June 29 – July 5: Compiled by Dave Humphrey from the archived newspapers held at the Cranbrook History Centre and Archives
1918
Local soldier in hospital … Gunner A.H. Gilpin, who left on Sunday last for Vancouver military hospital, after spending a week in this district visiting friends, enlisted over three years ago and went overseas with the 54th battalion in November, 1915.
After a few months in England Gilpin went across to France with the 48th and took part in the third battle of Ypres, the fighting on the Somme and at Vimy Ridge. On May 24th, 1917, while on the plains beyond Vimy he was seriously wounded with shrapnel and was also gassed and spent nearlya year in English hospitals before being invalided home.
Reward for bravery … Pte. C.R. McDonald has been mentioned in dispatches by his commanding officer for his highly courageous and efficient work during the raid on enemy trenches, Hill 70 sector, on the night of April 27th last.
This brave young man is the son of Mr. Jas. McDonald, of this city, and left for overseas with the 225th battalion and has seen much active service. Before enlisting he was employed as a fireman on the C.P.R.
Blair/Bartholomew wedding … The home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Frame, on Norbury Avenue, was the scene of a very pretty wedding when Isabella, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Blair, of Kingsgate, was united in marriage to Benjamin Bartholomew, of this city.
The bride was given away by her father, and was attended by her sister, Margaret, as bridesmaid, while the groom was supported by Mr. R. Frame.
After the ceremony the happy couple with the immediate relatives of bride and groom were entertained to supper by Mr. and Mrs. Frame, who acted as host and hostess in a right royal manner.
The young couple intend making Cranbrook their home in the near future.
Shaving mug … Pte. Harry Ferguson, who is one of the Pioneers who left here about two years ago, has sent to little Donald McDonald a shaving mug made out of part of a six-pounder German shell. It is engrossed with the following legends: “Ypres,” “Somme,” “Vimy,” and a Maple Leaf crest. It is a valuable souvenir of the war, especially of the important part the Canadians are taking in it.
Leaves for coast … Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Currie left on Monday’s westbound train for Vancouver, where they will take up their future residence. Mr. Currie, who has been employed in the Cranbrook foundry for the past eight years, has been lured to the coast city by the higher scale of wages prevailing out there and the increasing demand for skilled mechanics.
Spread the “pep” … “If a little “pep” were injected into the public life of the city there would be nothing to hold it back,” was an expression overheard by the newsgatherer of the Herald on the street on Tuesday. The pep is here, but too much of it is tied up in bulk. Let everybody put a little of it in his shaker and scatter it around. It might make us sneeze but it would do us all a world of good.
Explanation of our problems … The Herald linotype, like a Texas mule, balked just when it was expected to be on its best behavior, and refused to cast a line. The operator damned it good and plenty —the only language a mule understands—but his voice was the voice of a stranger and had no effect.
We have therefore been compelled to set up the paper by hand and as the office is not equipped with news type we have had our troubles. We crave the indulgence of our readers until we can get the machine repaired.
The Herald will not be “beheaded” … We have been complimented on the up-to-date appearance of the front page of our last week’s issue. We admit there was some class to that make-up. The Herald’s attractive appearance alone will be worth the price of a year’s subscription.
The attractive make-up, however, was not its only feature. There was a lot of interesting home news and our readers are specially requested to make a note of this fact that every week there will be an increasing number of live newsy items in the Herald that will create such a demand for the home paper that we will be compelled to increase the number of pages to satiate the appetite of our readers for more breezy local, district, provincial, national and world-wide interest and so accommodate our hard-headed business men with advertising space.
As we have intimated, the head of an article in a newspaper is like the head of a man—the most distinctive part, but at the same time it does not appeal to all men in the same way.
To illustrate what we mean: While one man was patting us on the back another was pointing a gun at us because he thought that one head over an interesting local item reflected injuriously upon his character.
Now we want it to be distinctly understood that we have no malice toward any and if it appeared that we did not give a square deal to Tom Takin in the article headed “Three Loafers Are Arrested”, that was not our intention. But he thinks that we did not give him a square deal and has intimated his view of it to us through his legal advisers, who have requested us to make an apology to him in this issue and to give the apology the same prominence as we gave the article complained of.
Tom Takin had a hearing before the Police Magistrate under the Anti-Loafing Act. He gave a good reason to show why he was not engaged in any useful employment and the charge against him was dismissed.
The Herald’s reference to the case so stated, but the heading, he considered, conveyed a different impression. The purpose of the heading was to draw attention to the article, which it admirably succeeded in doing, but it did not contain all the facts in the case —no head can— the article, however, set forth all the essential facts. The Anti-Loafing Act is being rigidly enforced throughout Canada and the local authorities are to be commended for their zeal.
Leaves the Herald … Mr. Alfred Parker, who has been on the staff of the Herald for three years, left for Medicine Hat on Saturday to join the news staff of that city.
Alf is a bright young man and we hope to see him come to the front in the profession of the art preservative of arts.
He was well liked among the boys and judging by the bevy of girls who were on the station platform to see him off and the vigor with which they waved their “hankies” as the train pulled out, he was no cub, but a perfect lion among the girls as well.
With him went the last relics of Cranbrook’s defunct brass band. He must have been some musician as he carried away the bass drum, the trap drum, the clarinet and two or three other brass horns—he will sure be the big noise in Medicine Hat.
Tops in membership … According to a report appearing in the January issue of the Agricultural Journal, Cranbrook’s Women’s Institute leads all other cities in the province in point of membership, having 114 members, Cowichan coming second with 108 members.
Cranbrook visitors … Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Hickley, of Calgary, motored into the city on Sunday. He is the Calgary manager of the Ford Motor Company and spent Monday in close consultation with their genial and popular local agent, Frank M. McPherson, manager of the Hanson Garage.
Quiet national holiday … The National Holiday was spent very quietly in town. A good many of our loyal citizens worked in their war gardens, while others took a spin out to one of the numerous lakes around Cranbrook to enjoy a day’s outing. Some of the old boys just sat in the shade and talked of the good old days of long ago and wondered if they would ever come back again.
A Sunday school picnic was held on the flat, but the ball tournament and the horse racing did not come off.Methodist outing … The Methodist S.S. held their annual picnic on Dominion Day on the beautiful green island on the prairie east of the city. Everybody enjoyed themselves to the full, some playing football, others chose a cooler form of amusement by wading in the creek, while others preferred baseball and swinging, but the wise sat under the shady trees and knitted socks.
A good war time supper was spread and all were united in singing its praises.
W.J. Morton and his staff started going some fine racing events, the best of them all being a blind horse race for men.
The officers and teachers of the S.S. tender their sincere thanks to all who in any way contributed to the success of the outing.
Boost Cranbrook … Everybody should be a booster for Cranbrook. Take it’s climate, you can’t go astray on that. Of course climate isn’t everything, but you can’t live without it. Now, everybody, altogether, co-operate in boosting the summer resort of southeastern British Columbia.
Kootenay Orchards Sunday School picnic … The Kootenay Orchards S.S. picnic was held on July 1st by Joseph’s creek on Mr. Heath’s homestead and it was agreed that it was the best picnic yet held by the school.
Almost everyone in Kootenay Orchards, old and young, were there and all joined in the games and races as well as in the bountiful lunch and supper which were prepared by the ladies.
Much thanks and credit are due to Messrs. Stender and Ogden, the committee.
On the Sunday before the picnic prizes of books were given to every child in the community and special presents were given to Miss Winnie Lippitt, secretary and treasurer, and to Mrs. Finlayson, organist and music leader for their faithful services.
