HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1954-07-28, Page 36Page Thirty-six The Wingham Advance-Times, Wednesday, July 28, 1954
Harry J. Boyle Reminisces on
Early Days at Station CKNX
" As a very small boy on a farm on ers of political action also mingled in
a sideroad in West Wawanosh Town- ’ ’ ' ”
ship, I had vividly tinted ideas of the
grandeur of what I ardently felt were
two metropolitan centres. They were,
namely, Wingham and Goderich,
Once, in fact, after a ride in a horse
and buggy on a bitterly cold day, I
actually saw Wingham and, as we
came in the road from Belgrave, the
main street stretched away into in
finity. Since we drove "only as far as
Crawford’s Garage, I had an idea for
a long time that the main street ran
on for miles.
Moving at the tender age of six with
my mother and father, Mr. and Mrs.
W. A. Boyle, to the comparative sophi
stication of the general store at St.
Augustine, I gained a truer perspec
tive of the town, and it remained with
in my experience for many years.
Since St. Augustine, famous for its
dances that attracted ardent swains
(and the odd bootlegger) from all
over the country, was without rail fa
cilities, my father depended upon
Wingham and Auburn for the impor
tation of staples and supplies, ranging
from bread to buggy whips.
Two memories of association with
Wingham stand out vividly in the
hazy pattern of childhood recollections
I can remember thumping along
in a rattling Model T truck with my
father taking, eggs, cream, and poul
try, which he had "purchased from the
first typewriter was purchased, from
Alvy Walker. It was a jnonstrpus
double-keyboard affair.
Then, by sheer chance, T had the
opportunity to go back and" do some
reporting with the London Free Press
and two of the Toronto papers. En
thusiasm and necessity brought the
name of the town to many pages of
newsprint.
Loyal Orange Lodge
Older than Town
a pushing and jostling contest in the
area between the Town Hall and the
Armouries, but my father lugged me
off to Hanna’s to buy a suit of clothes.
As I remember it, I ended y.p with a
plain and quite substantial one in
place of the flashy job which John
Hanna had displayed so cleverly to
catch the eye of a most impressionable
boy.
Following a summer during which
I had the doubtful pleasure of being
run over by a McLaughlin-Buick
touring car containing a strictly ama
teur baseball team, I was sent to
Wingham High School, sheathed in a
casing of adheseive and plaster of
paris. It had many disadvantages and
only one advantage. I was allowed to
watch rather than be sacrificed in the
annual ritual of initiation. As I re
member, another interested spectator
was G. L. Brackenbury, who was
stationed in the physics room on the
second floor. The only participant I
recall vividly was John Pattison. I
was also able to determine that the
‘fishworms’ so essential in the hazing
were only pieces of cold macaroni.
My time in Wingham High School
was made up of a minimum of study;
borrowing the odd dollar from the
late Frank Sturdy when winter weath
er prevented me from going home for
the week-end; the diamond socks the
principal always wore; the youthful
sophistication of the older McKibbons,
Raes, Fox’s, etc.; and learning to play
pool at Omar Haselgrove’s
benevolent eye of “Ed”.
There was also the thrill
evitable spring floods, the
accident on the’bridges south of town
and the terrific hot dogs sold by Mrs.
Merkley at the booth. When wintry winds locked people indoors on a Sun-! Lockridge brothers, while Harry Fry
day there were at least three places ducked in to appease his hunger with
to go. If you had money, you could a slice of cooked meat. I was going
order something and while away the ’ ’ ’ ' ’ '
time at the Greek’s or Lee’s. If you
were lucky you were allowed to join
the gang at Jack Cruickshank’s shack
on the back of the property where
Tom Rafferty is now living. There
was also the memory of Miss Mar
garet Anderson’s boarding house with
its old fashioned comfort and abun
dance of food. There were also innu
merable, unspoken crushes for the
glamour girls of Wingham
these shall remain cloaked
anonymity.
While boarding with Mr. and- Mrs.
Clayton Fry, I became aware of
CKNX. I decided to approach ‘Doo'
Cruickshank, He listened to rny ‘pitch’
about carrying local news on his
station, listened to me on the micro
phone and hesitated. The ‘pitch’ con
tinued and then after a consultation
with Howard Bedford, he said/ “Okay,
you can try out but we won’t be able
to pay you anything.” After two
weeks, however, and by dint of hard
work and the response of enough loyal
relatives, I managed to make enough
impression to get a ‘token’ salary. .
The oldest lodge that has continued
to function through the years, is the
Loyal Orange Lodge No. 794. The
L.O.L. received its warrant on Decemr-
ber 4.th, 1856,. with Robert Hogg as
first master. Mr, Hogg was the grand
father of the present master, Percy
Hogg, .
The fact that the L.O.L. was orga
nized before settlers had arrived in
Wingham, would indicate that it was
first formed ip the township and re
moved to Wingham at a later date,
after people had located in the Town
Plot.
under the
of the in-
occasional
High but
in blessed
That Was in 1935 and in January
of 1937 I married Marion McCaffery
of Dutton who was teaching at St.
Augustine. In October of the fateful
year 1939, Patricia Ann was born at
Wingham General Hospital, under the
careful supervision of Dr.
Connell.
William
pleasant
cheerful
1935-1941 were good and
years. There was always a
greeting from Capt. Adams as we at
tended the Lyceum Theatre. The high-
ceilinged rooms of the Old Spotton
Business College, indulgently called a
‘studio’ by friends, was the first apart
ment, exchanged later for the luxury
of a nine-room one over McAvoy’s
drug store. This was convenient, with
many a dash across in the early
ing to turn on a fickle machine
the Trans-Radio Press ticker,
worked about half the time,
were midnight chats and coffee with
Night Watchman Bert Platt. There
was a also the friendly credit on to
bacco extended by Mr. Bell in his
tiny shop in the corner of the Bruns
wick Hotel, and noon-day lunches in
Jean Fralick’s tearoom, and hockey
talk in Field’s butcher shop with the
The Orange 'Hall was erected in
1873, and at the time of the official
opening on November 5th of that year,
the building was free of debt. Thos.
Abraham, who had been master for
several years, was manager of the
building enterprise and the contract
was let for $520. Mrs. John Cornyn
donated the property for the hall on
,the understanding that it would al
ways be used as the meeting place of
the Orange Lodge.
Bro. Abraham, Rev. jDavis of St.
Paul’s Church, Rev. Kellum of the
Weslyan Methocfist Church, Dr. J. E.
Tamlyn and T. Holmes, J.P., were on
the platform for the opening cere
monies.
morn-
called
which
There
In the early days there was a mem
bership of 125 and when it came to
a church parade, the local order could
turn out 50 men in frock coats and
black silk hats, making an impressive
sight.
The Wingham Orange Lodge also
had the best fife and drum band in
Western Ontario, comprised of twenty-
six members. William Deakin, who
had served for 21 years in
military bands, was the leade:
British
to say bologna but Harry might mis
interpret me.
Wally Armstrong started'publishing
j a series of my weekly newspaper ar-
' tides. We tried our hand at a radio
drama series with Alton Adams as the
most serious Dr. Peter Harris. There
was a great sense of actively partici
pating in the affairs of Wingham and
the community, punctuated each week
by the hilarity of the Saturday Night
Barn Dance.
During the war of 1914-1918,
of the
armed
Wiley,
L.O.L.,
several
in the
Frank
farmers, to the U.F.O. in Wingham.
Art Wilson, with his pipe clenched
firmly in his teeth, the glasses and
the cropped hair, seemed like a legen
dary figure as he directed the affairs
of the great plant.
The second memory is of Wally
Miller and his great, sway-backed
green truck that appeared at home
every week. What a treasure horde of
fabulous things he 1 ad tucked away
On the racks.and shelves! In addition
to the stapks such as Macdonald’s
Cut Plug and Big Ben and Stag chew
ing tobacco, cigarettes and cigars, he
also carried confectionery. This was
an age of development and Wally, in
addition to the steady sellers such as
Sweet Marie. Wildfire and Denver
Sandwich chocolate bars, was intro
ducing new kinds. There was also the
incentive of being given a licorice pipe
or whip for carrying the boxes into
the store. It was a source of great
interest to watch how neatly Wally
could open a carton with the sturdy
thumb which remained on the hand
from which he had lost the digits.
reckoningThese interests meant a
and the result was to be sent to St.
Jerome’s College in Kitchener. This
was a boarding school with a high,
red, board fence and rigid rules.
By 1933 jobs were hard to find. In
fact, it was almost impossible and
when you found one the man next to
you. on the construction job had an
M.A. It was most discouraging. For
me it was also a periocT of trying to
write and having a small success. My
In 1941 I went to the Stratford Bea
con Herald. In 1942 I joined the Can
adian Broadcasting Corporation. After
periods in The Farm Broadcast De
partment and as program director of
the Trans-Canada Network, I w§s ap
pointed director of radio and television
programs for Ontario.
My family, all'of whom except Mi
chael, who was born in Toronto in
1946, have direct ties with Wingham.
We join with you in the recollection
of fond memories and great hopes for
the future as you celebrate your
seventy-fifth anniversary.
Now Miller Wholesale, Building
Was Once Produce Establishment
The building owned by Roy Adair
and occupied, by Miller Wholesale, on
the north side of Alfred Street, was
orginally a produce plant..
Charles Gillespie, of Whitechurch,
had an egg packing, establishment on
the site about 1900. .After his death
the building was sold to* Gunn’s Ltd.,
of Toronto. The plant was destroyed
by fire in 1904, the loss estimated at
from $8,000 to $10,000 but was rebuilt.
Gunn’s pickled t __ ' ____ ___ _____
their product to the Old Country.! ag0, the other portion has been oc-
Poultry, cream and eggs were also ; cupied by Walden Brothers Transport,
handled at the Wingham branch of-gu to Adair Transport
the firm, and a pork packing depart-
ment was operated at Toronto. Some *
,, , , hogs were purchased here but were;
a sma oy at < nc -. sbjpped f.o ]arg01.’ centre for pro-1
meeting. The two: If I; c essrng.
; In 1914 the business was bought by
1 A. H. Wilford, who had been employed
by Wm. Davies Co. He operated it
! for three or four-years, at which time
> Gunn's Ltd. again took over the est
ablishment. Edgar Harrison was
manager, and he remained in that
Those were also the halcyon days of
nickel packages of cigarettes. In the
days of pleasantly relaxed accounting
of a general store, several of these
packages vanished from the shelves
of father’s store. After due experimen
tation and resultant nausea. I aban
doned my research into this phase of
the nicotine habit and adopted a pipe
which became in later days in Wing
ham almost a trademark.
Davies Co. amalgamated and became
known as Canada Packers Co. Ltd.
Canada Packers started a feed .mill
on the old Lepard Hotel property on
Josephine Street, which they bought
(from Henry Thompson about seven-
' teen years ago. The Gunn building was
{then sold to Roy Adair and occupied
■ by Adair Transport.
Miller Wholesale has rented part
‘ of the building for the past five or
eggs and shipped l six years and until a couple of months
I remember as ;
ing a nomination
men who stood out were John King
and George Snotton. the man about
whom stories were legion. Somehow
or other my attentions were diverted
from the issues at stake Im the old
curtain with gaudy adve rtisements for
the merchants, som» of whom had
even at that time gone the way of all -
merchants and flesh but I do remem- j position for seven years,
her, if I’m not mistaken the name of Eventually Gunn’s Ltd., Canadian
Mundys’ Grocery. Two ardent follow- Packing Co., Harris Abattoir and Wm.
0-0-0
Second Produce Building
On Edward Street
Produce Plant Now Miller Wholesale *Produce Plant Now Miller Wholesale * ,
William Armour purchased the
Temperance Hall, on Edward Street,
which had originally been the old
town hall, and converted it to an.egg
packing plant in 1900. Two years later
he added a cold storage building ad
joining the plant and in 1904 erected
an ice house on the property.
Following. Mr. Armour’s death in
1910, his son, W. J. Armour, carried
on as manager. The establishment
was sold within a few years to Wm.
Davies and Co., who had been located
in the Kent Block, and they in turn
sold to Art Adams after the amalga
mation of the produce companies.
Stan Campbell and Jack Gorputt
now occupy the building and carry on
a sash and wood products concern.
E. F. Gerster has decided to remain
in town until Wingham becomes a
city. —Ad 1890.* ♦ *
The prices tell. The quality sells.
Parlor, chamber, and furniture of all
kinds at prices that will astonish you
at Scott and Bell's. —Ad 1887.
Fresh strawberries. Ten boxes for
$1.00 at Hill's City Restaurant. -*-Ad
1889.
■ - &
Wingham’s memorial to fallen heroes of .the First World War was unveiled in
August, 1924, by Sir Arthur Currie, who commanded Canada’s forces during the war.
Massed choirs from the churches sang during the ceremonies and flowers were
• placed not only by representatives of the municipalities, but by about 50 girls from
the public school.
lodge members served
forces, one of these,
being seriously wounded. The
County of North Huron, do-’
nated a machine gun to the 33rd Bat
talion, of which the Wingham branch
paid its allotment. All service men
were kept in good standing during.
their absence.
Many welfare projects have been
supported in the past, some of -which
are: Assistance to the Red Cross, gifts
to soldiers, donations to the True
Blue orphanages, relief work and aid
to the Sick Children’s Hospital, To
ronto.
At the present time there is a mem
bership of 30 with the officers as
follows: P.M., Milo Casemore; Master,
Percy Hogg; Deputy Master, Earl E.
Hamilton; chaplain, Robt. Spotton;
rec. sec., James Golley;
Isard; treas., Bob Golley; Marshall,
Wm. McGee; 1st lecturer, Alex Ro
bertson; 2nd lecturer, David Weir;
committeemen, Geo. Seiling, Hedley
Burden and John Ward.
sec. Bert
Several members of the Wingham
lodge have served as County Master,
Earl Hamilton being the most recent
and serving a two-year term, 1951-52.
In the past there has been a large
membership of Lady True Blues and
Orange Young Britons, but neither
of these orders are functioning today.
' The first military unit to be formed
in Wingham was organized only a few
years after the community began its
existence. On September 14, 1866, a
militia unit was organized, to act in
company with similar groups in Walk
erton and Goderich. Training was car
ried on for two weeks in the year,
but during the time of the threatened
Fenian Raids the militia was held 'in
readiness for defence of this section
of Ontario. As has been related else
where, their services were never re
quired.
In 1885 a volunteer company was
formed under the command of Capt.
Elliott, and training was undertaken
for service in the Northwest, where
the Riel Rebellion was in progress.
However, the uprising was quelled be
fore the local unit saw action.
LATE DAVID LOUGHEED
native of Wingham, served his
. Men from Wingham played their
part in the Boer War in South Africa.
Chester McLaren was a member of the
first contingent which left for the
Cape and David Lougheed was in the
second contingent. Thomas Gregory,
a native of Wingham who served with
the Lord Strathcona Horse, received
the Strathcona Medal from King Ed
ward VII in London, England. In 1901
Sextus Kent, P. Long, F. Melvin and
Sandy McGregor went to South Af
rica with Baden-Powell’s South Afri
can Police Force.
When David Lougheed joined the
services the town took out a $1,000
life insurance policy, payable to his
mother, and when he returned the
following year he was presented with
a gold watch.
The fourth South Agrican Contin
ent included Robert McDonagh, who
had enlisted with the CM Rifles.
Attended Coronation
A. E. Angus of Wingham was chos
en to represent the 33rd Regiment in
the contingent of Canadian troops
which attended the coronation of King
George .V in 1911. The unit trained in
Quebec for ten days before they
for England on the Empress of
land.
left
Ire-
the. Local papers in 1913 recorded
fact that John Lougheed, of Wing
ham, had received a cheque for $100
from th& Federal Government in re
cognition of his services during the
Fenian Raid in 1866. Payment of the
cheque was 47 years after his time of
^service.
In 1914, the first year of the Great
War, V. R. VanNorman and Chief
George Allen raised funds and trans
ported several ’'auto loads of citizens
to Goderich, where the enlisted men
from Wingham and district formed in
the court house square. Of the 70
men from the county ready for ser
vice, 30 Were’ from Wingham, After
addresses from several dignitaries, the
Wingham men were presented
wrist watches.
with
161st Battalion Formed
When the war broke out in
the old 33rd Regiment was re-named
ih orders!, the hew1 designation being
the 161st (Huron) Battalion. Com
mand was left in the hands of Col.
H. B. Coombe, seCond-in-cdmmand
was Major C. McPhail; Major J. W.
Shaw, medical officer; Major W. D.
McTaggart, paymaster; Capt, C. G.
1914
H.company commander; - Major
Campbell, B. company commander;
Major McPhail, C. company com
mander; Capt. Towne, D. Company
commander.
Within a few weeks enlistments for
overseas service had brought the lo
cal unit up to strength and it was
moved to Battalion headquarters at
Clinton for, further training, along
with units from Clinton and Goderich.
The battalion was sent overseas, ar
riving in England in October, 1916.
During the training period in the
Old Country the battalion was broken
up and the personnel assigned to
other regiments, it late; being said
that there was hot a Canadian bat
talion in - France that did
someone from the 161st in
not have
its ranks.
Many Lives Lost
Men and women from
paid the price of patriotism in almost
every sector of the bloody fighting
which lasted until 1918. Below are the
names of those who fell in action, as
well as those who later passed away
as recorded on the honor roll' at the
town hall.
Nursing Sister Maud Hanna, Gor
don Adair, Laughlin Aitchison, Wall
ace Aitchison, Harry Baker, Herbert
Bond, Leonard Brock, William Bu
chanan, Robert Chittieburgh, Herbert
Clark, William Darnell, Arthur Dovey,
Grant Fetterly, Ross Forsyth, Herbert
French, Paul E. "Gillespie, George
Hayles, Alex Henry, W. Edward Helps
Joseph Holland, Richard G. Howson,
Frank Johnston, Jack' Mitchell, Geo.
Monk, Edward J. Murch, Thomas T.
McDonald, Theo McDonald, Cheslcy
Philcox, Alfred Pullen, Percy Sider,
Percy W. Vanner, Harvey F. Willis.
Cavalry Unit Formed
In 1921 a squadron of the 9th Grey
Horse was formed here under the
command of Lt.-Col. Moss with Major
Pettigrew as second in command. Lo
cal commander was Major VanWyck.
Wingham
’suiting injuries to the animals made •
jthe venture too costly.
j The local armouries was idle until.
{1938, when the 99th Battery was form
ed, as part of the 21st Field Brigade,
with headquarters at London. Major
G. 'Howson was battery commander
of this unit, which was. the first Ar
tillery unit in Wingham. Re-organiz
ation of the brigade into the 21st
Field Regiment saw the headquarters
transferred to Wingham and com
mand turned over to Lt.-Col. G. How-
son" Second in command was Major
E. Creighton. The re-organization was
made necessary when the original 99th
Battery went into active service as a
part of the 19th Field Regiment SP,
"and served with distinction in the
Second World War.
Every resident of the community
was thankful, when hostilities ended,
to realize that the price of sacrifice
in number of lives was not as great
as it had been in the first war, but
the price in individual heroism had
been the same. The fallen are:
Leslie J. Adair,' Percy Biggs, William
Groves, MacKenzie Habkirk, William
Kew, George King,. Preston Lediett,
Gebrge.’ Lloyd, James McKague, Wil
liam Pym, Clifford Taman, George
Wheeler.
Command Changes
Howson retired from the
in 1946, when it was again
Lt.-Col.
regiment
re-organized as an anti-tank outfit.
Command of the regiment' went to
Major R. S. Hetherington, who had
just returned from service overseas,
and who was promoted to Lt.-Col.
The latter served as regimental com
mander until 1952, being succeeded
at that time by Lt.-Col. E. D. Bell,
who still holds the post. Second -in
command is Major Tt W. Platt, of
Wingham; medical officer, Major W.
A. McKibbon; dental officer, Major A.
W. Jrwin; adjutant, Capt. L. M. Wedd;
paymaster, Capt. W. E," Rowland;
quartermaster, Capt. W.’S. Hall. Tha
battery commanders are Capt. E. S.
McCannell, 97th Battery, Walkerton.;
Capt. A. B. Sturdy, 98th Battery, God
erich; Capt. J. Jackson, 99th Battery,
Wingham;" Major M. R. Oliver, 100th
Battery, Listowcl.
„ - . ----| Though the unit js still designatedHowever, the squadron was disband- ' officially as an anti-tank regiment, it
cd*three years later, due to the fact|has been ope:
that no horses were supplied and I ment for sorrfe time past, much to the
training at Petawawa each summer I satisfaction of the veterans* of this
made rt necessary to rent horses and i.....................................
transport them to camp by rail. Re- |
has been operating as a field regi-.
?e time past, much to the
particular branch of artillery who are
among its personnel.
Abode Locations
Acountry in the Boer War in South J
Africa and if) pictured above in his J Vanstone, adjutant; Capt. W. B. Allen,
Uniform. • i quartermaster; Major Sinclair, A
, As we near the conclusion of this
edition of the history of Wingham
and have become somewhat acquaint
ed with the early settlers through
stories about some of them, and re
ference to others, it may be interesting
to describe their business and dwell
ing locations. This We have been able
to do through Mrs. Pl&xton’s letters
her memory taking her back to her
Childhdod, in the early 60’s, giving a
picture of the Town Plot as it was
at that time.
Close to the present power house
JHdge, on the east side of Helena
Street, stood Peter Fisher’s grist mill
and Woollen factory, and next to this
(going north), was the road on the
Fisher property that ran across the
mill race to Archie Fisher’s sawmill
Across this load on Helena Street
Merchants'
in Town Plot
and still going north,was Peter
Fisher’s home and the drying ground,
where yards t and yards of flannel
Were stretched on tender hooks to*
dry. iSText to the yard was Bailey's!
carpenter shop, Kirkby’s bakery (later
Peter Linklater’s grocery) and then
-Thom’s general store with George
Green’s general store on the corner.
At this juncture it may be well to
explain that from where Victoria St.,
swings south near the terminus of the
Helena Street; is actually
McIntosh Street. The intersection of
McIntosh and Helena formed a right-
angle, In receht years the area on
Which some of these buildings stood,
has been cleared to allow for a curve
(Please turn to page thirty-seven.)