Tag Archives: War

People, Places, Sights, Stories

#FABTrip15: Pte. John Harold Fenton of Cavendish, Lest We Forget

11 Comments
 

John Harold Fenton reported for duty on June 10, 1918. A farmer’s son from the windswept plain at Cavendish, Alberta, young Fenton was just 17 when he journeyed west to Calgary to enlist in the Alberta Regiment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  Possibly driven by patriotism, a desire for adventure, or the need to escape the dusty desolation of the drybelt, Private Fenton signed up just as the Great War was drawing to a close. While Germany’s forces on the Western Front were nearing defeat by October 1918, another deadly foe was emerging from the east, this time closer to home. Read more at www.forgottenalberta.com #LestWeForget #Alberta #Canada #RemembranceDay #WW1 #abandoned #forgotten #pioneer #cemetery #history #mybadlands #FABTrip15 @gregfarries

A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on

John Harold Fenton reported for duty on June 10, 1918. A farmer’s son from the windswept plain at Cavendish, Alberta, young Fenton was just 17 when he journeyed west to Calgary to enlist in the Alberta Regiment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  Possibly driven by patriotism, a desire for adventure, or the need to escape the dusty desolation of the drybelt, Private Fenton signed up just as the Great War was drawing to a close. While Germany’s forces on the Western Front were nearing defeat by October 1918, another deadly foe  was emerging from the east, this one closer to home.

Continue reading #FABTrip15: Pte. John Harold Fenton of Cavendish, Lest We Forget →

People, Places, Road trips, Sights, Stories

#FABTrip15: We see more of Hanna on Day Two

Leave a comment

The Seymour Hotel in Hanna #Alberta #Canada #abandoned #hotel #mybadlands #FABTrip15 @gregfarries

A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on

At the start of Day 2, we left behind the unfinished business to snoop around Hanna, before heading north to parts unknown. In our tour we came across a business that was definitely finished, and some contemporary finishes to some classic brick work in the heart of Hanna, which provided fodder for Greg’s scathing social commentary. Continue reading #FABTrip15: We see more of Hanna on Day Two →

General, Places, Road trips, Sights, Stories

Brooks Museum First World War exhibit features #WW1 trench

Leave a comment

The Brooks and District Museum have put together an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. The exhibit provides an overview of the Great War, and chronicles the role of local residents in the global conflict.

Display
A display case is full to the brim with wartime memorabilia including German Pickelhaubes and “potato mashers”; a portrait entitled “March to the Battlefield or Canada’s Men on the Way”; wartime medals loaned by local families; and a portrait of Cpl. William “Bill” Beresford of Millicent, a veteran of wars in South Africa, India and Europe.
Swagger-Stick
A “swagger stick”, standard issue for officers of the Great War. The description reads: “A short stick carried by officers that showed their authority. It helped them keep their hands out of their pockets and could be used for punishment.” It’s rumoured to be similar to the kind used by the Hon. Alison Redford to keep the Premier’s office in line.
Casualty-Clearing-Station
A replica of a battlefront casualty clearing station, featuring Canadian nurses called “bluebirds”, so named for their distinctive blue and white attire.
Trench
As the first tank of the Somme rumbles off into a sodden shell crater, visitors are invited to venture into a replica of a WW1 trench.
Rats
Inside the trench a lonely old soul, crouching low to avoid sniper fire and shrapnel, pines for days of yore out on the homestead at Tide Lake where the meadowlark and the warm prairie breeze, not trench foot and vermin, were his constant companions.
People, Places, Stories, Vulcan County History

Bow City getting village status historical marker

2 Comments

Good news everyone! From the Brooks Bulletin, intrepid scribe Rob Brown informs the masses that the Province of Alberta has approved Vulcan County’s application for a historical marker at the site of the former Village of Bow City (reproduced below).

A big thank you is owed to Liza Dawber and Vulcan County for their work approving and submitting the Heritage Marker application, and the community partners who supported the application.

Bow City getting village status historical marker

Just in time for next week’s 100th anniversary of becoming a village, Bow City has been awarded a historical marker noting the fact.
On July 13, 1914 Bow City was incorporated as a village.

Last week, Jonathan Koch, an avid historian working on the recognition project, said the province notified him a marker is forthcoming.

He says it is important to recognize the past.

“We certainly do run the risk of losing our history if these aren’t marked and people aren’t doing the work,” he says.

Continue reading Bow City getting village status historical marker →

General, I'm just sayin', People, Places, Prairie Post, Road trips, Sights, Stories, The Map, Vulcan County History

The story of Forgotten Alberta

Leave a comment

On March 14, I was privileged to join a diverse lineup of presenters at Medicine Hat’s Esplanade Heritage and Cultural Centre for the second Pecha Kucha Night of 2014.

It was an interesting and informative night for all involved, and I’d like to thank Pecha Kucha organizers for inviting me to present.

For those who missed it, or who are looking to kill roughly seven minutes, I’m happy to present the Story of Forgotten Alberta.