Helen tragically lost her life to pulmonary thrombosis on Armistice Day, at 14 Glencairn Road, Edinburgh, after a grueling, sixteen-day fight against influenza, which became even more severe with twelve days marked by pneumonia complications. She was twenty-years old. She rests in the southern section of the Dean Cemetery adjacent to Queensferry Road. Her familial grave is marked by an elegant Celtic cross; the lettering has faded over time, but remains legible.
Helen Roberts Calder was born on July 7 1898, in Swinton, Berwickshire, to Thomas, a farmer, and Agnes (nee Roberts). She was the couple’s third child.
When the Census was taken in 1901, the family still resided in Swinton with their three servants.
A decade later, the Calder family had left Swinton and resided at 26 Palmerston Place in the St George District of Edinburgh. Helen was aged twelve and attending school. The family had also grown with the arrival of Mary nine years earlier.
I was unable to find any additional details about Helen’s life between the 1911 Census and her death. Given that she came from a wealthy family, I expect she remained in education longer than her peers from lower-income households. She likely took up paid employment, although she may have pursued further studies after finishing school. Additionally, she might have participated in wartime efforts, possibly serving as a nurse.
Thomas registered his daughter’s death the following day. Unfortunately, he passed away a month later on December 10 due to a long-term heart condition at the age of sixty-three. He was laid to rest alongside his daughter in Dean Cemetery.
Helen was unmarried at the time of her death. According to the National Probate Index, Helen’s estate was bequeathed to her sister, Agnes Jr.
Agnes Sr. survived her daughter and husband by nearly eighteen years. She died in Fareham, Hampshire, on March 12, 1936. Her remains were repatriated to Edinburgh and buried with her husband and daughter.
Sources: Ancestry, Find a Grave, Scotland’s People
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