When an individual or organization reaches their hundredth birthday there is cause for celebration. This holds true for the IODE founded a century ago on Feb. 13, 1900. A distinctly Canadian organization, the Order was the brainchild of Margaret Polson Murray (1844–1927) of Montreal. Early in January 1900, she sent a telegram to the mayors of Canadian cities, suggesting that they call a meeting of local women to discuss forming a national federation to express devotion to the Empire.

The first positive response came from Fredericton NB which agreed to form such an auxiliary. At a further meeting in Montreal, on Feb. 13, 1900, the formal establishment of the Order took place. As a result, this date is observed annually by the IODE as Founder’s Day. Appropriately, the city of Fredericton, birthplace of the first chapter, will play host to the IODE centennial annual meeting June 1–4, 2000.

In order to place the IODE in perspective, let’s go back back to Canada at the dawn of the twentieth century. Confederation had taken place a mere thirty-three years earlier. Queen Victoria was still on the throne, having celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Canada’s Governor General was the Earl of Minto; while the federal government led by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, first elected in 1896, was to be re-elected Nov. 7, 1900.

The country was very much part of the British Empire. By 1900, Canada had won control over most internal matters; however, relations with other countries were largely under British jurisdiction. Britannia ruled the waves in people’s minds, if not in fact. Headlines were dominated by the South African or Boer War (1899–1902). The immediate impact of the war was a sharp division of public opinion.

On one side were those who felt that Canada, as part of the Empire, must automatically support the British cause. Arrayed against them, were others who questioned the justness of the war and opposed Canadian participation. Caught in the middle, the government fashioned a typical Canadian compromise. Prime Minister Laurier held the view that Canada was not bound to participate in the war unless the Empire was threatened. But, since many Canadians wished to enlist, the government decided to equip these volunteers and transport them to South Africa.

The approximately eight thousand Canadian soldiers who volunteered were to distinguish themselves in battle; with three of their number being awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery. Although under British command, their overseas service did much to arouse national self-consciousness and pride. It was in this Imperialist setting that the IODE was organized. A motto Patriotism, Loyalty and Service was adopted to accompany a distinctive badge. With slight alterations, this badge is still in use.

In keeping with it’s motto the IODE swung into action. Letters from the South African front indicated a need for comfort kits and extra clothing. With the supply of these items, there began a century long tradition of support for Canada’s armed services. Over time an all inclusive IODE goal emerged — to improve the quality of life for children, youth and those in need through educational, social service and citizenship programs. During the past century the Order has raised millions of dollars to fulfill this goal. Unfortunately, space will permit the highlighting of only a few examples of IODE projects.

Nationally, the IODE War Memorial Post Graduate Scholarships deserve special recognition. Begun as a living memorial to the fallen of the First World War, these scholarships continue to be awarded annually. A total of nine were granted in the past year. Second only to the better known Rhodes Scholarships in value and prestige, scores of outstanding Canadian graduate students have benefitted from this program.

Over the years, the IODE has supported many projects designed to improve the quality of life for all Canadians. These have ranged all the way from the planting of commemorative gardens, to teen parenting programs; from RCMP Police Community Relations Awards to bursaries for students in need. Looking to the future, the National Chapter made a decision in 1999 to raise and invest $200,000. to fund special grants to individuals or groups striving to alleviate child abuse and neglect.

Of equal importance have been activities undertaken within New Brunswick. In the 1970s the Provincial Chapter identified children with learning disabilities as a priority. A comprehensive brief was prepared for presentation to Premier Richard Hatfield and cabinet. The rest, as they say, is history. A pilot clinic for learning disadvantaged children was established and before long, New Brunswick was leading the way in the integration of disadvantaged students in regular classrooms. In 1989, to mark the 90th anniversary of the IODE, the Provincial Chapter launched a $90,000. appeal for the Heart Unit at the Saint John Regional Hospital. As part of the drive, the CBC television show Front Page Challenge was sponsored in Sackville by the Fort Beausejour Chapter. The result was $4,000 raised for this cause.

Yet another creative provincial initative, the Born To Read program, was embraced by all local IODE Chapters. It’s basic premise is that children respond when read to at an early age. Gift packs of books are presented to new mothers, thereby encouraging them to read to their children. Born To Read is now administered by Literacy New Brunswick and enjoys the full support of Lieutenant Governor Hon. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell. The latter has been, for many years, a member of the Lord Sackville Chapter.

The Tantramar region has benefitted from the presence of three IODE chapters: Lord Sackville, Fort Beausejour and Shepody. The oldest, the Lord Sackville Chapter, dates from Aug. 28 1914. Founded following the outbreak of World War One, and under the leadership of its first regent, Mrs. J. M. Palmer the Chapter’s focus was what might be done in this time of crisis. For the next four years, members were involved in meeting troop trains as they passed through Sackville, knitting socks and providing special kits for those on active duty.

At the end of the War it was found that some medical supplies gathered by the Chapter were no longer needed overseas. No time was wasted in putting these to good use. The town council was approached and agreement reached that the Lord Sackville Chapter would sponsor a VON nurse. For the next 17 years this was to be a major initiative of the Chapter. Well Baby Clinics were established and in 1928 a car was purchased for the benefit of the nurse. By 1935 the service was well established and sponsorship was passed over to a VON Board.

Another example selected from a long list of Lord Sackville Chapter achievements, takes us back to the creation of the town’s first public library. In 1935, to mark Young Canada Book Week, the Chapter opened a children’s library in the basement of Mount Allison’s Memorial Library. Later, it was to merge with the local branch of the Albert-Westmorland-Kent Regional Library, first located in the Town Hall. On March 12, 1984, at the official opening of the present Sackville Public Library, the cornerstone was unveiled by Eileen Cuthbertson. She, along with Marjorie West had given longtime leadership to the library project.

1939 was a repeat performance of 1914 for the Lord Sackville Chapter. Within days of the declaration of war on September 10, 1939, members were knitting socks for soldiers stationed in Sackville. These servicemen were posted here to guard the railway bridge crossing the Tantramar River; thus protecting a vital wartime link between Central Canada and Halifax. As the war progressed the Chapter supported many other activities, including: cooperating with the Salvation Army in providing meals for service personnel, donating books for Camp Debert library and assisting the work of the local Ration Board.

Following the Second World War the Chapter’s focus shifted to the support of national and provincial projects and funding for numerous community activities. Local schools were adopted and items such as books, bookcases, maps and supplies provided. Radios were purchased so that rural schools might participate in CBC School Broadcasts. Funds were also allocated for the VON, local hospitals and the IWK Hospital for Children.

Over the years, both Sackville Chapters have supported a number of special endeavors. Consider the following; the New Brunswick Seminar on Safety, Mount Allison United Nations Seminar, special assistance to schools in Labrador and the Portage Drug Rehabilitation Centre For Youth located at Cassidy Lake, southeast of Norton NB. One of the Lord Sackville Chapter’s fund raising activities, their annual used book sale, has become an important event within the community. Many local residents have been known to donate a carton of books for this worthy cause, only to take home the same carton filled with new/old book bargains!

The second Sackville IODE Chapter, Fort Beausejour, received its charter on March 6, 1935. Under the leadership of the first Regent, Marjorie Wry, the Chapter provided a hint of future ventures by promoting the Girl Guide Movement. In November 1936, local Guiding received a boost with the Chapter’s organization of the 36th IODE Guide Company. One Chapter member recalled: Those who served as Guide leaders, for the 10 years of our sponsorship, nursed more sore muscles than they realized they had in their bodies.

In common with other Chapters, the Second World War was a turning point for Fort Beausejour. Raising funds for the war effort and assisting service personnel came to the fore. The two Sackville Chapters were involved in providing comfort kits for crew members on the corvette HMCS Sackville. Nor was assistance limited to this form of aid. Incredibly, Chapters from across Canada raised funds sufficient to cover the cost of two aircraft — a Spitfire fighter and a Bolingbroke bomber!

The Fort Beausejour Chapter singled out for attention the forgotten seamen of the Merchant Navy. Tucked away in Chapter records is a file of letters from merchant seamen, expressing thanks for wartime support. From the Merchant Navy Club in Saint John, a British crew member of the SS Merchant Trader wrote: It is wonderful to know that we have friends in Canada who are doing so much for the merchant seamen and the British people as a whole. This is only my first trip to sea, so you can imagine your gift was most welcome. The Fort Beausejour Chapter also treasures a certificate from the British Women’s Volunteer Service expressing thanks on behalf of the war distressed people of Britain and Northern Ireland for generous help given during the long years of battle.

Over the last half century the Fort Beausejour Chapter has kept pace with the needs of Canadian society by assisting a wide variety of projects. Locally they have been active supporters of Crossroads For Women, a transition house in Moncton, sponsoring the annual Daffodil Sale for the Cancer Society and assisting the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra. They have corrdinated such events as the Queen’s Pageant, during the Marshlands Frolics and provided a nursery service for the Music Festival. Each May the Chapter organizes an assembly at Marshview Middle School to mark Commonwealth and Citizenship Day. Since this is the Chapter’s adopted school, the Marshview library and School Breakfast Program have benefitted from Fort Beausejour’s interest and support. Annual Marathon Bridge tournaments, Bring and Buy sales and occasional raffles are the Chapter’s major fund raising activities.

The Shepody Chapter, organized in Dorchester on December 14, 1939, was not the first IODE venture in the Shiretown. Twenty five years earlier, in May 1914, the Lord Dorchester Chapter was granted a charter only to surrender it in 1927. Understandably, information concerning this Chapter has been difficult to locate. The same holds true for the Fort Monckton Chapter organized in Port Elgin on March 15, 1915. It is to be hoped that some Flashback readers may be able to shed light on these two early Chapters. Please check your attics — old trunks often contain valuable records! I am indebted to Helen Walton for clearing up confusion about the name of the Port Elgin Chapter. She has in her possession two books dating back to her elementary school days. These were awarded by the Port Elgin Fort Monckton Chapter for achieving the highest average in her class.

Because the organization of Shepody Chapter took place shortly after the outbreak of the Second War War its first projects were directed toward improving the lot of service personnel both at home and abroad. Under the leadership of Regent Jean Hickman, knitted articles, surgical bandages and dressings along with special gift packs were sent overseas. Members of the Chapter worked closely with the Red Cross and were responsible for the organization of a Home Nursing Course.

When Shepody’s present Regent, Beryl Kingston, was asked to name the priority project of the Chapter, she did not hesitate; immediately citing their adoption of the Dorchester School. The tradition of supporting local schools goes back to the early days of the Chapter. Before consolidation, nearby rural schools at Middleton, Dorchester Cape, Rockport and Fairfield were assisted. From 1954 to 1960 Shepody Chapter sponsored a lending library for elementary grades. When the library was discontinued, all books were presented to the Dorchester School.

In recent years, prizes of money and crests are awarded annually to students in Grades Seven and Eight for being all round students. Prizes are also given for excellence in Physical Education, while books and magazines are donated to the school library. Assistance is provided for the Hot Lunch program, Teacher’s Banquet and other school events. In line with the two Sackville Chapters, Shepody has also contributed to IODE projects at the provincial and national levels.

Because students from both Dorchester and Sackville attend Tantramar Regional High School, all three local IODE Chapters actively support secondary education through the provision of several annual prizes and bursaries. At the community level, Shepody Chapter sponsors a summer reading program at the Dorchester Memorial Library, arranges special library window displays throughout the year and is a participant in the annual Shiretown Days. Over the years funds have been raised through activities such as: Card Parties, Easter Bonnet Teas, Bake Sales, Raffles and Yard Sales.

Two questions require attention before concluding this survey of the IODE on the Tantramar and beyond. Why do IODE members continue, year after year, to be involved in so many aspects of public service? Why has the IODE prospered for a century, when other similar organizations have fallen by the wayside?

The first question was put to two of the present Regents and I was not surprised to find agreement in their answers. Regent Dorothy Mitchell of the Lord Sackville Chapter responded: Members find great satisfaction in service. Volunteerism is contagious… it’s also lots of fun. Regent Hazel Ward of the Fort Beausejour Chapter, a twenty five year veteran of the Order, echoed similar sentiments. She said: Members take pleasure and pride in making a difference… in serving their communities, province and country… we never call it work!

An answer to the second question is more elusive and probably best tackled by someone on the outside. Basic to everything attempted by the IODE is careful research and planning. No project, whether large or small, is ever approved without great care and deliberation. Equally important, when a venture is ready to fly on its own the Order quickly moves on to the next priority.

From the historical standpoint, the IODE today is a very different organization from that of 1900. The basic principle of service is still there, but one important characteristic stands out. Founded in the heyday of Imperialism, the Order remains relevant in contemporary Canada. Briefly stated, the IODE has never been afraid to change and adapt to new circumstances. Further, it has always been in step with Canada’s evolution from Imperial colony to independent nation. Long may it evolve and serve!

Many people helped me write this Flashback. In addition to the three Regents Dorothy Mitchell, Hazel Ward, and Beryl Kingston, appreciation is extended to Pat Greenslade and Marcella Cole. The staff of the Mount Allison Archives were, as always, helpful.

If asked to explain the word island, some readers might recall a definition from Nelson’s School Geography: a land mass entirely surrounded by water. A dictionary search will reveal that it can also mean an elevated piece of land surrounded by marsh. There are several examples on the Tantramar and nearby marshes: Spectacle, Dixon, Estabrooks and Huston Islands. Another, Dorchester Island, has already been the subject of a Flashback. Today, let’s take a look at three others, Cole’s, Sunken and Tonge’s Island.

Cole’s Island is located east of Sackville on the Trans Canada highway. While seldom used today, the name was well known in the late 1930’s when the site was selected for a new CBC transmitting station, now Radio Canada International. The name may be traced to an early landowner, Jonathan Cole, a native of Rhode Island. The Cole family was part of the New England Planter migration to this area in the 1760s.

Sunken Island, on the south side of the High Marsh Road, was also mentioned briefly in a Flashback column on the famous Saxby Gale of Oct 4–5 1869. It’s called Sunken Island because the land is below the level of the marsh. One section is a bog and those who venture there may be in danger of sinking in the marsh mud. During the course of the Saxby Gale, Sunken Island was covered with haystacks, sleepers, fences, telegraph poles, gates, boards and other articles used by farmers on the marsh…

Tonge’s Island, can be seen from the Trans Canada Highway as one travels toward Amherst. Look to the right immediately after crossing Beauséjour Ridge and you’ll see a small cluster of trees and buildings between Fort Beauséjour and the Missaguash River. Depicted on early French maps as Ile de la Vallière, it is referred to today as Tonge’s Island.

On Oct. 24, 1676 the Governor of New France, Louis de Baude Frontenac (1622–1698) awarded Michel Leneuf de la Vallière (1640–1705) a tract of land 10 square leagues in area to be known as the seigniory of Beaubassin. To picture the full extent of the grant, it may be described as roughly bounded by a line drawn from the mouth of the Petitcodiac River, overland to Shemogue; down the coast to River Philip and from there northwesterly to Chignecto Bay.

When La Vallière took up his land he found that Jacques Bourgeois and family had already settled on the Isthmus at what later became the village of Beaubassin; today’s Fort Lawrence. He then established his headquarters across the Missaguash River from Bourgeois, naming the rise in the marsh Ile de la Vallière. Although La Vallière did not realize it at the time, he had settled on the geographic center of the French colony of Acadia.

La Vallière was born in Trois-Rivières where his father was governor of the town. Sent to France for his early education, he returned home in 1657. By 1666 he was in Ile Royale (Cape Breton) serving with the famous trader, author and governor Nicolas Denys (1598–1688). He later married Denys only daughter, Marie. They had a family of eight children.

In 1675 he was named commandant of Acadia; succeeding to the governorship of the colony in 1683. He lived the first year at Port Royal, returning to Ile de la Vallière for the remainder of his term. He was to be succeeded in 1687 by François-Marie Perrot (1644?-1691). Thus, for a brief period, Ile de la Vallière was capital of Acadia. Following his term as governor, LaVallière returned to Québec, entrusting the seigniory of Beaubassin to his future son-in-law Claude-Sébastian de Villieu.

In the National Archives of Canada there is a report entitled Beaubassin ou Chignitou et la Baye Verte. Written by Jacques de Meulles the Intendant of New France from 1682 until 1686, it provides insight concerning both the seignior and the seigniory of Beaubassin. In the autumn of 1685, de Meulles, on an official visit to Acadia, was shipwrecked on the southeastern coast of present day New Brunswick. Thanks to some Mi’kmaq guides he was rescued and taken by canoe and portage across the Isthmus to Ile de la Vallière. Here he was received by the Governor of Acadia in person. Unable to return to Québec, de Meulles was forced to spend the winter with his host on the Isthmus of Chignecto.

Of Michel Leneuf de la Vallière de Meulles wrote: In the course of his residence he has, through his own enterprise, induced most of the inhabitants in the district to settle there. He has built a mill at his own expense [actually there were two — a saw mill and grist mill]. During the period that he was in command in Acadia, he was so highly considered that it was deemed a pleasure to take up lands on his seigniory. In the years that followed, Ile de la Vallière and Beaubassin were to be razed three times by the British and New Englanders — in 1696, 1704 and 1751. Today, there is little left beyond a few tell-tale mounds and the occasional unearthed artifact to remind us of the onetime capital of Acadia.

Following expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, a portion of the old seigniory of Beaubassin was granted to Winckworth Tonge (1727–1792). As a consequence, Ile de la Vallière became known as Tonge’s Island. The new owner was an army officer who had served as assistant engineer in the siege of Fort Beauséjour. In addition, Tonge acquired large landholdings in Nova Scotia’s Hants County. Elected MLA for Cumberland in 1759, he was to later switch ridings, representing first Kings and then Hants County. In 1773 he was named Naval Officer for Nova Scotia.

This position was important, as Tonge had responsibility for regulating shipping between Nova Scotia and overseas ports. Consequently, he was often involved in controversy, both with successive governors and the business community. Never one to back away from conflict or debate; his son, William Cottnam Tonge, inherited similar qualities. The latter followed his father’s footsteps in Nova Scotian politics and is regarded as the forerunner of Joseph Howe. For more than a decade the younger Tonge was the unofficial leader of the opposition and a thorn in the side of the governing establishment.

In order to trace the history of Tonge’s Island through to the present, it is necessary to delve into the family history of subsequent owners. Winckworth Tonge sold his lands on the Isthmus of Chignecto to a Loyalist settler from Norwich, Connecticut, Eliza Freeman. In turn, the property was purchased by another Loyalist, Titus Knapp (1757–1828) a native of New York. Upon his death, Tonge’s Island passed to his wife Catherine Dixon Knapp.

Later the property was inherited by her granddaughter Catherine Knapp Brown, who married her second cousin, Daniel Dixon Brown, on July 4, 1840. Many generations later, in 1961 it was sold to its present day owners, the Soontines family. Thus for some 120 years, historic Tonge’s Island remained in the Brown family! Today, a descendent of Catherine Knapp Brown, Geraldine Brown Wolfe of Moncton, has in her possession, a fine mahogany drop-leaf table. This table was brought by Titus Knapp to New Brunswick following the American Revolution. A valuable antique, it is a lasting reminder of the longtime ownership of the Knapp-Brown family of this island on the marsh.

The heritage of Tonge’s Island was placed in perspective by one who knew it well — local historian and author Will R. Bird.

He wrote: On a sunny afternoon, when the soft winds unceasingly stir the long marsh grasses, it takes little imagination to again picture the prosperous orchards and gardens of Beaubassin. To see in fancy, their thatched cottages, clustered about their beloved church, to hear children at play, and see ever and anon, a farmer pause in his duties to turn an anxious eye seaward, or scan the forest borders for unwelcome visitors.

Rich in romance, steeped in legend, colored by crimson memories, the Isthmus of Chignecto holds no more precious ground than that rise in the marshlands, shadowed by the grass-grown ramparts of old Fort Beauséjour — Ile de la Vallière or Tonge’s Island.

(I am indebted to Lee Lowerison for suggesting this topic. Special thanks are extended to Geraldine Brown Wolfe and Dick McLeod for their assistance.)

On several occasions I’ve mentioned the importance of contact with readers of these twice monthly columns. Frequently, interesting suggestions for future Flashbacks are made; and often significant new information is provided.

Last autumn, while researching and writing a column on the 1913 Aulac Rail Tragedy, I was hampered by an inability to locate someone who might shed new light on the story. The newspapers of the day, especially the Amherst Daily News, the Moncton Times and the Sackville Tribune gave all the basic details; however, eye witness accounts were few in number. One exception was an account by a Moncton Times reporter who interviewed a number of railway personnel.

A study of photographs accompanying the stories indicated that many people, ranging from children to adults, visited the scene of the accident. Would it be possible to interview someone with first, or perhaps more likely, second hand information of the tragedy? Certainly, those who were present on that tragic day, Sept. 24, 1913, must have told and retold their stories to family and friends. But no such luck!

Imagine then, my pleasure on receiving a letter filling in new and important details of the tragedy. It came from Archie Pennie of Ottawa. His wife’s mother was Vessie Siddall from Aulac. She, along with her three sisters and brother Murray, were born and raised on the Siddall farm, located a mere stone’s throw from the accident. Murray Siddall, it turns out, not only witnessed the crash, he was the first person to arrive on the scene. The story is best told in Archie’s own words:

Murray Siddall inherited the farm from his father George O. Siddall. I visited the farm before it was expropriated [to become part of the national park]. As we walked around the property, he showed me old tombstones that had been there for several hundred years — dating from the days when the Fort was occupied.

Suddenly, a train rounded the curve, enroute from Sackville to Truro. I have always been a railroad ’buff’ and my interest in this passing train set Murray off to tell me about a dramatic accident that occured right at his door step.

Part of his farm was on the marsh across the tracks and access to it was via a tunnel cut through the high embankment that carried the right of way. This tunnel, in railway parlance would be a cut — hence the name Siddall’s Cut.

Murray was about to pass through the cut to attend to chores on the marsh when he heard the sound of an approaching train. He told me that he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw two trains fast approaching each other head-on. Murray was rooted to the ground as there was nothing he could do. The trains ploughed into each other before his eyes.

He tied up his horse and wagon and rushed to the scene of devastation. There he was met by a conductor, whom he knew [John D. MacDonald of Truro]. The conductor asked him to bring the wagon close to the site, near one of the baggage cars.

The car was a shattered wreck, but lying on the ground was a box split open exposing a considerable number of gold bars. Together they loaded the treasure on the wagon and Murray was instructed to take the box and hide it in a safe place until the authorities called for it.

Murray did as requested, and he showed me the dark corner of the barn where the bullion was hidden and covered with straw. Apparently, the authorities were in no hurry, as it was several days before it was picked up.

We came to the conclusion that this was a special shipment of gold enroute from Britain to Ottawa. I wonder if the report that the freight carried explosives was a ‘cover up’ to hide the fact that bullion was on board? Perhaps the story was designed to discourage would-be robbers!

When the Fort was restored, the old Siddall home was moved lock, stock and barrel up to the main highway. [It still stands and is occupied by Jean, a granddaughter of Murray Siddall, and her husband Al Amos.] In any event, Murray told a story that appealed to me greatly and your article put it all back in my thoughts.

Hats off to Archie Pennie — a first rate story teller!

1919 was a turning point in twentieth century Canadian history. Overshadowed by 1918, and the end of the war to end all wars; some of it’s highlights deserve to be better known.

The major event was the Paris Peace Conference — a meeting of the Allied powers to draft treaties following the war. Canada’s contribution to the war effort and the insistence of Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden led to four important steps toward Canadian nationhood.

In 1914 when Britain declared war, Canada was automatically involved. Five years later, the country’s wartime coming of age made possible: separate representation at the Paris Peace Conference along with membership in the League of Nations and the International Labour Organization. In addition, Borden gained the right for Canadian ratification of the Peace Treaty.

Lost in the midst of these stirring events was an intense, but related debate, in the House of Commons during the spring of 1919. A parliamentary committee recommended an end to the granting of knighthoods to Canadians. Soon thereafter, a resolution to this effect was moved by William F. Nickle MP for Kingston Ontario. Known as the Nickle Resolution it was subsequently passed by Parliament.

Of particular interest were the positions taken by the knighted Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden (temporarily absent at the Paris Peace Conference) and the knighted acting Prime Minister, Sir Thomas White. The latter assured the House that both unreservedly supported the bill. Regretably, the also knighted Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Leader of the Opposition, had died a few weeks earlier. Although no longer present, it was recognized that he would have supported the resolution.

This eighty year old debate returned to the limelight in 1999 when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien used the Nickle Resolution to block the granting of a title to British newspaper publisher, and Canadian citizen, Conrad Black. Black’s fury and later lawsuit against the government provided fuel for cartoonists and columnists alike. Dalton Camp referred to Black as Lord Almost; while Alan Fotheringham suggested no less than three titles: Lord Nearly Nearly; Lord Not Quite and Lord Black of Red Ink.

As to the outcome, we’ll have to await the court’s resolution of Black vs the Government of Canada. Leaving knighthood’s ruffled feathers aside, let’s go back to the day when such honors were accepted practice and Dorchester could claim two knights of the realm.

The first, Sir Albert James Smith (1822–1883), was born in Shediac. Educated in local schools,, he was to choose law as a career and article in the Dorchester law office of Edward Barron Chandler. Admitted to the bar in 1847, Smilh was elected as one of the MLA’s for Westmorland four years later.

After serving in the cabinet of Premier Leonard Tilley, Smith broke with the latter over Confederation. In the election of 1865 he led the anti-confederate forces, defeating an over confident Tilley. His victory was short-lived. In 1866 the confederation party forced another election and with Imperial backing, Canadian money and good luck, including a Fenian invasion during the campaign, Smith lost office. New Brunswick was to enter confederation in 1867.

In the second phase of Smith’s career, he switched to federal politics and was elected MP for Westmorland in the first Canadian general election of 1867. Six years later he found himself on the winning side, as the Macdonald government was defeated over the Pacific Scandal. From 1873 until the 1878 overthrow of Alexander Mackenzie’s Liberal government, Hon. Albert J. Smith served as Canada’s minister of Marine and Fisheries.

This was undoubtedly the high point of Smith’s career. He specialized in marine law, had a personal interest in shipbuilding; while the fishery was of great importance to New Brunswick. Prime Minister Mackenzie relied on him as regional minister for the Maritimes. Smith’s period in office saw the completion of the Intercolonial Railway, the rebuilding of Saint John following the disastrous fire of 1877 and the erection of a federal penitentiary in Dorchester. He demonstrated his political skills, behind the scenes, at the Halifax Fisheries Tribunal in June 1877. On this occasion Canada managed a favorable financial return for opening it’s east coast fishery to the United States. On May 25, 1878 Smith was knighted by Queen Victoria.

The Mackenzie government suffered defeat in the general election of 1878; although New Brunswick supported the Liberals. Smith sat on the opposition benches for the next four years only to suffer personal defeat in 1882 at the hands of a talented young lawyer from Sackville, Josiah Wood. After 30 years in the rough and tumble of politics, Sir Albert J. Smith retired to his estate, Woodlands in Dorchester, where he died on June 30, 1883.

The ancestors of the second knight from Dorchester, Sir Pierre-Armand Landry (1846–1916) were among the earliest settlers in Acadia. Although his family escaped deportation by fleeing to Ile St. Jean (later PEI), their lot was little different from those expelled in 1755.

Following a brief exile in France, the Landry’s returned across the Atlantic, to St. Pierre and Miquelon and by 1767 had resettled in Memramcook. Almost eighty years later, in 1846, Pierre-Armand’s father, Armand Landry, was elected as one of the MLA’s representing Westmorland — the first Acadian member of the New Brunswick legislature.

Pierre-Armand Landry received his education at Fredericton Collegiate School and St. Joseph’s College. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1870. His career and that of Dorchester’s first knight intersected, as Landry articled in Smith’s law office before establishing his own practice in the shiretown.

Immediately, he followed his fathers footsteps and entered politics. In 1870, in his 24th year, he was elected as one of the MLA’s for Westmorland. Landry served in the Fraser-Hanington governments as Provincial Secretary and later Commissioner for Public Works. In assuming these offices, he became the first Acadian to achieve cabinet rank. While holding the second portfolio, Landry supervised the construction of the present legislative building in Fredericton. In the election of 1883, he turned to federal politics and was elected Conservative MP for Kent; representing that constituency until 1890.

Although Pierre-Armand Landry’s political career was important, the courtroom was where he made his enduring mark. Landry’s interest in law went well beyond that of a country lawyer. For a time, he lectured in law at the University of Ottawa; however, the pull of Acadie proved too strong. Landry began his judicial career in 1890, as a county court judge in Westmorland-Kent. Three years later he was elevated to the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. Once again, the family made history, as Pierre-Armand Landry became the first Roman Catholic to be appointed to the High Court of the province.

Judge Landry’s strong legal background, fluency in French and English, combined with a keen sense of humor made him a popular and respected judge. To no one’s surprise, on Dec. 11, 1913, he was named Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench for New Brunswick.

The climax of a long career in public service as a trail blazing MLA, cabinet minister, MP and judge, came with the award of a knighthood by King George V on June 13, 1916. For the record, Landry was the first and last Acadian to be so honored. Unfortunately, he did not have long to enjoy this distinction. Chief Justice Sir Pierre-Armand Landry died at his home,The Maples, on July 28, 1916. Significantly, both Woodlands and The Maples still stand in Dorchester — recalling the careers of two outstanding New Brunswickers.

Although the granting of knighthoods was effectively settled in 1919 by the Nickle Resolution, it did not solve the question of an Honors List for distinguished Canadians. The Bennett government attempted in the 1930’s to restore the practice of awarding knighthoods; but it was short-lived. None were bestowed after 1935.

Many years were to pass before an Honors solution was found. In 1967, as part of Canada’s centennial celebrations, Prime Minister Lester Pearson presented a proposal to Parliament creating the Order of Canada. Passed without opposition, the Order fulfilled the need for an appropriate Canadian system to mark excellence in any field of endeavor.

Today we begin a special series of Tantramar Flashbacks. From time to time, I plan to feature the Memories And More of some of the interesting people I meet in writing this column. In this first profile, let me introduce Helen Field Walton.

Before our interview Helen sent me an essay in which she explored the history of Port Elgin. At the time, I was researching and writing a column on the industrial background of the village; consequently, her comments were both helpful and timely. However, one question remained. What made everyday life in Port Elgin special during the early twentieth century?

A native of Port Elgin, Helen Field was born March 11, 1911, the daughter of Harry Field and Leona Allen Field. She graduated from the Port Elgin Superior School. Then in 1927–28 it was on to Provincial Normal School in Fredericton, and a career in teaching. Her marriage in 1930 to Floyd Walton and the raising of their four children, Norma, Joyce, Owen and Thane, temporarily interrupted this career path.

In 1954, while living in Baie Verte, Helen returned to teaching. First she slipped across the provincial border to Tidnish Bridge; later accepting a position at the Baie Verte school. In 1963 on the invitation of Hayden Leaman, Principal of the Port Elgin Regional Memorial School, she joined the staff as a Mathematics teacher. Five years later, she returned to the elementary level, retiring in 1971.

When I enquired further about her teaching experience it was the first year, 1928–29 at Murray Corner that stood out. I had quite a struggle, it almost turned me off teaching. There were 43 pupils from grades 1 to 8. Also, a new curriculum had just been adopted. To add to my problems, all of the required textbooks were in short supply.

There was then no such thing as a regular pay cheque. When I needed money, I trekked up to the Secretary of School Trustees, who usually was able to scrounge about $20 at a time. My total salary for the year was $550 plus a $150 government grant. Fortunately, this experience did not turn her off. A second teaching career in the 1950s and 60s was to be both happy and satisfying.

In order to obtain a picture of growing up in Port Elgin in the teens and twenties of the last century, we began with the winter season. A community highlight in early January was the Christmas tree bonfire on the frozen river. Both skating and skiing were popular winter activities and Helen learned to skate at an early age. Especially exciting was the opportunity to skate in the open on the Gaspereau River. As she put it: Exhilarating! If you’ve never enjoyed outdoor skating, you don’t know what you’ve missed.

The village also boasted an indoor rink, permitting all weather skating.

It was a beehive of activity whenever the weather was cold enough to make ice. We would be dismissed from school one half hour early on Fridays if the rink was in operation… It was sheer bliss for me, when I could go to the rink for an evening of skating to the music of the local band.

Of particular interest were Port Elgin’s teams in both men’s and women’s hockey. Today, the latter are sometimes portrayed as being very new, a legacy of the enlightened 1990’s. Not so. Helen assured me that the Port Elgin Ladies’ Hockey team was very active, even playing visiting teams from PEI. More information on Port Elgin’s hockey heritage may be found in an article by Joan LeBlanc in the Mar. 8, 2000 issue of the ’Trib.

In the days before paved roads, spring meant MUD! A childhood incident was recalled concerning a new pair of shiny black rubber boots. Once she was forced to leave these behind, stuck in the mud. On the otherhand, Helen quickly pointed out that Port Elgin had cement side walks, many years before the highways were paved. For her, spring really arrived when the time came to go out the Shemogue road and pick mayflowers.

In the spring a favorite pastime was standing on the Iron Bridge (now a cement one) when the Gaspereau River, as far as one could see, was full of logs. These were being floated downstream to the sawmills of J. & C. Hickman and Silas Hayward and Sons. On the lower side of the bridge there was a wooden platform which spanned the width of the river.

Beyond the platform was a log boom which ran down the centre of the river. Here the logs were tallied, while men with pike poles and peavies guided the logs to either side of the boom. Those on the right for Hickman’s; on the left for Hayward’s. Some of the more daring boys would attempt to run over the logs from one side to the other — a few of the more agile could accomplish this feat — a very dangerous practise.

During the summer months attention turned to swimming, beach activities, tennis matches, and regular outdoor concerts at the bandstand. Whatever the season, the arrival of the daily train was an important event. In the summer there were two trains, with one a day for the rest of the year. To accommodate arrivals, Albert Copp met each train with his carriage; while Joe Harper delivered express and freight. Often commeRCIal travellers or ’drummers,’ would arrive by train and display their wares to prospective customers at the Strathcona Hotel. Helen also remembered that about 1923 a little seaplane came in and landed on the Gaspereau River; a sure attention getter!

One highlight of the summer season was the arrival of the Chautauqua Show at Hickman’s hall. It was part of an adult education movement, based at Lake Chautauqua in northern New York State. Each summer, groups of lecturers, entertainers, musicians and a magician, travelled to small communities, providing a sample of the programs offered at Chautauqua. These travelling shows died out in the late 1920’s; but not before bringing quality entertainment to many places such as Port Elgin.

The annual lobster season ran each year from early August to early October. Not only were the fishermen busy hauling traps the various enterprises of Fred Magee Limited were in full swing. Helen recalled: In 1930, the fishermen received five cents per pound for canners and eight cents a pound for market lobsters. When my mother was young, lobsters were so plentiful in the Cape Spear area, they could go to the shore, at low tide, and pick up all they wanted around the rocks… Lobster was then regarded as the poor man’s food!

A further change in the seasons was heralded by the Botsford and Westmorland Agricultural Society’s annual exhibition. People came from far and near; some to see the exhibits and others for the horse races at the raceway. Exhibition Day was a real highlight; we were given a half holiday from school… For the exhibitors, it was a real effort, when you recall that many of the items were brought in by horse and buggy from outlying districts.

Autumn witnessed not only the beginning of the school term, but also another year of regular activities at each of the village’s three churches: St. Clement’s Roman Catholic and the Methodist Church (now replaced by Trinity United) were located on Church Street, while St. James Presbyterian Church was on Main Street. Each year Halloween came and went without too much fanfare. Helen remembered that her father used to put the front gate away for safekeeping; and one year a group of the boys pushed a wagon into the river.

The Christmas season was a special time. Particularly memorable were Christmas concerts at the various one-room schools. It was such fun for the gang to travel in a horse drawn pung-sled, with straw in the bottom and buffalo robes for insulation from the cold.

Santa Claus always made his visit and Helen mentioned that the Christmas tree was decorated on Christmas eve. Among the decorations were metal holders with real candles… these would be lighted, just once, on Christmas night. What a wonderful sight it was!

All too soon, the cycle of the seasons was complete, and the interview was over. But not quite. Helen Field Walton wrote Memories of My Life as a Christmas present for her grandchildren. What a unique gift! Equally thoughtful was her willingness to share her recollections with me, and through the medium of Tantramar Flashback, with you, the readers. I hope that this first column of Memories And More will inspire others to take up pen and paper and follow her lead. There could be no more meaningful gift for the next generation and generations yet to come.

Anyone familiar with the town of Amherst will know of it’s association with four of Canada’s Fathers of Confederation. There is the annual Four Fathers Festival, the Four Fathers Memorial Library; not to mention the plaques on the old federal building noting that four of the Fathers were born within Cumberland County. To refresh memories, the famous quartette included: Sir Charles Tupper, Hon. Jonathan McCully, Hon. Robert Dickey and Hon. Edward Chandler.

Not so well known is that one of this group, Chandler, must also be listed as a New Brunswick Father of Confederation. Although born in Amherst on 22 August 1800, he later moved across the marsh to study law with his cousin, William Botsford at Westcock. Chandler successfully passed his legal examinations, and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1821 and that of New Brunswick in 1823. By this time he had made up his mind to establish a practice in Dorchester and was named judge of probate and clerk of the peace for Westmorland County.

Dorchester Island and surrounding area had been settled largely by Yorkshire emigrants and Loyalists. On the strength of its strategic location for shipping, shipbuilding and the presence of nearby stone quarries, the village was now the shiretown of Westmorland County. Chandler’s law practice prospered and within a few years he was able to build a splendid home for his growing family. Later named Rocklyn, this handsome Georgian building, constructed of local stone, still graces the crest of the hill in the centre of Dorchester.

Early in his career Chandler became involved in politics. He was elected to the legislature in 1827 and served as one of Westmorland’s MLA’s until 1836. He was then appointed to the legislative council. Classified by historians as a moderate reformer, Chandler championed a number of popular causes. He was instrumental in the province gaining control over crown lands from the British government; was a staunch defender of the rights of Acadians, and an active promoter of railways.

In 1843 Chandler became a member of the cabinet or Executive Council and served as the effectual leader of the government until 1854. However, his major political contribution was as a champion of Confederation. Chandler served as a member of the New Brunswick delegation to the 1864 Charlottetown and Québec conferences. Later, he took part in the historic London Conference which led to the proclamation of the British North America Act on 1 July 1867. Soon after, Chandler made history as one of only a handful of Canadians ever to decline an appointment to the Senate! Instead, he opted to become one of the commissioners involved in the construction of the new Intercolonial Railway. In 1878 he was named lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, only to die in office two years later on 6 February 1880.

Of his personality, historian W.C. Milner has written: Chandler’s habits and life always evinced the instincts of a gentleman. His hospitality at Rocklyn was proverbial; there he was the most charming of hosts and a true raconteur. On this July first, let’s salute the memory of the Honorable Edward Barron Chandler, one of Canada’s fore fathers.

Sixty years ago in the spring of 1938, world attention was focused on Moose River, a small Nova Scotia community, tucked away in the interior of Halifax County.

A sudden cave-in trapped three prospectors in an abandoned gold mine. Rescue teams were summoned and, after six days, it was discovered that miraculously the men were alive. Eventually two were rescued, while a third died in the attempt. On the spot broadcasts were carried to the outside world by a CBC mobile crew.

Listening hundreds of kilometres away, was a 34 year old Maritimer who had moved west to Alberta a decade earlier. Born at Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, not far from Moose River, in an area also noted for gold mining, the listener was intrigued and gripped as the epic tale unfolded.

Soon words for a new song began to form: Way down in old Nova Scotia/ Moose River it seems is the name/Three Canadians on Easter Sunday/To a tumbled-down gold mine they came/They entered the mine for inspection/Never dreaming fate trailed them close by… / and on the song continued, recounting details of the Moose River tragedy and triumph.

Shortly thereafter, The Rescue From Moose River Gold Mine was released by RCA Victor on the Bluebird label. Overnight it became an instant hit, as radio listeners everywhere were familiar with details of the event. The song-writer-balladeer was Wilfred Arthur Charles Carter (1904–1996), by then well known to his thousands of fans as Wilf Carter — The Yodelling Cowboy.

Claimed by Nova Scotia his birthplace, and by Alberta, where he lived part of his life; Wilf Carter also had strong New Brunswick connections. His adolescent years were spent in Point de Bute where his father Rev. Henry Carter, served as Baptist minister from 1919 until the latter’s death in 1928. Wilf Carter, is well remembered in the area, and tales are still told of his reputation for daring escapades and practical jokes.

One teen age prank is recounted in Carter’s autobiography. Often bored with school, he decided to play a trick on the student seated in front of him. Wilf wrote: I hid a screw driver in my pants pocket, and when the victim was up front with a recitation class, I carefully removed most of the screws that held his seat together. He was a big heavy kid and when he returned, he hit that seat pretty hard. He fell backward almost into my lap, and screws, wood and books went in all directions.

By the late 1930’s Wilf Carter’s popularity had grown to the point where he was making regular appearances on CBC, CBS and NBC network radio shows. His acclaim was not limited to North America. Wilf Carter recordings found their way to Australia and New Zealand where his ballads of life on the Canadian prairie were especially appreciated.

In 1940 he was seriously injured in an automobile accident, which hampered travelling in the decade that followed. Later, during the fifties and early sixties, his show became one of Canada’s major attractions. One reason for Wilf’s popularity was the recognition that his songs were rooted in experience. He had actually worked the range as a cowboy and knew how to toss a lariat as well as sing about one. It was no accident that he was later enrolled in the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

In 1983 RCA Victor released a two record anniversary tribute to Wilf Carter’s life and career. Two years later he was inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame. At 86 and full of tricks he made his last cross-Canada tour in 1990. Carter died December 5, 1996 just short of his 92nd birthday.

The Rescue From Moose River Gold Mine was deliberately selected as an example of the numerous songs and ballads composed and sung by Wilf Carter. While well known for cowboy songs and his expertise as a ’three in one’ or echo yodeler; it is this song, and others in the same tradition, that set him apart. Of The Rescue From Moose River Gold Mine folklorist Neil Rosenberg has written: Lots of people have collected it. It’s in the mould of early disaster folk songs.

Such compositions evoke a universal appreciation, a quality that is also a hallmark of the enduring folk song. The Miramichi novelist, David Adams Richards, has given voice to this point: Nothing gives us a feeling of who we are — with more of an instant emotional response — than a song. Wilf Carter was an extraordinary song writer and singer who struck that instant emotional response in the lives of ordinary people.

I am indebted to several local residents for providing information on the Point de Bute period in Wilf Carter’s life. Special thanks go to his sister-in-law, Mrs Helen Carter, who loaned a copy of his autobiography, along with a number of other documents highlighting Carter’s long career. Helpful material was also provided by Ms. Patricia Townsend, Maritime United Baptist Convention Archivist, Acadia University.

newspaper published a photograph of something new on the Tantramar. It was described as an arresting sight of beauty in steel… you’ll see the towers immediately, their red lights giving the atmosphere of a carnival at night. Still today, the network of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation towers brighten the Tantramar skyline; a landmark for all who travel the highway between Moncton and Amherst.

In 1939 the CBC was still in its infancy. Modelled on the British Broadcasting Corporation, it had evolved from the Canadian Radio Commission created by the Bennett government in 1932. On Nov. 2 1936, Parliament established the CBC as a crown corporation, and public broadcasting came to this country.

A problem from the beginning was Canada’s geography. Urban areas would soon become well served; however, large sections of rural Canada were beyond the range of CBC stations. As a partial remedy, it was decided in 1938 to build two new stations, one on the Prairies, the other in the Maritimes. In addition, plans were made to establish a series of low power transmitters to increase the range of CBC programming.

Following an extensive search, a decision was reached to construct the new facility for the Maritimes in an area known as Cole’s Island, on the Tantramar. Close to the geographic centre of the region; careful testing had revealed that the open expanse of marshland roundabout was ideal for radio broadcasting. Construction began in July 1938 and the new facility was completed a record nine months later. In addition to the towers, a building to house transmission equipment was erected.

At nine o’clock, Tuesday evening, March 28, 1939, an on air test was conducted. For the very first time the call signal: This is CBA, Sackville, New Brunswick, went out over the marsh and beyond… reception was deemed perfect. Many readers will notice that this call signal differs from the one that later became familiar to regional listeners: — This is CBA Maritimes.

There was a reason for the change, instituted a few weeks later. Since CBA was a publically opened facility designed to serve all three Maritime Provinces, a small town in New Brunswick ought not; [so the argument ran], receive all this free radio advertising. Political correctness prevailed even then; and CBA Maritimes was substituted.

The new station was officially opened on Friday evening, April 8, 1939. Honors were shared by Hon C. D. Howe, federal Minister of Transport; Leonard W. Brockington, first chairman of the CBC; along with all three provincial premiers: Thane Campbell PEI; A. Allison Dysart, NB and Angus L. Macdonald, NS. To draw attention to the miracle of radio none of the dignitaries were actually on the Tantramar. Howe and Brockington spoke from Ottawa; while the premiers were in different locations: Summerside PEI; Moncton, NB and Halifax, NS, respectively.

Once official pronouncements were over, the CBC got down to what it continues to do so well today, the presentation of a radio drama, especially commissioned for the occasion. Written by William Strange and produced in the Montreal CBC studios by Rupert Lucas the play highlighted links between past and present on the Tantramar.

In introducing the play a narrator commented: The powerful new transmitter, through which this inaugural program reaches you, is located on ground rich in historic lore and hallowed by the blood of two races. For close by stands Fort Beauséjour, an ancient landmark, where gunshot and cannon once sounded, and where armies clashed in a struggle for its possession.

Two contemporary (1939) engineers then start discussing their location on the windswept marsh. Drawing the attention of his companion to the nearby Beauséjour Ridge one engineer said: Did you know that soldiers at Beauséjour used to signal to the inhabitants around here to come to the Fort when there was an enemy approaching, by lighting a beacon fire on the highest point of the ridge? His companion replied: You mean there used to be signals from that hill way back then? Yes, two centuries apart… once messages were sent out from beacon fires… and now from radio… the wheel of fate completes the cycle!

A final postscript on the evolution of CBA Maritimes. The 1960s were years of expansion for the CBC in New Brunswick. In 1964, CBZ Fredericton and CBD Saint John, went on air. Four years later, on Dec. 9, 1968 CBA Maritimes, became CBA Moncton. The first studios were located at the corner of St George and Archibald Streets. A 472 foot tower and transmitter were installed at Pré-d’en-Haut. Later in 1970, the station moved to new CBC facilities adjacent to the Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Hospital.

Tomorrow, April 8, 1999 marks the 60th anniversary of the historic inaugural broadcast of CBA. It’s time for everyone to salute the presence of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the Marsh! From Semaphore to Short Wave will continue the story on April 21 when we’ll Flashback to the beginning of the International Service of the CBC — better known today as RCI — Radio Canada International.

Alarm clocks were set in a number of Sackville homes on the morning of May 15, 1941. Outside, dull grey skies, in evidence since dawn, suggested there would be rain later in the day. As people were waking up, the latest war news filtered through the radio.

The morning newscast from CBA Maritimes did little to brighten the sombre mood. The only relief was speculation concerning a mysterious landing by parachute on a Scottish moor. A few days earlier, Rudolf Hess, in direct line of succession after Adolf Hitler, had parachuted to safety following a solo flight from Germany. This unusual incident, was described by Winston Churchill as one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.

Already on land, the German blitzkrieg had conquered much of Western Europe, from Norway to the Pyrennes. A few weeks before, in April 1941, Germany began an offensive against Greece and Yugoslavia. The aerial bombardment of Britain was underway and no one could predict the outcome. At sea, the Battle of the Atlantic, in which the Royal Canadian Navy was to play an important role, had become more intense.

The reason for the early rising on that gloomy May morning, was an invitation received by Mayor Norman A. Hesler. It requested the presence of the Mayor and Aldermen at a ceremony to take place at an East Coast Canadian Port. Later in the day, the mayor accompanied by all eight aldermen left Sackville to attend the event. Once there, they were to witness the launching of a corvette to be named HMCS Sackville.

The following week the Tribune Post described the ceremony. Lashed by driving rain, the trim grey hull of another corvette for the Royal Canadian Navy slid smoothly down the ways… The Sackville slowly gathered momentum, to take the water stern first, amid the cheers of workmen and spectators, and the sound of ship’s foghorns and whistles.

In keeping with government censorship regulations, the location was still identified as an East Coast Canadian Port. We now know that the port was Saint John, and that the corvette was built by the Saint John Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Courtenay Bay.

Life on board RCN corvettes such as the Sackville was best described by one veteran as pure Hell. Quarters were unbelievably cramped, lack of adequate refrigeration guaranteed a limited diet; while seasickness was common due to the corvette’s roll and pitch on the North Atlantic Run. Any season on this unpredictable stretch of ocean is challenging; however, in winter weather, extra problems were created, with snow storms, windchill and ice.

Despite these difficulties, the more than 100 Canadian built corvettes played a pivotal role in the Battle of the Atlantic. Throughout the war they bore an unlikely classification: Flowers. This came about because British corvettes, on which the Canadian version was modelled, were named for flowers. Each Canadian corvette carried, with pride, the name of a town or village selected from all regions of the country. In addition to Sackville, other place names chosen from within New Brunswick were: Buctouche, Edmundston, Fredericton, Moncton, Shediac and Atholl for nearby Campbellton.

Designed specifically for convoy duty, the corvettes, aided by advances in radar and asdic underwater detection, were soon to prove their worth. Long range patrols by aircraft also assisted in escort duties. By 1943 the rate of loss among merchant ships dropped dramatically. In the space of five months the Germans lost 100 U-boats. From 1941 to late 1944 Sackville played its part in these stirring events. As a true survivor everything was experienced; from a mutiny by the crew, to the worst that the German submarine wolf pack might fire.

The story of Sackville’s wartime exploits has been expertly told by Dr. Marc Milner, a member of the Department of History at the University of New Brunswick. On two counts, it was appropriate for Dr. Milner to write this book. Not only is he a native of the town, a son of Bill and Rita Milner; he is Canada’s foremost naval historian. This well illustrated book, HMCS Sackville 1941–1985 is a guaranteed good read and best of all, it’s currently available in better book stores everywhere.

For those who might wish more detail on the Battle of the Atlantic, I recommend additional books by Dr. Milner. They are: The North Atlantic Run: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys (1985), and it’s sequel, The U-Boat Hunters (1994). Two others are also suggested: Tom Lynch’s Fading Memories: Canadian Sailors and the Battle of the Atlantic (1993) and Mac Johnston’s Corvettes Canada: Convoy Veterans Tell their Story. (1994).

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about HMCS Sackville was that it’s story did not end with the war. Most of the surviving corvettes were either scrapped or sold to the highest bidder. After a brief stint as a training ship, she was refitted as a loop layer in late 1944. The loop indicators were systems of electrical cables that recorded changes in the earth’s magnetic field caused by the passage of a ship. Understandably they were an essential part of the seaward defence of all major East Coast Canadian Ports. Sackville was first given the task of repair and maintenance of the cables and later, after the war, their removal.

In 1952 Sackville began another chapter in it’s long life of service. For the next thirty years, until 1982, the ship was to be dedicated to scientific and oceanographic research. Part of this time it was stationed at St. Andrew’s NB. By 1982 it seemed apparent that, at long last, the end was near for the aging corvette. Or was it?

Dr. Milner described the setting: She returned to Halifax [from Bermuda] on 1 August 1982. When her engines rang off 1019 hours on that fresh summer morning her years of service came to an end. On Dec. 16, 1982 HMCS Sackville was decommissioned with appropriate ceremony. Milner continued: Nostalgic and curious onlookers lined the waterfront, standing patiently in the fog and drizzle as Sackville steamed past.… Just as that long ago day in May 1941 [in Saint John] when she first hit the water, ships sounded their foghorns and whistles.

Miraculously for the Sackville there was to be one more reprieve. Over the next three years recognition began to sink in that the ship was the last of The Flowers, and that it constituted an important part of Canada’s wartime heritage. Coincidentally, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax was looking for a ship that would link the facility with the Royal Canadian Navy.

After much negotiation HMCS Sackville was eventually selected for this purpose. Time was required for the necessary refitting from a research vessel, back to the slim grey corvette of 1941. On May 4, 1985 the restored Sackville officially became part of the Museum complex. The ship that for so long honored a town on the Tantramar, had now reached it’s final anchorage.

May 7, 2000 will be marked throughout Canada as Battle of the Atlantic Sunday. This tradition began in October 1950 and was partly inspired by the anniversary of Nelson’s naval victory at the battle of Trafalgar. Since this date had no special meaning for the Royal Canadian Navy, the commemoration was changed the next year to the first Sunday in May. This new date was more appropriate, as it is would fall close to the anniversary of V-E Day, May 8, 1945, and the official end of the war in Europe.

For Canadians, Battle of the Atlantic Sunday this year will have special meaning. In 1999, the federal government gave formal recognition to members of the Merchant Navy for their role in the war. On Sunday May 7, let’s pause for a moment and remember the sacrifices of ALL who served on the North Atlantic Run. Let’s also salute HMCS Sackville for it’s unique role in time of war and peace. There will never be another Flower named Sackville!

(Special thanks to Barbara Fisher for suggesting this topic. I am also indebted to her for the loan of broadcast tapes and notes.)

On May 19, 1863, Mount Allison College held its first Convocation. Each year since then, this event has become as firmly fixed in the local calendar as the passage of the seasons. The actual date fluctuates within the month; and the size of the graduating class has grown upward, from single digits to the hundreds; yet its significance remains.

Although an element of predictability continues, it should not be overlooked that each convocation has its own distinctive characteristics. This certainly held true for the Mount Allison closing exeRCIses on May 25, 1875 — 125 years ago. For the very first time, a woman was listed among the graduates.

There is always a danger that we may be tempted to look at such past events through twenty first century eyes. History must be viewed through the prism of it’s own day. Certainly, in 1875, the idea of women graduating from university was considered by many as revolutionary.

The stage was set three years earlier, by James Robert Inch (1835–1912), principal of the Ladies Academy. In 1872, as a member of the College Board, Inch moved that ladies having matriculated and completed the course of study prescribed… shall be entitled to receive the degrees in the arts and faculties upon the same condition as… imposed upon male students of the college.

The motion was carried and the way opened for the granting of degrees to women. Inch, who later became Mount Allison’s third president, was justifiably pleased with his success. He quickly staked the claim that by this liberal policy, Mount Allison now leads all the seminaries in these provinces.

The first to qualify under the new regulation was Grace Annie Lockhart (1855–1916). A native of Saint John and daughter of Susan Whittiker and Edward Lockhart, she studied at the Ladies Academy, qualifying for a liberal arts diploma in 1874. However, it was her achievement of the degree, Bachelor of Science and English Literature, on May 25, 1875, that propelled her into the history books. Not only was this a first for Canada; Lockhart became the first woman in the then British Empire (now Commonwealth), to receive a university degree.

At the time, the event did not receive much local attention. Even the Argosy was modest in its assessment: We believe she is the first lady in these provinces to receive a college degree. There were reasons, bound up in the society of the day, for this low key approach. Let’s take a closer look.

In presenting this motion to the College Board, Inch was revealed as a good academic politician. Recognizing that there was reluctance among some faculty members, his motion focussed on the academic side of the debate. As principal of the Ladies Academy, he knew that academically, many of his students were the equal of their male counterparts. If this was the case, and they passed the same examinations, why should they not be admitted to the same degrees?

Although the concept was approved by the Board in 1872, there remained an undercurrent of doubt concerning the idea. Dr. John Reid, in his well researched history of Mount Allison points out that the position of the President Dr. David Allison was not entirely clear. Although he was on record as stating that Education that differentiates between the sexes is wrong, he lacked Inch’s enthusiasm for the move. In fairness to Allison, Reid concludes that although [Allison] believed that relatively few women would ever desire… to go to college, he gave no support to those who might obstruct the plan.

In addition to looking at this question within the university, Inch and his supporters had to consider the wider audience of those who might obstruct the plan. How would this move be viewed beyond the small academic circle of Sackville? In common with academies and colleges both within Canada and abroad, Mount Allison was then governed by a strict moral code.

Significantly, the Mount Allison of that era was in reality, three separate, yet related institutions. The oldest was Mount Allison Wesleyan Male Academy dating from 1839. Next in line was the Mount Allison Wesleyan Female Academy — to be known later as the Ladies College. Finally there was the newest creation, Mount Allison Wesleyan College. It was organized in July, 1862, in accordance with a charter approved by the New Brunswick legislature.

The official title of all three included the word Wesleyan, as befitted a Methodist foundation. It is then, not surprising to find scattered throughout the 1875 calendar, inferences that parents need have no fear in sending their sons or daughters to any of the three institutions. The Mount Allison Wesleyan academies and college could always be counted upon to act in loco parentis — in place of parents. Both the social and academic requirements listed for prospective students were explicit. For those who did not concur with the strict moral code of the day, expulsion would quickly follow. This was Victorian Canada.

Tho people who opposed, or were lukewarm to the idea of admitting women to degrees need not have worried. Seven years were to pass before another woman achieved similar status at Mount Allison. This was to be Harriet Starr Stewart (1862–1931), who graduated in 1882. She was the daughter of Dr. Charles Stewart and his wife Harriet Starr. It is worth noting that her father had seconded James Robert Inch’s historic motion ten years earlier. Harriet Starr Stewart also made history in her own right. She was the first woman in Canada to receive the degree, Bachelor of Arts.

One question remains. What happened to Mount Allison’s first woman graduate after May 25 1875? Details are sparse; however, we do know that she taught school for a time in her home city, Saint John. On June 23, 1881, she married a classmate, John L. Dawson (1851–1918), by this time an ordained Methodist minister. This marriage of two Allisonian classmates, began a tradition that undoubtedly will be repeated many times over, by members of the Class of 2000.

For the next 35 years, the Dawson’s served churches throughout the Maritimes; including a stint (1906–10) at Sackville Methodist (now United) Church. This was in keeping with the Methodist tradition, of moving to a new congregation, at approximately three year intervals.

These many moves did not interfere with the education of their three sons, all of whom were academic achievers. Following graduation from Mount Allison, Kenneth ’15 and Chesley Dawson ’24 found careers in science and engineering. The third son, Wilfred, was named a Rhodes Scholar and studied at Oxford, following graduation from Mount Allison in 1914. He later emigrated to the United States, finding his life’s work as a university professor. Grace Lockhart Dawson died in Charlottetown on May 18, 1916.

In the 125 years since that memorable convocation on May 25. 1875. Grace Lockhart Dawson has been honored many times. The centennial of her graduation was appropriately marked on Oct. 17, 1975. Special ceremonies were held at the fall convocation, when Dr. W. S. H. Crawford was installed as Mount Allison’s eighth president. On Sept. 25, 1993, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada unveiled a monument marking her achievement. It is located adjacent to the University Chapel.

The featured speaker at the unveiling was Mount Allison’s Chancellor, Margaret Norrie McCain, a trail blazer in her own right, as the the first woman to hold this post. She was later to add the distinction of being the first woman named lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick. In her speech the Chancellor summarized in one sentence, the legacy of Grace Lockhart Dawson: She has become a symbol to all women… to be defined not by society, or societal forces… but according to their own capabilities. This journey, for the women of Canada and the Commonwealth, began on the Tantramar 125 years ago!