job at Fleet and her and Ernie lived with Mom and Dad. By this time, Sandy was born so everyone took part in minding her and playing with her.

On November 29, 1943 Laura Burton and Ernest Shaw were married in Fort Erie and shortly after with his health declining, Ernie was honourably discharged from the Army but still under their medical care.

Ernie and Laura stayed in Fort Erie until Mom and Dad moved back to BC and they followed them back in 1945 much to Grandma and Grandpa Shaw’s delight.

Over the next few years, Ernie’s health was up and down. He worked at the Packing House but it was off and on. The Manager kept him on as he knew the situation and did not want to add to Ernie’s stress which was already quite high.

There came a point when the Doctors told Ernie that the disease had progressed quite rapidly and that in all likelihood he only had a few good years left. Ernie went right off his diet and began to drink occasionally. As he told Dad, if he was going to die, then he would do it his way. Mom and Dad were very upset but there was nothing that they could do to change his mind.

In September of 1946 I was born and Laura and Ernie were to be my godparents as Ernie had converted to Catholicism but he was in such poor health and was hospitalized so Fred Tomlin took over the godfather duties from him.

For the next two years Ernie would rally and then fall back again and each time he suffered another attack it would be worse than the last one and finally in May of 1948 he was admitted to the hospital for the last time. He died on May 12 1948 and is buried in the Oliver Cemetery near his parents. He was not quite 30 years old. He and Laura did not have any children.

Today, Bright’s Disease is totally controllable and is no longer considered a fatal illness as it was in those early years. When I was researching our Shaw family in Ontario I discovered six Shaw men and four Shaw women who had Bright’s Disease listed as cause of death. My family Doctor told me that it was genetic. I have family members who have kidney problems that fall into the same category as Bright’s Disease but that name is no longer used except for historical references.

Even though Ernie did not serve in any theatre of war, I consider him a veteran and someone who should be remembered on Remembrance Day as well. I wish that he had lived longer so I could have known him. He left a huge void in the Shaw family and was always missed by his parents and brothers and sister.

Uncle Ernie’s best friend, Cpl. Ernest Baptiste George, was killed in action near Villenova on December 13, 1944. He was the son of Chief Narcissus George and his wife Victoria George of Oliver, B.C.

Uncle Ernie received a short letter from Ernie’s mother and father letting him know that their son had been killed. When Uncle Ernie came home, he went to see them and was taken to see the Memorial for Ernie Baptiste at the Cemetery on Inkameep.

What a sad ending for two very good friends. We always remember them together on Remembrance Day.