Figure 1.--Major Molson had four sons. Here we see Major Molson's two oldest boys who were close in age, Harold and Eric. They look to be about 7-8 years old. They appear to have been painted in 1902. The artist was Gerald Fenwick Metcalfe who was woking in Clelsea at the time. We do not know much about him. The boys wear fancy white Fauntleroy blouses with ruffled colars, white knickers, white long stockings, and white strap shoes with decorative poms.

Major John Elsdale Molson (1863–1925) was a Canadian-born British Conservative politician and member of the Molson family of Montreal that founded the famous Molson brewery. He married Mary Leeson in London (1891). She was born in Argentina, but was British. There was a substantial British community in Argentia. Major Molson had four sons. Here we see Major Molson's two oldest boys who were close in age, Harold and Eric. They look to be about 7-8 years old. They appear to have been painted in 1902. The artist was Gerald Fenwick Metcalfe who was woking in Clelsea at the time. We do not know much about him. The boys wear fancy white Fauntleroy blouses with ruffled colars, white knickers, white long stockings, and white strap shoes with decorative poms. The only difference is their outfits is the red waist sash Harold has and the red bows on Eric's knickers. This looks to be page boy outfits for a society wedding or other formal event. Harold Elsdale Molson (1893-1946) died after World War II as a major in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1946). Eric Elsdale Molson (1894-1915) died during World War I. He was killed in action on Good Friday as a lieutenant in the Royal Scots, Lothian Regiment (1915). Gerald Hildred Elsdale Molson (1896-1939) joined the Royal Navy. He was killed serving as second in command of HMS Rawalpindi, an armed merchantman, when she was sunk by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at the beginning of World War II (1939). Arthur Hugh Elsdale Molson (1903–91) was the obly one of Major Molson's sons to survive the two world wars. He followed his father as a Conservative politician and was created a Life Peer as Baron Molson (1961).

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Created: 4:26 PM 4/29/2019
Last edited: 4:26 PM 4/29/2019