Fortunate Son by Dave Scott Wilkinson now available on Amazon.
Selkirk author Dave Scott Wilkinson has released his second book, Fortunate Son, a 20th-century romance based on the life of his grandfather, Frederick Hunter Wilkinson.
Fred Wilkinson (1890–1969) was one of the British Home Children who later fought in the First World War before raising a family of his own in Ontario.
“I knew a little bit of my grandfather’s history from growing up with him and through anecdotes, so I thought his life might be an interesting story. The history is compelling, and I think the British Home Children are often a forgotten aspect of Canadian history,” Wilkinson said.
British Home Children were orphans sent to live in British colonies such as Canada, often being put to work on family farms. Between 1860 and 1940, more than 100,000 children came to Canada.
Fortunate Son is a non-fiction account of Fred’s life, including his years as an orphan and his career path from childhood farm labourer to blacksmith shop owner. Wilkinson published the book in May 2025, following his first novel, East of Elgin, which told the story of his maternal grandfather, Archibald Leitch.
“It was simply the next logical thing to do,” he said. His grandfather passed away when Wilkinson was a teenager, but he feels fortunate to have known him. “I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend some time on the farm with him before that piece of Canadian history disappeared. The farm was a magical place for a young boy to experience, and it was fun to relive those memories through my research and writing.”
Wilkinson noted that Canadian history has become his post-retirement hobby after a career as a mechanical engineer and technologist.
“It was something to keep me occupied. I found it really compelling getting to know how life evolved as time moved forward. It seems to me that this generation has a very strong message of courage, perseverance and self-reliance. It is definitely something the world we live in today could use an example of.”
He said the project took about a year of research, which he enjoyed more than the writing itself. Using online databases, books and relatives as sources, Wilkinson described the start of the writing process as intimidating because of the amount of information he had gathered.
“It left me with a lot of questions to ask, with no one to ask them to. I had to explore why a carter’s daughter would want to marry a farrier. While fleshing out details from questions like this was fun, it was also the most difficult part of the process—trying to understand those motivations.”
He hopes readers take away the message that his grandfather was ultimately content with his life.
“You would think this guy had a sad life being an orphan and forced to work on a farm in another country, but he proved he—along with other British Home Children—could rise above the difficulties and make their place in the world.”
As for how his grandfather might feel, Wilkinson believes he would be “a bit angry and embarrassed” about a book being written about his life. Still, Wilkinson said he is proud to share his story from a creative standpoint.
For now, Wilkinson is uncertain about his next steps as an author, admitting he is experiencing a phase of “postpartum writing disorder,” but he is considering a poetry book.
Fortunate Son is available for purchase on Amazon.ca by searching “Dave Scott Wilkinson.”
