Dent Harrison

Dent Harrison in Lovell's Montreal Directory for 1919-1920, in the alphabetical index under "Harrison, Dent"

Dent Harrison arrived in Montreal as a young man of about 20¹ in 1889².  From a humble family, his immediate ancestors worked in the coal pits tending or driving engines. And yet, by 1919, Dent Harrison was well established in the bread-making business:  A master baker, he participated in community life in Westmount and the City of Montreal.

An article about POM Bakery on page 9 of "The Westmount Historian" September 2009 has more information about the development of his bakery businesses in Montreal.

More information about Dent Harrison's youth.  

Wartime Challenges

Merchants' Association of Montreal

A founding member of the Merchants' Association of Montreal in 1918³, Dent Harrison was elected to its board of directors in October 1919⁴. Merchants had formed the association to counter a wave of pilfering and theft of items in transit and expanded “To do away with Pilfering and Shoplifting, in all their phases.”

Reduced Flour Content in Bread

March 15, 1918 the Canada Food Board directed bakers across Canada to replace 10% of the flour in their bread with substitutes. As of October, in Montreal, 75 of 172 Bakers were not complying with the rule and were threatened with being closed down for three weeks if weekly reports were not sent in or if they failed an inspection.  Dent Harrison was a member of the Vigilance Committee and “he was willing to show any man how to use the substitutes if he were having trouble”.

Soon, the bakers would be required to use 20% substitutes to be more in line with all the Allies⁵.

Philanthropy

Through the war years, various causes benefited from Dent Harrison's generosity, among them:  The Patriotic Fund⁶; the Wolfe and Montcalm chapter of the I.O.D.E.⁷; “A” company of the Westmount Rifles⁸;  the Victory Loan campaign⁹; the Y.M.C.A¹⁰.; and the Boy Scouts¹¹.

He and his family were active members of the Westmount Methodist Church before it was absorbed into the United Church of Canada. Later, they were active in the Dominion-Douglas United Church.  

Dent Harrison Honor Roll

Number       Name                               Regiment

25805          a Pte. R.P. Bolton                        14th Battn.

457910        a Pte. A. Bye                               60^th Battn.

841387            Pte. H.P. Butler                         148th Battn.

                        Pte. G. Blunden                        235^th Battn.

                        Pte. W. Britton                          5^th Pioneers

527199            Pte. R.G. Beattie                      C.A.M.C.

841342            Pte. N.F. Clarke                        13th Battn.

841988          b Pte A. Connor                           148^th Battn.

842055            Bugler S. Colthorpe                  148^th Battn.

                        Pte. R. Cookson                       199^th D.O.C. Irish Rangers

132307            Pte. J. Davey                            13^th Battn.

919965          b Pte. E. Enfield                          199^th D.O.C. Rangers

419074            Pte. B. Goldie                           9^th Can. Field Amb.

919966         b Pte. G. Grundy                         199^th D.O.C. Rangers

2085424          Gunner W.W. Gough                 Can. Siege Battery

182306            Drummer E. Harris                    13^th Battn.

132593            Pte. G. Hughes                         73^rd Battn.

1081730          Pte. L. Hughes                         C.R. Troops

132866          a Pte. E. Hill                                 73^rd Battn.

824023            Pte. J. Hargreave                      148^th Battn.

526717            Pte. J. Hadley                           C.A.M.C.

                        Pte. H. Hanson                         5^th Pioneers

1054438       b Pte. P. Harrison                        14^th Battn.

526717            Pte. J. Hadley                           3^rd Field Ambulance

418628         c Sgt. W. Jamieson                      42^nd Battn.

2522747          Gunner A.C. Inglis                     79th Battery

C. 43130          Gunner Chas. Kempton            1^st Heavy Battery

300973            Driver M. Knight                         35^th C.F.A.

132571         a  Pte. H. Marmon                         73^rd Battn.

920108         d  Pte. J. McDougall                      24th Battn.

1081736          Pte. C. McCormack                   2^nd C.R. Troops

841562        a  Pte. E. O’Laughlin                     24^th Battn.

1027164          Sapper T. O’Brien                     235^th Battn.

132518            Pte. W. Paton                           13^th Battn.

63718              Sgt. G. Pointer                          23^rd Westmount Rifles

24526          e Pte. J. Rankin                           13^th Battn.

418613        a  Pte. T. Rattigan                        42^nd Battn.

132792    d Pte. Jack Rankin             73rd Battn.

659321            Pte. W. Stanway                       24^th Battn.

133001            Sgt. W. Staines                         73^rd Battn.

132884        d Pte. Chas. Siddall                     73^rd Battn.

841555        Sgt. G. Stapleford*           13^th Battn.

842061         f  Pte. R.B. Smith                         148^th Battn.

                        Pte. J. Smalldon                       242^nd Foresters

                        Dr. E. Stinson                           C.F.A.

841288            Pte. J. Sadler                            14th Battn.

                        (Sailor) A. Thompson                 H.M.S. Sylvia

841127            Pte. A. Thompson                     148^th Battn.

66056           a Pte. F. Willets                            24^th Battn.

132667            Pte. W. Warden                        13^th Battn.

919451         g Pte. T. Watkinson                     199^th D.O.C.

                    a Pte. A. Herrick                           14^th Battn.

                    d Pte. H. Wise                              13^th Battn.

                     d Pte. J. Walker                           73^rd Battn.

                      d Pte. T. Harris                             73^rd Battn.

1251596         Gunner G.E.W. Harrison           10^th Can. Siege Battery

                        Lieut. W.H. Harrison                1^st Quebec Regt.

a – Returned                    b – Wounded            c – Wounded and Missing         

d – Killed                          e – Wounded. Made Prisoner of War; Returned       

f – Died of Wounds          g - Gassed

*Stapleford's military file is under the name: George Steapleford.

Gunner G.E.W. Harrison and Lieut. W.H. Harrison were Dent's sons.

Dent Harrison's Youth

Dent Harrison was born in 1869 and his birth was registered in the Bradford registration district of West Riding of Yorkshire².  

In 1871, he lived with his father, William, a Colliery Engine Driver on Hightown Road in Liversedge in the registration district of Dewsbury.  The place of birth given for Dent, his siblings John Geo., Maria and James and his father was Birstall (Dewsbury). His mother, Jane (nee Thresh) was 33 born in Newton Willow¹².

Jane Harrison of Dewsbury was buried in the parish of Drighlington on October 14, 1871¹³.  Dent was only 2 years old at the time and his father was left widowed for a second time¹⁴, now with 3 or 4 children. (James may have died young.)

Ten years later, at the time of the England census in 1881¹⁵, Dent was living with his Harrison Grandparents, James and Sophia (nee Hartley¹⁶). Other household members were their son, Tom and two of Dent's cousins, Joseph H. Harrison¹⁷ and James Stansfield^18,19.

Dent’s brother, John Geo., and sister, Maria, were living with their Thresh grandparents at the time of the 1881 census²⁰.  Meanwhile, their father, William Harrison²¹ was living with Mary, two step-children, William and Hannah Brook, and a young son born of the relationship, Tom Harrison, age 4.  Mary Brook Harrison’s marriage to William Harrison has not been found.  Her maiden name is unknown although it could be Crossland.

Dent’s grandfather, James Harrison died and was buried in Birstal on July 18, 1888²².  Dent’s maternal grandmother, Selena Thresh, died the same year  and was buried in Drighlington on October 24th^23.

Dent left for Canada early the following spring, landing at Halifax on March 24th, 1889 after a voyage of 10 days on the SS Parisian¹. 

Dent Harrison's Death

The Montreal Gazette, February 10, 1936. Page 6.

The Montreal Gazette newspaper of February 10th, 1936 announced the passing of Dent Harrison, who at the time was Chairman of the Board of Harrison Bros., Ltd.  He had died at his home at 509 Roslyn Avenue in Westmount on Saturday, February 8th.  

Two substantial articles detailed his accomplishments over the 46 years since his arrival in Canada.^24, 25

"Dent Harrison, in short, started at the foot of the ladder and ascended by his own efforts until he was acknowledged to be a very useful and patriotic citizen."²⁵

References

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