Born at Stratford-on-Avon, England on 15 January 1874, one of eight children, his schooling was in Stratford-on-Avon until 1887 when his family moved to London. After working as a carpenter at Harefield, Middlesex, he came to Canada in May 1903 and worked as a carpenter at Manitou, Glenlea, and Wawanesa. He worked as a building contractor at Portage la Prairie. In 1907, he moved to Rivers, spending six years there before moving to Transcona in the employ of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. He worked in its motive power and car departments before retiring in December 1935.
He and wife Alice Burgess (1880-1943) had a son, William Arthur Girling (1904-1967, husband of Mary Alexandra Mitchell). He died at his Transcona home, 78 Harvard Avenue West, on 15 November 1941 and was buried in the Transcona Cemetery, within sight of the Chapel and Winter Vault that he built.
Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
315 Victoria Avenue East, Winnipeg
1913-1914
Dugald Road, RM of Springfield
1932
Birth and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Engagements,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 December 1932, page 15.
“Wellknown railwayman retires from the service,” Transcona and Eastern Manitoba News, 2 January 1936.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 17 November 1941, page 19.
Obituary [Alice Girling], Winnipeg Tribune, 29 December 1943, page 19.
Obituary [William Arthur Girling], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 May 1967, page 40.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
Eusebe Joseph Blais House, 315 Victoria Avenue East, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, October 2012.
We thank Glen Toews and John Burchill for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 October 2026
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
