348 Trafalgar Road - Home of Edward Bull and Helen M. Young Bull

This house was built in 1914 and was purchased by the Bull's in 1920. By1925 it was sold to Roy Smith and Meta Klemm.

This house is one of two brick houses built side by side by the Blakelock Brothers who were builders in Oakville. At the time, there were few houses located on the west side of Trafalgar Rd., once called Dundas St.

This lot and the one beside it was purchased in 1913 by Thomas Blakelock and William Busby. Busby was a jeweller and had a shop on Lakeshore Rd. In the early 1900’s he was also manager of the Bell Telephone Company whose switchboard was at the back of his shop. He likely had a financial interest in the purchase of the lot with Thomas Blakelock.

In 1914 the house was built and had several tenants before being purchased by Edward &
Helen Bull in 1920. Edward was born in Percy, Northumberland, and Helen in Peterborough. They were married in 1908 and lived in Percy until relocating to Oakville in 1914. While in Oakville, they had 4 children; Mabel, Margaret, Dorothy & John. However, they only remained in Oakville until 1925 at which time they sold the house and moved to Toronto where Edward worked at a Barrel Co. and then as a real estate agent. He died in 1955 and his wife Helen died in 1982. They are buried in Peterborough.

In 1925 the house was purchased by Roy & Meta Smith. Roy was born in 1894 in Trenton,
Ontario. Meta was born in Whiting Indiana in 1891 and came to Canada with her sister Gladys, sometime after 1900, staying with their aunt in Carleton Place. Meta attended nursing school at Kingston General Hospital, graduating in 1915. In early 1917, she enlisted with the No. 3 Canadian Army Medical Corp. as a nurse, and served in Canada.

Over 2800 civilian nurses enlisted with the CAMC - the first women in the modern world to hold military commissions as officers. They were called “nursing sisters” and were given the nickname “bluebirds” because of their blue dresses & white veils.

After the First World War, Meta Klemm married Roy Foster Smith on 3 September 1919 and they lived for a short time in Trafalgar Twp. before purchasing their home on Trafalgar Rd. They had two children, Helen & Stuart.

Roy Smith was an engineer, having graduated from Queen’s University in 1916. As a
consultant, he was first involved in the building of the two large bridges over 12 and 16 mile
creeks on Highway 5 in 1918, and in 1925 became Halton’s first County Engineer where he remained until his retirement in 1966.

Roy was active in the Masonic Lodge, Lions Club, & St. Jude’s Church & enjoyed curling and golf. While at Queens, he played hockey and in Oakville, formed the Oakville Athletic
Association and was the first president of the Oakville Home and School Association.

In 1970 they sold their house and moved to the apartment building at 155 Navy St. Roy died in 1971 and Meta died ten years later, in 1981. They are both buried at St. Jude’s Cemetery.