One hundred years ago, in October and November 1917, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) was engaged in a major battle in what was later known as World War I (1914 – 1918). There were many battles and campaigns in World... [Continue Reading]
The first Women’s Institute was founded in 1897 in Stoney Creek, Ontario and by 1913 institutes were established in all the provinces with the motto “For Home and Country.” Often responsible for much of their farm’s economic success, the Institute... [Continue Reading]
On November 3, 1917, a young man “somewhere in France,” serving in the Canadian Army as a battery commander’s assistant, sat down to write a letter to his wife back home in New Brunswick. She was due to give birth... [Continue Reading]
The name Oyama was chosen by the suggestion of the mother of Post Master, Dr. W. H. Irvine. The post office was established in 1906 and required a name. At this time, news reports of Field Marshal Oyama Iwao’s military... [Continue Reading]
My grandfather1, John Brixton, was called The Colonel. No one really knows why, but it is likely because he resembled the picture of the sailor on “Players Tobacco” tins. Actually, the Colonel’s birth name was Mark Joseph Ellis. He was... [Continue Reading]
“1917: Bras get a boost from the U.S. government’s decision to ration metal for domestic use during the First World War. Bras used less metal than corsets so they became the undergarment of choice.” Source: “Real Life talking point.” Chatelaine.... [Continue Reading]
August 4, 1914: Germany invades Belgium, beginning World War I. “In Flanders Fields the poppies grow and remains of an inordinate number of Okanagan soldiers lie buried. Many believe the Okanagan Valley lost more men per capita in the First... [Continue Reading]
“Q’sapi is a phrase in the Okanagan language that means ‘long time ago.’ It is an expression often heard among the Okanagan people to introduce a story.”1 So begins the Introduction to the book Q’sapi. A History of Okanagan People... [Continue Reading]
World War I, also known as the Great War, started on July 28, 1914 and finally dragged to a conclusion on November 11, 1918. In those four years, more than nine million men and women worldwide were killed, including more... [Continue Reading]
