First and Second

World War I had a great impact on the world, including Vancouver.

It had been a century, since the wars of Napoleon, since the world had seen a conflict of such magnitude. The American Civil War may have been bitter and destructive but it couldn't compare to this.

War had become a gallant, occasionally fatal game to the British. These clashes were directed by professionals in an atmosphere of pageantry and hero-worship. The threat was never more than the possible collapse of a single nation. The episodes weren't as drastic as the threat of ending an entire civilization and way of life.

For the next five years, 1914-1915, this threat was real to every citizen of the Western World.

This was an immensely personal conflict to the people of Vancouver, even more so than World War II. Canada's casualties in 1914-18 were greater than those in the entire United States forces.

There were streets in Vancouver where every house had a man overseas and every block mourned two or three dead. The First World War was sheer grinding, continuous, merciless slaughter - something the second war never approached.

It wasn't a matter of if a loved one would be killed or maimed but rather when. Battalions were made up of approximately 1,100 officers and men and could be "used up" in two battles.

The 7th Battalion spent 3 years on the front and 9,000 humans went through its ranks. 1400 were killed, 7000 wounded.

The last original officer of the 16th Battalion was killed two years after the battalion arrived in France. In two years, the 47th Battalion lost 22 officers and 639 men killed, 2000 wounded. These were local units made up of local men.

Reading the paper was a horrifying experience after a battle. Casualty lists filled long columns in the papers day after day.

World War I was a war that struck home struck hard. Whereas the Second World War was a war of anxiety and frustration, had been anticipated and was never quite as bad as expected; the First World War was a war of sorrow and hatred, an unparalleled nightmare. People were unprepared for it and it struck a new terror almost daily into the hearts and minds of the people.

 Thank you to the book Vancouver, From Milltown to Metropolis by Alan Morley.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill

Happy Birthday Canada!

In honor of Canada Day - July 1 - I want to show you some gorgeous photos of artwork around the city while giving you some facts on my special country.

these are more photos of that mural that I found in an alley downtown.

Canada was established as a self-governing country on July 1, 1867 which means as of today we are 144 years old. However there were places called Canada in the confederation before this. The name apparently comes from the Aboriginal word Canata meaning village.

Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. We are the world's second largest country by total area and our common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world. We have the Atlantic Ocean at our east coast; the Pacific Ocean on the west coast and the Arctic Ocean in the north.

But I am the Vancouver Vagabond - I am a Westerner and more interested in the history of my part of Canada. After all the best is in the west and the finest is grown in BC. LOL


British Columbia is known for its natural beauty and our Latin motto is Splendor sine occasu which means 'Splendor without Diminishment'. Our name was chosen by Queen Victoria when she visited in 1858.

British Columbia joined the Canadian Federation on July 20, 1871 becoming Canada's sixth province.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, BC was home to many Aboriginal people and over thirty languages including Babine, Beaver, Carrier, Tsilhqot'in, Gitksan, Haida, Halkomelem, Kaska, Kutenai, St'at'imcets, Nisga'a, Nuu-chah-nulth, Nuxalk, Sekani, Secwepemc, Sinixt, Skwxwu7mesh, Tagish, Tahltan, Nlaka'pamux, Tlingit, Tsetsaut, and Tsimshian.

British Columbia has always had an abundance of natural resources such as salmon and cedar. Because the people of our province were not having to continuously scrounge around for food, they were able to spend their time on such pursuits as art, politics and warfare.

In 2009 the population of this province was estimated at 4,419,974 and over two and half million of those folks live in the Greater Vancouver area.

Although our climate is suited for outdoor recreation and we love to have tourists  visit, our economy is largely resource based. Our economic mainstay has long been resource extraction, namely logging and mining.

Now this is an interesting fact: even though BC is agriculturally rich - especially in the Fraser and Okanagan Valleys - less than 5% of the province's land is arable. In other words less than five percent of the land can be farmed on. That would have made farming very difficult for the first farmers in this province.

British Columbia's land area is 944,735 square kilometres (364,800 sq mi.) and our rugged coastline stretches for more than 27,000 kilometres (17,000 mi), and includes deep, mountainous fjords and about six thousand islands, most of which are uninhabited.

On the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island is our capital, Victoria - a beautiful city that I urge all visitors to visit. But the most populous city of the province is Vancouver. Being the endpoint of transcontinental highways and railways and the site of major Pacific ports we are ideal for a booming international trade.

But there are other major cities as well: in the lower mainland there is Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Delta and our first capital - New Westminster; Abbotsford, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Langley in the Fraser Valley; Kamloops and Kelowna in the interior and Prince George is the northern part of the province's major city. (Nearby Vanderhoof is actually at the center of the province.)

There is so much more to say about this province but I am running out of room so I will leave that for another time.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, logging, Vancouver,mining,tourists,History,Queen Victoria,international