The Western Front Assoc.

For all who might be interested...

The Western Front Association - Pacific Coast Branch, an organization dedicated to educating the public and maintaining an interest in the history of the Great War (WW1), is holding their annual series of seminars in early March 2017 at the Bay Street Armoury.

For more information, either follow the link to their website above, or you can click on the image below to be taken directly to their pdf registration form as well as all the information about the upcoming seminar program.

Enjoy.

I made a Havelock....and you can too

I made a Havelock....and you can too

 

Perhaps most commonly associated with the French Foreign Legion, thanks to countless books and movies depicting the Legionnaires in North Africa wearing the iconic white cap cover with neck flap, the havelock was known to be in use since about the middle of the 19th century by the British army in India.  Being an extremely useful piece of kit, it's use quickly spread to other armies in other hot regions of the world.

Early settlement of Mt. Newton Valley

Early settlement of Mt. Newton Valley

 

Known to be the oldest church in BC still on its original site and having been in continuous use since being built, St. Stephen's Anglican Church was once an important center to a new and, for quite some time, isolated community.  It is now little known, few remembering or knowing it's history or significance to the area.

The history of Vancouver Island is very recent.  White settlement didn't start until the building of Fort Victoria, a fur trading outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company, in 1843.  Farms were needed to support the Fort and provide fresh produce.  One of the earliest settled in the area was Craigflower Farm, named after the farm in England owned by Andrew Colville, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Craigflower farm was one of the very first farming communities in all of Western Canada, and it was to this farm that an enterprising young Scotsman, William Thomson, found his way, via an eventful route, in 1854.

 

The Haversack and its Contents

The Haversack and its Contents

 

The Haversack is an important and often overlooked part of the soldiers gear.  In the British Army, it is also known as a bread bag and was used to carry the soldiers food rations.

Haversacks have been used for a long time, but by the 1700's the British Army started to standardize the sizes so that each soldier could carry the prescribed amount of food that was issued, and no less.

Lantern Tour

Lantern Tour

 

VEMRA once again held it's annual, and very popular,  one night only fundraiser of amateur dramatics on the last Saturday of September.

This year, as with most years there were four skits presented.  Each was stationed in a different area of Fort Rodd Hill.

And despite facing stiff competition from the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Victoria, and less than ideal weather conditions, it still ended up being a very successful night.

Metchosin Day Event

Metchosin Day Event

 

From small beginnings in 1967, Metchosin Day has grown over the years into a really big community event.  The annual one-day fall fair, held every year on the first Sunday after Labour Day, is a family oriented, pet friendly, free event. 

This year saw over 150 vendors participating, and thousands of visitors coming from all over to enjoy the beautiful day.  Starting with the pancake breakfast, bright and early at 8 am, the day was jam packed until the lamb and salmon bbq in the early evening.

The Making of a Haversack

The Making of a Haversack

What is now commonly known as a Haversack, in the British Army, was referred to as a bread bag.  It is generally defined as a small bag with a single shoulder strap.  In military use, it was usually made of undyed canvas, or black canvas if you were in a British or Commonwealth rifle regiment, and was used to hold a soldiers food rations.  (There will be a lot more about the haversack and it's history, plus all about what was actually carried inside in a future blog post...)

The pattern for this haversack came from, "Soldiers' Accoutrements of the British Army 1750 - 1900" by Pierre Turner.  It is the 1880 General Service model.  I'm using a 100% cotton canvas in black this time.

(Picture heavy post)

 

Straw hat to Bergere

Straw hat to Bergere

 

A bergere is a type of hat that was very popular during the 18th century, mostly mid-century.  Typically it is a straw hat with a very shallow crown and wide brim, most often decorated with ribbons and flowers. The word bergere means shepherdess in french, and the fashion for dressing up as a shepherdess or inspired by was also very popular during the 18th century.

Here you have a couple famous examples of bergere hats...

Fab Forts Event

Fab Forts Event

 

This past weekend we had our most recent event out at Fort Rodd Hill. 

Fab Forts is always a very casual, fun event where anything goes.  Some of us dust off that impression that rarely sees the light of day, others create a whole new one, and most just wear their favorite tried and true.

This year turned out to be a fairly busy day, with Rome being one of the most popular attractions.